Alexandra

I called the doctor and am going in on Wednesday morning. Naturally, now that I've done it, I feel 100% fine and like I could eat a horse. :rolleyes But the nighttime is the test. If making that phone call takes my reflux away, that'll be the coolest. :cool:

Well, I've put the ring on my right hand. It feels weird--it's a wide band and very present. But Penni's right, it commemorates my parents' union and the birth of their children, all of which happened long before they broke up. It has their initials and the date engraved on the inside, which makes me feel close to both of them though they're long gone. I'm sure I'll get used to it quickly. Babs, you should get your rings re-sized...what are you waiting for?? I had my engagement ring reset completely a couple of months ago. It was way too big and had to be cut, so I got a whole new setting that fit with the original stones. It was worth every penny. Go for it!!

Navymom, how are you doing now? It's been a few days, are you recovered? Let us know when you get a chance, OK? Thanks!

Normal, normal, normal, norma, normal!! Yes, it is normal. When you're in the post-op period right after surgery you might drop some weight quickly. But when you get back on solid food, which I assume you have done so by now, the weight loss stops. Just about every single bandster goes through this and you are absolutely normal. Your band isn't designed to work without some saline in it, so any weight you los pre-fill is just a bonus. Don't worry, it will start up again one you have a fill. You're fine! :cool:

Hi Kristi! Welcome to LBT. Glad you could make it! :cool:

Spaqueen, you should be sticking to thin or mostly clear liquids for probably another day or so before starting the thick liquids. Didn't your doctor give you any post-op instructions? If you can stick it out until Wednesday that might be a good day to start trying soups, and that should help make you feel more satisfied.

Of course that went through my head. I don't know. First I'll have to have it cleaned, and then I might wear it on my right hand. It would be so cool to have that with me all the time. :cool:

Thank goodness everything was able to be repaired, and so easily! Glad you're back and hope everything will be at 100% very shortly. :cool:

My BMI as of this morning was 32.6!!! Holy crap, Batman. I think I have to sit down, I'm feeling woozy. But it's a good kind of woozy. :cool:

The thing I will miss is indeed the feeling of fullness, Zoe. I literally have to remind myself to eat! Today I think I've had something like 800 calories. It really is nice not to be hungry, but it's also not normal. And lord knows waking up coughing with fluid in my throat isn't normal either. :rolleyes

Wow. The only thing that I could have wished to improve my banding experience would have been to do it with someone I'm close to--someone I live with, even. You are so lucky!! Good luck to both of you and please come and let us know how you're doing.

Scotty, I just want to mention that if you're interested in really tracking your food, nutrition, and other progress you might want to spring for the $20 and get Fitday's desktop version. The feature I like best is the ability to create and save custom foods based on their ingredients, rather than just the label information. This way my husband's recipes get counted accurately. Enjoy your baby food, when it's time. And I know you will! :cool:

The last time I had any Fluid taken out he wanted to see me in six weeks. At the end of that period I asked if the fill could be put back, and he actually filled me a tiny bit more than I had been before. So maybe it's just that extra .1 cc that is doing me in this time, and that's all that will have to be removed. I think this is just going to be a teeny tiny adjustment and I'm hoping it will be the last one I need for a long time. Eating fruits and veggies sounds HEAVENLY!!

Yep, welcome to the world of restriction! You will have to take it very slowly and experiment with various foods to see what works. For the early days it might be a good idea to avoid dry things and put sauce on meat when possible. Fish seems to be a lot easier for people than meat, so if that's an option you might go that route. This is bandland. Good luck with the navigating!

Hey Misty, you were banded on my birthday!! A wonderful band-day to Celebrate indeed. Sounds like you're doing great! And you've added a new phrase to my lexicon: "have all your eggs in a roll." I love it!! Welcome to LBT! :)

"Productive Burping"

Thanks for coming back and letting us know how it went. I'm so glad you're OK! Good luck with the healing this time and hopefully there will be no more dramatic events in your banding journey.

PB is shorthand for "productive burping" which is what happens when you eat more than your pouch can handle. What can't go down has to come up, which can be anywhere from mildly inconvenient to painful and prolonged. It's almost a given that every bandster will experience this at least a couple of times as we learn how truly little food makes a meal, and how to handle a new level of restriction. Even 18 months out I had a PB yesterday with some chicken soup that had stringy pieces of meat in it (and yes, that's how I know I'm too tight). Tammy, I'm no expert on the mechanics of digestion but in general food doesn't stay in the pouch all that long. It will pass through in at most a couple of hours and move on its merry way. The pouch is just a smaller part of your stomach so whatever digesting happens in the stomach will, I guess, start happening in the pouch. I've never heard of Beans expanding but if you eat anything that is prone to do that you will be very uncomfortable indeed. Someone reported a misadventure with a Fiber drink that thickens (Metamucil?) which did exactly that in the pouch. Blech. Things like bread and Pasta may not expand in your pouch but you will discover that they take up a lot of room anyway and you'll be too full to eat the real food. For example, if I take a bite of a sandwich with the bread it will take literally only two bites to fill me up. But if I eat only the insides of the sandwich I can eat maybe 3/4 of it. That's much better nutrition and gives me the Protein I need. Most bandsters wave bye-bye to most bread and pasta after a while. Before you get a fill you might not have any restriction and so none of what I've said will be true for you. (I don't know what to say about the bands being filled to 2.5 cc in surgery--I asked my doctor about that and he said it sounded unusual and even risky to him.) If you do have restriction you'll know it, and you'll be avoiding foods that make you too full too fast before long. And that's when you'll start losing weight!

Marion, I so completely know what you mean! When I first started thinking about weight loss surgery, I would literally get shaky thinking about the possibility of living the rest of my life as a thinner person. I've been so fat for so long that even touching on the idea in my brain was enough to give me heart palpitations! But that's why I knew I had to go slow. 15 years ago I lost 75 lbs in three months on Optifast, and it never seemed real. As it turned out, it wasn't real and all the weight plus more came back on over the next few years. Weight loss wouldn't be meaningful again unless there was a real, DIFFERENT, chance that I could keep it off this time. RNY patients have a short window of opportunity for weight loss, and when that time ends it's just them against the enemy. I have a weapon in my arsenal that remains inside me, forever keeping me from overindulging. I have spent the last 18 months really learning how to eat less, and slower, and will spend the next 30-40-50 years continuing to hone those skills. When I fall off the program, which is BOUND to happen from time to time, I won't fall far thanks to my silicone friend. That's what's different about the band--I need a tool that won't quit on me!

As with any physical activity, the way you feel should be your guide. There are no restrictions whatever on sexual activity post-banding. If it feels good, do it!

Hi Roxana, and welcome!! There are so many nurses deciding on banding rather than RNY it warms my heart. I totally agree about the absurdity of the insurance carriers' preferences. However, I'm living proof that you can fight the carriers and win, since my insurer wouldn't pay for banding at all on the "experimental" grounds. I appealed to the third-party review guaranteed by my state and won, and I've heard that I was the first or second person in the country to have Aetna pay for my band. So even if you think it's impossible, you may find out that it's not. Good luck with everything!

Thanks, Sue. Just what we need...a pinch hitter!

That all depends on what kind of insurance you have and what your medical condition is. It seems to me that if someone qualifies medically for the surgery there's no reason not to petition your insurance carrier to pay for it. I did, and even though I was denied three times I eventually prevailed by going to a third-party review. Maybe if I could have afforded to self-pay I wouldn't have stuck it out so long. Depending on your coverage you might be able to submit your expenses now (unless you went out of the country for surgery). Why not look into it?

One of the best things about living in NJ is that weight is not one of the things that goes on our drivers' licenses. I must say, though, that when I renewed mine last October I was fairly dancing out of the DMV. I love the picture!

Ryan and Kelly, please know that whenever you need information or support on your banding journey we'll be here. This sort of thing pops up on message boards periodically; it's part of the dynamic and really just has to play out. Take care, and good luck!!