Alexandra

I was up and down stairs in my home on the day of surgery. If it's just one trip, and as long as you're not carrying anything, it's probably do-able. But of course only time will tell, since you even now have no idea how you'll be recovering from surgery. Have you ever had surgery before? Laparoscopic surgery? General anaesthesia? How have you bounced back from these things? Walking up stairs will not hurt your incisions or your band, as long as you're using your legs primarily to get up the stairs, not pulling yourself with your arms. Walking is encouraged post-op, in fact. The biggest problem might be anaesthesia hangover, you might be dizzy or faint. If you have any reason to think that could be a problem, try to have someone accompany you up the stairs. That would be prudent under any circumstances, actually. But the stairs themselves shouldn't be an issue.

Hi Idaho, Welcome to LBT! Lots of people experience an improvement in their health after losing even a relatively small amount of weight--particularly diabetes symptoms. (My thyroid condition hasn't changed at all, but that's not surprising since it's not weight-related.) So it is indeed possible, but only as long as you work with your band to control your intake. It's totally do-able, I hear story after story of people reducing or even eliminating their diabetes medications. Good luck with everything, and hope to see you here!

Welcome to LBT! Good luck with everything and stay in touch!

This is exactly what I was going to say. The band in your life may indeed make you feel better about yourself, but it is not what's influencing your husband's behavior. I was married to a person like that, and his withdrawal was his way of telling me he was done with the marriage. It took me a while to see what he was (not) saying, but once I did there was no mistake. He had already left, just without taking his physical self with him. I wish you all the luck in the world, and hope you realize there is NO reason to be in a relationship that is harmful to your psyche. You deserve much better than that, and being alone is preferable to being with someone who takes without giving.

aaamom, my last bout with reflux happened several months after a fill, and there was no real reason for it starting that I could determine. It got worse and worse--even with my attempts at controlling it through behavior and OTC meds--and finally I had to have an unfill (which resolved the issue completely and immediately).A fluoro showed that there was never anything wrong with my band, even though I was pretty worried and my doc even said my symptoms were not good. I've now had another fill and had no problems at all since then. My suggestions are: 1) talk to your doctor, especially about which medicines you might want to try, and 2) if you and your doctor both think your adjustment level is good, try to stick to an all-liquid or soft-food regimen for at least a week. See, I think my symptoms got worse because I continued to try to eat normally during the day, when I had no problems. For a while, not eating late and flushing my pouch helped, as did the Rolaids and Prilosec at night. Until the day it stopped helping, and then there was nothing I could do. I think I just kept irritating the tissues daily, by eating, and at night when I lay down material just kept coming up on me. If it were to happen to me again, I'd try to soothe the tissues for a prolonged period without another unfill. Of course, an unfill may be indicated and for sure it will help. But you may be able to heal yourself if you baby your system enough. Good luck!!

Flexible, to answer your question about the sleep study, no, it's not required for everyone the way blood work is. I had no sleep issues and did not have to have a sleep study. It wouldn't surprise me if it were suggested or required for you, because even though it's usually done to diagnose sleep apnea as a co-morbidity of obesity, there may be other reasons to closely monitor the sleep of obese people with breathing issues. Every situation is different so we can't tell you the particulars you'll face. But I can say that pretty much all the tests you would have to undergo for bypass will apply even if you go for banding, particularly if you are hoping for insurance to cover the cost. Remember, there must be a case made for the insurer that bariatric surgery is medically necessary, and this is true no matter which procedure you're considering.

Congratulations! Nov. 14 is just around the corner. Get ready for pre-surgery jitters, and please come back and let us know how the procedure went. We're thinking of you!

Congratulations!

Hi Flexible, Welcome to LBT! You've come to a place where just about everyone decided in favor of banding over bypass, so keep that in mind. Your surgeon is looking at the two procedures from HIS point of view, with his results-oriented view of many patients having both procedures. Statistically what he says may very well be true. But when I went into this, the statistics people threw at me went right over my head. I just didn't listen. I don't care about statistics, I cared about ME and what my life would be like post-operatively. My goal was and is to reduce my excess weight by at least 50% and to KEEP IT OFF permanently. It was not to lose 100% of my excess weight and set some sort of speed record doing it. Banding does indeed require more attention to work correctly. But I don't see that as a negative--I need to continually be mindful of this lifelong project I'm engaged in and band adjustments go a long way in that direction. Behavior modification is a HUGE part of any weight loss program and occasional refreshers help a lot. Your surgeon's office may have fewer surgical followup visits recommended for band patients, because the surgery itself is vastly safer and has changed nothing about your digestive system. You will not suffer malnutrition and so you don't need to be watched as closely for problems. But that's not to say you just have surgery and walk away, expecting it to work, YOU will need to schedule adjustments as needed, perhaps up to five times or more. Everyone is different in that regard. But without close attention to followup care and the correct adjustment levels you will not be as successful as you might otherwise be losing weight with the band.

Lauren, maybe your experience was like mine, and when they said they took out "all" the fill there is indeed some left in there. Don't worry!! When this is done it's for your health and your band's health, and that's all that matters. 7 lbs won't destroy your long-term success as a banded person, even if you do gain it back. It's not all-or-nothing. Continue working on your good eating habits, think about other things and find other ways to stay busy, and remember you are being GOOD to yourself. The rest of your life is a very long time. Don't worry about this tiny bump in the road.

If by Alex you mean me, I'm here. Just fighting a sinus infection and not really feeling up to chit-chat. (If you're talking about Alex B., I'm sorry for the hubris. )

Congratulations on your bandiversary!! :D

Sheri, I'd like to publicly request that you refrain from posting specific correspondence between you and your doctor or other caregivers. I understand you had a difficult experience but you may be compromising privacy or treading a thin legal line in other ways. I'm asking this as a favor in attempt to head off any board disruptions.

You're not crazy, no. Try calling the state department of insurance to find out if there are any state regs governing benefits and coverages. A broker might help you navigate the territory. It may be that small businesses can only buy bare-bones types of policies with lots of blanket exclusions, but there may also be carriers offering more comprehensive policies to qualifying customers. We can't tell you for sure since it's all state by state. Good luck!!

Phenomenal changes, Nykee. I really hope you're keeping copies of these notes somewhere you can get at them again if you need to. After a year or two of being banded, you may start to find yourself veering back into old habits, because the novelty of the way you feel will wear off. Old mindsets can and do come back, and a reminder of how this feels now will be a big help to you when that happens. I'm so proud of you! :mad:

I've lost 100+ lbs since surgery, and am absolutely thrilled with the band and all it has allowed me to do. :mad:

You look wonderful, Kimberlilly, and your family is too cute!!

I too am really happy you're back, Whippledaddy!! :mad: Of all the profound things in your post, and there were many, this is what I like the best: Yep.

Francesca, I wish you all the best with your surgery and that you have a quick recovery. Please don't be a stranger!

You don't give very much information in your post, Coco. Of course you know that the band is not 100% in charge of your weight--your cooperation is crucial. If you've been banded for two years you know what you're supposed to be doing, so what specifically are you having trouble with? Two years out is, I think, a difficult time. The novelty is long gone and we see a very long road ahead of small meals, and grazing becomes all too easy. I share your difficulties. All that keeps me going is remembering where I came from and how much I do NOT want to go back there.

Hi Fay, I had the exact same question when I was researching. The scariest thing to me was the idea that I'd never be able to feel "normal" again; that there'd always be something different about me. I'm happy to tell you that's just not the case. After a while the band becomes part of you, and the way you eat becomes second nature. You can't feel the band at all, and awareness of the port just fades into the background. It's only when you eat too much or too fast that the band makes itself known. And that's a good thing!!!

Hi Madonna, welcome!! You're in the right place and we're all cheering you on. Let's you and me both get back to bandster basics and lose a few while we're at it. Happy Halloween!!

Francesca, they let you keep your band? I hope that means the damage is minimal. Can you tell us how you arrived at that decision, and what the doctors say?

That's incredible, Becky! Congratulations!!! :D

Remember that the pouch is not a closed system, and the stomach tissue stretches when food is introduced. When empty the pouch might indeed be egg-sized, but that doesn't really mean all it can hold at one time is that much. Seppi, I was at the meeting too! Where were you sitting? (Sorry if we've met, I have no brain left.)