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I had my band put in Oct 10ccband. First fill blind poke three tries 3cc in. Second two pokes dig dig 3cc in, third three pokes dig dig 1ccin RESTRICTION!!! Ya good weight loss happy. Fourth wanted to tweak a little only had restriction in the morning fill 1cc five pokes dig dig. Next day no restriction I think I have a leak. Drive another 200 miles for fluoro and she is able to get 5cc out I should have 8cc plus doc put in 2cc at time of surgery (that is 10 in a 10cc band) she adds 1cc more Fill # Five now I should have 11cc no restriction at all I have a leak. She said sometimes the tube collapses and you can’t get a true read. She said you don’t have a leak because I got something out. They don’t want to take any responsibility for f-ing it up. The obvious problem with having bands in Mexico is the after care. I knew this and yet chose to go for it. If I go back to my doc it is $2500 to replace port and tube. Then what who do I have do the fills? I should have had a sleeve that is what my doc is famous for and there would have been no fills, no leak and it was $2000 more than a band so in the long run cheaper after you factor in the cost of fills and heart ache!! ANYONE OUT THERE DO NOT HAVE NORTH WEST FILL CENTER IN ARLINGTON WASHINGTON DO YOUR FILLS. QUACKS!!! So where do I go from here?? Right now after I beat myself up I am doing nothing can’t afford it so I am trying on denial to convince myself that I have restriction. Any suggestions???

Hi everyone! I am officially a bandster. Woo hoo!! Mom flew in the night before and we briefly chatted and got ready for bed. I was really tired, but once I was in bed I was quite anxious so I took my $13 Valium. Next thing I knew it was morning. We had to be at the surgery center at 6:45 so we were up and at it bright and early. We happened to walk in with my surgeon so I felt that was a good sign somehow. I was slated to go second for the day and I filled out my paperwork. They took the first girl back and it seemed just a few minutes later that they called me back. The nurses were super sweet as they prepped me. I had to give a urine sample before I had the surgery but I had to wait until the first girl was out of the bathroom. That took about 20 minutes, I think. Poor girl could never go so they brought her out to give her fluids and bumped me up a spot. Woo hoo! I talked to the surgeon a bit. He's a feisty one. But I like that. I remember meeting the anesthesiologist (CA-UTE!) but nothing much after that. Next thing I knew I was in recovery. The nurse said that I did so great during my preop diet that my liver looked fantastic and the normally 45 minutes surgery took only 20! That made it all worth it. I felt like I had been hit by a truck, but I was also feeling optimistic. I had to sit in post op for about an hour and I started to feel a bit better. As I was about ready to go the girl that got bumped came out of surgery and she was not having an easy time of it. I felt bad for her but it made me realize how well I was doing. That was it and I was ready to go home. Mom drove me and I realized it was only 9:15. Wow. I was home three hours from the time I left in the morning. Crazy! The day was long. I wasn't sleepy at all so a nap was out of the question. My mom kept me company and we watched mindless TV all day. I would move back and forth from the TV to the couch throughout the day. One thing I noticed is that I could lay on my side almost immediately. That surprised me, I took pain medication every four hours regardless of how I felt. I think that helped a lot. I also took a lot of GasX. It didn't seem to do much until late in the evening when I started to feel things moving in my tummy. I have been farting like a trucker ever since. My throat hurt worse than I expected it to, my incisions hurt less than I expected to and my gas hurt about like I expected. My friends at work sent me flowers which was super sweet. And I had a lot of friends and family members sending me good thoughts and messages. I went to bed around 10 PM. I was able to cuddle a body pillow and sleep on my side. I slept quite well until 4:30 when I got up and took more pain medication. I went back to sleep and woke up around 8:00 to a text from my friend. (Side note: she recently had a break in, but is trying to hook up with the police officer that came by and I have been giving her pointers. She had just taken some thank you cookies to the station and needed some support. :thumbup: ) I still have gas today, but it has subsided quite a bit. Insicions hurt but only a little bit. My throat is almost all better. There is just a small cut on the top of my mouth from the breathing tube that is driving me crazy. I have been drinking water like crazy. Yesterday I had grape juice, a popsicle and a tiny bit of chicken broth. No issues whatsoever. Today I have had more juice and I'm having hot tea now. I also took my birth control pill and had no issue. For lunch I will have some more chicken broth and for dinner I might get crazy and have some beef broth. All in all...not a bad experience. Yesterday I felt like I got hit by a Mack truck, but today just a VW bug. Ha! Hope you are all doing well out there!!

Hi everyone I am 10 days post op and started my mushies yesterday. Not sure if I am eating too fast or too much but every time i eat I gave crazy pain near my chest that lasts for a few hours. Is this normal. Also I feel like i have no idea what I am doing because I am eating mashed potatoes how many calories can I eat etc,.. I feel so in the dark here please help the pain really hurts.

I'm a cheese and mashed potato freak. Carbs all the way. I love my mother's Shepherd's pie but tried doing it 100% vegetarian and it was unbelievably good!! 2 heads cauliflower (1 would do, but again i needed the illusion of mashed potatoes) 1 pkg Smart Ground soy "beef" 1/2 pkg lipton Soup savory herb mix 1 yellow onion, diced 1/2 pkg Soya Kaas mild cheddar cheese (dairy free alternative)<--- by the way, this is the best non dairy cheese on the market. i've tried tons, they sucked. This is delicious AND melts properly! Whole Foods has it. 1 can tomato soup 1 - 2 cups veggies - I used roasted carrots, anything fresh or frozen 3 - 5 TBSP butter/margarine little bit of milk, optional salt, pepper I had tons of carrots leftover from juicing so I cut them up with some EVOO and salt and pepper and roasted them for 20 minutes. You can use canned green Beans, corn, peas, anything you want to use up. Once I made this with Steamfresh southwest corn...mmm!!! Those spices were great. Cup up and boil the cauliflower til mushy. Mash it like potatoes with butter, salt and pepper. I used a little bit of milk to make them creamy but they hold Water well, I didn't need it. With some EVOO, brown the diced onion then throw in the meat alternative. After about 10 minutes, I added in some Savory Herb recipe soup mix I had left over. Only needed about 1/2 a packet. Chuck the tomato sauce and whatever veggies you want into the skillet. If they are fresh or raw veggies, cook them first - frozen is already cooked so those can just get dumped in and heated. **NOTE: If you are using frozen veggies, you don't need to add water to the mixture, but if you're using pre-cooked veggies, keep an eye on the mix and add a little water as needed so it doesn't get too thick. In a casserole dish, dump in the meat and veggie mix, layer with slices of the Soya cheddar cheese, then spread the cauliflower on top. Sprinkle the top with some sea salt/fresh ground pepper and bake for about 30 minutes at 350. The cheese does take a bit longer to melt than regular cheese, so keep checking it. This recipe was so incredibly good!! Spices make all the difference with meatless meats. :shades_smile: It's also very band friendly with tons of Protein and vegetables. Just gotta be careful with the butter and cheese. enjoy!

My cross fit box is going to start a 1 month weight loss challenge on Monday. Basically it is to encourage folks to crack down on their nutrition and, perhaps for some, increase the number of times the workout every week. There is a nominal cash prize. Nothing to write home about. Here is the thing. I am competitive and want to participate. The only issue is my weight is currently 172 (5'11") and losing 10-12 lbs would, well, I am not sure what it would do to health. i feel good about my body right now. Feel healthy. Sure dropping 10-12 lbs could get me more defined like a bodybuilder at 7% bf or it may turn me into a zombie guy. Lol. Who knows. I am in pretty good athlete shape right now. All I would have to do to win this is cut out 1 or 2 meals a day. I am already eating 7-8 times a day and scarfing some 2000-2500 calories. Down 8 lb from last week only because i have been busting ass in the work outs. I eat very well already. Lean proteins, veggies and some low carb, low fat meals my wife makes. I already do cross fit 5 days a week and I am not going to add a day. Sorry, no way. Should I do this challenge? It seems like an easy win.

I am 10 days out and it would be no problem for me. I work at home so I don't have to get ready and go out. Love that!!! I don't even feel like I have had surgery. Feeling great

I'm tired of all my excuses, ....too tire, my knee hurts, blah blah blah. Its time to JUST DO IT! Just get my butt to the gym and exercise. That is how I lost 70 lbs the first year, EXERCISE! So - last night, I had me a good dinner, turkey and 1/2 cup of stuffing (not so good - but only ate a little), and some green beans. I waiting for about an hour, and then got ready and headed to the gym. I only did about 35 min on the elliptical, As I was doing the elliptical I concentrated on how great I feel when I exercise, it really makes me feel and look good. So why do I blow it off? Anyhow, thats when I decided, no more, no more excuses, its time to just do it! Today, at 10, went down to our gym at work and did 15 min on the elliptical, just to get my matabolism going. I'm going to do it again at 3. Then tonight, going to an abs, abs, abs class at 6:15 to 6:30, doing ZUMBA class at 6:30 to 7:30. Its time to fake it until I make it. No more excuses. I want to reach my goal - by gawd, I am going to reach my goal. Its time to dig down deep and pull that determination out! Menu today Bfast 1 cup of fiber one ceral with 1 cup of skim milk 1/2 cup of diced peaches on my ceral 3/4 cup of protein shake - 10:30ish Lunch tossed salad with turkey chopped up, salsa for dressing Snack - later in afternoon - 1 apple Dinner 1 chicken taco filled with mixed greens - no cheese Exercise 1. 10 am - 15 min on elliptical 2. 3pm - 15 min on elliptical 3. 6:15 pm - abs class 4. 6:30 pm - Zumba class - latin dance aerobics. 5 - Maybe some lower body strength training, not sure if I can do with all the other cardio......we'll see.

i have the 10 cc band a i feel very little restriction at 4.5cc i go back September 7 for my third fill and hoping to feel a significant difference....keeping fingers crossed

Hi everyone, I'm new to this forum and hoping to find friendship and support with others who are on and been through the same journey. I'm currently on the Optifast regime and I'm scheduled to have my gastric sleeve on 23/03/2016 (10 days) in Newcastle NSW. I guess from reading, I'm going through all the same feelings and emotions that everyone else has been through, SCARED about not knowing how I will feel immediately after the operation and how I will cope in the weeks and months to come, BUT I'm also EXCITED about the possibility of a new healthy me. I've been obese for so long and tried so many diets and always regained my weight back again, each time that little more depressed and disappointed with myself - a spiralling vicious cycle. I just can't imagine what it will feel like to be a normal weight and the possibility of actually loosing weight this time and being able to maintain the weight loss sounds like a miracle. If anyone has any tips or encouragement to help with the next 10 days before surgery I would love to hear from you

I found out I wouldn't "qualify" in the 10 minutes it took me to read my policy....it doesn't cover WLS for ANY reason. I was actually kind of relieved. No doctor visits, no support groups, no psych evaluation, no 3-6 month supervised diet, no piles of paperwork or whatever other hoops you have to jump through. Just focused on finding a great bariatric surgeon in Mexico, scheduled it and I was at home, recovering and losing weight before I would have even started the insurance scam ( I mean process)

Hi Kaiser So Cal Sleevers:) I'm from so cal, as so cal as you can get;) Just starting this process. Found out Options class for KP members in San Diego County is 24 weeks. Also, I was told I need to show proof that I've attempted at least/min of a 3 month supervised diet in the past 10 years. Any other KP sleevers had to do this? I did weightwatchers back in 2004 online for way over 3 months with the point system thing, but I don't know how to get proof I did it, it was all online. I also did a supervised phentermine prescription/diet with a weight loss "clinic" but they're not sure they can give me any documentation because the girl at the front deskntol me they probably sent my file to storage:/ Sheesh!

Went to the doctor Friday and they thought I had been at 7 cc for the past 3 months but couldn't figure out why I was still hungry. They pulled all the fill out and measured and I have actually been at only 5!!!! They looked back in my records and realized that they did their math wrong. This has been a frustrating journey as I had just about given up hope on the band as I could eat WAY more than 1/2 cup of food before feeling satisfied. For those of you like me who have been slow losers, be patient. Now that I am up to REALLY 6cc, I finally have some restriction and feel so much more in control of my eating. As an emotional eater, I have had trouble eating healthy too which has been part of my problem. I read a great book called "Why Can't I Stop Eating?" which was very helpful too. I guess I thought I would have the surgery, lose weight and that would be the end of the story of my fat self. It has been more work and time than I ever thought as I was banded in November of '09. I have lost 30 lbs but wish it was more. I am happy with my loss--but had unrealistic expectations of where I would be by now. Anyway, I am excited about the days ahead as a RESTRICTED bandster. I know this thread is all over the place, but I guess I just needed to get some stuff off my chest and make room for a fresh start! Have a great day!!!!!:rolleyes2:

Hi, I would follow the docs instructions to the letter. I had my surgery done in TJ Mexico too on 2/4/10. I was on clear liquids for 7 days then full liquids (included liquid yogurt) 2 weeks after then solid. No mushies at all. Liquid for 21 days sucks but I'm glad I did it. Many of the posts on here are helpful but the food information is really conflicting so I just followed my doctors orders. I would ask him questions about what others had done and he had his reasons why they shouldn't do that and he had been doing this surgery a lot longer than many docs in the US so I did exactly what he said. I too was self pay and I'll be darned if I am going to pitch that money away and have the potential of losing my band later for a quick gratification now. But that's me. I do know it' s not easy. So good luck with your will power. I needed mine I'm sure you will need yours too.

I am on soft foods now and have been since week 4. I am week 10 and will be here until 12 weeks!! I can not wait till then and can have salad!! Here is what I eat mostly: Foster Farms Turkey Meatballs Tuna chicken Salmon Tir-Tip Steak Roast-slow cooked Hamburger/turkey burgers cheese Eggs-boiled/scrambled Sausage Chicken salad/tuna salad/egg salad Lunchmeats Cottage cheese Peanut Butter Pure Protein bars Well-cooked veggies Fuit with out skin That is my menu for the most part. Good luck to you! Kelly

Hi, I'm Alexis. I'm fairly new here. I got my surgery date for 10/23/17 and I am on day 5 of my two week full liquid diet. On 10/17 I have all my pre op appointments.

I'm in NH (seacoast area) and had my surgery on March 24, 2011. I'd be happy to help in any way that I can!!! I'm 10 weeks post op today and am down a total of 44 pounds! About 16 pre-op and the rest since surgery. Feeling great! Just got back from a vacation at an all-inclusive resort......what a difference from last year! LOL

I've had juvaderm in my nasolabia folds and found it very satisfactory. It's not been quite a year yet and they still look good. If you decide to do it, make sure you go off of vitamin E, aspirin, fish oil etc for 10 days. I didn't do this and bruised quite badly. When I had my lips touched up, I did do this and the bruising was much lighter. If you go to someone who is experienced with this, I'm sure you'll be pleased with the results!

sry just turned 19 so weird to say lol just thought i would correct my self

Going to a brunch. Menu: bacon/cheese quiche, stuffed french toast, hash browns, sausage, assorted bagels/muffins/pastries, fruit. I am 10 weeks post op today. Have been doing reduced fat and no sugar since surgery. I worry about dumping syndrome. What is everyone's opinion about having a forkful of each?

I have the same insurance, Choice II Open Access. From my first consult to surgery it took about two months. Had some scheduling hiccups so it could have potentially been sooner. It took 10 days to get the approval at the end of it all but only because the caseworker went on vacation. Overall, I was pretty impressed with the process. The doctors and insurance coordinators know how to get you approved so that helps. No PCP. In fact, I didn't even bother to get my dr involved. The surgery center handled everything. Sent from my iPhone using RNYTalk

I had to do the 6 month diet attempt. It was required by my insurance. During that time I read everything I could find about the band, joined this web site and obesityhelp.com. By the time I had surgery I could almost perform it myself! (just kidding) My insurance paid the entire hospital bill, but for reasons unknown, they do not cover fills, after the 90 global period, where everything was covered under the surgery. So unless you have $10-15,000 sitting around doing nothing (you could send it to me--really :biggrin2:) you will have to jump through the required hoops. I also started going to support group long before surgery. A good place to learn the good, bad and maybe ugly.

I was just sleeved on Tuesday 10/2, came home yesterday. It makes such a difference to be able to recover at home! I've been feeling much better at home, but let it go a little too long today between taking my pain meds, won't do that again I guess. But it's not really my incision sites that are sore, it's all my stomach muscles around that, they feel so tight. I'm also having trouble getting my gas bubbles moving sometimes, sounds like the heating pad is the answer, I'm gonna have to try that! I had a little trouble at first getting in my liquids in the hospital, scared to drink too much, was having some nausea, etc. But I think my nausea was caused by my own nerves. =) Just continuing to sip away and hope I get enough in. Congrats to all the new sleevers, here's to becoming part of the 'losers club"! P.S. I had to do that swallow/leak test too, and that clear liquid did not taste good, and they had me standing upright first on the table and then had to lay me flat, that was not a fun "ride" to take on that machine the morning after my surgery and feeling nauseous, but I know it was a necessary test!

HI EVERYONE WELL YESTERDAY I WENT TO MY FOURTH APP, TO THE DIETIAN ONLY TWO MORE TO GO,:smile2: ANYHOW THE NEWHAVEN BUS BROKE DOWN ON THE WAY I GOT THERE THIRTY MINUTES LATE, IT WAS NO PROBLEM BUT THE BIG SUPRISE IS THAT I,VE LOST 11LBS:lol: CAN YOU BELIEVE IT WITHIN A MONTH WOW IT SHOCK ME, I,M PROUD OF MYSELF. IT,S CRAZY WE RIDE FOR A HOLD HOUR JUST TO SPEND 10 MINUTES WITH THE DIETIAN. BUT BELIEVE ME IT,S WORTH IT.I,VE GOTTWO MORE APPOINTMENTS TO GO.MY DAUGHTER TOOK THE TRIP WITH ME.SHE,S WITH ME ALL THE WAY,SHE HAS A BIRHTDAY COMMING UP THE 29TH OF JULY SHE WILL BE 18 ANY SUGESTIONS AS TO WHAT TO GET HER AS A GIFT.THANKS SIL.

Today makes day 4 that I have exercised. Yay. I woke up at 5 am and finally made it the gym. I know that I won't tonight so I did get up this morning. Now I don't have to worry about it because I have my exercise in for the day. I'm so happy I did it. My eating has been GREAT since Monday. So far, no slips, except 1 peanut butter cookie that I ate over a two day period. Wt was up this morning, but I know thats what I usually do when I first get to the gym, so I'm not worried about it. I feel skinnier, I feel better and thats what counts. This morning, did the elliptical for 30 min, 20 min of HIIT. I will also go down at 10 and don another 15 min on elliptical and probably at 3 will walk a mile. Thursday I plan on going to the gym in the am, and also in the pm. I need to do my lower body workout Thursday. Well, off to work I go............... Menu today Bfast Low Carb yogurt with low fat granola Went to wally world to get some deli meat, was very hungry ended up eating a slice of the hickory ham and a slice of the mild chedder cheese as I was waiting for the lady to finish slicing my turkey. Lunch 3 0z of talapia with some grilled squash and mushrooms. Dinner Exercise 5 am - 30 min on eliptical (20 min of HIIT) 10:00 AM - 15 min on eliptical 3:00 pm - 30 min brisk walk in my office spine wt - 170.8 - grrrrrrrrr - I DO NOT want to see the 170's again! I know I have not gained, my clothes feel lose on me, so I'm not going to worry about it!

I was banded 1/10/11 and have lost 21 pounds. My first fill was 6 weeks later and they put in 4cc, I felt some restriction for a couple of weeks. My second fill was 6 weeks later and supposedly they put in .5cc. I went back yesterday after 3 weeks because I was starving. Dr said I had 4ccs so they did not give anything at my last fill. Yesterday they put in 1 cc for a total of 5. I havent really been able to eat much to see yet. Hope things get easier for you. Just hang in there and be sure to exercise. Keep me posted on your progress. Michelle