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My guess is that you are eating eating too few calories for the exercise you are expending or you are gaining muscle and although you aren't losing atm you are getting smaller because a pound of muscle is smaller than a pound of fat.

Okay, this list is what Dr. Aceves' office sends out. Other doctors may have other suggestions. Suggested items to bring to the hospital: Some items you may want to consider taking to the hospital with you: Pajamas, the nurses and doctors will be checking your incisions so you might be more comfortable in your own pajamas than the hospital gowns, however, hospital gowns are provided if you prefer. Non skid slippers, thongs, or slip on shoes of some sort. The hospital floors are very clean and waxed, so you'll want non-skid. It will be sore to bend over so you won't want to tie shoe laces so slip on shoes are easier. A favorite robe, many times it is comforting to have a favorite robe. Computer - if you have a laptop you are welcome to bring it. The hospital and hotel are set up with wireless internet connection. Any of Dr. Aceves' staff can give you the password at the hospital. You do not need a password in the hotel. Cell phone - Most cell phones work well in the hospital, if your phone does not work most of the staff will loan you their phone. The electrical system is the same in Mexico as the US so you do not need a converter for your hair dryer, computer, or cell phone charger. Shampoo - this is provided by the hospital but many prefer their own brands so they prefer to bring their own. Book or other reading material. You will not likely feel like reading the day of surgery but you might the day after surgery. Loose fitting clothing to wear coming home. You will likely feel a bit bloated after surgery so bring a sweat suit or something very loose fitting and comfortable for your ride home from the hospital. I do not suggest bringing much cash with you. Unless you want to do a little shopping the day before your surgery there is no need for much cash. You will want to purchase dinner the night before surgery and $25.00 per person will cover that easily, less for most restaurants. If you want to have access to cash then credit cards are a safer alternative. You will not need to convert US dollars to pesos, you can use US dollars for your companion in the hospital cafeteria and all businesses around Mexicali if you choose to do a little shopping. Good luck to you on your upcoming surgery! Grocery list for post op diet: Just as a suggestion you might want to do a bit of grocery shopping before you have surgery so that when you come home you will not need to go to the store, you will be able to rest and relax. Some ideas are: Broth, chicken, Beef, Vegetable, or they have new products out (new to me) that are Chinese soup broths in a carton that you simply heat. It would give you a bit of variety. Popsicles that are Water based, sugar free, and a variety of flavors. Ramon Noodles. While the noodles are not acceptable during the clear phase of the post op diet there is a packet of dry broth mix that many seem to like, it has a bit more kick than regular broth, I am told. Propel water, you can purchase this as bottled water or you can purchase individual packets of this product and put it in water and mix. The reason this product is good is because many are used to a high carbohydrate diet and when your body is used to many carbs, especially white carbs such as flour, Pasta, rice, potatoes, sugar; your pancreas tends to put out a bit too much insulin because of the carb load. When you remove carbs from your diet it can potentially be a drastic change and your pancreas is still putting out a bit too much insulin during the post op diet. This can cause low blood sugar, your stomach might feel nauseated, you might begin to perspire, feel like you are trembling. This does not happen to everyone but it does seem to happen more to older folks or those used to very high white carb diets. Propel water has a very small amount of sugar in it. Just enough to bring your blood sugar up but not enough to cause large blood sugar spikes. Sugar Free Gatorade, it is a new product that is low carb but it has some electrolytes that are beneficial during the post op stage. Water, you need to get about 64oz of fluids in daily. Your broth and Popsicles count toward your 64oz of fluids daily. The key is to sip, sip, sip all day long. The first few days you may find that you cannot get your full 64oz of fluids in, try as hard as you can. You do not want to become dehydrated. If you enjoy tap water that is fine, if you don't then perhaps try bottled water and see if that goes down. Crystal Lite, Sugar Free Hawaiian Punch, pretty much any sugar free water flavorings are fine during the post op diet. Protein products, during days 1-5 you'll need a clear Protein product such as Isopure clear bottled protein liquid or unjury. You can find Isopure at General Nutrition Stores or a variety of Health food stores. Unjury must be ordered on line in advance of your surgery, /smallwww.unjury.com. They have an unflavored product that is nice because when you are done with clears it is versatile and you can add it to Jello, cooking, smoothies, etc. Please note, this is a whey protein product. All whey protein products have one issue in common and that is that they don't heat easily. If you add any whey protein product to a hot liquid it will clump. The key is to add it to a cold liquid and heat slowly, then it will not turn into lumps. A good source of protein products after the clear liquid phase (you can use these with water instead of milk starting day #5, and with milk starting day #11) can be purchased reasonably at: www.netrition.com Some excellent products are: Matrix 5.0 by Syntrax [Syntrax Matrix 5.0 Protein Powder The more popular flavors are chocolate and Cookies & Cream. You can spice up the Chocolate with Da Vinci Sugar Free Syrups: Netrition's Da Vinci Prices Another very popular protein product if you like Chocolate and Peanut Butter is Whey Gourmet, Choco/Peanut butter: PVL Whey Gourmet I suggest the above because you'll need to consume about 60-80gms of protein after surgery. During the post op diet this can be difficult to do. Adding protein supplements can make this much easier. You'll want to track your protein intake in the beginning and a few free, on line sites you can do that are: www.thedailyplate.com www.sparkpeople.com www.fitday.com Just see which format you prefer of the above. The Daily Plate has a weight graph, daily you put your weight in and it is satisfying to see the numbers go down! ReplyReply AllMove...800 calls-personairlineAlaska airlines mile...AlmanzaBaby Wesleyboard stuff to savedance callendargas pricesjoanjokesNikirecipesrenter phone numberresume Go to Previous message | Go to Next message | Back to Messages Select Message EncodingASCII (ASCII)Greek (ISO-8859-7)Greek (Windows-1253)Latin-10 (ISO-8859-16)Latin-3 (ISO-8859-3)Latin-6 (ISO-8859-10)Latin-7 (ISO-8859-13)Latin-8 (ISO-8859-14)Latin-9 (ISO-8859-15)W. European (850)W. European (CP858)W. European (HPROMAN8)W. European (MACROMAN8)W. 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Okay so, I called insurance in November 2012 and again for the 5th consecutive year I was told NO we do not cover weight loss surgery or anything to do with weight loss period. so my DH and I decided we would pay out of pocket. I'm excited and am getting surgery in 8 days, guess what.... now my insurance will cover, BUT I have 6-8 months of hoops to jump through to see if I qualify. My Husband says lets just get it done he doesnt want to fight with the insurance, and so sweet he says to me, you have waited so long and worked really hard you've earned just getting it done, we've saved the money and theres no guarantee that the ins. will pay any way. I won't lie, I don't want to wait, but I worry now if I pay for it out of pocket, if in the future there is a problem leak, slip etc... will my ins refuse coverage cause I didn't get it through them? I'm curios if anyone here paid for their band and didn't wait for insurance and still have them help later if there was a medical emergency or complication with the band? Or do I bite the bullet and atleast try to go through my insurance even if it means waiting another 6-8 months? I know it's my decision and in the end only I will know for sure what I should do, but I need opinions from people with experience, PLEASE help me out what do think/know? Thanks for help!

So I went to the doctors about a two weeks ago and found out that my band slipped and that I needed to get a complete unfill so that *hopefully* it will go back to its original position. Before that I had terrible acid reflux, was throwing up daily and coughing. Now with the unfill, I have been on a liquid diet and should continue to be on the liquid diet for another two more weeks. Yesterday I got a call from my doctors saying that my blood test and urine test all came out positive and that I am pregnant 5 weeks! I am thrilled because I have been ttc for a year and a half! My issue is that I am worried that my band won't go back to its original position... I am so nervous about gaining all the weight I finally lost. Any advise would be helpful! Thanks! 247/221/178

The band has only been used in the U.S. for about 5 years, so even the 5 year results and tests are still coming in. Add to that the band has been changed over the last 5 years, like the adjustment around the neck now can be adjusted and the older bands could not. (not sure Im using the right words). Like if you lost a lot of weight and the band around the neck of the stomach became too lose, now they can go back in and tighten it without replacing the band. (the band itself costs $2,000 for the doctors to purchase it I was told). Another thing the Realize J&J band is even newer, is it out about a year now? So, when you look back at older style bands and then try to figure out how to apply the stats that are available, the results are only guesses. I may not have all the dates exact, times flies when you are older. lol To find people to talk to that have had the band for much more than 5 years you would have to find bands put in, in foreign countries.

I had mine removed when the surgeon did my sleeve and my hernia was also repaired. Losing weight quickly tends to cause problems for some people whom didn't have their gallbladders removed before having the sleeve. You are going in for a surgery anyhow and since you have stones it would be best to get it removed.

I can't seem to see the tickers so was curious. If you are comfortable what was your high weight, surgery weight and weight two months out? It seems like many lose about forty by two months. Is the loss much higher for higher bmi patients, I'm starting around 30 bmi by surgery date? Thanks!

I've lost 40+ counting the 1 week pre-op liquid diet! My starting weight was 300 lbs and now I am 260. It has been a little over a month since my Dec 6th surgery date.

ok- the hunger thing.:tt2: It is driving me freakin' crazy too. Not a craving for cr*p-food head hunger---a real gnawing, stomach churning feed-me-now hunger! (I exercise, eat plenty of Protein,low low carbs, plenty of Water etc etc) I am INSANELY jealous of bandsters who say they don't get hungry. What? Are you kidding me????? The only time I am satiated for more than 3 hours is after my evening meal. After dinner, I don't have any desire to eat again til the next morning.(Praise the Lord!) And yes, I am hungry in the morning. And yes, I do have some restriction. So Tangerine dreams, YOU ARE NOT ALONE!!!!!! I just had my 3rd fill, (I was banded mid December 2007) and was on 2 month weight plateau until this last fill. They told me I had lost 3 pounds. Woo Hoo.:glare: Well, it is about freakin time because have been dieting since the surgery!!!!!!. To me, the BEST part of the band is that that with the fills, if I mind my p's and q's, I will not regain what I typically have always done in the past. The WORST part of the band is that I am STILL HUNGRY! Short of drugs, I don't know if that part will ever end. Or at least, that is what it feels like to me. Even though "they" told me that one good thing about the band was that it band stops hunger. :icon_bs:HA! HA! HA! HA!........ NOT!!! The weird thing is that I am not eating any less now than I have for the last two months. Nothing has changed. Will the weight loss continue? I sure hope so. One pound a week ain't great, but it is better than stalling. And, I have halved my Blood pressure meds and anti-inflammatories! So that is good too-especially for an almost 59 year old post-menopausal woman with creaky joints.

I now have surgically induced IBS and a band and I find my band helps me enormously to manage my triggers. I had rectal cancer, diagnosed last year, a bowel resection in which my rectum was removed and a new pouch created from my colon to function as a rectum. For nine months I had an ileostomy and the most irritible gut you can image, I literally poured my lifeblood into that damn bag day after day, so much so that at the reversal surgey, I gained about 5lb overnight simply from rehydration. Since my reversal eight weeks ago, my colon has had to learn to work again and it is not liking it. To start off with, I had to live off a low residue diet meaning I ate white bread, white rice, white Pasta, cheese, apple sauce and little else. No fruit and veg, little Protein and fat. If I didnt have my band to keep portion size down, I would ahve ballooned on that horrible diet. I have been gradually introducing regular foods and I will be OK in the long run but for now, I have an ongoing battle with foul, eyewatering gas and accompanying pain and bloating. Every single freaking day after lunch. It is revolting, I am so stinky. I have the urge to have a bowel motion about twenty times most days and only pass skinny little nuggets that give no satisfaction at all. What makes all of this worse is eating big quantities. On days I work, I cannnot afford to eat lunch - I'm a teacher and once int he classoom, I cant go to the bathroom, so eating is really problematic for me during working days. With my band, I can eat a bite and a cup of coffee at lunchtime and make it thorugh the day without passing out from hunger. I thank the powers that be for my band every day. It got me through the stodge diet without major gain and it makes working possible for me at this very early stage. Eventually my bowel will settle, but that's what I find - eating very small helps and avoiding eating all togehter in situations where you wont be able to handle the result is vital - and a band makes that much easier.

I am scheduled for surgery this Wednesday I'm anxious to lose the weight but afraid of the strict diet restrictions anybody that's had this surgery can you give me any advice and how hard is it to comply with the new food restrictions like my pre-op liquid diet for a week and right now I'm starving

I do miss an ice cold glass of pepsi now and again, but I think of all the things I've gained and it seems like more than a fair trade. I'm nearly two weeks post-op and still on full liquids. Only very slightly hungry. Barely think about food. Only complaint is I'm bored of the lack of choice in my full liquid diet. Haven't had any overwhelming cravings at all, mostly just sitting there with my bowl of soup while my family eats BBQ steaks and wishing that were me!

Well 2 guys who worked at the site where I had mine done both said they went hog wild the EVENING before their surgery and they lived to tell about it. Nachos, buffalo wings and tequila shots, YIKES! They said they got real sick but didn't define it exactly and I was reluctant to listen to the gory details as my own post-op tummy wasn't up to hearing about it. I would be very concerned about post-op constipation too, having your gut packed with waste when anesthesia sometimes hangs up the colon might be pretty painful. Whatever you do fess up to it and take the consequences. Better safe than sorry. BTW: I was on liquid diet for 10 days, just wanted to make it as easy as possible and wanted to jump start the weight loss.

This October will be a year since I was banded. I am ashamed to say I am at the same weight as when I started. I lost 20 pounds at the very start but then put it all back on! I feel soo lost. I am ...and have been having trouble keeping solid food down so I have basicly been living off of ice cream and other soft high calorie foods. If I try to eat normaly I get sick at least 3 times a day. My Dr. who did the procedure is 2 hours away and I do not like him at all! His attitude was he was in it just for the money and basicly after the surgery he could care less, you're on your own! I just want to start fresh to start over and have hope for my band again. I honestly just do not know where to start? Help please?:help:

Does anybody else out there have a certain something they want to fit in at some point? My parents bought me a Glee Dalton Academy Warbler uniform for Christmas, intentionally too small, and it's kinda my goal to be able to wear it this summer to a convention. Do you guys have something special that you want to fit in? <3

Majority of weight loss patients regardless of shape tend to lose first in the face and shoulders. From there it begins to lose where ever it wants. I lost in the arms and belly next. I was left with huge legs and behind and that was when it began to get really difficult for me. I had to work really hard to get the rest off. Not complaining, just stating facts. I became so lopsided I decided to have liposuction to cure the areas I felt would never go away. I'm glad I did, I feel much more proportionate now.

Hello all, I haven't posted before, but I have read A LOT! What a great supportive bunch! Anyway, I am in the very beginning of my banding journey. I have had my seminar, and am meeting with my surgeon on Feb. 3rd. I am really nervous! I'm not nervous at all about the meeting, but nervous about insurance. In 2008, I started this same process - when I went to meet with the surgeon, someone in insurance called me in to tell me that my insurance calls my weight a pre-existing condition, and I would have to wait six months and try again. I was so discouraged that I didn't return until Jan. 14 of THIS YEAR. So, much has changed since then, now. I'm type 2 diabetic and have high blood pressure. I didn't have either of those at the time of my failed consult. :smile2: I am just scared that Sagamore (my insurer) is going to find another reason to block this for me. Do any of you have Sagamore? What was their process like? Also, what can I expect at the consult? Thanks for letting me vent my frustration! Kim

I was self pay and went out of my area for surgery - I selected a local bariatric surgeon who took me on as a patient even though she didn't perform the surgery. I pay $120 for my visits with her. For me, it was important to have aftercare and follow up visits with her. I wanted to have a local resource where I can go to make sure what I'm feeling is normal and she can look at my bloodwork and determine if anything is wrong. I get the blookwork requirements from the surgeons office, then have my primary care doctor order the bloodwork so my insurance will pay (they have to code it as anything other than weight loss for the insurance to cover). I then take my results to the surgeon. That has saved me about $1400 this year. In the end, as with everything else with this journey, you need to do what's best for you. I feel like I get a value from my surgeon's visits and I really like what she offers.

Hi everyone! I've been browsing this site and reading post for several days now and have finally decided to join. I am attending a LAP-BAND® seminar next week and I'm so excited. I have considered LAP-BAND® for a few years now, but I have reach a point (weight) of desperation. I am 26 and I weigh 199 at 5'2. My highest weight was 212, but have recently lost a few pounds over the a 3 month period. This is typical for me, I often fluctuate 20-30 lbs and I'm tired of it. This is a journey that I'm excited and anxious about! It's great to have this site to read other peoples stories....

My nut says things like don't focus on Protein so much and you'll get it in. Or I'll ask what stage is next and she'll say...we'll see! Needless to say i'm in the process of getting another one. But in the meantime I would love your help. Question 1: How many carbs should we intake to continue weight loss at 4 weeks? Question 2: How much calories and Water intake is ideal for weight loss at 4 weeks? Question 3: Do we need certain amount of fat grams too? What are some of your daily diets consisting of (7am-bedtime timeline) so i can get an idea of proper foods and time management.. I know for someone who researched for 6months before having this surgery i sound clueless but the diet after was never made clear... Thanks for your help.

I do pretty well most of the time. I have to weigh every day. There are some days where head hunger really gets to me and it's aways sweets that I crave. I have to watch my weight cause if I gain a couple of lbs from overindulgence, if I stick to Protein and veggies for a couple of days, it comes right off. Please share whether you're struggling cause you can't stop losing, or do you go up and down and give yourself a few lbs cushion?

Well, I had surgery again on May 15th. I was regaining weight and still in the obese category. BMI 40. I think surgery was easier the first time. I saw others had issues but I didn’t. This time I am. It is painful to swallow, I get spasms in my stomach and esophagus. I have a foamy phlegm that stays stuck in my throat. I am learning how to spit that up but I am not getting in very much liquid or food. I hope this gets better soon. Anyone else have foamy phlegm?

I don't know if this could help. I have a good friend who I have had lunches and dinners with for years. She is thin. When we are out, usually with our husbands, I have observed that she just orders what she wants, not a whole meal or a special. Sometimes it is just soup, or broccoli and some well broiled fish, no butter. When she orders salad it is without croutons and the dressing, used sparingly, on the side. She never orders a dessert but may have a bite or two from the one her husband has. I am trying to eat the same way when we are out since my surgery on 5/21. BTW she has never had a weight problem. I think thin people just do things differently from what I did.

Oh have mercy. I have done all I need to do and am just waiting for a date. Surprise, surprise... The secretary who schedules is out of town until next week, and my surgeon is on vacation until Mid-feb. My patience are really being tested. ::sigh:: I am obviously going to keep strict on my diet, and keep exercising just like I have because the more weight I lose pre op the better, but can a girl catch a break???