READ THIS B4 BEING BANDED...My Experience

[WASaBubbleButt 41]

I dont want to do too much to cause a problem...but come on!

Whoa... wait a minute. Why not?

If you went to Wally World and did not get what you paid for, would you worry that you were causing too much of a problem? I think we fatties forget sometimes that WE are the consumer, the doc is the provider. We pay them to provide a service and if they are taking advantage there isn't a thing in the world wrong with calling them on their greed.

I think most docs try really hard to do a good job. But every now and again we get the greedy b@stard that takes advantage of our desire for weight loss. I know of one nurse practioner that will NOT do more than a 0.25cc fill at each appt. That's $200 per appt and for someone with a 10cc band, it would easily take 14 fills for an initial restriction, NOT the sweet spot but just a bit of restriction. What crap!

WE are the consumers, it's okay to demand to get what we pay for. Let's not be walked on anymore, those days are OVER!

[green 6]

Yep, my initial fill was up to 5ccs, then the fill nurse dropped this to 4 because I PBed on Water. Since then I have been getting half a cc whenever I go in for a fill. And all of my fill work is free, part of the initial price of the work. Mini-fills at 200 bucks is too much!!!

[Krystal 4]

ok so i went today and got a fill......im at 7.4ccs lets see what it does....

[tonya66 13]

Krystal - hopefully the fill will give you some restriction. I'm at 3.0 cc's in a 5 cc band, and still not much restriction. At times it gives me some, but I think I can still eat more than I should. I'm waiting on my insurance approval now so I can get another fill. I really think the key is to stay on top of your fills. And of course making the right food choices (which is the hard part).

Keep us posted!

[WASaBubbleButt 41]

ok so i went today and got a fill......im at 7.4ccs lets see what it does....

GREAT!!!! I'm anxious to know how it is working for you.

Still spending time on your treadmill?

[kt_999 0]

Me too Krystal... would love to hear how you're getting on now???

I really hope that you are doing well

[Yooper 0]

Krystal, I'm so glad you wrote your story here. So many people look at this or any weightloss surgery as a "quick fix" when the reality is, it's just one of many, many tools you will need to use on this journey.

Your mind was not in the right place when you started, this is why I think the psych eval is a joke. It's just something they have to do to get the insurance companies to approve. I doubt there are many who are turned down based on the results. Besides, we all know exactly what they want to hear and that's what we say. It needs to be more in depth, and it needs to be on going. You are one of many people who need to find out what's behind the weight, the weight is just a symptom.

Thanks for being so candid, I hope some of those who are pre-op and see themselves in your post will put off the surgery until their head and soul are ready to commit.

[purposedriven4 1]

Hi everyone

Krystal how you doing? I am feeling very good. I was weighed and measured and I have now lost a total of 16lbs and a lot of inches. My waist went from 47 to 39.5, hips 56 to 55, thigh 37 to 33.5, calves 19 to 18.75, forearm 10.5 to 10.00, bicep 16.5 to 14.25. All the hard work with my trainer and eating changes are working out for my good. Just thought I would give a praise report.

[green 6]

Your news has made my day, Purpose. Congratulations to you! It sounds like you are making real progress.

[texgal61 0]

Wow, that took guts! Krystal thank you for sharing your experience. I haven't been banded. I'm on the insurance treadmill trying to get an approval. Please know you've helped me by being so honest. Hope all is going well for you kiddo!

[Chris61 0]

How are you doing since you got your fill? Do you feel that you are now back on track. I have by apt. on the 22 with Dr. Minkin in St. Louis to seek approval for lapband. I have all the tests the week before. When approved I will be doing it at Des Pers. I hope to hear from you soon.

Chris

Pre Band

St. Louis

[Krystal 4]

How are you doing since you got your fill? Do you feel that you are now back on track. I have by apt. on the 22 with Dr. Minkin in St. Louis to seek approval for lapband. I have all the tests the week before. When approved I will be doing it at Des Pers. I hope to hear from you soon.

Chris

Pre Band

St. Louis

I have lost another 6 pounds..ive been doing really well...not overdoing it at all. Seems like everytime i get on lapband site it is lagging and takes forever for me to go from page to page....i just checked in today and its ten times better....so i will come back and start typin more!

I miss all of you! How is everyone doing?

[ItsJustMe 0]

Krystal, I just found your site for the first time today and just finished reading every ones posts. You are incredibly inspirational!!! Some one else said that this site should be required reading, I couldn't agree more. Keep trying girl, don't give up we're all in this together!

Hugs and a BIG THANK YOU for your bravery and honesty!!

[huntersmom 0]

I am so glad I found you thread. I have been only banded for just less than a month. I haven't had a fill yet so I do not have any restriction. I was afraid this wasn't going to work for me. I have been eating some of the wrong stuff because I can. I don't want to be that way but sometimes the food is there and I eat it. My dh doesn't help when I ask him what he wants from the grocery store, he wants chips and ice cream. Of course if they are in the house I will eat them. A couple of times I have refused to buy them. He doesn't have a weight problem so he can eat anything he wants without issues. I am hoping that reading this thread will keep me going in the right direction. It made me jump on my treadmill and walk for 30 minutes and complete one mile. I like to walk outside but my kids come with me so I really do get a good pace in because I am constantly stopping to let them catch up. I am going to keep this thread in my favorites so I can keep checking in.

Good luck Krystal , Purpose and everyone else.

[Big Monkey 0]

I've had one fill since my surgery and next week I'm going to have it all taken out. I've been restricted for 2 months and I don't really like it.

I say this only because I've made a big change in my eating habits and I don't think I need a fill anymore. Truthfully, I don't think I needed the band to begin with. On the other hand, had it not been for surgery I probably wouldn't have come to the realization that it was actually my fault for being fat.

It's not all genetics, it was me and my relationship with food. I used to tell myself that I ate just like everyone else so i didn't understand why I was fat.

The truth is that your daily food choices add up to a lot more calories than you think you're eating. I didn't realize this till I started a food log last month. I'm eating no where near what I used to, and these numbers X 3 to 5 times like I used to eat and wholy cow that's a lot of calories. Not to mention that most of the calories were coming from sugar and other bad carbs plus a lot of saturated fat.

I also used to skip breakfasts a lot and sometimes only at once or twice a day.

All that is behind me. Now I make it a point to not underfeed myself and I eat no less than 5 meals a day, 6 or 7 when I can. The big difference is now the portions are controlled and I actively manage what I eat. Mostly whole foods that are healthy. I stay away from junk food and I don't drink my calories (save for some Protein Shakes since I can't eat all the Protein I need due to the band.) I drink Water all the time, and when I want some flavor I'll drink tea(green tea is ideal) or use those little crystal light packages.

Anywho. Now I'm looking forward to getting an unfill so I can eat more. I've lost about 70lbs since last June, 40 of which were in the past 2 months when I changed my eating habits. I'm looking forward to weight lifting in the near future as well.

In the end, I don't think I needed the band...but at the same time I'm glad I got it. I always blamed my lack of will power for being fat. The piece that I truly believe now that was missing was education on nutrition.

I learned what I know now from body building web sites and forums. I figure, "who better to learn from than from people who dedicate a big part of their lives to changing their bodies?"

Trust me...they know A LOT and I encourage anyone who's interested in teaching themselves about nutrition and body composition changes to search and learn from good bodybuilding sites. The wealth of knowledge is staggering.