Alexandra

Tropicana, any insurance carrier wants to determine that surgery is a step taken only after other things have been tried. At your weight you don't have the BMI to qualify without showing that you also have medical problems (co-morbidities) that will be improved by weight loss. Back pain might be one, but I don't know. You also must be very young and it will be even more important in that case to show your carrier a history of struggling with obesity and the various efforts that have been made to deal with it. Many carriers do want to see proof of at least one medically supervised attempt at weight loss. If you've never done that, NOW is the time to start. Go to your primary care doctor right now and say you want to finally get a handle on your weight. Get a diet and exercise plan, and set up a schedule to visit at least once a month for weigh-in. Six months later you'll have your record of an medically supervised attempt at weight loss. Of course, if you lose much weight doing this you'll be even less qualified for surgery. That may seem absurd and unfair but from the carrier's point of view they don't want to pay for surgery for people who are able to succeed without it. If you want a band, you may just have to pay for it yourself.

I moved this thread to the Support section so more people will see it. Banded, it sounds to me like something is still blocking your stoma. Time will take care of this as the item dissolves, or eventually it will come back up. Liquid will help, but you MUST take it very slowly. Good luck! This is an unpleasant bandster rite of passage, but the end result will be that the next time you eat a taco you'll probably be eating less of it. And that's the whole point, right?

Congratulations on being approved, Wade! Good luck with your surgery and please come back and let us know how you're doing. You're on your way!! :)

Mine doesn't bother me at all, and like Darcy says it feels like it's always been there. Today I had a physical and my PCP was very interested in it. She also remarked on how hard my scars were to see! Cool.

The observance of these cards is strictly voluntary on the part of the restaurant, as I'm sure you all know. I don't have one, wouldn't use one, and order off the children's menu all the time when my children are with me. When I'm with other adults, I get an appetizer or Soup, or share an entree with someone else. Personally, whipping out a card to show a waiter that I had weight-loss-surgery is the LAST thing I'd ever want to do. And there is no guarantee that it would work. AND, usually the stuff on the children's menu is deep-fried garbage.

I'm simple too. I've tried coming up with cool screen names for myself, but the only one that ever saw any use was Sanderling. But I'm a victim of Mommy-brain, and could never identify with a name other than my own. Suffice to say it's a good thing it's unusual enough, and hardly ever taken when I need to register somewhere.

Hi S, It is not normal to have Fluid in the band at the time of placement, no. Particularly with the Inamed 4cc band (which is what most people get), it would be highly unusual.

Productive burp. Tina, I'm so glad you were able to get an adjusment and that you're feeling better! :D

Sensy, your doctor will have his own thoughts about how much to fill, but it has nothing to do with whether you're a piggy or not. Every doctor has a personalized approach, and even docs who are pretty aggressive with a fill probably won't be that way on the first fill. And you don't want him to be. Whatever fill you get will be more than you have, and will therefore take some getting used to. You may be hungrier than you thought you'd be at this point, but if you pay attention I'm sure you'll find that you are already eating less than you were pre-band. And that's the whole and only point. Many people do gain a little weight back in the period before a fill, but it's weight that you lost on the liquid diet, not actual weight gain. It's a sort of bounce-back effect and inevitable once you are off liquids and eating solids again. Don't worry about it! Just practice eating slowly and mindfully, so when you have restriction you'll be ahead of the game. So many people are ready to jump right in with mega-restriction right out of the gate. Those are the same people who come back later saying "I can't eat at all! All that goes down is ice cream!" Learning to live with restriction and eat healthfully takes time and we have to allow ourselves that time. As a very wise woman said, this process does not have to be drastic to be effective. Sorry for the lecture--it's not directed at you. But there is no specific amount of fill that's right for everyone, so there's no answer to your question.

Hi Barbarab, welcome to LBT!! :D Another Alexander Abkin patient here. Have you gone to the support group meetings in Florham Park? There's one next Wednesday. Hope to see you there!

The idea grossed me out completely, I never tried it. Seems to me there are plenty of delectable adult choices.

Renee, I guarantee you we ALL have felt that way at one time or another. But you know what's different this time? A little piece of silicone that is STILL inside me, doing its job. No other diet has given me a permanent monitor, something that helps me NOT take that 10th, 15th, 20th bite. Relying on an inner voice is what's failed--but this time the voice has VOLUME and I have to listen. How many times in my life have I wished and prayed for something to make me stop eating when I know I'm full? How many times have I wondered why on earth I'm doing this to myself? Well, that's what the band does. It inserts an actual physical barrier that sends a STOP, YOU'VE HAD ENOUGH message. What I do with that message is up to me. But it is a whole lot harder to ignore than, well, than no message at all (which is what had been the case pre-band). It makes me eat more slowly, giving my rational brain time to catch up and perhaps figure out something else to do. That's what's different, Renee. This is a whole new thing and gives us a power we have never had. Of course it's possible to self-sabotage--I know, I do it all the time--but it's also MUCH easier to stop negative behaviors before much damage has been done. Good luck, and be sure to come back!

Well, I went to Cancun for a vacation once, does that count? DH asked me to marry him there. I have very fond memories of the place.

Tmarie, we all definitely can relate to your feelings. It is really kind of scary to take this big step, with all the previous failures to compare it to. But it is TOTALLY DIFFERENT this time! The thing that concerns me about your post -- other than the limited calories, which I agree are not enough for you -- is that you won't be back to the doctor for fills! The band can't work for you if you don't get it adjusted, and if you never go back to the doctor then you might indeed not lose weight. It's time to think back to when you decided to get banded in the first place. This little band of silicone can't do it ALL by itself, it needs you to get on board. Please come back and talk out your fears here. The great thing is that the band isn't going away and when you're ready, it will be there waiting. Oh, and by the way, what does "get a lettuce on" mean? I've never heard that before!

Once again, proof that the scale lies! Congratulations, Penni!! :D

It is indeed perfectly normal to be able to eat almost normally after surgery but before a fill. Without any saline in your band it exerts only very little restriction on your stomach. This is the time people refer to as "the hardest part" of banding, the time before you feel its effects and you wonder if you did the right thing--or anything at all. Be patient and see how you feel after your first fill. Sometimes it takes several adjustments for the restriction to be correct. At this point, you are just dipping a toe into banded life. You'll feel what you expect to feel later. You're normal!!

Congratulations and welcome to Bandland! I'm sure your mom will come around, especially now that it's a done deal. Good luck!

I've thought of that, actually, since I remember suffering from it when pregnant. When I'm not pregnant my bp is borderline high but I've not been medicated for it. That's definitely one of the things we'll be checking up on tomorrow. Of course, I think my bp varies according to the person measuring it; it's always higher at one doctor's office than the other. :rolleyes

Boredom is my #1 food trigger. You are absolutely not alone. There are lots of distractions in my life at the moment, but even on the odd slow day at work I really have to be alert to that bored munching. The band definitely helps with even that kind of impulse, so there's no reason to think you won't be successful. You just have to be aware of it and figure out your strategies to battle it. Everyone has their own specific behaviors to deal with; they're all a lot easier to face down with the band.

I did too, for 15 years, and still sort of do. Makes it all the more irritating since I have an idea why it's being done. ABSOLUTELY!! Asking questions is NEVER a bad thing.

Angela, I'm so sorry you're having this problem. My doctor is like yours, reluctant to share the actual amount of fill since it is a meaningless number for most purposes. He does keep track of MY fill in MY chart, but there's no reason for me to know it unless I'll be somewhere getting a fill with someone who doesn't have access to my chart. Highly unlikely. Take it really slowly and be careful. I know that a new fill can definitely result in unusual feelings even when everything is normal. You've been through a lot and so has your band, so it is a good idea to keep a very close eye on it. Good luck!!

shhhh.....vasectomy....the perfect birth control

Denise beat me to answering the question about what a blog is. But you've led me to one of my personal pet peeves. [rant] "Blog" is a shortened form of the words "web log," meaning web-based journal. The derivation is never explained anymore, so if you don't happen to know it you're left in the dark. Journalists are so focused on writing tight these days that they can't remember they're supposed to be enlightening us. Sure, words like blog become part of the language, but even in today's high-speed world it doesn't happen overnight. It takes a lot of work to understand the current jargon, making it harder than ever for the general public to educate itself. Sometimes I hate the media. [/rant]

Thinking of you and your sister and her family, Chantal. Fingers crossed for a healthy outcome for everyone. {{{hugs}}}

Happy birthday to you, too, Crystal!! (Soon we'll be able to call you Crystal Light-er!!) Have a great one! :banana :banana :banana :banana :banana :banana :banana :banana