September Bandsters

[April 0]

Hi All,

Thanks for the kind words and thoughts...but really bad news...I slipped my band. I guess one of us September bandsters had to be it, so here I am. I feel horrible, I've been crying since yesterday. Doc unfilled my band and we're waiting 3 weeks to see if my stomach will go back to where it's supposed to be and my band will move back up into place. I have a 50/50 change it will correct itself. But that also means a 50/50 chance of surgery to revise or remove my band. I feel desolate...like no matter what I do, I'm destined to be a fat & unhealthy. I know thats not the right attitude, and I really am trying to be positive. It's just so hard, I never expected for this to happen so soon. I just can't understand how some people PB all the time and I only did it 2 times and mine slipped. I'm in a little pain but I feel much better without restriction. But I'm also back to being ravenously hungry. I'm sticking to the challenge and trying to live each day as if there is nothing wrong. What else can I do for 3 weeks? I'm not gonna worry myself into a tizzy. I'm working on a mantra here... I am OK. I trust in God to bless me and fix my band. I am not giving up. This has made me wiser and stronger. I am NOT defeated. I AM OK! I'll see you guys next Monday with my weigh-in. Please everyone stay positive for me and keep me in your thoughts & prayers.

[TamifromAL 1]

Oh, April, I am so sorry! I know you must be devastated. I hope and pray that it corrects itself over the next couple of weeks. Have you considered maybe asking the doc for a prescription for phentermine or meridia during this unfill? I know a lot of people don't like to use weight loss meds, but in this kind of situation, they might be helpful on a temporary basis.

I wish you luck, darlin'.

Tami

[BJean 16]

April, our hearts go out to you! It could have been any of us and it could always still happen to any of us. The fact that it happened is to you is a good lesson for us to learn to be very careful, eat slowly and don't get too much fill. Not that you could have prevented the slippage. But none of us should think we are immune to it happening.

We will keep you in our thoughts and hope that it resolves itself over the next couple of weeks. Stay strong! We're sure pulling for you!

[BJean 16]

Btw, April did you only have 2 PBs and this happened? Or did you actually throw up? I could have misunderstood. I thought you said you threw up. Gosh I am sorry it happened, whatever the reason. We're all still trying to learn how to peacefully co-exist with our bands. It's a real wake-up call!

[annapg 0]

Hi everyone,

My name is Anna and have just started the process of getting banded. I have so many questions, many of which I have found answers to in this wonderful forum. The more I read the more questions I develope though. I would love to hear from Wendy in IL. I too, am looking at having Dr. Van Wagner do my surgery. I hope to hear from you soon.

Questions:

- Unitedhealthcare Ins (coverage if bariatric surg is non-contracted)

- Regrets?

- Complications? Etc.,

Additionally, I eat for so many reasons other than hunger. I have given up on dieting. I can't even develope the motivation to do it anymore. Looking better and fitting into a smaller size is desirable but I just want to be healthy now. I wonder how/if the band will give me a sensation of fullness to the point that I will not want to overeat anymore. I understand the machanics of it but how does the band motivate you to change a lifetime of bad behavior with food.

Help,:help:

Anna

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[MimIN 19]

Hello all! I apologize for the late posting, I have been running like mad with all the work junk here in Atlanta but here it is! This past week another 23lbs lost giving us a total of 49.5lbs lost in 2 weeks!:clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :clap2:

TamifromAL – 213/-5/-2

BJean – 181/0/0

Gonnabethin – 190/0/0

MimIN – 199/-2/-2

Sandranoelle – 275/-4/+2

Kareyquilts – 203/-4/-2

TrueBlueSue - 174.5/0/0

LindaN – 218/-1/-3

Lauriegee – 215/-2/-6

Mom of Many – 209/-1

Mariecarmen – 198/-8/0

Lisalee – 203/+2/-4

Harlito – 371/-1.5

April – 241/-5

Finallyonmyway - 200

Katt – 282

SLHarrison

[MimIN 19]

April: I am so sorry! slippage is most of our worst fears with the band - I am always terrified that I've done something every time I feel an 'odd' pain or feel stuck.

What symptoms did you have prior to seeing your Dr? Did she say what kind of slip it was and the severity? A good friend of mine had what her dr said was a 'major' slip behind the stomach and was not hopeful that the stomach would return to the proper position. She had a complete unfill and waited for 6 weeks. Upon return to her Dr the stomach had slipped back down and all was well so there is hope! I have faith just keep up the positive attitude and when you're down we are here for you!

annapg: I can answer a few of your questions. I have UHC insurance, I called and they said "yep no problem it's covered" and after everything was submitted I was declined based on exclusion after they had specifically said it was not excluded, I have heard from other people with UHC having the exact same issues. I fought them, lost 3x and ended up self pay. When dealing with the insurance company document EVERYTHING, have them send you copies of policies they are stating and get ahold of a certificate of coverage from your employer.

The band is an awesome tool but it does not fix our heads. Most people that are overweight don't eat just because they are hungry but for various other reasons. I have over done it and I have regretted it and now just about 4 months post op I finally 'get it' and stop when my tummy tells me to. The band has the least amount of complications (NOT complication free) but it also takes the most work and self control. Since banding I have not had that painfully full feeling I use to strive for at the all you can eat buffets that left me miserable and instead of FULL I feel content but that too takes time to learn. It can be tough but for me, all of the struggles have been worth it.

Best of luck in your journey!

[kareyquilts 1]

April- What a bummer! Let's hope the little sticker springs back into place! Please don't despair. I will keep you in my prayers. If it doesn't go back, what is your game plan? Will you have it repaired? I threw up last week, for the first and I hope only time. It was awful and I think that if my band slipped, I would try and have it repaired, painful as that might be. It's the only thing that has worked for me. I wish you the best!

[April 0]

Hi All,

I'm hangin' in there. I feel a little better (emotionally) today. I'm still sore but it's not painful.

BJean & MimIn - I only PB'd the slimy foam spit stuff, I didn't even throw up. I think I was all balls to the wall crazy for fills since my insurance ran out in December and I ended up getting too tight too fast and hurt myself. I should have listened to my body and my band not my pocketbook. Now I'm in a terrible fix if I do have to get another surgery, I'll never be able to pay for it. I don't even know how much the visit on Tuesday's gonna cost me. But whatever it is I guess I put it on my credit cards. I don't know how severe the slip is 'cause all I heard is "it slipped" and I started crying, I felt like my best friend died. Doc stopped the exam and hugged me. If you guys can take anything from my experience PLEASE do what your band says, do not get a fill if you don't need it, and if you get one and all of a sudden feel like you can't eat or its painful when you eat, you girggle, hiccup, and burp EXCESSIVELY, get heartburn like you've never had before, get a slight unfill ASAP! Please guys let me be the only September bandster that slips. I was naive and hardheaded. A bad combo.

[BJean 16]

Thanks for the additional information April. Sounds just awful. I've been so upset that I didn't get another fill when I asked for one a couple of weeks ago. Now I'm thinking that I shouldn't be in such a darned big hurry.

I sure hope that everything works its way back into proper position and you will be fine. We're all keeping our fingers crossed for you!

[TamifromAL 1]

April, thank you so much for sharing your story with us. I hope you keep telling people about your experience, and maybe it will keep someone else from going through the same thing. I feel so blessed to have one year of follow-up care and fills with my surgeon, who is only 25" from my house. I know that if I had to pay for each one, or had to travel a long way, I'd probably either go under-filled, or be tempted to be overly-aggressive with fills. Neither one makes good use of the band.

Tami

1/16

No exercise

B: 1 c. Kashi Go Lean Crunch; 1/2 c. 1% milk; coffee w/ lite Creamora & S&L

L: 1/2 hamburger patty; steamed veggies

D: About 3 oz. rotisserie chicken (a little stuck, couldn't eat my veggies)

S: SF, FF yogurt

1/17

30" elliptical

B: Kashi & 1% milk; coffee

L: 1 c. lightly packed salad greens; 3 oz. leftover chicken; sliver avocado; 1-2 T. honey mustard dressing

D: Salad; 3 oz. grilled shrimp; 1-2 T. Caesar dressing

S: SF, FF yogurt

1/18

30" elliptical; Cybex upper body

B: Kashi w/milk; coffee

L: 1 c. turkey/beef chili, 1/2 c. or so salad greens, sliver avocado

D: 1/2 South Beach pizza (stuck a bit, quit eating, then got *hungry* later)

S: Mini Bonbell Light cheese round; SF, FF yogurt; 1 Kashi granola bar

[TamifromAL 1]

So, where are all these folks? We haven't heard from some of you in ages! Are you still with us? If you haven't posted in a couple of weeks, give us a shout out, and let us know you're still here!

9/1 okiegirl

9/1 TexasBr@t

9/1 TruBlueSue

9/1 finallyonmyway

9/1 ashley

9/4 JamesA

9/4 SLHarrison

9/5 Em1125

9/5 kittylover54

9/5 mcw12985

9/5 chabutter

9/5 BigBZ

9/5 TamifromAL

9/6 Ashlee

9/6 Cole

9/6 Kathy S

9/6 r2ht4u

9/6 Gjdf52

9/6 babyjessica

9/6 P McDonald

9/6 harlito

9/6 kareyquilts

9/6 LindaN

9/7 bibytz

9/7 kristyinusa

9/7 sunnshyne411

9/7 MICHELLE43

9/7 cassandra

9/7 green

9/7 happykat

9/8 dovie6523

9/8 valgal1968

9/8 PattyMartin

9/9 mary9

9/9 msgoat4949

9/11 cindyn

9/11 BJean

9/11 SheryBery

9/11 SherryA

9/11 RHCPgirl

9/11 lamamama

9/11 PHAT TX

9/11 drcollier

9/11 fraleyk

9/11 Dana Kwt

9/12 want2lose

9/12 ItsGottaGo!

9/12 TxAngel

9/12 HopeWorks

9/12 kattiegirl

9/12 brendab

9/13 katt

9/13 jewel

9/13 avasa

9/13 whlatimer

9/13 twiceblessed

9/13 suleehci@yahoo.

9/14 gonnabethin

9/14 mom of many

9/14 spike6

9/15 swanny

9/15 fugnick

9/15 coryW

9/15 ericergoman

9/15 melissa0915

9/18 Linstadt

9/18 tayvia99

9/18 April

9/18 Turmoil

9/18 LovinColorado

9/19 vv0710

9/19 susoue

9/19 Elaine53

9/19 reredc

9/19 missSD

9/19 sweet31eve

9/19 lisalee

9/20 mariecarmen

9/20 wantlapband

9/20 samos

9/20 labradoodle

9/20 ErinS

9/20 beechpad

9/20 lifelongband

9/20 mejomojogolow

9/21 jgandg

9/21 WandaKay

9/21 Dallasmist

9/21 JewelsInLove

9/21 YellowRoseKnows

9/22 diane5467

9/22 kellieatkins30

9/22 Lila

9/22 shell04937

9/22 venetiaann

9/22 butterfly1973

9/22 teachmath

9/23 tgjones

9/25 buzz321

9/25 sandranoelle

9/26 marie noone

9/26 christy

9/26 Lin

9/26 The Woman

9/27 Bettina

9/27 tommygirl

9/27 GettinThinMan

9/27 MimIN

9/28 Tracicat

9/28 jumbojet

9/28 "D"-n-OK

9/28 rbabcock61

9/28 Lisa99

9/29 Lapoli7

9/29 ratgirl

9/29 sweetsue

9/29 chattanoogabrat

9/29 phw72

9/29 JessyInSD

9/29 Chrissy "O"<!-- / message --><!-- sig -->

[valgal1968 0]

Valgal1968 Is here. I am a major lurker guys. I look and listen and try to do, but not having too much luck. I have lost a total of 17 lbs since surgery and now have had 3 fills, totaling 2cc's in a 4cc band. I can definately tell with this last fill. My total amount of food is cut way down again, but the weight is still not coming off but it will I feel it. Keep talking I look forward to what everyone is doing. You, my family, keep me informed. Keep on keepin on y'all!

[cassandra 0]

I'm still here! I'm down 20.8 lbs. so far, but wish it were more like twice that. I have another fill in 2 weeks, which I think will help. I'm also starting to work out, and focus on Protein. How is everyone else doing?

Are there any other September Bandsters from the Kansas City area?

So, where are all these folks? We haven't heard from some of you in ages! Are you still with us? If you haven't posted in a couple of weeks, give us a shout out, and let us know you're still here!

[TamifromAL 1]

:wave: Valgal & Cassandra! Good to see ya'll again! Stay with us, I don't want this group to wither away. I seriously need this support group. I went to my "real time" lap band support group meeting today, and was once again disappointed. They evidently require pre-op patients to attend a support group meeting, because every meeting is predominantly pre-op patients, and the whole thing is more of a sales pitch than a support group. They have a couple of successful bandsters who lead the meetings, and they basically tell their story and answer questions from the pre-ops, and the rest of us post-ops never have a chance to really interact and help each other. I'm really disappointed, and sent an email to the bariatric coordinator. As it is, they might as well just extend the pre-op seminar which is right before the support group meeting.

The speaker was good, though. It was the psychiatrist who does their pre-op testing. I didn't have to see him before surgery, because I was self-pay. But, I really like the guy, and if I feel like I need some help on down the road, it's good to know who to call. His topic was transfer addiction. I saw an Oprah show on that a few weeks ago, so I already understood the concept, but it was still interesting. Apparently, a lot of people with mobid obesity have addictive personalities, and once they can no longer turn to food for pleasure, they turn to alcohol, drugs, sex, gambling, or spending. We can head it off by looking for safe ways to stimulate our "pleasure center"...ummm, that's in the *brain*. hehehe

I've been snacking too darn much the past couple of days. I don't know if it's because I might need a tweak on my fill, or if I haven't been drinking enough Water, or if it's close to my TOM (I'm not good on keeping track!), or maybe because I haven't been to the gym in two days. But, I have seriously got to get it under control! It's one thing to have one snack when needed, but I've been having like 4 a day. Not good.

Hope everyone has a marvelous weekend. Get to work on that pleasure center!

Tami

1/19

No exercise.

B: Kashi & milk; coffee

L: Chili & lettuce

S: Mini Bonbel cheese

S: Almonds

D: Grilled, honey mustard pork medallions, lettuce, honey mustard dressing

S: Yogurt

S: popcorn