Alexandra

There is protein in milk, Lisa. If you take them maybe with WATER I guess you might not get the protein-bonding effect, but I'd think milk would be fine.

Hi Kim! Congratulations on the smooth ride you've had so far. You're indeed very lucky in that regard. November 1st is right around the corner! Good luck and please come back and let us know how you're doing.

Dan, so much depends on where one lives and what the medical situation is in that area. I think that as time goes on and doctors realize how many banded patients they are able to take on and how successful people can be, the prices will come down. But it's just not the same everywhere and everyone's situation is different.

Megan, what a truly wonderful story to read. I want to hug you and thank you and congratulate you all at once!! We're privileged to experience this, and to have the opportunity to share it with one another. Thank you so much for writing it down and posting it here.

Hey Bright, lovely to hear from you! Did your DH ever get what you wanted from the health-food stores? We're in exactly the same place band-wise, sistah!! I just scheduled a fill for November 4, in the hopes that I'll stop being so ready to eat more just because I can. A change is definitely needed, and not just in my restriction. But 70 lbs in a year is FABULOUS and I'm super-proud of both of us. :cool: :D Good for you in going back to school!! That will do wonders for your spirits, and just think of all the cool stuff you'll learn and people you will meet. I'm jealous...

Hey Bobby, Look in the bar along the top. If you're logged in, you should see a link called New Posts. That will show you all posts since your last visit.

Katie, congratulations!! This past summer I had a similar NSV when eating at outdoor cafes. I had to stop worrying about whether the cafe furniture would work for me--it always did! Isn't it great to feel like you fit better in the world?

Tanya, if you haven't already done so I definitely recommend calling them tomorrow, Friday. Make sure your case file is complete and they're not waiting on some tiny piece of information from your doctor's office or something. That's the most common reason for delays in approvals and so on. Good luck!!

Wow, Lisa, you've had an essentially open wound now for like six months, right? Gads. Is there anything medical science can do to make that sucker heal?? If I were you I'd be very reluctant to do anything at all until that baby heals up nice and clean.

Congratulations, Hormannk!! Welcome to the world of the banded.

Hi QueenMichelle, The general thinking about alcohol post-banding is that there's no MAJOR reason to avoid it, but as Gunn said it's just empty calories. I've also heard people say that they can eat a lot more after a drink or two, and besides all the extra calories it's also a path to pouch damage or band irritation/slippage. For my money, not drinking just avoids a host of potential problems.

Now THERE is a thought!!

Deb, one year ago exactly I was thinking the same way you are. But look, you've lost 17 lbs in less than two months!! That's a fabulous start and you're already way ahead of the game. Believe me, what you're going through is totally, completely, perfectly normal. The immediate post-surgical phase with the strict limits on solid food put your body in sort of a shock mode--sure, lots of weight came off quickly but now your body is saying "Whoa, Nellie!! What happened? Oh, good, she's eating again. Now let me hang on to all that yummy goodness!" This is just the first of many times that you'll wonder the same thing. But have faith, and remember that even if the scale isn't showing it other stuff is definitely going on. Weight is just one element of what we're changing, and we need to keep our eyes on the big picture. Good luck with your fill!! And I hope we'll get to meet at the next Abkin/Bertha support group meeting.

Oh my god, I've been so out of the loop I didn't even realize the first official LBT-fest is happening this weekend! I'm so sorry I can't be there, but life is absolutely crazy this season for me. Have a wonderful time, everyone! We wanna hear stories. What happens in Vegas, gets posted on LBT!!

Shelly, you look amazing!! Thank you so much for posting those.

Wouldn't you know it, a day before a fill my band decides to make itself known again! I think it knows what's up tomorrow and just wanted to remind me that even though I haven't been able to feel much restriction lately it's still in there. Were its little silicone feelings hurt? Today at lunch I had one piece of seaweed go down the wrong way, and holy cow, NOW I remember what PBing is all about! I haven't done it in a couple of months, not really, but today I had to actually leave the building and try to walk it off. Didn't work, so I went into the library and was able to rid myself of the offending piece. YUCK!! So maybe I don't need to be tighter. :cool: But I do need a kick in the pants about eating, and now I'll be happy for the fluoroscopic look at things. (This was a pretty bad episode, I'm afraid.) 9 months out, and the band can still surprise me...

Sue, are you going to Mexico for your procedure?

Hi Glitz, I would have been worried about getting a fill after that awful PB, but my doctor uses fluoro so I knew he'd be able to see what was enough. I got the fill and everything was fine. But now you've made me wonder about something! This fill seemed to have never been as tight as I'd had before, and now I'm thinking that the PB I had the day before might have rendered me a little swollen that day. Maybe I never did have the restriction I would otherwise have had? Hmmm....that would explain a lot, actually. Think, think, think...

Daisy Girl, don't give up!! I had a denial overturned by external review in NJ and I know of people who have done the same in NY. Why was your request denied? What was the reason the insurance carrier gave?

Hi Kelly Ann! We're neighbors, I'm also in NJ. I completely understand your concerns and fears. My biggest worry before banding was whether life would ever be NORMAL again--would I spend all my time thinking about the fact of being banded and how to live with it. Would I be conscious of it all the time? Would I have to adapt at every meal, skip the fun things about eating? Accommodate my entire life and accept that I'll always be different? The answer is NO, NO, NO. Everyone's experience is different and of course, a lot depends on how your surgery and recovery go, but I'll share my reactions to your questions as follows. Is having the band a little like being sick all of the time--in that I mean it sounds like it is very high maintenece and day to day There are periods like this, mostly immediately post-op and post-fill when you have to take it really slow and learn how what restriction means and how to eat. But outside of those times, I am completely unaware that I am banded. Never sick, never nauseated. If I eat too fast or have too much in one bite, there is a physical sensation of it not going down, of "getting stuck." But that's the whole point--to get me to put down that additional bite that I don't need. And it works! Do most bandsters just eat whatever they want just less including stuff that is not really good for them? Speaking for myself, the answer is yes. But I've learned that with very little space in my tummy, going for Protein first solves this problem for me. Between meals I'm JUST NOT HUNGRY most of the time, and at meals eating the protein first usually means the meal is 98% protein and 2% whatever else. Occasionally eating stuff that is not really good for me is part of life, and trying to give it up completely would make me miserable and deprived. So I don't try. But being banded makes the desire for such food fade into the background so it's not such a problem. Is that why weight loss is very slow for some? Do the bandsters that stick to really healthy sugar free, fat free foods lose more faster? Define "slow." Is 5 lbs a month slow? Not to me, but some people do lose a lot faster. It's very personal and depends a LOT on your metabolism as well as your habits. In general, people with more to lose lose the fastest, and "lightweights" like you lose more slowly. If you want to diet and exercise religiously sure, the band will make it easier. But most of us have had it with that life and are looking for a saner, more sustainable way to live. Most of all did you really feel a huge difference in your appetite or not? Not right away, but after reaching good restriction yes, I definitely did and do feel a difference in my appetite. I get full on a LOT less food and I stay full a LOT longer. There's mental work to do, of course, because eating habits that are not hunger-related can't be changed by the band alone (like nibbling on chips or candy all day long, or the dreaded "milkshake syndrome"). But my problems was always eating too much, and too often. And I can absolutely say I don't do either of those things any more and it's been a minimum of trouble. I LOVE MY BAND!!!

I watched the debate with fascination, and (while being coy about my vote, for the moment) will say that I was very relieved. FWIW, I'm all for discussing politics here in the Lounge. That's what it's for! As long as the conversation stays here, and friendly, I say have at it.

Hi Butta! I love the line about the ex-boyfriend! Going by that scale, I've lost well over 400 lbs in the last 10 years. LOL!! Nice to meet you. Welcome!

Shireen, it's true that the band itself is filled to a certain degree and that's it. But your stomach tissue is soft and constantly changing depending on lots of things. The phenomenon of a fill "kicking in" might be due to your stomach wall initially reacting to the added pressure of a fill by thinning out. Fluid leaves the area as your stomach attempts to counteract the pressure of the band and keep the passageway open. As time passes and your body gets used to the pressure, the tissue returns to its normal state and voila, restriction! This can take hours or days or weeks (for me, it seems to take 2-3 weeks). My guess is that sinus problems don't cause added restriction, but rather are a function of the same thing. When there's extra fluid in the sinuses it could also be present in other organs. Everything is connected, and one's level of restriction depends on much more than just the amoung of saline actually IN the band. That's why the specific amount of liquid in the band is utterly irrelevant compared with other people.

Lovely NSV, Michelle! I can hear how that made you glow.

LOL!! I'll take a little of that action, Sue!