Alexandra

I'll third that sentiment!! This is a great and generous group and we all remember what it's like to be a bandster wannabe or newbie and thinking we're all alone. Sharing information makes all the difference.

Teresa, you look amazing! And what a fabulous lake shot. I'm droolin' here...

There are several flavors, and I like them all except coconut. And today I just bought a smaller bar also by Atkins, called Morning Start or something like that, which is essentially the same thing but less of it. Either of these makes a great bandster breakfast.

DS is duodenal switch, another kind of bariatric surgery.

Being banded had no effect on me, period-wise. It's just not the same system; I don't think one thing has anything to do with the other. Losing weight might, I guess, but the actual banding process has no effect.

It might sound that way, but it's not. Kids just say what they think and it was probably a fact. At storytime my daughters always make a big show of moving aside on the pillows we sit on, so there's room for "Mommy's big butt"! They used to have to move a lot farther apart, though.

I've lived in New Jersey since 1992, but I was born and raised in Manhattan and lived there and in other boroughs until I was 30. My farm-fed looks have baffled many a fellow.

Paula, we're on the same wavelength! I was going to post something almost exactly like this. I just put down TWO large bowls of salad for dinner!! I've never had a problem with salad, but I know I ate too much and it was too easy to do so. So I'm thinking of trying to get a little more fill in a few weeks. My reflux is also totally gone, except if I've just had something right before bed. It's easy enough to avoid doing that, though, and I have had a great run of reflux-free nights. But, now that it's a habit to sleep with three pillows I don't know what would happen if I lay flat. No help, I know. I guess the answer partly depends on how easy adjustments are for you to get. I'm thinking of getting a little more fill in September (after vacation season is over), but I know if I need a little taken out it's no big deal to get that done. Can you say the same? As you know, reflux is a bitch and suffering any longer than you have to is no good.

Lynn, I think that your insurer is looking for doctors' notes, not your own notes. If you haven't been seeing this physician for the last 12 months on a regular basis in an attempt to control your weight, you probably haven't done what they're looking for. However, if your doctor is cooperative and you can get your OB/GYN to provide the same info, you may be able to put together enough data to satisfy your insurer. The important thing is your doctors' saying that you came to them seeking medical care for your weight problem. If there are notes in your files for visits in which you and the doctor talked about your weight, those are the dates to be listed. I was able to use notes from my OB/GYN that had been taken during prenatal visits two years before. Every single visit my weight was a topic of discussion.

This has nothing to do with weight, but I was once told that I was too nice to actually be from New York.

Katerzz didn't you have some complications that kept you in the hospital a little longer than most? Forgive me if my memory is faulty on this. If you had a normal procedure that amount would be WAYYYYY over the top. The bill for my procedure was nowhere near that amount, and I live in just about the most expensive state in the Union for healthcare.

It may seem confusing, but it really isn't. Even though nutrition labels vary in appearance, the basic info should always be there. The important thing for us to see is the grams-per-serving of whatever the nutrient is we're interested in. The weight of the whole package of food is utterly irrelevant. I just had an Atkins bar for Breakfast, with 21 grams of Protein. I love these things! So efficient. 250 calories, 21 grams of protein, and 7 grams of Fiber. There's nothing else I can eat that packs that sort of punch WITH fiber.

Welcome to LBT, and good luck to our July bandsters!! :)

Katerzz, congratulations!! I agree with not spending too much on clothes, but you probably should get at least one or two new things that fit. Wal-Mart is great for cheap clothes, and even if they're cheap they'll feel like a million bucks when they actually fit. Try their Lee Riders women's size jeans--I was THRILLED with the way they fit and they come in sizes up to 26. I'll bet they'll fit you now. Go for it!!

(Pssssst...it's Tijuana.)

I'm in total agreement with the wise women here. There is nothing so life-destroying as a bad relationship that gives you nothing. YOU DO NOT NEED HIM TO BE HAPPY. Get out of this and save yourself. I ended an 8 year relationship just a few months after getting married and I am SOOOOO glad I did. It freed me up to find the real man of my dreams and we've been happily married for 10 years now. Get loose and then get out and meet the RIGHT man. You know it's the right thing to do. It's not easy, but you'll be happier and healthier for it.

Yup, I agree--get whatever you want! You'll learn what you can and can't eat, and how much tummy-room you have. What I usually do is order an appetizer and have it brought at the same time as everyone else's meal. No one every raises an eyebrow. It's a very rare restaurant where I can't find something to eat, though it's not always the healthiest choice. Soup is my friend. The only problem is trying not to feel ripped off. So many places offer such HUGE portions that even the appetizers are too much. And sure, I can and do take things home, but lots of things don't reheat very well. So I've just gotten used to the fact of restaurant meals costing proportionally more than they used to, even if I order an appetizer. I mean, an $8 appetizer is a full meal for me, and that's fine, but I don't get the bang-for-the-buck feeling my DH gets for his $12 burger/fries/vegetable/dessert combo.

Oh, Amy, you poor thing! I'm so sorry you're going through this. Where were you banded? It's not the usual practice to put in any fill during surgery, I guess for precisely this reason. If it makes you feel any better, almost everyone has diarrhea after surgery. Liquids in, liquids out for a little while, and it can indeed be rough. Anaesthesia doesn't help matters any. The good news is that it will pass and now that you have no fill your stomach can rest and adjust to the band in peace. Are you on full liquids yet? Have you progressed to Protein drinks and other protein-rich liquids (like Soups?) Those can really help with the hungries. We all felt that stage of buyer's remorse, you're perfectly normal. Take good care of yourself and be kind to yourself, and in a few days you'll be feeling good as gold. And a few days after that, when you weigh yourself, you'll remember what this is all about.

Mel, you are FAR from the only person who can't pay for this expensive surgery out of pocket. I fought with my insurance carrier for 9 months before winning on external appeal. I was totally prepared to wait and switch carriers if I had to, or even look for a new job. Thankfully none of that was necessary, and I was able to win even though Aetna excluded the band across the board at the time. If your employer has a written exclusion that can be the hardest thing to fight, but I know it's been done. Are you talking with your human resources dept about it? If they're on your side the exclusion can be changed. IF they're on your side, which is a big IF, I'm sad to say.

I'd be mortified if anyone at dinner with me mentioned to the waiter that I had WLS. Everyone is different, I guess. For me, I'd rather keep my health situation private and just order off the menu what looks good. Why on earth would any restaurant mind if we wanted to order only appetizers? And I agree about the child's menu being full of yuck. As for buffets, I just pass and if I'm really hungry I'll order something a la carte. Restaurants that ONLY offer buffets are not common here, so it's not something I've ever run up against. And in any event, no restaurant is obligated to honor this request. That's why I'd die before asking. Imagine getting into a pissing match about this with a waiter or manager? Yuck!!

It seems to me that the band would not hinder the effectiveness of the Heimlich Maneuver. The Heimlich Maneuver is done on someone with something stuck in the windpipe, not the esophagus. Pushing firmly on our stomachs might, I guess, do something to the band or tubing, but the effect of dislodging stuck food should still be accomplished. So saying "it doesn't work" on banded patients makes no sense to me.

I'm a woman. What are you asking?

I'm glad you're OK and am sending you vibes for quick and uneventful healing. I don't think I could ever go through any PS, even if it's minor. I'm just too terrified of surgery in general. But you're gonna be gorgeous!!

Thank god I didn't have to do this before surgery. But even if I had, I know I would have done it religiously. I did Optifast back in 1990 for 12 weeks, and it was hard sure but after a few days it got easier. I'd just convinced myself it was the only way to get what I wanted, and the reward would be worth the effort. After a couple of days the hunger pangs disappeared, and the weight melting away was very gratifying. This was 15 years ago, though; there were no bars or broth back then in the plan. I was strictly limited to 5 shakes a day, nothing else but Water or black tea/coffee. One person in my group was almost kicked out because she admitted to eating a banana at one point. (She said her "potassium was low" but the doctor was NOT impressed. We all figured she just wasn't serious about it.) If I could do that for 12 weeks--and I did, believe me--two weeks with a surgery possibly made easier by it at the end would seem a small challenge. Now, I don't know why some doctors seem to do this routinely and others don't, and maybe it has something to with each patient's individual situation, but I know if my doctor had told me to do this I would have in spades. Banding is a BIG DEAL, and presurgery instructions are just as important as post-surgery instructions. Follow them.

DeeJay, 150 bands is PLENTY of experience. It's way more than lots of doctors have. I'd be completely confident in such a doctor, unless his complication rate was higher than 3-5% (depending on how they define "complication"). Perhaps your instincts are telling you something, and going to the closer doctor could be important. I'm very close to my docs and it's the number one reason I've had close and careful aftercare. If it were any more of a hassle to see my doctors I am sure I would have put it off at some point of other, with possibly negative consequences.