Alexandra

It all depends on the laws in your state, Jules. In NJ, if you're eligible for a group plan you're not even permitted to buy individual insurance. But on the flip-side, self-employed people with only one other employee or partner can qualify as a small group and buy a group plan for themselves. The laws vary considerably from state to state, so you should call a broker in Oregon and find out what the situation is where you are. It may very well turn out to be more cost-effective. I know of several people here in NJ who have done just that and it's worked out great--especially because as a small employer you have your pick of carriers and can find a band-friendly one. Good luck!!

Karen, I'm SO with you on the barium! I just had to drink a pint of the stuff for my endoscopy recently. BLECH. But I'm glad you have good news on keeping your band, even if it is "for now." That's one less thing you have to worry about for the moment. I'm sorry your husband's news wasn't as bright. Please wish him the best for me and I hope very much the treatment works and isn't too awful. Peace, pretty lady. :hug:

We are just discussing this on another thread, so I'm just going to copy my comment from there: ----------------------- [Fluctuation in restriction...] is a WIDELY experienced phenomenon that hasn't been very clearly explained, but you are not alone. My personal theory is that gravity works throughout the day to redistribute the fluids in our body, so that tissues near the band might thin out even while our ankles swell. Though the effect may not be visible, it only takes a little change in Fluid levels (whether in the band itself or in the tissues surrounding it) to change our perceived restriction. People also report increased restriction in the morning, which IMO is the reverse happening. Lying down all night means fluid can settle higher up in our bodies, including in the tissues of the stomach. We are made of Water, remember. And that water moving around is a powerful force. Eating more in the evening may only make it worse, since that can make us feel tighter in the morning and around and around you go. So try to even out your eating through the day so that you're not so hungry at night. More fill will NOT fix this, it's just something you have to learn to work with (or around). ------------------------ If I were you I'd wait until the 25th to have another adjustment. Patience is key with banding, and you may very well be at a great level of restriction just now. Don't be in a rush to tighten the band as much as possible as soon as possible, because it's not an infinite road. Give it time, try to work with what you have, and the 25th will be here before you know it.

No. You're not mental. This is a WIDELY experienced phenomenon that hasn't been very clearly explained, but you are not alone. My personal theory is that gravity works throughout the day to redistribute the fluids in our body, so that tissues near the band might thin out even while our ankles swell. Though the effect may not be visible, it only takes a little change in fluid levels (whether in the band itself or in the tissues surrounding it) to change our perceived restriction. People also report increased restriction in the morning, which IMO is the reverse happening. Lying down all night means fluid can settle higher up in our bodies, including in the tissues of the stomach. We are made of water, remember. And that water moving around is a powerful force. Eating more in the evening may only make it worse, since that can make us feel tighter in the morning and around and around you go. So try to even out your eating through the day so that you're not so hungry at night. More fill will NOT fix this, it's just something you have to learn to work with (or around).

I agree. I know y'all don't want this thread locked. Please take it private, ladies. Thank you.

Happy bandiversary, Tammy!! Congratulations on a great job!

It's beautiful, Robyn! Congratulations on a great NSV!!

Oh, lord, K@t, that blows!! My recent endoscopy was a walk in the park compared to that! I had an IV and that was it--I was out almost from the start. No sprays, no problems breathing, I don't think I even saw the scope they were going to use on me. The anaesthesologist made me laugh (talking about the relative heights of my doctors) and that was all she wrote! I guess there is a big savings not going that route, but there's still no reason for the patients to be uncomfortable. I will say that this doesn't portend any problems with your surgery--they WILL use general anaesthesia for that. You have every right to be distressed after that experience, but it doesn't mean surgery will be hard, necessarily. Big hugs, K@t! It's over now, that's the good news. :hug:

I'm going to lock this thread, too. Mikeyboy, in case you're not getting the idea this sort of thing is not welcome at LBT. If you're interested in talking about lap-banding, please jump right in! :biggrin1:

Well, not really. But I'm going to close this thread so it doesn't keep getting bumped. If anyone objects, please let me know.

Maybe the person accessing their own port (YIKES!) kept it continually too tight, which led to erosion. Gads, that's a lesson learned. As for slips being caused by non-compliance, I'm sure that's true in some cases, but certainly not true across the board. I agree with Penni, it's not the information in the comment that's worrisome but the fact that the comment was made at all. There are no absolutes. But what does "held against" the doctor mean? Unless he is having more than the expected number of slips there wouldn't be any reason to hold it against him. If 50% of his bands are slipping, that's a huge problem even if it IS caused by non-compliance. It would mean he's not teaching his patients what they need to know! They should be able to give you some number on the slips, even if it's just how his office compares to the national average (whatever that is). It's a fair question, and doesn't mean you're trying to blame him for them--just that you want to know what your chances are.

Raven, read the posts above and believe that you can do this. REALLY, YOU CAN!! It's not really hunger you're feeling, it's just the urge to munch. And pretty soon you will be able to munch! Don't worry about not feeling restriction. That's very normal at this stage of the game; the post-op swelling has gone down (GOOD!) and there is no saline in your band to make it tighter. So you feel no effect right now with liquids (even cheese-flavored lard) and when you start on solids you may only feel a very slight effect. You're doing great! When you start on mushies check out all the cool dips and spreads that you may never have tried before. Mousses, pates, cheeses, all of these are fantastic mushies and there's a huge variety of them. Go for the bean dip! Just use a spoon instead of Fritos, for a while. Eat what you want in order to not get so hungry that you can't leave the steak alone. This healing time really is important, and you know you can do it.

Hey Jess, congratulations!! Whyntcha send us the boobie pic too? :cry: You're a brave soul, really. I don't think I'll ever get up the nerve to go back under the knife. I'm just a big chicken! Thanks for sharing your story, now rest up and heal quickly!

Jilly, you're fine. Just be sure to listen very carefully to your body and if you get any signals that you're overdoing it, STOP. Do what you can to not get too hungry so you won't be tempted to eat too fast. NOW is the time to have a milkshake, if you want! :scared:

Hey, being hungry is GOOD news! You're healing, and healing well. I think that's an extremely good sign. So what if it's a little hard for the next week or so? You're working on a project that will CHANGE YOUR LIFE. Do yourselves a big favor and just concentrate on not getting too hungry. Eat plenty of Snacks (in accordance with your post-op diet), drink whatever the heck you want and don't worry about calories! Now is healing time and not losing time. There will be plenty of time later on to think about calories etc., but right now healing is job 1. Congratulations on everyone's banding!!

That's very interesting, Jack! Jilly, I also think there's a variation in pre-op protocol from patient to patient even within a doctor's practice. Some people may have medical issues that must be addressed first, and a pre-op diet may be part of that. The post-op regimen does vary, but then again so do the bands being used. I think some of the less-restrictive post-op protocols may be used with larger bands not in use in the U.S. That's just a guess, but you're right, there is a big variation. The bottom line is always the same: follow YOUR doctor's orders. :biggin1:

Lisa's right, the complications themselves aren't fatal. If they cause big problems like being unable to eat or drink, ignoring them might lead to bigger problems. But neither is something that would kill you without your having some BIG signals that something else is wrong. There'd be plenty of time to get whatever was wrong, fixed.

Why does this question come up so often? And it's so often phrased this exact way. The answer is...OF COURSE PEOPLE CHEAT ON THE LIQUID DIET!!! :scared: People are people, and people "cheat." But first, are you talking about the pre-op or post-op liquid? If it's pre-op, rest assured that cheating won't kill you, but it might hurt your chances for surgery a little. It all depends on why you're on it--not all doctors even prescribe a pre-op liquid regimen. But if it's the post-op liquids, you could actually hurt yourself by eating something soo solid. The post-op liquid regimen is to let your stomach heal, not to punish you. There's a good medical reason for taking it slowly and following your doctor's orders to the T. So, which liquid diet are you talking about?

Happy bandiversary, Ms. Inspiration!! You have so very much to be proud of, and I am so glad you are still here to share with us. Thank you for two great years of fellowship! And CONGRATULATIONS on your continued success!! You are my hero, you know that. :high5: :hail:

I think the whole American approach is bass-ackwards. It just makes sense to do the least invasive thing first, and reserve more dramatic approaches for later. The idea that 20% of bands need revising later on is not at all worrisome to me, because that means that 80% don't. That's a large number of major, major surgeries NOT done because something simpler and safer worked. In America we don't even give it a chance (yet). I hope we're getting there, though.

Staci, your band is likely too tight for some reason, and the treatment will depend on the cause of the tightness. (Might you be pregnant? That would explain the nausea, and Water retention to boot.) There are all sorts of reasons your band might suddenly feel more tight, and you should examine everything that's going on right now to help figure out why. Are you experiencing lots of allergies? Coming down with a cold? Have you been vomiting at all recently, or doing something else that might have caused a slip or hernia to get worse? Do you have a hernia that you know of? If you can come up with a possible cause it could lead to the right treatment. Call your doctor and discuss it with him; testing might be required. A slip is just one possible cause, so there's no need to panic. Good luck and let us know how you're doing!!

I'm too tired to think of something cute, but Happy Birthday!! :rockon:

I'm glad we got the real scoop on that rumor. I know if Splenda were pulled from the shelves, my whole family would be in big trouble! I have no fear of artificial sweeteners: as the daughter of a diabetic I remember my father's distress when cyclamates were pulled. (That's how old I am.) The quantity of whatever-it-is that I ingest using Splenda is not going to worry me, because sugar makes me sleepy. Do what works, that's the rule. If you have a bad reaction, avoid it.

For those who are keeping tabs, I had an endoscopy and complete unfill in mid-March to deal with a relentless and intense bout of reflux. My surgeon suggested that my esophagus might be dilated or otherwise compromised, and ordered a barium swallow as a follow-up. My GERD symptoms were relieved by the unfill and Prevacid, and since then I've been feeling fine. This morning was the barium test. For those who have not had one, it's a more-involved version of the fluoroscopy exam many doctors use to do fills. They took a LOT of pictures, both still and moving, and I must have swallowed more than 16 oz. of barium (insert barf smiley here). Bottom line is that everything is FINE!! The radiologist said my esophagus looked a little "prominent" but that's not uncommon in bandsters, and it is indeed doing its job. She noticed that the band isn't as tight as she would have expected, and I explained that it was empty. I still feel plenty of restriction, and am in no hurry to change anything. So thank the powers that be, I'm good to go!! Thanks for everyone's support and caring. LBT rocks! :rockon:

Medical expenses are tax deductible to the extent they exceed 7.5% (I believe) of your gross adjusted income. This includes all medical expenses, to be sure, but whether they're deductible for any given person depends on their tax situation.