Alexandra

Chrispygal, incision infection can happen with any type of surgery. It's not uncommon and as long as it's caught quickly and treated appropriately it isn't necessarily anything to worry about. It sounds like your doctor has a good grip on the situation and is taking good care of you. Now YOU take care and follow his instructions to the letter, and you'll be fine. :biggrin1: Congratulations on your banding and good luck with your healing!

My favorites have been the Atkins Protein bars, most of which have about 15-20 grams of protein. They have the most Fiber of any bars I've found, and have been easy to eat even when I'm super-restricted. MetRx bars are good too, but they are really big! Read the labels before you pick any protein bars. There are LOTS out there that look like they might be good, but are loaded with sugar and not enough protein. You should be able to get at least 20 gms of protein for no more than 200 calories. Over the past three years I've used them both as Meal Replacements for breakfast or lunch or as Snacks if I'm hungry. Whatever is right at the time.

Slowing down was my biggest problem, too. You're not alone. Restriction will help you immensely! When you feel things actually stopping on their way down you will realize quite dramatically that you MUST leave substantial time between bites. Put the utensils DOWN between bites. Take a deep breath. Chew thoroughly and swallow completely before you even think about taking another bite. These are hard things to do with no incentive, but just wait until you have restriction. THEN you'll have incentive! Good luck, and don't worry about it too much for now. You'll have motivation soon enough.

Hi Dawn, My favorite quick breakfast is a Protein bar. If I don't have that around my old standy is ... leftovers! I am also getting the kids out of the house in the a.m. so my breakfast has to be fast and portable. Protein Bars are easy and always available, though I get mightily sick of the sweetness sometimes. So if there's anything left over from a recent meal I'll often just grab that. It will only take a very small amount of cold meat to satisfy me for hours. Just now, for example, I just ate about a quarter of yesterday's lunch sandwich (of which I only ate half for lunch) and that will hold me until lunchtime today. This is one of the best things about being banded, for me. I never worry about having "enough" to eat, because a very little bit IS enough!

There is a good theory about morning tightness, and a plan of action that some swear works. The theory is that morning tightness is caused by Fluid redistribution after laying down all night, and I guess some people's fluid balances change more slowly than others. These people, who are only able to eat solid food in the evening, are inadvertently making the situation worse by going to bed with food still in their pouches. The tissues can get irritated or swell even a little bit more, making the morning tightness worse than ever. It's a vicious cycle. The plan of action is, then, to eat less at night even though one is hungrier. Then, in the morning, really make an attempt to get up early, start drinking as soon as possible and have solid food as soon as possible. Even if it's just a Protein bar, get something in early in the morning to get the metabolism going. Eat more during the daytime and once again, try to eat as little as possible in the evening. I'm told a few days of this can help even out the extremes of restriction some people feel through the day.

This is crucial information we should all memorize. The simple act of removing saline from the band is something that ANY hospital should be able to find someone to do. Even if they are not at all familiar with the band, the port and specialized needle are familiar devices in any hospital. It's APPALLING that you had to go to two ERs before someone could be found who would do this. I think it's vitally important that we all know what specifically to say if we need an emergency unfill. Hell, paramedics could probably do it if they had to.

Fauxnaif, that may be true but it's not something to bank on. If an insurer got wind of any dishonesty on the application they'd be able to prosecute for fraud. Not to mention rescinding any benefits that had ever been paid out under the plan. I would NOT recommend that course of action. The better way to go is find out if there's a high-risk pool in your state that gives access to the people who would normally be considered uninsurable. There may be higher rates to pay, but going without health insurance is extremely risky unless you literally have nothing left to lose.

Priceless, Carlene!! :pound:

What a beautiful weekend for soccer! My girls' practices and games were cancelled for the holiday, and it was such a bummer. It would have been marvelous to spend this weekend on the soccer field. Hope everyone had a great Columbus Day! And I want to remind everyone that the first of two monthly lap-band-only support groups is being held this Wednesday at the offices of Drs. Abkin and Bertha at 7 PM. You don't have to be their patient to attend! If anyone needs directions, PM me.

I've never heard that specific phrase before, but "auto-decline" would seem to mean that in situations where medical underwriting is done, people who are less than 10 years out from bariatric surgery would be declined for health insurance coverage. SKbishop, what state are you in? The laws vary considerably from state to state, so what's true where you are may not be true elsewhere. "Guaranteed issue" refers to situations where insurance policies MUST be issued, regardless of medical or other circumstances. Some states, like New Jersey, have laws that guarantee access to health insurance for all individuals regardless of health status. Yes, it's true that those policies aren't cheap--$300 or $400 for a single person is about right--but they are guaranteed to be AVAILABLE. Generally, insurance companies will decline as many people as they possibly can given the laws of the state they're operating in. They will charge as much as they can for people who are higher risk or decline to write those policies entirely. The only protection we have as consumers of insurance is to know what the laws are in our states. Snowhard, generally speaking if your employer provides your health insurance, it's a GROUP plan and as such your personal medical situation is probably not relevant. But again, the laws in your state may differ, so do check that out with a licensed broker or your state insurance department.

Susan, the fact is that when things are quiet and going well on the board the moderators don't have to be as active. It's a GOOD sign. I'm here every day, reading if not posting. But I don't read everything by a long shot, and reporting posts of concern is the only way to be sure they will be seen and tended to. Don't worry, we're here! :biggrin1:

Hi Robin, Welcome to LBT and congratulations on your weight loss so far! I gotta tell you, your story is VERY familiar to me. Losing 40 lbs was always the magic number for me in the past; I was NEVER able to get beyond it by myself. And a similar thing happened with banding. What was different this time was that when I was done with the self-sabotage, I hadn't gained 40 lbs back plus some. And when I was ready to pick up the reins again and take control, the band was still there ready to help me do it. You have a weapon in your arsenal that has never been there before. Putting it down for a while doesn't mean it will disappear and never be available again. The weight-loss journey is long, and there's no question our heads have to be in the game to make it work. But the assistance the band provides is that little extra something that lets us rest between bouts. Don't panic, in other words. Think about all the things that motivated you to get the band in the first place. Remember how happy and excited you were to take those steps, and realize how far you've come. It's OK to rest, OK to think about things other than weight loss for a while. The band will help you maintain while you're doing that, and it will still be there for you when you're ready to get back into active weight-loss mode.

What you're describing does seem like it would fall in to the "full liquids" stage, absolutely.

I've never heard of a "tumor board," but it sounds like no fun. What are you waiting for them to decide? Big hugs to you through all of this, Crystal. You have an extraordinary spirit and are inspiring to all of us!

Hi Sheree, Many people manage on the all-liquid postop diet without buying something like Optifast, and I'd imagine the same could be done pre-operatively. I lived on Protein shakes from the supermarket, and since then there's been an explosion in Protein drinks of all kinds. Go to your local health-food store or even a large supermarket, and I'll bet you'll find a wide array of high-protein drinks. Good luck!

Flower, you can't diagnose a slip by yourself. If you're having problems you must see a doctor to find out what's going on. Twice in my banded time I've had symptoms that led my doctor to suspect a slip, but neither time was that really the problem. I was having severe reflux, heartburn, and over time an inability to eat anything except really soft foods. For me it wasn't that I was so dramatically tight all the time--there were occasions where I could eat relatively normally--but almost everything I ate gave me heartburn. Reflux at night was almost a regular occurrence. Ultimately, both times, I didn't have a slip at all but my esophagus was irritated and swollen. Adjusting my fill downward (to make my band looser) fixed the problem both times. My band is still in precisely the right position. So don't leap to conclusions--go find out for real what's happening!

Candice, you are NOT crazy. I can attest that even a year after my major weight loss I still can't recognize my clothes as MINE. Honestly, when folding the laundry recently I thought a pair of my underwear was my daughter's! Just give it time. Allow yourself to be pleasantly surprised by the reflection in the mirror and the clothes you're trying on. Those surprises keep coming, even after a lot of time has passed. Just today, for the first time, I'm wearing a new sweater that I bought months ago on a lark. It was very inexpensive and not a style I would ever have normally considered, but I figured I'd pick it up and stick it in the closet anyway. (It's one of those openwork crochet things that has to be worn over a tank, so a lot more of my skin is visible than I'm used to.) So today I put it on and had to have my husband tell me repeatedly that it looked good on me. And I have to admit, it does! Don't worry, you're not alone. And you're not crazy! You certainly don't need therapy. :biggrin1:

Lighter02, I'm so sorry for your frustrations. Did you know going in that you were going to be continuing with lupron? If weight gain or retention is a known side effect of that medication, banding wasn't ever going to have any impact on that. Some people find out after banding that they have a medical condition causing their weight problem and have to address that. While that's frustrating for sure, banding still had an impact because if they hadn't been banded the medical condition might not ever have been found. So maybe you know something you didn't know before, and when/if that situation is addressed and you can remove that factor, the band will still be there waiting to help you control your caloric intake. And in the absence of other influences, that will always help someone lose weight. The best of luck to you!

46DDD (F/G in some styles and when pregnant) / 38 D

I've been banded 3 years and 2 months now, and I've also had no significant problems. I'm unfilled now and will probably stay that way due to reflux issues, but I don't consider this a problem as long as my band continues to help me maintain my 130+ lb loss.

I also had one of the PBs from hell on seaweed salad. NEVER AGAIN! But sashimi is one of my FAVORITE meals. I love all sorts and eat it as often as I can.

Congratulations on your happy surprise! I can't believe anyone told you you had "no chance" of getting pregnant after banding! Why on earth would they say that? The surgeons I'm familiar with say exactly the opposite: they don't want people getting pregnant for at least a year after surgery, and they expect everyone to be on durable, reliable birth control during this time.

Virginia, your MIL's friend might have had a surgery called a VBG, vertical banded gastroplasty. That operation involved a non-adjustable band and has fallen completely out of favor due to poor results and complications.

Faybie, bread is usually one of the first things bandsters give up, precisely because it takes up so much room in the pouch it results in an inability to eat anything else. Try eating only the insides of your sandwich, and I'll be you'll be able to eat a bit more. It's not a bad thing, having restriction at this stage. There are many bandsters who don't need fills until well after they've lost significant weight. Enjoy it while you've got it!

Virginia, the lap band was only approved by the FDA for use in the U.S. in 2001. Before that there were clinical trials and I know there are bandsters still active on boards here and there who were banded in trials as early as 1998. But long-term experience is only available by looking at other countries, where it's been the bariatric surgery of preference for quite a while.