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My first fill was 4cc's...between my first fill and the next one, I gained weight.!!! I felt guilty going back to the Dr for my second fill....fortunately he just laughed at me, reminding me how the band works and it's a process of fills to get it properly adjusted.

I was banaded Dec. 1, 2008 my fills were always covered to where i just paid my office visit co-pay, I had been going everymonth with no problems this month I go in for a fill and am told my co-pay is now 125.00. Insurance has changed coverage. I'm so ticked off because rightnow I just can't afford it but I know I need my fills because my weight loss has been slow as it is(i've only lost 30 lbs since Dec.1). How could they. I don't know what to do now because i was already getting discouraged because everyone else I know that has had the band lost quicker but now this... It's frustrating. What would you do??????

Congratulations on your new date. Also congratulations on losing 50 lbs. Way to go! You already are a lot healthier with your 50 lb weight loss. You'll be even more healthy once you get the band and lose even more weight. I'm a few days in front of you. My surgery is this Friday, 9/17/10, just 2 days away! I'm nervous and exciting! Your surgery date is right around the corner, too. Best of luck to you!

155 lbs I was down to 152, and have GAINED! I ended up getting an unfill on March 29th. I started having issues with my fill and not being able to handle solids well. PBd a few times, which hasnt happened in months. Got to the point only liquids and thin mushies would go down. I have been unfilled to 1cc for 2 weeks and it is tough. I ate a PBJ sandwich with a glass of milk for breakfast one day........so I KNOW that I am wide open. Have been trying to make good choices until I can get back to get refilled. Upside is I am in size 10 pants and jeans!

Not sure what you are looking for in terms of advice exactly. Post my sleeve, I pretty much didn’t eat and stuck with a the liquid diet followed by soft food for 3 months to help me detox my body and start a new relationship with food. For me that was the secret to the success of my surgery I feel. It’s been 5 years and whenever I stray I remember how I and my body felt after those 3 months and that always seems helps me go back on track. Took me 4 years to let go of the weight and 1 year to stabilIze and just had my plastics done recently. I would say please don’t jump into plastics, not only because it’s expensive but also because it’s way more painful than any bariatric surgery and the recovery process is seriously tough. Hope this helps

I talked about being lap banded about 3 years ago with my friend Sharon, she was all for it too but there was still unknowns, as this was a newer procedure. We decided to wait and then in 2007 I said I need to do something to change my life..I am obese with sleep problems and just had a total knee replacement in 2007. I talked with my doctor who is also my friend and she encouraged me to do this..Unbeknownst to me I heard from Sharon in January 2008, she said we need to do this lap band surgery and she was ready..I said so was I. In the next month or so I read everything I could and collaborated with doctors, new lap banders and post lap banders..I saw the positive effects and Sharon & I said lets set up surgery and do it..On March 28, 2008 we were banded and now we are heading in the right direction to our new lives. At this point we will be getting a fill in a few weeks and will continue our journey...I will keep you informed along the way..by the way coincidentally we are both down 13lbs and we both started with the same weight..:huh2:

:clap2::clap2:

I feel like i need to tone up my weight is slowing down even thou im so tired im going in again IM MY OWN MOTIVATION

Long time no post...Reason, no weight loss and very busy. Yup. A little frustrated on the no weight losss but pretty excited about the NO WEIGHT gain!!!! Yeah it sounds weird but it's true. I am very excited about another thing. I found a few new snack that are great tasting as well as healthy and full of productive calories not empty ones. My husband and I found Whole Food's Supermarkets. Ok, I would of never went into this place a few months back because it just didn't interest me. plus, I never understood what it was about. Well, guess what... I love it now!!!! i found some Soy rice cakes, some honey roasted soy nuts, dried/baked veggies that really taste yummy. Even my kids loved it. I am so pleased that my kids loved it because no we can all enjoy a healthier lifestyle together!!! I also went to Trader Joe's (also another supermarket) and found some dried fruits and fruit snack that taste like fruit roll ups and only 70 calories!!!! HOLY SH... I can fill my sweet tooth!!!! So a heads up to all those sweet tooths out there...there are other healthier and "allowed" sweets out there, we just need to look for them in the right place!!!!!

That will be a year out from surgery but not a year out from your goal weight. They want to know you will be maintaining a stable weight for at least a year.

Hey all, As the title says I am new to the site and just recently had the sleeve done. I think I'm doing fairly well I'm past my first two weeks of Fluid and am now starting pureed foods. On the date I started the presurgical diet I weighed 363 after surgery and two weeks I now weigh 337. Not too bad. Looking forward to being able to update as I've gained confidence reading all your stories. Oh and ya, split up with my bf a month before this...never a better time to start!

After trying years of diets and yo-yoing up 5-10 pounds each time, I decided to go with the Lap Band device. I went through the pre-surgical testing and got my insurance company to approve it upon my first appeal and an additional six-month waiting period. In that time I dropped from 380 pounds down to 360 (which was my pre-surgery goal) and on Valentine's Day in 2008 I got the surgery. I was in at 7 am, and home in my recliner by 5 pm. The abdominal pain was absolutely minimal. I was able to get out of bed and walk within the first hour, and was voiding my bladder and cruising the hallways soon thereafter. I refused the morphine they were offering as I wanted to go home, and honestly there was no need for it as I was in minimal discomfort. Once home I quickly adjusted to the phase-one diet and ate the clear liquids and developed an affinity for nice cool Jell-o (lime or orange). I no longer experienced "hunger" as I once did. Even though I knew I hadn't eaten but a handful of calories in any given day, I did not feel "hunger". As I approached phase-two I began to develop some "cravings" which after discussing with my nutritionist I found to be a healthy response to the surgery--a way for your body to tell you what you're needing. I don't even question it when my body tells me that raw calf's liver would be SOOOO good right now. I just do it. Once onto phase-three and normal life I began to feel better about myself as I (rapidly) dropped weight. Within 12 months I had dropped nearly 100 pounds, 3 trouser sizes, two inches from my neck, 2 shirt sizes (from a XXXL-Tall to a XXL) and amazingly--TWO shoe sizes--I once wore a 14 and can now fit a 12 comfortably. My knees stopped making horrible grinding noises, my hips stopped hurting and I found I had more energy to tackle my tasks with. To make myself feel even better I once loaded 100 boxes of butter (sorry Safeway) into a cart just to see the physical quantity of weight I had lost. Likewise--I have thrown a pair of 40 pound bags of dog food on my shoulders to experience just SOME of what I was carrying around. It makes all the difference in the world when you still perceive yourself as a "fat man" to look at some tangible facsimiles of your achievements. Now--about my device, my post-op life and the joys of living with the Lap Band: I received an "AP Standard" device in lieu of the "AP Large." My surgeon has never been able to give me a reason why other that "I have never used an AP Large device and didn't feel comfortable doing so here." Initially I thought this was a bonus as I would lose weight a little mroe rapidly. What I did NOT know whas what to expect in the process. Yes, I went to ALL of my classes, nutritional counseling, etc. Yes, I understand fully how to eat. NO! I did not sign on for this. Each bite of food I take--regardless of how I chew, registers somewhere in the 7 range on the pain scale. Even water--is about a 5 for 10-15 minutes after I swallow. The surgeons (I have multiple) have all scoped me, barium'd me, fluoroscope'd, swallow studied, etc me to no end. There is no slippage, no obstruction, no swelling, and no redness. Only "An extremely small pouch with very tight restriction." During my first adjustment (more on that later) my surgeon primed my device and in doing so, completely closed my esophagus and rocketed me into a vasovaglic episode. Since that time I have had ZERO Fluid in my device--not a single CC in the bladder, not even a drop of saline to prime it. Of course in order to make sure of this, each surgeon has to attempt to drain it again--so I got very used to being adjusted. As long as your surgeon is competent (NOT like Colin MacColl) you don't even need any of that local anesthetic-stuff. None at all. It's just more needle-sticks and to tell you the honest truth--the "big" adjusting needle doesn't hurt AT ALL. If you'd like to see what it's all about, go to YouTube and search "POV LapBand" and you'll see Colin MacColl failing miserably and repeatedly at accessing my (very easy) port. While this particular procedure was uncomfortable for me (as evidenced by my toes in the video...) it was NOT painful and I had zero anesthetic. When I finally grew tired of a life in pain and constant medical testing with no results I accused one of my surgeons (Colin MacColl) of practicing "diagnostic medicine" on me and demanded that he do something other than shrugging and saying "Let's try this." The next week I received a letter informing me that I was "fired" as a patient of Oregon Bariatric and would have to seek a new doctor. In the end--I am now 18 months post-op, sitting at 235 pounds (down 155 pounds) with an un-regulated and completely un-restricted device. I have no surgeon/bariatric doctor. I am hypoglycemic, I have 3 major Vitamin deficiencies, I vomit at least twice a day, I eat less than 200 food-calories in any given 24 hour period and when I do I am down-and-out-in-pain for a good 90 minutes after I eat it--IF I can keep it down without vomiting. Am I happy being the "new-man?" Hell yes! It's GREAT being "Skinny(er)." Would I recommend the Lap Band procedure to anyone? HELL NO! Looking forward to talking with you all. Cheers!

Had lunch a few days ago with some friends/former co-workers. One of the five of us is underweight, one is pretty much on target, two of us are wls patients (both still overweight, but nothing like pre-op) and then there's the other one. She is the nicest, smartest woman. But she is SO deep in denial. She actually said that her weight problems are not the result of overeating, because she doesn't eat very much. I used to have lunch with this woman on a daily basis. She eats much. Really much. And, as she was explaining that she doesn't eat much, she was finishing a HUGE beef-dip sandwich and fries. This is NOT a woman of limited intelligence. She is a bright woman, a professional, has multiple degrees, and has professional siblings. (She also has a husband with food-related medical problems and some kids at normal weight and other who are obese.) But, her BMI has got to be well, well over 50. She is really big, but says she's healthy and athletic. Question: Now that YOU have had surgery or are considering it, how do you handle conversations with friends like mine? She's still in her 40's and I'd love to see her get healthy while she's relatively young. (I'll be 57 in a couple of weeks...she looks VERY young to me.) Do I pretend that she's right? Do I assume that because portion sizes are so big, she really thinks that she eats reasonable amounts of food? Do I let her think she's convincing me, when I don't believe a word of it? Right now, I just respond with, "Well, you know better than anyone else how you feel." What do y'all do? Sue

Surgery went very well! I'm so happy it's over. I had no nausea from the anesthesia at all which was what was frightening me the most. They gave me a patch behind my ear before surgery and anti nausea meds before i woke up from surgery. The Dr said my gall bladder was very inflamed and enlarged. So far the pain isn't too bad. I just went 12 hours without a pain pill but decided to take it because one of the incisions is bothering me a bit. Definitely not too bad overall though. I am on a clear liquid diet today and can go back to eating slowly tomorrow. I'm not really even hungry anyway. My Lapland was also removed do I'm interested in seeing how life is without it. I have until Dec 10th to get my sleeve so I am going to try not to gain weight in the meantime.

I hope that you have done your research on the lap band. For anyone wanting a quick fix....its just not gonna happen! The lap band is a tool to help you lose weight. It requires work both with your body and your brain. Remember there are two orgin involved with the weight loss. People have been know to gain weight with a lap band. ie: your eat poorly like milkshakes, etc and it won't work for you. It is slow steady process with gradual weight lose over a long period of time. Sorry if I sound negetive but I sometimes worry that people go into this thinking its easy and the weight will just fall off you. That being said it was the smartest thing I ever did and I have no regets. I hope you acheive all your weight loss too and remember it takes time.

Something else to consider is that you also may still be a little swollen since you are only 3 wks post op... I know that I was swollen ( on the inside of course.. LOL) for close to 3 or 4 wks... and when you are swollen, that sometimes will affect your weight too

My surgery is in 3 days, and I need to start thinking about the crucial component for taking advantage of the honeymoon period of weight loss--exercise. I am a total exercise wimp. I hate it. I hate it because it hurts my knees, I have bad balance, and I find it mind-numbingly boring. So here's what I've done to ease myself into it. I decided that I wanted something that I could do at home (I live in a cold climate and there's no way I'm driving to Curves in a blizzard). I ordered a DVD set, "The All New Zumba Fitness: Latin Workout Routine" It has 4 DVDs of varyiing difficulty. It's basically "dancercise" to Latin music like samba, tango, macumba etc. I figure this will be less boring that watching some perky aerobicized blonde bouncing around in ways that make my low-impact self cringe. I wanted something I could DO. It looks like I can start the "Beginners" DVD pretty much right after surgery (taking it easy of course) and step it up a bit until I reach the 6 week point, where I am allowed to do strenuous exercise. At 6 weeks, I have another DVD to add in: "Walk at Home" which I plan to do for a half hour every morning. Hopefully by then I'll be a little lighter and it won't hurt so much. It's at that point that I have to start thinking about a gym for arms, etc. But I'm taking this one step at a time and so I'm not going to worry about the gym today. I'll worry about it tomorrow.

The wi scale sounds cool! I love gadgets. Does it track small increases or decreases correctly? I researched scales several years back and in the fine print somewhere, almost all of them said that it remembers and displays the previous weight unless it's different by more than 2 pounds! I want ounces measured! I used to have a 5 pound hand weight that I would put on the scale with me, then take it off just to be sure it was giving the correct number.

What up people! well well welll....its been a long time since we talked. anyway, i had a rough patch there for awhile. i dont know if i depressed or what ever, i just know i was down for a bit. but, im back now and ill give you all a update for those who care. i still havent told anyone that i got the band, and at this point, i doubt i ever will. ask me why...and ill say i dont know. who will ever know what goes on inside my head, but at this point, im keeping it a secret like Victoria's, "know what i mean, hahah" so, iv really been thinking about the future lately. i watched this True Life episode on MTV and there were stories about young peolpe that are going through huge physical life changes. some girls got gastric bypass, another dude got calf implants. im sorry but, HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. now that i got that out of my system, no...wait....i didnt. i mean CALF IMPLANTS, cmon, if that was my worst physical problem, i would be, ahhhh mmmm i dont know....jumping for effin joy. ok ok, since i lost a little over 90 lbs im looking better, im not hedious by any means, but i got another 90-100lbs to go. that would bring me down to 210-200 range, and im 6'3, so i think ill look half decent at that point. but the thing that worried me when watching this show was....i could relate to the guy in some way. i have been working out like a fiend. i mean sit ups, crunches, leg lifts, swiss ball exercies, and not to mention my cardio at the punching bag and hiking. im a mchine at this point. "I DO WANT THE PERFECT BODY" was "mr. CALF'S" quote, and i can feel where the dude is coming from. ive been a total slob my whole life. im not just talking about my weight, i dressed dumpy and everything. now...im as sharp as a dagger when it comes to dressing. i find my self talking to people i usualy would of never talked to, and getting complements for my effort. now, this dude on MTV was totaly self absorbed. he thought he was gods gift to women, men, and who ever else wanted a piece. im not down with that, i just can bring my self to that level....or want to. but, i do want that body. the body that people have to do a double take at. at first i was like, "ahhh, cmon Furious, that wont happen to you, that takes time and extreme dedication....deff not going to happen". now after 9 months post op and after about a trillion crunches, i can see it all coming together. im getting some deffinition around the ab area, and the rest of the body is falling in line. now, im not a shallow person, i didnt go through all this to get the "bowflex body", haha, ive seen that ad on tv like a million times now. but, its deff a bonus, since my whole life ive been extremely over weight. ive even considered Lipo....if it is needed when im all done. Because, now im hooked. ive seen old friends from the past and they cant get over how much i changed, even the ladies notice....and what guy dosent like that, i mean cmon. at this time last year, if some one would of told me of all i did so far, i would be like, "yeah right, get right out of town, that would never happen". not to tute my own horn but, "beep beep". i doing it and im like a freight train at this point, 9 months with 90lbs off. once again, "beep beep" i just hope i stay the same...know what i mean. i dont want to loose myself along with the weight. i want to still be the funny dude that people come to when they need a stand up guy to talk to. i dont want to become "mr calfs" at all. on a lighter note, some times i feel a little gay, "not that its a bad thing, cmon people im not that Furious" but i look at dudes with their shirt off, and im like, "ewww i want that body to be mine...wait...wait....no that one!" its a bit odd to be checking out guy's bods for ideas. hahahaha, but thats what im thinking. when i look at mens fitness mags at the supermarket, im thinking, "how long did it take Hue Jackman to get THOSE ABS!" its kind of like motivation, but it works. Well thats it for now. Please comment back, i love to hear from all of you, anything, good, bad, or indifferent. i got to go check out some more dudes for ideas, but enough about my homoerotic escapades, hahahaha, ill catch you on the flip side. oh and before i forget, what do you ladies look for in a guys body. i need real opinions from real women, and mostly that is all of you, so let me know what makes you all googelie eyed for a man, hahaha. STAY MOTIVATED, STAY STRONG......AND OF COURSE......STAY FURIOUS:cursing:

I really enjoyed reading your blog. You are very funny. The things that I find most appealing on a man is their butts. Full and round with the indention on each side, however I do not think just anyone can get that kind of butt with just working out. Another thing that is a real turn on is a nice muscular back to where there is an indention down the spine. The most attractive thing is the eyes and believe it or not a nice funny personality. I don't think anyone want to be with any man that is always thinking about himself. BTW congratulations on all your hard work and weight loss. I am not quite 3 weeks post op. I cannot wait to get to where you are now. Keep up the great work. And remember the kind of woman you need to impress is the kind that like/loves you for what you are on the inside. Good Luck

Just wanted to say "hello" to everyone! I started my journey on September 08, and I just completed the 5th month in the 6-month supervised diet...so far, so good. My last weigh-in will be on Feb. 9, and then my doctor will resubmit my paperwork. My doctor feels that my insurance should approve it, but I'm still keeping my fingers crossed. If all goes well, I should be banded in late March. Just curious if there is anyone with a late March or early April surgery date--or anyone who is having surgery at UCSD. I would love to have a "support" buddy to help motivate each other during the dreaded pre and post liquid diet--and with weight loss.

I don't know how the plication aspect affects fills. Will be interested to hear what your experience is. 1. but how much do they put in the first time? Depends on your surgeon's protocol & your band size, plus more (see question #3) 2. is there a set (amount)? Not that I've ever heard of. 3. what do they base it on? Your weight loss, your symptoms/side effects (if any), what and how much you're able to eat, and how long your meals keep you satisfied (in terms of physical hunger). 4. do you feel sick to your stomach afterwards? If you mean do you feel nauseated, no, I never did. Other than my reaction to the general anesthesia, nothing related to my band ever made me feel nauseated. Eating mistakes occasionally made me PB, but that's not the same as vomiting and I experienced no nausea. 5. can you request very small amounts instead of 1 or 2 cc's? Sure. Your surgeon may have other ideas about appropriate fill level amounts. If you're not comfortable with a fill amount he wants to use, tell him. Presumably he'll be willing/able to explain why he feels that amount is appropriate.

Marcy, I agree with Jacqui just because I know in my experience with myself, if I try even the sugar-free version of something, I either get bitter that I can't have the real thing, or I eat more of the SF thinking that I'm okay because it's not as bad. But, if you are set on making Cookies for yourself, you could try LowCarbFriends.com - Weight Loss Support . Look in the recipe room. You can find pretty nearly any kind of food in a sugar-free version.

Hi there ... I was banded in 2008 and had my band removed on 18th April. I went from 242 down to 149 (5'9) and maintained with the band but it went crazy on me last December and it turns out it was adhered to my liver!! I am booked for 9th July as earlier in July is our school holiday period (Australia) and the surgeon doesn't operate :-( I had to gain to get my surgery due to my great bmi of 23 when the problems started which is frustrating and now my bmi is back to 28 and I feel yuck so bring on my surgery date!! Good luck with your surgery and I cant wait to hear how you are traveling ...............

I pretty much hand selected my date of Dec 14 in the beginning of Oct. Not quite as far out as you, but I wanted to connect it to my Christmas break (SLP in a school). So, no, I don't think it's odd. You need to do what's best for you! I just kept going to my monthly appts at the weight loss center, practicing good habits!