FLORIDAYS

It was 2 weeks before I felt normal. I was banded on a Thursday and thought I would go back on Monday...but that didnt happen. I went back for 1/2 days on Tuesday and Wednesday then full days after that. Best I can tell you is rest when you can. Hopefully you can have help with Laundry and Housework... but if not it will be there when you feel better. Best of luck to you.

If you do not trust your Dr then you should find a new one. It wouldnt make sense for him to "scam" you but I suppose there are bad apples out there. If you want you might want to look around for another Dr and share your concerns with him. I think I would be more apt to have a frank discussion with your surgeon and ask him to show you the amount he is putting in your band. Unless of course you have a leak ...then that is another issue all together. As for your question about taking control... The band isnt a magic cure. Especially if you arent in the green zone. When you do get there it will be a wonderful tool to prevent you from overeating but even then you must take control over what you put in your mouth. When I decided to get the band I researched and had frank conversations with my Dr. I knew I could lose the weight on my own but I always got bored with diets and always gave up and gained it all back. My Dr explained that if I limited my portions and controled my calories I would lose weight and then the band would prevent me from overeating. I am almost to goal... and for example today... there are donuts and fruit in the breakroom at work. I could eat one with no problem... well maybe 1/2 of it. But I did not. I chose the banana instead. The band will not prevent you from eating the donut. You have to do that your self. Best of luck to you!

Just becasue you can still eat normal portions doesnt mean you should. I agree with the others... you are eating too much. From the begining I tracked my calories to make sure I didnt exceed my daily amount (1000) and made sure my portions were not more than 3-4 oz protin, 1/2 c veggies and 1/4 starch at each meal. I usually would have 2 Snacks... one a piece of fruite and the other something sweet like sugar free pudding cup or sugar free popsicles. The band isnt a magic cure. Especially if you arent in the green zone which looking at when you were banded you are not. When you do get there it will be a wonderful tool to prevent you from overeating but even then you must take control over what you put in your mouth. Best of luck to you!

I am no scientist but For those of you who are wondering about evaporation.... I had a fill in April. I was at 5.7ccs In September I felt I needed a fill so the Dr measured and I only had 5 ccs in the band. I asked the Dr where did the .7ccs go... he said even though it is a sealed unit the fill is saline which is water and water evaporates. I decided to do a little experiment... I put a cup of water in a ziploc bag and duct taped the top to make sure it was sealed air tight. I opened it after a month and there was less than a cup of water.... so I guess it would be the same with the band.

As we know all Dr's have different views but My Dr tells me the amount of food I eat at each meal should hold me 4-5 hrs. Any more than that you may feel weak... you might want to keep a protien bar in your purse for times like this...kind of like a safety net. Just make sure to include it in your calorie count.

I dont know about a leak but I do know the Fluid does evaporate. I had 5.7ccs in my band and at my last fill he measured it and I was down .7ccs so no wonder I felt I needed a fill. That said... I am not sure how long it would take for 4ccs to evaporate. I think thats pretty individual. But your Dr. seems to be monitoring it... so I wonder why you don't trust him. I think its highly unlikely he put the saline in the wrong place. The port is pretty easy to find. As for not losing weight. During the time until you get in the green zone you must monitor your calories and take charge of your loss by eating proper portions and the correct foods. Even if your band isnt functioning properly you will still lose weight by reducing calories. Granted you want your band to function so I would work with the Dr to find out what is going on.... and if for reasons you didnt mention it may be better for you to find a new physcian.

to me it just sounds like you didnt chew the ground been enough or maybe you did but your band is like mine and doesnt care for ground beef. I dont think its serious but I am not a Dr so if you are concerned I would call the office.

] Plateaus have no rhyme or reason in my experience. I have continued to the exact same things day and and day out for 23 months... some months I would lose 6 lbs and others 15.... I wish I could explain it. If you are only eating 900 calories a day you will lose weight. As for your calorie counter ap.... I manually changed mine from the 1800 they recommended to 1000 to be my benchmark

Its is an amazing feeling. Congratulations!

If I could lose weight eating 1900 calories I would be very happy... but my number is 1000. You may be hiting your first plateau... just keep doing what you are doing and the scale will move. Maybe increase your Water intake for a day or two. It might get things moving again.

Thats cheaper than being a self pay!

It took me until day 4 until the headache went away. It gets better but the preop liquid diet is the worst... Depending on your Dr you will need to be prepared for 2-3 weeks of liquid on the other side as well. But when its all over....you will have lost weight, learned that food is just fuel and I bet you will applaud yourself for achieving this goal. Best of luck.

I cannot help you with the insurance questions as mine wasnt covered even tho I had 217 lbs to lose.... but this statement puzzles me. If you lose weight and they dont approve... how is that waiting around for nothing? Any weight loss is wonderful!! Good luck as you get the answers you need.

I told my husband.... he told everyone else... but I came to embrace it. The support I received was overwhelming. And it kept me honest.... no answering about why I gave up diet coke.. or why I was eating 2/3 of my dinner while out with friends. I was so excited about it I wanted to share with others. Fast forward.... just a few pounds from goal I'd like to get paid for the amount of people I have told. But I am not an actress or sports start so I guess LapBand doesnt need my 2 cents! LOL

when i was activly losing I ate 1000 calories and tracked and counted everything that went into my mouth. Now being close to goal I pretty much eyeball it but if I need to I use it to look up the calorie content of something I am unsure of.

Hopefully you get some nice things but have you tried going to goodwill or other second hand stores? I am not a snob... I have donated all my fat clothes to them for years... but it never occured to me to check them out until a few months ago when the 12/14s got too big and I needed 8/10s and I was in there looking at books (all paperbacks are $1). I have to dress professionally at work and I found oodles of blazers and skirts for pennies. the green jacket in my ticker pic is size 8... Evan Picone.. tags were still on it and I bought it for $6.97! Today I have a on a pair of Talbots pants which had the dry cleaning tags on them... $4! I matched it with an Ann Taylor blazer ..tags on ($198)... got for $5!!! You have to be picky and 99% of the stuff I wouldnt use... but its fun finding a needle in a haystack! I recently went to the Caribbean and purchased almost everything I took with me for less than $75! Everything I got is a designer name and night after night I got compliments on my outfits. I will draw the line at bathing suits and underwear.... I dont need anyone's hand me downs there...but with all the deals I got I didnt mind shelling out the money for that!

Sure I am guessing alot of us understand the way you are feeling. But its what you signed up for. I know I would have to be on liquids for 4 weeks (2 pre op and 2 post op) and then move to mushies for a week. I didnt like it but its what had to be done for a successful surgery and the proper healing of my band. Its mind over matter... it wont last forever. I know that sounds like I am being uncompassionate but its the truth. You CAN get through this and when its over you should have a nice loss to kick start your journey and you body will have the time to heal that it needs. I dont know what stage you are in but if your are on Clear Liquids... lots of chicken broth (sodium free) will help as do sugar free popsicles. Best of luck!

My dr had me on fiber until I was able to eat solids...you should ask yours. Good luck

My Aetna insirance didnt cover the surgery or follow up. As a self pay my fills were free for the first 3 months. Then they were $50 each. The Dr did go up in Sept to $100... but I dont need them very much now so its not going to hurt.

I am coming late to this thread.... darn vacation.... Reading it... I am trying to figure out the point.... I have been banded almost 23 months. My Dr who has performed over 700 band operations told me it was rare to have problems with the band if I took care of it. SO.... I stopped drinking carbonation.... I dont eat fried food, fast food unless it involves grilled chicken or junk food, I dont have issues with guilt or self worth or body image (except I still see myself as bigger than I am but I believe that's normal early on) , I dont feel sorry for myself for having to resort to surgery and oh by the way I am 2 lbs from goal and 12 pounds from my revised goal. I follow my Dr's orders, take my Vitamins and drink few empty calories. I need to improve on the amount of exercise I get but other than that I think I am a model bandster. From what I am reading in this thread ...the odds are at year 6 I am going to have my band removed because of complications... gain the weight back or have health issues... I am here to say... I disagree based on my research, my Dr's opinion and my overall care and feeding of my band. I beleive it puts me in a low percentile of having any of those problems. Just needed to add my opinion ...carry on.

Fall in Florida means less humidity and cooler temps.... Usually a perfect time of year here.

Do not worry about offending anyone... If you prefer your dr do the fills then tell the receptionist when you make the appointment that you want to make sure the dr is available to do the fill.

Sorry dont know of such a thing but why not get your protein from food? My dr doesn't advocate protein shakes or supplements excet pre and 2 weeks post op.

I am not sure how to help you but as a self pay it was a short time from the initial consult to surgery. About 6 weeks. It took 2 weeks to set up and go to the psych eval and dietician. Then it took a few days to schedule surgery and then of course the 2 wk pre op diet.... The band isn't a quick fix, fad diet or gimmick. It's a life style change and you must be dedicated to success and committed to doing everything it takes to get there... Best of luck as you consider your options

I started out the same way... Then I told a few close friends and mu hubby told evryone else and all of a sudden everyone knew. Actually I found it to be a great source of motivation for me... Every time I would run into someone they would make a huge deal of my loss and I received so much praise it was very inspirational. But do what is right for you... It's your choice. I just wanted to share a different viewpoint