B-52

I rely upon insurance re-imbursements for all our cash flow..... Whatever you may fear for the future, it is already taking place.....right now all insurance carriers are getting real tight about what they will approve and npot approve, and what they are willing to pay...everyone I talk to says it is getting absolutely crazy... It is as though Insurance co.'s are "Circleing The Wagons" in defence..... There is a lot of talk currently going on about buying into the new health plans offered by Obama Care....the one thing no one is saying, but everyone on my side of it are talking about, is "WHAT ARE YOU BUYING?" Do you know if it will be any good? No One knows for sure because it is not really implemented in force....there is speculation it will be worse than Medicare, another federal health program, and THAT is pretty bad.... Recent Poll conducted in New York found that 80% of Dr.'s polled will not participate in the new Federal Exchanges.... They may say they will approve something, and agree to pay...but what are they going to pay??? What the Dr. charges? I think not..... Example, you need surgery, and the cost will be $5000....Insurance will approve and pay, but they will be willing to pay only $2500...keep costs down to stay within a federal budget.... So now you are going to have to find a Dr. willing to do the surgery for 1/2 the price...good luck with that..and when you do find one, you may not want him/her coming near you.... And believe me...Talk is Cheap....they may tell you they will cover certain things, but do THEY even understand what they're saying???? Experience dealing with the Federal Medicare Codes cleary answers that question as "No, They do Not!" So hold on, it is going to get a lot worse, then take years to straighten out, if they ever do.... IMO, if you have good insurance now, do not delay having certain procedures done....

I hardly ate anything....No turkey at all, I really was not that hungry......I mostly grazed on the pre dinner appetizer foods put out, while watching football on TV.......veggies and dip, shrimp, cheese, crackers, etc, all kinds of little goodies....couple glasses of Merlot,, and maybe 2 beers......that was about it... I did have a nice piece of berry pie, avoiding most of the crust, along with some ice cream later in the evening....... But absolutely no stuck episodes, or anything even close....

All I can say, it is very important to follow your Dr's directions...ESPECIALLY in these first phases....you have to build a sound foundation in the beginning to have a successful lifestyle later on..... But I am not here to tell anybody else what they can and cannot do....just my experiences....I can get away with all sorts of things I won't even mention on this forum....not many would understand or believe me....BUT it would not have been possible if I did not get it right from the beginning....that's what I believe...

It's 4am, having my morning coffee(s) along with my Vitamins and a shot of Protein before heading to the gym when they open at 5.... Thinking about the day coming up...Thanksgiving...gonna be with 20 people +, plenty of food and drink all day long...and I just reinforced my thinking, finding it comforting to know, and getting more motivated by the minute..... At first, I started to get nervous about what is to come today....but then, I realized..... THE BAND IS THE BAND IS THE BAND IS THE BAND.......Does not matter today is Thanksgiving, Christmas, a day spent on a cruise ship..or any other day....the BAND STILL BEHAVES THE SAME.....it does not change by what is going on around me!!! That's what I appreciate the most about this...it was SURGERY....something Physically altered in my digestive tract to change the way I feel about food and situations as today....it is ALWAYS THE SAME....I might be weak and cannot control myself, but the Band is always a constant! I don't have to do anything special, get myself Physc'd up or motivated to do anything different...the Band is not going to behave any differently because there is something going on differently today.... Why on earth did I go through all this and have major surgery, spend $$ out of pocket, etc, if I did not expect things to be different? Changed? I'd be totally "You know What" if I had to approach this day as if I did not have WLS...if I had to face today with uncontrollable hunger, with no limits as to what I can manage to eat!! Everything else(surgery) would have been a big waste of time....I expected Miracles with this and will except nothing less!!! And that is exactly what I have received.... So yea, maybe I am getting myself Physc'd up....definitely motivated with some positive thinking and reinforcement....NOT to face any challenges with will power or self determination....but to remind myself I am a New Person, living a New Lifestyle....NEVER having to worry about overeating again...the Band has changed all that....No Hunger....impossible to overeat! What can be better than that???? The Band is what it is...and I am now what I am.....set free from fear of food, over eating, fighting hunger and cravings.... Never again to be overweight, and go through the struggle of diets, etc....as long as the band is there doing it's job, how can that possibly happen?? Yes..it's 4am and I'm getting Physc'd....can't wait for the day...it's going to be a great day and I'm going to come out the other side feeling more better about myself than before..BRING IT!!!! I'm also ready to have a great workout this morning...gonna run for a full 60 minutes and see what it brings.... Today is going to be a great day!!!

The gas is pumped into your body cavity to expand it a little to make the surgery go easier for the surgeon....it is then extracted when finished but there is always some left...it will travel under the rib cage and up to the left shoulder..... Gas-X works inside the digestive system, this gas is outside in the body cavity. On the surgical wing in hospitals it is a standing order to get the patient up and walking as soon as possible....this is the only thing that will help...not re-leave it, but help it move and dissipate faster..... Gas-x and heating pads may help you feel better, for other reasons you may even be aware of, it has nothing to do in relieving these type of surgical gas pains....

My gym will be open at 5am, and I will be there as I am most mornings.....

Vsries from person to person...I can no longer tolerate it...have not had Pizza in over 2 years.... BTW, I used to eat an entire large Pizza all by myself....have the T-Shirts to prove it....now I cannot get through a single slice without problems....that is what the band has done for me....

Something I noticed over the years..... When people say they have lost 100 lbs, or some other great weight loss within a relatively short amount of time,.... as great as that is,..... newly banded people should not feel discouraged.....what many of these people do not say is what there starting weight was.... I have observed, that the heavier a person is, the more they will loose....at least in the beginning....sooner or later the Honeymoon is over and then the playing field is leveled, so to speak.....(not always, just me generalization) Someone who starts out 300 lbs plus.... and looses a tremendous amount of weight early on , is no different than someone with a considerable lower starting weight and loosing a lot less weight initially.... Not saying this is always true, but newly banded people should realize this and sometimes read between the lines...this is NOT a competition for how much we loose, in pounds.... I have lost 105 lbs.....I have not one more lb. left to loose without being unhealthy......the next person may say they lost 100lbs in the first 6-8 months....(Which is excellent) but they may still have 100 lbs to go.... So it's not always about pounds lost, but PERCENTAGES..... Again, I only say this for the benefit of newly banded people, don't get discouraged by what you read.....

No offense, but you have a LONG way to go....it's like saying you're unhappy because you can't win the Tour De France because the training wheels are in the way.... Any weight loss I experienced at that time was not because of the band...it was because of the food regime I went through...liquids, mushies, etc....THEN, one month later, I got my first fill...and began to GAIN WEIGHT..... I did not start to experience any real weight loss until 2 months and 2 fills after surgery....and then it took a third fill to get me where I really wanted to be....been there ever since, 2-1/2 years...so it does work! I now weigh myself twice a day...out of habit...once when I first get up, and the 2nd time when I am at the gym where they have a machine that also measures Water weight, body fat %, muscle and bone mass, etc.... I have been gaining and loosing within the same 5 lbs for 2 years now....there is a normal body fluctuation and 2-3 lbs swings within any 24hrs is nothing to worry about.... And even though I have not lost any weight in quite a while, my clothing sizes continue to drop...noticed just last week my slacks were loose and the next pair I buy will be a size smaller in the waist....

For me, I simply try to eat as healthy as I can....I don't count calories, and my hunger and portion sizes are handled by the band itself.... Healthy....common sense...no fried foods, no fatty foods, high sugars, I gave up Red meat altogether (Not band friendly for me) Years ago I read a book entitled "Sugar Blues"...the one thing I remembered was not to eat, or stay away from anything "White"....white flour, white rice, sugar, salt, Pasta, white potatoes, dairy products.....etc, etc.... Makes a lot of sense to me, and is more relevant than ever with the band.... I have plenty of friends who are slim and fit...and ever since I was first banded I observed them....they don't worry about calories, they simply eat very healthy foods, and very little of it....and remain very active (exercise) I have the "Very Little" taken care of because of the band...it's up to me to eat healthy....make wide food choices.... On the flip side...go to a restaurant and observe what everyone is eating.....it is IMMEDIATELY apparent why some people are fat and some people are not.... But as was said...what phase are you in??? I am 3 years out, I live an easy day to day lifestyle and never utter the word "Diet"

Since my band controls my portions, all I need to do is make wise food choices....however, it is once per year...so I will at least have a "Taste" of everything....everything that the band allows without stuck problems.... and skip the dozens of different Desserts...I'll just have one serving of something band friendly... I have been on all liquids since Tuesday, just to have my band in tip top working shape....

Why would he yell at you??? For having a medical condition, as Reflux? Your story just goes to prove that Weight Loss comes from the band...Why else did we go through this surgery??? You were doing fine, had a few fills, lost weight......THEN because of problems beyond your control, you had fluid taken out, Thus weight gain....Proves it is the band...I know for a fact I could not loose weight on my own without the band...I'm doing fine right now, but if I should get the slightest fluid take out, it would disrupt this perfect balance.... On the subject of reflux...it is a common theme among banded people....I know I had / have my issues with it....but I have learned to control it by not eating foods that are too spicy....or to eat near bedtime. I won't eat anything after 7pm.... My biggest problem is I can't give up my Bloody Mary's....and I never mix food and Alcohol so it's always on a empty stomach...

If you're truley stuck, then anything you add has no place to go....I have always sipped some water..it has no choice but to come right back up...usually bringing the stuck food with it.....the body tries to do the same thing by "Sliming"...I just speed up the process....

The port is anchored to the abdominal muscle, and should not move.....at least it is supposed to be but with so many reports of ports flipping I wonder if Dr.'s don't get lazy dealing with a lot of belly fat, knowing they will deal with it later......but i digress... As you loose belly fat, the port becomes more towards the surface, and more obvious.... I have NO belly fat, my port is right under the layers of skin...you can see, and feel every nook and cranny...you can even see the tubing coming out the side and it snakes for 2-3" before going deep.... I have had many people ask me what it is..a tumor? Hernia? I simply say it is from a surgical implant...that is usually sufficient.

I drink right to I start eating....I do not follow any specific "Rules", but I do listen to my band....I CANNOT drink while eating or it will overfill my pouch and come right back up.....and I do not care to dilate - stretch my pouch, which is generally associated with some pain.....another sure sign not safe to drink yet. Drinking after I finish eating varies anywhere from 15 to 45 minutes, depending upon what I ate and if it is still in my pouch....softer, more liquid type foods obviously pass faster than all solids.... Little sips at first and I can tell immediately whether it is safe to continue or not....by the feedback the band gives me.... And yes, I have drank 30-40 minutes once or twice after eating and it came right back up with a little food that had not yet passed. Dr.'s will tell you 60 minutes...a very safe amount of time for everyone, until you get to know your band, and what it can will and will not do....

Do you know what are "Wrong Foods"??? Some people can eat anything, and have no problems....some foods that are risky for one person, is just fine for the next person... Sometimes it is not the food at all, but the way we eat...too much too fast all at once.... I have had Water, without any food at eaten at all before, come right back up because I didn't think and gulped it down like the old days.....water is not a wrong food....but I was wrong in how I swallowed it... It is a learning experience for everybody....hit and miss with a lot of foods....the trick is, if I get stuck once on a certain food, then next time I eat that food I am very careful...if I get stuck that second time, then it gets on my "Do Not Eat List" it's not impossible, just too risky....

Not sure exhilaration is the right word.....I have a friend who Mountain Bikes...he walked out of the woods with his face all bloodied, a broken collar bone, and who know what else....He LOVES it....

Three years out....Thanksgiving is just another day as far as food and eating goes....Love My Band!!! No more diets for me, I have been set free from all that....

My Dr. did not specify any rules, nor did he state it must be liquid....what he did say was that I Must loose XX amount of weight by such and such a date, or he would postpone the surgery....(I had my final weight in on a Friday, surgery on Monday, last meal on saturday) He did not care how I did it, as long as I did it...... Having said that, straight Protein shakes is the most efficient way to do it....as the NUT informed me...I did eat some solid food, but not much....maybe one small diet type of meal a day, and monitored my weight closley to make sure I did not screw it up...

I read many posts here from day to day...and every so often I feel I need to get my story out there...if anything, a declaration for my own edification... Before this WLS, I literally had one foot in the grave, there were so many medical issues and my prognosis was very bad...I'll not get ino it now, but I have in the past...in the 3-5 years prior, I had to bury my Sister, and my Brother...both who died too young from complications from being Obese...and I was walking right in their footsteps... My PCP seriously talked to me, more as a friend, to be sure I had some funeral plans in the way of expenses, and also asked me if my family would be Ok and taken care of.... ANY type of WLS, (in my case it was Lap band), was a LAST RESORT....DO OR DIE (maybe that explains my aggressiveness...no fooling around, dam the torpedoes) That was 3 years ago, I am now 100% successful with my body determining what my weight should be....very low body fat %, in the "Athletic" range...I simply have no more excess weight of fat to loose...any more would be unhealthy...a true starvation mode not unlike the psuedo one everyone talks about. ALL my medical conditions have completely reversed, (other than the permanent damage to my heart muscle from a heart attack), no more Med's, all bloodwork #'s perfect right down the middle.... I am a Poster Child at my Bariatric center, often asked to talk at support and first time introduction meetings...(I'm careful to explain ALL people are different and choose their different weight loss paths) I'm 61 soon to be 62, run 5 miles a day...go to the gym 5 days a week...I feel like I am 30 years younger... I have NEVER had a single complication....I DO NOT consider this a "TOOL"...I consider this corrective surgery...I cannot over eat no matter how hard I may try...I am never hungry 24 hrs a day with no cravings and actually, have very little interest in food altogether....It's a mental thing for me because of the placement of the band.... A "TOOL" is something I can control...I cannot control this, it has complete control of me....If I was in control, and can "Use" this as a tool, I would surely screw it up and fail.... I DO NOT count calories, measure portions, keep logs, etc...in other words, I have been set free from DIETS!! I now live a Normal LIfestyle, I eat, work and play the way a person is supposed to do, not the abnormal gluttonous lifestyle I once used to live that made me sick and fat... But now, I find this the easiest thing there is..absolutely No work or struggle.... of course, during the first post-op phase, which took me 4-6 months of adjusting, was pure hell and frustrating to say the least...but I did not back down, and fought through it...it was that important to me......it has now become day to day, a way of life I do not think about that much anymore...as if I had my gall Bladder taken out 3 years ago... Of course there are things I need to know and certain rules I must follow...but they are new habits...no longer a list....I don't have to think about what foods I can or cannot eat...I just know...I don't have to remind myself how to chew and take my time...I just know..and if I should forget, the band is there to immediately warn and remind me... IF I should ever encounter any complications, I will deal with them when and if they come.....better than being dead! One thing I have noticed to be a truth...the lap band is adjustable, and it seems all people have different levels as to where they want to be with this...for me, nothing less than maximum "Green Zone" life will do...and my Dr. understands....IMO that does not mean one person is right or wrong...as long as you're successful in your path, that's all that matters....I HATE IT when someone says the way they are doing it is the ONLY WAY, then goes and instructs people just starting out...doing more harm than good...no matter there are so many confused people....all anyone should ever do is give their own personal experience in any given situation...if they have none, then keep quiet and let someone who has experience speak...I love it when someone who has been banded for 6 weeks is going to tell me how I should be doing things... Anyway, It's 5am, I'm off to the gym soon when they open at 6 on Saturdays. ALL THIS because I chose to have the Lap Band Surgery....it could have been one of the other procedures, I don't know...this is he only one I have any experience with....so this is the only procedure I can talk about....

Bandster Hell was the toughest time for me throughout this whole journey...I had no choice but to count calories, etc, as if I was on any other diet...I was so frustrated feeling as if this was a big waste of time....I did not need all this surgery stuff , pre and post op protocols, testing, and not to mention $$....and jump through all those hoops just to repeat another diet I have attempted and failed at dozens of times over the past 25-30 years....I expected more.... It took me three good fills over a span of 4 months before the band finally took over....THEN it took me a good 2 months to adjust to the band...(I'm still learning some things) But once I got through Bandster Hell...it has been the absolute best decision I could have ever made for myself...coming up on 3 years, lost all possible excess weight...and NO MORE DIETS!! IU have been set free from all that!! Finally!! I now live the life my skinny friends do...and they don't worry about calories..they know how to eat healthy, and eat less, and eat less often....top that with a high activity level.... But everyone is different, the band is adjustable and everyone can choose the how much they want between the band and themselves from doing the work....myself, I stink at diets so I rely on the band to set portion sizes, and to take away my hunger and desire for food 24 hrs a day...not just between meals......

My first fill was 4cc's, after which I GAINED WEIGHT before the 2nd fill....It can be frustrating, this was the hardest time for me, aka "Bandster Hell"......the 4 months or so of adjustments before the band actaully started to do what I expected it to....fortunatley, the more frustrated I got, the more my Dr. laughed at me...guess he sees it all day every day.... But once we got to that place, and I learned to adjust myself to the band...where the "Rules" start to make practical sense....it has been all a breeze...best thing I could have ever done for myself...only wish I did it 20 years sooner..... Of course, that's my experience...everyone has a different testimony...

I have no problems with my band when eating chips....I can also eat different types of crackers...and always do with tuna fish, etc........ but no bread and bread related products.

Things like this sound great and nutritious, but it does not fool my band...you lost me at the word "Bread" It's the same as "Turkey or chicken Meatballs"....they go to great lengths to make it just like actual meat...so much so that my band will reject it the same as if it was meat.... I even have problems with Tofu Burgers...they go to great lengths to make it just like real burgers made of meat, my band cannot tell the difference....my band cannot rad labels. For me, it is not the foods themselves, but the texture of the foods....

Not going to say what is right or wrong...but 1/2 of the foods you mentioned I cannot eat, and have not for 2 years... I had to re-educate myself and learn new healthy, band friendly foods..... An example, I can be enjoying a very good meal, and one bite of a biscuit, or a drink of Water can spoil the entire meal..... I could say I can't keep anything down when in reality it is bread, and related bread/flour based foods, or perhaps that little rice, etc, I cannot eat....90% of everything else was fine..... I would not throw the baby out with the bath water.....but that is me...EVERYONE is different and has different stories how they reached 100% success....so it's all good... I eat tuna fish salad all the time....but never a sandwich.....sandwiches, wraps, whatever are all memories.... I no longer eat meat...even sliced luncheon meat.... I'll always choose mashed over baked, and NEVER french fries again.... There are some foods that no matter how well and long I chew, the texture will never change...like a raw carrot for instance. So for me, it was a lifestyle change, a true learning curve....Bandster Hell......I had to change my ways in order to have the band work efficiently, IMO for me.... That was the only time I struggled with the band....that initial 6 months were everything had to change... Since then it has been a care free free ride, easy as can be providing I stay within the parameters the band has set for me.... ....I can also get a slight un-fill and eat everything and anything I want with no fear....then have to get very strict about counting calories, measuring portions, everything I used to do when I was on so many different diets....(and failed) And to show how everyone is different...my first fill was 4cc's, after which I gained weight!! As though it was nothing at all.....the 2nd fill of 2cc's, put me 50-50 where I could control my hunger only a few hours between meals, and was still able to eat large portions....it took the 3rd fill to put me over the top and reach that point of balance....but again, that's me...not everybody..... Getting stuck and vomiting ( not really vomiting) is not the norm....but either is hitting myself on the head with a hammer....Dr., everytime I hit my head with a hammer, it hurts! Please make the pain go away! We do certain things in life, we always pay the consequences, good and bad....