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You are in my prayers. Update us when you can. I understand the nerves ( I was just banded 7/15/10). Reading the posts on this site helped me feel prepared, so when I felt the gas pain, or when doctors or nurses said something, I at least had an idea of what was going on. And yes, God IS in control. My surgeon was a Christian, and I had so many people praying during surgery, I know that had an impact! Blessings to you.

God will work his grace with you as he has done with me. Congrats on your insurance coverage. Mine was sticky too and it was approved. I've been banded 10 days now and feel good. Good luck with your surgery.

My thoughts and prayers are with everyone having surgery this week. Wishing each of you a speedy recovery. Keep us posted on your progress. July 18 MLD valentine InProgress Jensharley Tripletsmomma Tee23 July 19 readyforachange38 Hanir happygirl2011 Mercyanew July 20 2ahealthierme singand_dance LeahG jennifer6791 PollyPoo Dee Dee July 21 Bemabound

Yes....me! Two years out, gained 10 pounds back, and am craving everything I shouldn't and are not supposed to be eating! My willpower is at a zero.....need help getting back on track.....help!

Hi Melissa, Good luck with your surgery in Jan 10, I had mine in Jul 06 and I am insured by Defence Health, my out of pocket expensese were about $ 3000. A price that is well worth it. I have lost about 40 kg, I have had my ups and downs but having the Lap Band operation was the best decision I have ever made. I live in Melbourne but if you want to have a chat I can be contacted at melissa.rosie@gmail.com.

I'll just ditto what Swiftflow mentioned. It's not "hunger" it's the acid that caused my "hunger' early out before I started taking the Prilosec. I take generic RX Prilosec 20mg once daily, first thing in the a.m. and 1 hour before eating. Pepcid, Zantac, Tums, etc etc are not PPIs and do not work the same. Ally- You may need a different PPI. You may need to take it twice a day. Check with your doctor and see he/she has any suggestions for you. NtvTxn- With Prilosec, it takes a few days for them to become full effective. I think it took around 10-14 days for it to really kick in for me. So, if you're just taking it "as needed", it's only treating the symptoms of acid, and not preventing it. I would take it on a regular basis per your surgeon's directions.

I am 4 weeks out and I feel hunger on a daily basis. I am also able to eat much more than I thought I would and have to consciously stop myself. I can easily eat a cup of food and I've never felt any pain nor had difficulty eating. Last night I had about three ounces of grilled chicken, a few bites of brocolli and about 10 tortellini. While I realize that is not a huge meal, I thought I would only be able to eat a couple of tablespoons this early on in the journey. I am also able to take regular sized sips of water with no trouble or pain. It feels like I never had surgery. I am happy about the no pain of course, but I do wish I would get full quickly and I just don't. Jill

I love the generic Protonix. I took it before surgery as well. My dr. prescribes it for me to take it twice a day, but I only take it in the morning. That way, I get 60 for $10

Actually for 5 days of it. My husband is working out of town so we brought him the stuff for the five days he will be gone. Lots of shakes, soups, Popsicles and sugar free jello. This makes our journey so much more real!! I'm terrified. He's my strong man and I am so scared to see him in a hospital bed. In all our 12 years together, he has never been sick. Never been to the hospital. Very healthy. It's quiet terrifying. I know he will be healthier and I am behind him. Luckily I am able to hide the terror from him right now. He's such an amazing man. I'm prepared for anything. I'm going all liquids in support so if we are going to be crabby, it will be crabby together!!!

I'm scheduled on 10/28. Nervous and excited at the same time!

Thanks for the info. And no, Nature Valley granola bars are not OK for a snack. As you can read on the box and on each wrapped bar, the 2 bars in each packet are: Calories 190 Calories from Fat 54 Total Fat 6g 9% Saturated Fat 0.5g 2% Sodium 160mg 7% Carbohydrates 29g 10% Dietary Fiber 2g 8% Sugars 12g Protein 4g Anything that is 190 calories that has only 4 grams of protein is AWFUL. Even for a slim person. I am in maintenance (not trying to lose weight) and I would never eat this food even now -- much less when I was trying to lose weight.

@Nanajoy@Sammy 10-30 glad you both are enjoying Bariatric Plan. ask any and alll of your questions suggest maybe use the SEARCH button in top right hand corner you will find that many OP have already asked the same ?, and you can learn from them. you will get answers, opinions, experiences and more many responses will be different because we are all supposed to do only what our NUT tells us to do never compare yourself to others - you'll learn many important/valuable things here. after listening to OP, medical questions should be asked and answered by your doc or NUT good luck kathy

Today's intake: B: 3 mini crustless quiche (270 Cals/ 24 Protein) S: 1 cup cottage cheese (80 Cals/ 8 Protein) L: side salad with 2 tbsp ranch (148 Cals/ 0 Protein), 1/4 c asparagus (10 Cal / 1 Protein), 4 sea scallops (100 cals / 20 Protein) S: String Cheese (80 Cal /8 Protein) D:Turkey Meatloaf (270 Cals/ 30 Protein) So that's a grand total for today of 958 Calories and 91 gms protein! Felt like all I have been doing is eating all day...thought I had more calories than that. Felt kind of nauseated with dinner. I still consider myself loose compared to what I was before, but every now and then I still get the uncomfortable stuck feeling. It takes all I have to not go make the pain go away and resist the urge to purge. My husband and I went to a movie today, and I consider it a small victory that we just simply watched the movie and didn't get popcorn (which was all you could eat for free today) or a soda pop. I can't say I wasn't craving it the entire time...but I made it through. One day down, many more to go. You can do this Robyn!

I had one of these for dinner last night, it was GREAT!:hungry: They come four to a box, in the frozen section. I thawed one out in the microwave, then cooked it in a non-stick skillet. Took less then 10 minutes total. I toasted a wheat english-muffin and used that for a bun, with a little light mayo and ginger spread(also from TJs). It was sooooo good, and a lot more juicy then I would have thought. It had a hint of citrus, and some heat but not a lot. The nutritional info - each patty has 110 calories, 30 of them from fat. It has 3g fat, 1 of those is sat fat, no trans fat. 55mg of Cholesterol, 270mg of sodium. Total carbs of 4g, 1g of Fiber. And 15g of Protein. I don't have the ingredients here with me, but TJs is usually pretty good on what it puts in things.

I am SO mad!!!! You would not believe what someone at my insurance company emailed me with!!!! I spent ALL day yesterday driving 6 hours to and from my surgeons office and the hospital to do pre op testing and when I got home last night, BS of CA sent me an email that stated I had not been approved for this procedure!!!! I was so mad that I called and got some young gal who didn't know anything and couldn't find my approval. She told me to call again today. Today I called and got hold of a woman that took 10 minutes to find it, but DID find it. She then told me that she was going to find the person that sent me the email and call them to straighten them out. I was asking them about travel reimbursements and instead they sent me into this emotional whirlwind. I'm so mad.:wink2:

Well i go to the doctor today. Another fill i would imagine. I am not loosing like i should(at least that is what i think) My weight this am on my scale (yeah totally naked and before i've eaten anything is 215.8) I am curious to see what their scale says. I have been really REALLY good. I have been tracking everything! i eat on my daily plate. I get 1174 calories a day and i have been going to the gym in the am after i drop katie off for her second bus. I do the treadmill for 20 min then the stair walker machine for another 10 min. Oh according to my daily plate if i do that i get about another 150 calories for the day. Sometimes i use it most of the time i do not. I think that this time i am going to make it. I think my head is in the right place now. Before it really was not. HOWEVER i do need more fills because it is my willpower keeping me going not at all my satisfied feeling in my tummy. So once i get that i really should be doing good. I have set a mini goal, i want to lose 15 lbs by the time i go to CA on Feb 14th. Then Sal and i are going into NYC on March 13 14?? I would like to be down another 10 by then so lets see. First goal i should be 200 and second goal i should be 190 ONEDERLAND as everyone would say. I post tomorrow to record my band fill. :confused:

I put off my life for a year post-op. I didn't feel like my weight was low enough to seek out a new job, get out and have fun, or try dating. I think it's pretty common, much like the way people order a new "as seen on tv" exercise tool. And then wait for it to arrive before starting any kind of exercise program. I know I've done it. Get my free eBook - The Top 10 WLS Fears and How to Kick Their Butt!

I have a busy life and have a crazy nutty schedule that rules my life 1 baby daddy, 2 beautiful children, 1 house to run, 1 building to operate , 1 spa to run, 9 employees sometimes varies love interests and a partridge in a pear tree. But anyway i am not 19 months post op. HAVE LOST 74 lbs !!!!! Holy crap - i know i havent blogged in a long time but i now wear a regular ladies pant size 16 comfortably sometime a 14w still having bosy issues and eating issues - think my band is about half full and i am down to only eating about 2-3 oz at a time some funnie things that have changed for me I really cant eat rice or bread without feeling uncomfortable. White heavy foods are very hard to digest so after a while i really dont even want them at all !!! imagine a fat girl not into mashed potatoes. I have to stay very conscious of what i am eating and how much. I can eat anything i really want however the volume is so small i never thought this little food would fill me but it does. After losing 8 pants sizes i find myself wanting to excercise. I bought myself a gazelle excercize machine for christmas. Is great to do 30 minutes makes it a couple miles easy workout but effecient at getting up my heart rate. I am also finding out that i have way more endurance and energy. been working like a dog doing outdoor work - cleaning taking down walls in my house never a dull moment. People have told me how thin my face looks this is where things get strange for me even though i knwo my clothes are smaller and the number on the scale has dropped when i look in the mirror i still see myself as a fat girl. I mean i am actually less than 200 lbs for the first time in like 10 years maybe more - I have never been this thin as an adult. Is great get lots of attention from guys i feel sexy - still curvy i have a big ol butt. thinkin i always will but not that i am at 199 lbs my goal is 150 that means goal is only 49 lbs away at my current rate i am losing about 1-2 lbs a week 49 lbs will be here before 2011 and we all know how fast the years can fly by have even been looking at vacations bathing suits things that just might have made my skin crawl for a while i am now embracing. Is nuts the fat girl still lives in my head though she talks to me - :eat the cake" take one more bite- save that for a little while you will eat more again soon - aaauuuggghhh ! SHut Up already i have more wilpower have thrown away great dinners with moutheatering flavors - just trying my best to listen to my body and when i do that first deep breath at dinner I STOP EATING- is such a novel thing for me i will checkin more often and keep updates current watch out bathing suits stores i am coming in ! :thumbup:

Hey everyone- im 10 days post op and lost quickly in the first week. Seems to be slow now and Im kinda getting discouraged. Im happy with the weight I did lose but Im starving all the time and I yet to find my filler. Today I made chicken riggies for my family and i mashed up some chicken and im eating that now. I havent felt nausea or sick yet so is it too early to start eating. I have been on liquids and had mashed pot yesterday- does anyone know why I shouldnt be eating this or is it going to harm me. I need help starting to have doubts and my struggle is just yet to begin. Please help...thanks guys

I had my first fill today. It went much worse than I had imagined it would. The doctor (my surgeon) couldn't get the right angle or something, but he stuck me like 10 times. After the first few sticks, he took a break and gave me some lidocaine injections. It was better after that, but not pain free. I was on the verge of being on the verge of tears. :crying: My regular physician came in part way through the procedure. He's being taught how to do an unfill in case of an emergency. Bless his heart, he could tell I was distressed and he came and held my hand. I was doing labor breathing techniques to get through this. The surgeon kept saying this was a hard one. He'd get the needle in, but couldn't inject the saline. Finally, the saline went in. He withdrew it a couple of times to prove that he was indeed in the port and not just in the tissue. I may very well have been his first fill since he is a new (to the lapband) surgeon. Though I can't imagine he hasn't at least had the chance to do some practice fills somewhere. Anyway, I'm really hoping the next one will go much better. Ugh. I got 3 ccs in my 10cc AP band. On the bright side, I am down 30 pounds as of this morning. Yay!

I didn't try raw veggies until about 10 weeks Post Op. I'm about 3 months now and I eat whatever veggie I want cooked or raw. I just chew really good. I cut them up really fine or even use my potato peeler for cucumber, carrots and radishes if I have a small salad. That way it is thin sliced and easy to chew. I haven't had dumping from eating anything but I have had it from drinking right after I ate. I just mindlessly did it as habit and paid for it. Anyways, I think you'll be fine if you chew really good. I just recently added peppers to the mix and those were fine too.

I have this scale from HoMedics (bought it at BB&Beyond) and I love it. I can step on and off it 10 times and it always shows the same exact weight. http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?order_num=-1&SKU=14755357 I also really love it that it gives me my weight by 10th of a pound. It's nice to see even small progress. Plus, I love it that the scale is so accurate. After years on a scale that could vary 3-5 lbs within 30 seconds, it's nice to see a number and know it's real! BTW, HoMedics has some cheaper scales than this one -- I just got this one b/c I wanted it to go with my bathroom. I don't use all of the features on it. Catherine

Hi Angela, You are doing excellent right now. Remember that any weight loss before you are properly restricted is bonus weight. Now is a time for your stomach to heal, not to focus on losing weight(though I know that is VERY hard!!) I went thru the exact same feelings as you are, feeling like I wasn't losing as much weight as other bandsters....Usually there will be a fast loss at the beginning and then the weight loss will slow to 1-2 lbs a week AFTER you are properly restricted. This is the hard part, I won't lie. I couldn't wait till I had restriction b/c I was basically wide open and was able to eat anything and everything. Just try to focus your best on eating lean Protein and veggies once you are able to and off of mushies. You may be one of the lucky ones and experience restriction right off of the bat or with only one fill. It took me 2 big ones to feel anything. Patience is key with this band. I am still working on it!! About the working out, I was able to 2 weeks after my surgery. I was SO sick of simply walking as well so I got the OK from my surgeon to proceed. A lot of people will wait 6 weeks on the weights, it is up to you though. I was fine on everything but situps because of the pain in my port area and stitches I waited. Congrats on your awesome weight loss so far!!! ~Liz~ banded 03/10/06 Dr.Ortiz 241/199/150 5'7''