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Congrats on the weight you have lost so far. I have my first consultation next friday april 7th. I am super excited. I've wanted this for over 4 years. My insurance doesnt cover any weight loss surgeries and my family is no supportive at all. Since I'm paying for it myself I 'm assuming I dont have to jump through the hoops of the whole 6 month diet. I wish I could get banded next friday. I'm hoping to get lots of support from this group. I'm finding that i'm obsessed with reading the blogs! LOL Jennifer

renebean i'm not a real new newbie but i read your post just to see what advice you had for newbies and i'm so glad i did. i was banded 7/06 and have been very slow with my wieght loss but i haven't really been dieting i eat what i want just much less, but i did not do this to be on a strict diet! now after my 3rd fill i'm almost at the right restriction and i have begun to lose weight at a slightly faster rate i go next monday for another fill and i'm hoping that this one will be the "sweet spot" one!!! i have lost clothes sizes more than weight i started at a 24 and can now wear a 20 comfortbly and people are begining to say something about my loss now i'm down 20lbs and need to loss 50-60 more i guess the exercise (walking 2-3 miles 3x a week) is making up the difference between strict dieting and losing. sorry to ramble on but i read lots of post abour fast and big losses but few post that i could relate to.

Adjustable gastric banding is much more effective long-term than a very low-calorie diet for people who are about 50 pounds overweight, a study shows. Medical guidelines support this surgical procedure — which puts a band around the top of stomach to create a feeling of fullness — in patients who are extremely obese, about 100 or more pounds over a healthy weight, or those who are almost as overweight and have serious medical conditions, such as type 2 diabetes. Researchers at Monash University Medical School in Melbourne, Australia, recruited 80 patients who were on average 52 pounds over a healthy weight. Half had the laparoscopic adjustable gastric band surgery. The other half followed a medical program that included a variety of strategies such as a very-low-calorie diet (500 calories a day) with liquid meal replacements, prescription weight-loss medication and behavioral therapies. Findings in today's Annals of Internal Medicine: • After six months, both the surgery patients and the low-calorie dieters lost an average of 14% of their starting weight. • After two years, the gastric band patients lost 22% of their starting weight. That was about 87% of their excess weight, or roughly 45 pounds. They also showed marked improvement in their health and quality of life. • At the end of two years, the dieters had regained much of their lost weight but were still 5.5% below their starting weight. They had lost 22% of their excess weight, or about 12 pounds. Researchers are still analyzing the weight-loss data. "I'm very happy that the gastric band patients are continuing to maintain their weight loss," says lead author Paul O'Brien, director of the university's Centre for Obesity Research and Education. Since the study, he received grants from INAMED Health, maker of the LAP-BAND System. In this study, the surgery was as safe as the diet program, but O'Brien notes the procedure does carry risks, and some may need follow-up procedures, such as readjusting the band position. The surgery costs $14,000 to $18,000 in the USA, he says. Insurance companies vary widely in coverage of gastric banding or gastric bypass, a more complex surgery that creates a much smaller stomach and rearranges the small intestine. Average cost: $26,000. Under certain conditions, Medicare covers both surgeries.

Hi Juno I just had the band done with Dr. Deol on July 31. I was a bad case tho because my BMI was over 70 and Beaumont will not operate on a person over 500lbs. I was on the Garden Light (which is like Optifast) at the Unisource Comprehensive Weight Loss center for about 5 months. I lost 85lbs pre op so I could have the surgery done. She normally has her patients as it says in the handbook I have go on the Optifast for 6 weeks prior to surgery. Keep in mind the optifast is to prepare you for the liquids after surgery (which can suck) The program she has works if you follow it. If you are worried about feeling hungry don't be. The first 4-5 days are the worst while your body detoxes (lol) but after that you do not feel hungry. Your stomach is contantly full, you just have to tell your brain that!! If you have any more questions I will try to answer them for you!!

I Had my LB surgery on Wednesday 8/9. I have not felt hungry...only thirsty. I am concentrating on the Water and the Protein shakes. Is my loss of appetite due to the stoma? when will it return? I feel like a failure because I can't eat the three meals the dietician typed out for me. Also, how fast or slow should I be drinking the water. Like how long should it be before I finish a cup of water? Please help anyone.:help::help:

I'm 35. Relatively young - I "guess" *lol* I just know for me, 75% of my weight is carried in my thighs. I've beared witness to what happens to those after a lot of weight loss. But I won't panic just yet. I am glad to hear that perhaps younger skin bounces back pretty well, but I have about 12 friends that have had WLS at some point. Everyones body recovered differently. I'm guessing part of it is genetics - and if that's the case, I MAY end up lucky. I think starting a piggy bank is a good idea. Does boob lifting come with the mid-body lift? How about a Beyonce thigh make-over? (I'm so serious) Alot my thoughts may seem vain, but I'm certain I'm not the only one with them. This is ABSOLUTELY about health. But again, personally knowing a significant amount of ppl who have transformed, and listening to their real-life concerns and insecurites about their "new" body just makes makes me mindful that ppl deal with a lot of emotional "stuff" post-weight loss too, and I want to be prepared...

I stand before you now, fellow bandsters, humble. This is a celebration of my two-year baniversary on Saturday (yay!) but also a cautionary tale (cue *heavy* music). A year ago, I wrote my one-year bandiversary post. You can read it again here. A year ago, I was positive, upbeat. I'd lost 90 lbs and felt great! But I read that post again and see the beginning of difficulties. The downswing was starting..... Year One was the year of tenacity. I lost almost 100lbs in a year. I was a success!! I stuck obsessively to my low carb diet. I ate small, I ate low carb, I exercised and I was rewarded with rapid weight loss. Year Two has been a struggle. A dogfight. Filled with a lot of sadness, depression and fighting the internal demons (what the venerable Jack calls "The Dragon"). First, the results: In Year Two, I've lost a meager 22 lbs. Now, I'll take that. I'll take a loss over a gain anytime. But sitting at a 110 lb loss since surgery, I'm still about thirty lbs from goal. And those 30 lbs feel like the highest mountain in the world to overcome. This past year has been about being way too smart for my own damn good. I remember my surgeon telling me that people "get smart" about their band and learn how to eat around it. In Year Two, I stopped being scared of a PB and dove headfirst into trying any and all foods. Hey, some worked. Like cookies. Did you know that the right kind of cookie goes down with the greatest of ease? Especially if it's lubed up with some ice cream! Wooo! Yeah. I took my eye off the ball. Now, it's due to Trink (my band) that in a year of running amok and eating quantities of cookies and ice cream (and a whole variety of other things that I shouldn't) I didn't gain weight. It was Marimaru who said recently, in this post that, "When I'm not good I don't gain weight, which is all thanks to my band, and when I am good, I lose slowly, which is frustrating, but it's the right direction and that's how my band works for me." Man, I read those words and it just drilled right to the heart. This is how my band is working for me, now, too. Year Two has been A LOT of not being good. I've nowhere to place the blame but my own two shoulders. So on this Two Year Bandiversary, below are the biggest lessons learned to date about the band. I want to put this out there as much as anything for someone who is considering the surgery. What I've learned: 1) My doctor told me this, and I glossed over it....wanted to believe otherwise. But here we go. The band works best when you are eating right. There you have it. We ALL want it to work best when we eat crap because it prevents overeating. Sure, and there is plenty of crap food I really CAN'T eat. But the trickster brain will find some kind of crap food that WILL go through. I can't eat cake. Clogs the pipes. However, I CAN eat cake if I mush it up with ice cream. And it goes through REAL easy. However....when I eat salads, and proteins, and don't drink liquid with meals...I fill up quickly, stay full longer and lose weight. This I think is the MOST undersold problem with the band. It *requires* participation. It's mentioned that you have to "work harder" at the band than you do RNY in the initial years. It's true. It's this rule I've faltered on the most this year..... 2) They aren't kidding in all those magazines and TV shows when they say the best way to lose weight is to exercise. 'Nuff said. 3) It's all about the fill. Don't fight getting a fill. Don't fight getting unfilled. Being overfilled doesn't make you more moral, a better bandster or a better person because you can endure misery. Being under filled or not having a fill doesn't make you a failure. I see so many folks get so bound up about fills. Fighting against getting one when they need it or fighting against having some taken out when *clearly* they are overfilled. I know, I was one of those folks. I went one year with the same level of fill. In year two I've had a variety of fills and unfills, tinkering with what works. My body changes, how the band feels changes and because of that I need the fill levels to change. My doctor supports this. If your surgeon offers a "support" plan where you pay an amount for all the visits and fills you can use, take it. Then you don't think about it, you just go in and have it taken care of. I wish I'd internalized this lesson a little more at the start. The band is not a "static state". Again, in this way, it requires your particpation. And finally.... 3) The demons you have about food don't go away. In fact, something about the band actually magnifies them. My loving bf suggested recently that maybe I should have the band out because instead of giving me a feeling of control, it gives me a feeling of beating myself against a wall about food. Just recently, I had to admit to my therapist that I've once again become a full-fledged bulimic. Thankfully with her guidance, it was a short-lived return of this terrible problem, but for a while there, it was back with a vengeance. This was me fighting myself, fighting The Dragon, fighting the band. Sometimes, I want so desperately to eat a big cheeseburger and fries I feel like I could rip my eyes out to be able to do so. Yes, that sounds dramatic, but sometimes I feel like that. Thankfully the feeling always passes. But biggest lesson here is don't go into this surgery alone. Get a good therapist. Get a good support group in place. This process isn't easy. But it is manageable. Having a restrictive device on your stomach doesn't make your issues go away. It makes you have to face them, head on, unflinchingly. So at Year Two what do all these lessons mean? Well, it means I really do love and need my band. I feel like it's both a lifesaver and the bane of my existence. It's my job to "do the work" to continue to make it a lifesaver. I've now been about two weeks back on track and suddenly, once again, with eating right and small portions, the band feels good again. Weight is easing off. These last thirty pounds look insurmountable. I know they aren't. Just have to stay head down, hardworking. So today I celebrate my Bandiversary. I really do. And as I blow out the candles on my sugar free sweets, my fondest wish for Year Three is to find some peace, some calm, some sense that food doesn't haunt me, it nourishes me. My goal is to make friends with food. Right now I'm taking advantage of this friend and it's not going well. If I can find balance, if I can learn to love my body "as is", if I can just make peace with eating, then this will have truly been a successful journey. Today, I mark my success in lessons, not pounds. Wish me luck. I’m plugging my nose and jumping back in........ (if you slogged through my whole quite pensive post, thank you! )

Thanks SO much for the info (and congrats on your loss!!) Very reassuring! I know I see the Gastro next and half to undergo a few more tests(thankfully, I've had the same doctor/dr.s' office for over 15 years-they have records of every attempt..lol..) then it's off to the races! thanks again!

Maybe it the lossing weight that is really scary for you. I have always been over weight (Iam 64 now)so I dont know how to be at normal weighjt and that was a bit scary. I have health problems that could all go away if I loss weight. I had surgery in Aug and I am down 47 lbs 44 more to go and its wonderful seeing less of me....go for the gold and gets meds for your anxity they really help...good luck

Oh girl, I could have so wrote this exact post this time last year. I was FREAKED OUT about having the surgery. But guess what? It went fine....really. I personally had never been under before and even though I have had 5 kids(3 of them naturally), I was so scared. I get it. But here is what I kept coming back to....if I don't get the surgery, I am going to end up with a heart attack, a stroke, or worse!! Then it will be surgery and not my choice. I prayed about and really thought about it for a long time before committing to the surgery. But it's the best thing I have done. I have lost over 70 pounds, TONS of inches, went from size 22/24 to a loose 14 in pants and Large in shirts. I have more energy, feel so much better and getting compliments again is nice. I'm not done yet but I am enjoying this weight loss journey. You have to trust in your Dr, the hosptial, the whole process. You have to find peace with it and expect it to go well. Once I made the decison and had everything in place, I was ok with it. But it's up to you to get to that place.....best of luck to you

I didn't add that to my reply to this thread, BUT OMG YES, I too have ALWAYS been scared of not making it through a surgery and especially weight loss surgery. That too was a fear. Thank God I came through and am having GREAT success with my band. I LOVE MY BAND and God for giving someone the brains to invent it.

I think a bigger fear for me was failure. I had failed at successful weight loss so many times and I kept thinking how humiliating it would be to go to such extremes an fail yet again. I would say that not being able to pig out was definitely a concern though.

Start: 243 Goal:223 Today: 239.8 Loss: 3.2 To Goal: 16.8 Had a great week! I really buckled down and got my snacking under control and it seems to have made the difference!

She is incorrect that either ibuprofen or diphenhydramine (Benadryl) are appetite stimulants. Some people retain modest amounts of Fluid in association with ibuprofen use. Neither drug is commonly associated with constipation, though Benadryl, being an antihistamine, theoretically might contribute to it. (As an antihistamine, it also tends to be appetite suppressant.) I know you're looking for answers. Trainers are not, in general, a reliable source of information about medications. Or, diet---particularly bariatric diet--unless they have additional certification. ETA: Suppose she were right, though. How could using Benadryl possibly have sabotaged your weight loss efforts? Water retention is temporary; fat loss occurs even if you retain fluid.

I don't share my numbers, weight/weight loss with family or friends other than here. I feel safe here because other banders don't judge. My husband knows and I have told my sons some pounds lost but have stopped. I feel everyone judges others, I have also, so I know what I am talking about. I told my sons about me fitting into size 16 jeans but didn't tell their wives. One wife, she has mental problems, long story, she would be hurt because she has gotten heavy and squeezes into a 16. She once made a comment that I was almost her size and her stretchie pants were skin tight. Wearing tight clothes make you look heavier and unkept. You can still look good and dress nice and be heavy. Have a great weekend everyone.

I can't stand it. I am on a 1200 calorie diet and certain people in my family feel the need to tell me I am eating too much. Apparently my weight loss says I am not. They don't want to know about my weight loss. Also I haven't had my first fill yet. Anyone else have this problem and how did you handle it? Sent from my SGH-M919 using LapBandTalk

Self pay --How long have you been banded? (in number of months)2 1/2 months --What is your AVERAGE weight loss since banding? (total weight loss divided by number of months banded) about 16 lbs a month --Have you had any complications? If so, what? no --Have you had your band removed? no --What country was your band placed in? usa --What is your age? (I know...touchy. LOL But it does go along with the question.) 42

Self pay How long have you been banded? 2 1/2 months What is your AVERAGE weight loss since banding – 9Lbs. Total since 12/22 Have you had any complications? - No Have you had your band removed?-No What country was your band placed in? - US What is your age? 38

btw - I was looking forward to not having to deal with the loose skin setting the scanners off after I had plastic surgery (because oddly, that DOES set it off for some of us), but I STILL beep, even though all the excess skin is gone. I don't know what it is. I know surgical staples don't (they're made of titanium, which MRI machines don't pick up - so maybe that's why airport scanners don't, either), but maybe the clips I have in my abdomen from plastic surgery do - I'm not sure. But for whatever reason, I still beep. Grrrr. P.S. earlier in the weight loss phase I didn't beep - because I didn't have all the loose skin then. But I DID have the staples then - so they aren't what sets it off.

Hey Y'all, I was banded on 1.5.07 and I had my first fill 2.23.07. I was a horrible patient. I did totally crappy on the pre-op diet. I did decent on post-op because I was afraid that I would injure myself. But once I was on regular food, I could eat 3000 calories a day with no problem. I lost 10lbs on liquids and then gained back almost half of it. Since my fill, I have jump started the weight loss. I am eating less, but I know I will get another fill in a few weeks. I am eating about 2000 calories a day now. I say while you are on the pre-fill stage, practice the bandster rules. That way you aren't focusing on the weight loss yet since you aren't restricted. I focused on smaller bites, chewing a lot, eating slowly. Once I got the fill then I added no drinking for an hour after eating. I have lost a total of 9 lbs in 9 weeks. I am not super bandster, but I am having some results and I am not dying. I told myself when I got this band that I just don't have it in me to officially diet anymore. I am trying to eat healthy, but I eat until I am full and I eat when I am hungry. Wating to drink for an hour after eating really cuts down on the snacking. It isn't worth eating a little snack to not drink for an hour for me. Just a couple of thoughts to get you through the next couple of weeks! You all are doing it, you just don't know it yet! Good luck!

Being private about surgery is one subject, dwelling in stigma and shame is another. No one can stigmatize and shame you as deeply and harmfully as you are doing on your own. It's my non-professional, yet quite human opinion that you're not ready for surgery. To go ahead with it already believing that it's shameful and wanting to live invisibly ("I kind of just want no one to notice at all") is masochistic. If you strutted your fat to prove to the world that you had a right to live, why don't you have the right to live differently because you're decided that you want something different? If it's the fat-acceptance population you're fearing, don't. Any member of that group who understands that she has a right to a place in society should understand that, unless others have the same rights, no one does. "I want to be lighter and smaller for health and other reasons." What other reasons? Might "appearance" be among them? That's a good thing. Aesthetics of environment and body have been part of the existence of higher life forms since the days before speech. People not only painted the walls of caves, they also adorned their bodies. If I were you, I'd hold off surgery until I knew I'd walk into the OR with my head high and eager for the future. I'd see a therapist. Until your emotions and thinking are positive, it's premature to think about whom to tell and what to tell those you haven't told when they comment on the weight loss. That last part is easy, anyway. P.S. I felt no shame about surgery before and have felt none since. The people I've told have been supportive to one degree or another; some were neither here nor there. There are times I've told strangers because it was appropriate to the conversation. There was no reason to tell anyone else.

It’s been a busy two days. Yesterday morning I had my Psych pre-op visit. Now, I’ve been a little nervous about this one…probably because I’ve never been before…or maybe it’s because of that somewhat dysfunctional family (or was that fun family?) I grew up in. Anyway, I Map Quested the directions downtown and I set the GPS up in the car. Even with all this technology I realize I need to start asking for landmarks. I turned on the final road, which happened to be a one way square with four lanes of traffic (about a block long on each side). The GPS is yelling at me that my destination is on the right, I’m looking for the address to no avail. About the third time circling around the square I’m feeling like a lab rat in a maze…is this part of the Psych test? I’m not going to find it…so I call (fun to do while you’re in the giant circle of traffic). Landmark “church”…NOT on the right…stupid GPS…and NO address on the front of the building…it’s on the side facing the parking lot…OK, by the time I know which parking lot to pull into, of COURSE I know I’m at the right address…stupid signs. Glad I cushioned my time to get there…my Psychiatrist looks like he stepped right out of a Psych book…Brown hair with a beard, dressed all in brown with a brown tweed coat...all he needed was a pipe. Yes, he had a couch, but I chose the chair. We signed a few forms, he showed me the form he’ll send to the surgeon, I waited while he filled some more forms out (are you asleep yet…maybe that’s what that couch is for?). He asked me a list of questions for about 20 more minutes, I answered honestly (luckily he didn’t ask too many hard ones) and we were done…it probably would have been quicker, but I tend to babble when I’m nervous. Piece of cake…whew! It was ALMOST disappointing that he didn’t bite on anything, not even my labels in the pantry, apparently NOT OCD. I think it’s good you now know someone to call if you’re having issues after the band, especially for someone like me who wouldn’t know where to find help. Today was the surgeon consult. Mr.SA took the day off to go with me, and since they rescheduled it, unfortunately it was a noon appointment. We arrived early and by the time I was done completing paperwork and waiting it was 45 min. later. Mr. SA noticed that most of the waiting room had loveseat size chairs, and many there needed them…I count myself lucky I’m getting help while I can still barely squeeze into a regular chair. More deadpan nurses (Does no one enjoy their job these days? Better than 'bedpan'! Ha!) and I’m on the scale…wow…it’s a huge scale…whoops, I’ve lost a few pounds, I’m only 5# from the minimum BMI, with shoes on. I didn’t lock my knees completely and I made the 5’8” easily (I’m shrinking in my old age). More waiting in the exam room…I took this opportunity to babble endlessly to Mr.SA, as I do when I’m nervous. He asked me how they fill a band that’s already in you…Was he not at two of the three seminars I attended? Maybe he was just trying to keep my busy…so I humored him and explained the port…then I explained how it feels to be heavy…imagine someone strapped 10, 10# bowling balls to you and asked you to carry on. About that time the surgeon (Dr. Colella, which was good, so now I’ve met both of them), the woman (Susan I think) who runs the pre-op class (I’ll need to attend a few weeks prior to surgery) and the head resident came in. After a few greetings he asked what questions I had about the surgery…the woman commented on my typed and highlighted sheet of questions (a little OCD…I’m telling you) and that she liked it. I rapidly went through my questions and he confirmed I could chose the LB, and we confirmed my port site being slightly to the left, between my ribs and belly button line (the default, if you don’t care, is the right)…he acted a little surprised that I cared (I’m right handed, I sleep only on my right as my left shoulder is bad, I care), but he had no problem placing it anywhere as long as it’s not too far from the band. He listened to my extreme nausea with anesthesia issues and will give me preventatives as I had with my last surgery (actually, the resident will handle this with the anesthesiologist). He’s asked me to do a cardiology MRI and then I’ll see the cardiologist for clearance, so two new things to schedule (I’m not sure if this is routine, or if it was because of all the heart issues in my family history). I just realized I forgot to tell him about my allergy to surgical tape (the adhesive actually) so I’ll have to call about that. It was a good, positive meeting and he gives you complete confidence that everything will go smoothly. If you’ve made it this far without falling asleep, I applaude you my friend, as I wanted to remember the major points. So now, for the great part!!! The insurance lady, Patty came in next to go over my questions. I asked if I could lose more than the 35 BMI min. and her answer was "If you weighed less than the 35 BMI then you wouldn't need the surgery now would you?" Got it...nuff said. Apparently Highmark PPO Blue is the ‘cadillac’ (her words) of the insurance companies in our area. She confirmed that my insurance will cover their percentage of everything, and my doc even includes 6 fills (I think ins. will cover them as well). When I discussed all the extra work I’d done with my PCP; my own form, education every month, and then asked if I could supply a personal letter to the insurance co. she told me if I had another ins. co., that might be needed, but all I needed to do was have the PCP fill out the very basics on their form and it would be fine for Highmark. She said they usually get back to her with approval within 72 hours. Then she confirmed my wildest dream that I truly only have to do 6 visits with my PCP, not 6 months/7 visits. That means if I can get all the cardio visits done I could have everything into the surgeon by early April. She said I might even be in for surgery by the end of April! Hooray!!! With two kids graduating (college and H.S.) this spring, an earlier date is so much better! Hey, I might even make my original goal of having this done by my 49 7/8 birthday (yes, and holding) on the 27th! Whoot!!!

I think you were ok to ask him to delete you from his political OPINIONs especially if you do not know him very well I guess you will not get to know him now HIS LOSS! GOOD FOR YOU! STANDING UP! To many people are ignoring

Margaret, Nice to see you here! I met you at the Sweet Hollow Diner the first time I came there to find out about the surgery. I'm so glad to hear you are doing well despite your life situations. You were one of the reasons I went with Dr. Geiss (Thank you) and I definitely am not sorry. I had the surgery on Sept. 2nd with him and I am down 26 1/2 pounds since the week before surgery. My weight loss has slowed down the past 2 weeks and I am finding out if I should get a fill or not. Andy (you remember Andy don't you?) has lost.....(drum roll please).......117 lbs.!!!! He looks great! I will be attending the get together at the diner this Tuesday. Hope to talk to you again soon. Keep in touch. Chris Simione