B-52

BUMMER!

A lot will depend on what your insurance requires, and what your surgeon requires.

It is a requirement by SOME insurance companies they want it on record, signed off by a M.D. That you did indeed make a serious, medically supervised diet program before you considered surgery. For my insurance, it had to be within 2 years of my surgery request. When I had my initial consult in the surgeons office, they gave me a print out of what my insurance required.

You can get steri-strips at a drug store and put fresh ones on yourself. Do your best to have the skin together as tight as possible for smaller scars. If it heals open, the scar will be larger.

I understand what you are saying by "magical fix" but trust me, when you get to the Green Zone things are going to be very different than they are now. Keep up the good work

I'm sorry my friend, but if you're not seeing positive posts, you're not reading everything. Today alone, I was surprised by how many positives there were. One or two one year bandiversaries where many people replied with their successes. I will say, if you are new here, understand this...that the majority of people here are very early in their journey, less than 6 months, and are seeking info just as you are. Do not confuse people not fully understanding with people who are being negative. Good luck on your weight loss.

I hope you can read this........maybe out of focus

Guess he had to look for something to criticize you about. First fill, you're early on this but making strides. It will all come together.

Congratulations! That is very good to hear. Inspires you to keep going and get more active, doesn't it.

What would expect another fill to do? Not being sarcastic, but determining the need for a fill. Would it be to eat less? Keep in mind, exercising will change a persons body shape, burning fat it building muscle. Muscle weighs more than fat, or so I've been told. I've plataued a few times and sooner or later things simply catch up and let loose.

Providing you are not eating at the same time, all liquids will pass quickly through your band into your stomach. So stretching your pouch is not a concern. But you do need to drink it very slowly so as not to build up a lot of as. I am always concerned with he thought of anything coming up from below the band. I will have a beer or two at a ball game say, but NO food.

2 lbs a week is all one can really ask for. Very good. I had the same progress once, and still got a fill because even though I lost wight, my Dr realized it was hard work and difficult for me to do. Aging your and adjusted may not mean more weight you'll loose, but make it easier.

Congratulations....I agree with everything you said. I hit my one year January, and I can also say I hit my mark. Don't regret it for one minute. Best thing I have ever done for myself. Literally changed my life!

Good luck! You are well on your way!

It really comes down to the individual and how their band responds to them. Not to avoid the question but is something you will have to discover for yourself. But know this, your eating habits and quantities will definitely change, for the better IMO.

Congratulations......just remember it is a journey and things don't happen instantly like we all wish they did. But you will make significant progress by following your Dr's advice and not get discouraged. just be warned, as good as this site is for information and support, it s just as bad for negativity and getting one frustrated and confused. You need to learn to know the difference.

It's called "Bandster Hell" and everyone goes through in one form or another. All you can do is continue the best you know how, and continue to see your Surgeon to get regular adjustment (fills) and eventually things will become easier and change.

Depends upon your Dr. and your insurance co. My Insurance wanted to me to go through a 6 month Medical Supervised diet program first. Close to the end of that 6 months, I started to do all my other required clearances. Cardiology, Pulmonology, Physc., Then we decided upon a surgery date. A few weeks prior to the surgey, my Surgeon did a Endoscopy, and then I had to do the routine pre-admission pre-surgey tests, blood work, chest x-ray, ekg, etc, all routine. So, you see there are many hoops to jump through, not to mention the Insurance approval ! Read around here enough and you will see all the things that can go wrong in this time period. And, there are those whom breeze right through! Once my PCP and I agreed this was good for me, there was no turning back. I do not regret it for one minute!!! And that was 14 months ago, I have been at my goal at 12 months!

I am so glad you are excited and MOTIVATED! That's the most important thing of all. Just be aware, you hve yet to go through BANDSTER HELL. A period where you are getting byour scheduled fills, butare not there yet, and you have to fight the hunger on your own using willpower and self determination jast as you have in the past before the surgery. But be assured, you will get through it and your life will be changed!

You said 2 fills but you did not say total cc's that you have. My first fill was 4cc, and did not notice any difference. As a matter of fact after my first fill and before my second, I gained weight. Second fill was 4 weeks after the first, for 2 cc. Restriction would come and go, but I definitley could not pig out. I did have a few stuck episodes for the first time, but I was still very hungry. Third fill was 4 weeks after the second, 1cc, for a total of 7. That was the Charm for me. Total green zone. I have since then, complete portion control, I am rarley hungry between meals, and when I do have a meal most of the time I really do not feel lilke eating that much. Sometimes I have to remind and force myself to eat. What you have described, I could not touch with a 10 foot pole. Taco's? I don't think my band would allow more that 2 small bites. Drinking while eating? Forget what they taught you, I learned that lesson the hard way. So, you have had 2 fills...have you ever felt any restricion? In order to stretch your pouch, you would need one in the first place for food to accumulate. Otherwise it goes freely into the stomach. I have had other people tell me their Dr. only gives them very small fills, it it would take them forever to get any restriction.

For mw it only took one week for all bandages to come off, Dr. cleared me at post-op appointment to soak in whirlpool, workout, whatever.

Why did you get a unfil? With a unfil, it is as though everything is as it was when you first started, except you did not learn anything since then. No one can help you, only you know what you have to do.

I have lost weight also just by working out and eating better also....just to have it come back, MANY times. I needed bariatric surgery, perhaps as a last resort. I have met my goal, and still loosing. I have no desire at all to over eat, nor do I have any bad cravings. I say bad, because everyone has "Head" cravings, say for Cookies. But when I pick one up and take a bite, I quickly realize I really don't want it and throw it away. being banded is the best thing I have ever done, don't regret it for any reason. cannot predict the future but the way I feel right now I cannot see this as ever failing.

A few things for you newbies.....they tell you 60-90 minutes because they don't know what else to tell you. It's mostly B.S.! The way it works is this...first you need to have some amount of restriction, which you will not have for a quite a few more weeks, and fills. Burt when you get restriction, food will accumulate in your pouch, passing throgh your band slowly. The pouch can hold just so much food. Overfilling your pouch can be disasterous! So when and right after you eat, adding Water to that volume with immediatley increase it, immediatley having negative results. As you become an experienced bandster, you will learn to "Listen" to your band, and become a good judge as to what is happening. Water, without food, will pass right through the band into the stomach. So I drink whatever and how much right up to the point where I begin to eat. After eating, it all depends on how my band/pouch feels. Most of the time I can begin drinking 20-30 minutes after eating. I may have to take a small sip to see/feel if it is safe first. For all you newbies, you are being taught all sorts of "Rules" to follow, learn. The majority of them do not apply to you just yet, but you need to get them in your hread just the same. The first time you have a negative reaction to swallowing, etc, it is then you are going to remember what and why they told you about this and that little rule, and it is then it will all make sense.

I just don't know how accurate those statistics are, or how they are compiled. I lost 80 lbs in one year, and even though my BMI says I need to loose more weight, being a man I am more muscular and do not feel I can loose much more. So I consider this a 100% success. I am extremely happy with my results. One thing about the lap band, it is adjustable. Which means you can be very aggressive and have your food intake (portions) completely under control and limited, have you hunger and cravings taken away. But it all comes with the risk of stuck episodes, sometimes pain, and definitley a large learning curve by the user. OR You can choose NOT to be aggressive, have your band adjusted loosley, letting you eat more, making you depend upon your own will power more, keeping you safe from the possible "Stuck" episodes, etc. It is this approach where I can see people only loosing 40-60% of weight goal.