Alexandra

Hi Jaysmom, You absolutely can lose 150 lbs with the band, no question. There's a big variable, though--YOU. If YOU want to lose 150 lbs and are committed to making the necessary changes to make it happen, there will be nothing stopping you. I've lost 125 lbs and have been stable and happy here for several months. If/when I decide to lost another 25-40 lbs I know it will be possible in a way it never could have been pre-band. As far as complications go, no, none of them are fatal. Obviously if you ignore something than anything can develop into a life-threatening situation. You must pay close attention after any surgery to be sure things are healing up right. And down the line, with banding, just about any complication can be repaired quickly and completely. Banding is safer than bypass, no one will ever dispute that.

I started out online, which was very helpful. But even more helpful to me in terms of making my decision was meeting regularly with a group of bandsters. This was a non-affiliated, informal group of people who had met online (in the Yahoo group "bandsters"), and for the several months prior to my insurance hassles being straightened out I was able to meet with them frequently. It was very enlightening to see what actual issues they were faced with on a daily basis. All through this time I also remained subscribed to the Yahoo groups Bandsters and Smartbandsters, as well as visiting ObesityHelp.com and the now-defunct Spotlight Health website. All of the various people's experiences, taken together, gave me a very good picture of what being banded would be like. I also attended the preop seminars of two different surgeons' practices. Comparing the information they provided was very helpful--you could see what was really common knowledge and what was unique to each practice. By the time my insurance battles were over, I had absolutely no doubt that this was the right medical step for me, and that the doctors I'd selected were the best available. Good luck!

Cindy, 12-27 was FOUR DAYS ago. It's entirely possible your body will take a little longer to respond to decreased calories. Please don't weigh yourself every day if you're going do be bummed about the fact that one day of 500 calories doesn't result in a pound of lost weight the following day. Losing weight is a process that doesn't occur on a perfectly predictable schedule. You're doing great, so cut yourself some slack. The weight will come off and you'll wonder what you were worried about. :confused:

I think Rachele did the same thing as Sue, but they were both banded first and then converted to the DS. You're probably not going to find anyone here who decided on a DS right out of the gate.

Obviously you'd have to ask your insurer, but in general if you had a medical emergency that required surgery it would be covered. The emergency isn't obesity-related, after all. If you're having something non-emergent done, like a port adjustment, that might not be covered.

I don't know if they take Medicare, but I have nothing but praise for my surgeons' office. Check them out at www.advancedlaparoscopicsurgeons.com. And come to a support group meeting!!

Oohh, poor girl. That must have been traumatic indeed. Please tell Ms. Joy that like all support boards the negative aspects get much more airing than the positive ones. How many times can we come on to say I'm fine,things are great, I'm not eating more than I need? What is there really to talk about, except when things go a little awry. Wish her well for us, and let her know there are lots of peaceful, happy bandsters living day by day with no ongoing problems.

Medicare does pay for banding if it's medically necessary. Once you find a surgeon and start the preoperative testing your doctor will be able to give you a very good assessment of whether you'll be covered.

Leenerbups, unless you're hanging around in Europe you won't meet anyone with a band for more than 10 years. And even overseas, where they've been doing it since the early 90s, banding technology has improved over the last decade. I thought quite seriously about the prospect of having a band installed and then having to have it removed, but it seemed a completely worthy risk to take. In my early 40s, with two small children, 340 was no way to live and my health would only get worse. I was unable to do anything to affect my weight in any meaningful way. Banding, with all its risks, seemed like a practical and proactive step to take. And I still feel that way, even if I were to be the next member of club erosion.

Just because it wasn't exclusionary. Erosion probably does lead to port site infection, if the doctors have seen it happen. And it's entirely probably that the reverse happens as well. You said "not vice versa" and that's what I was trying to qualify.

Look at the top of this page, and click on Quick Links. You'll see one that says Mark Forums Read. Try that.

This is certainly a valid opinion, but it is just that, an opinion from a non-medical person. From everything I've read, it seems like "AND vice versa" would be a more accurate way to say it. Who can really tell what happens in other people? It's wonderful that you have done so much research and understand your own situation so well, but it's risky to generalize too much. There are important lessons to be learned from your and others' experiences, no question. But lets try to avoid speaking in absolutes when we're not in possession of all the facts for every single incidence of band complication out there.

I'm sure this is to save server space (which we are NOT being asked to pay for), so just live with it. :mad: It's easy to clear out your pm box in just a few clicks. Now you can un-check the "request read receipt" box that was a default before. If you scroll down while composing a PM, you'll see "additonal options" under the composition box. As for marking threads as read, you can do that from any screen where you see Quick Links. If you mark forums as read, everything will be considered "old" and only threads with new posts from that point forward will appear for you.

It sounds like you work for a small company. Wheetsin's right, that sort of letter is a very unprofessional way to critique an employee's performance. But even more unprofessional was your opening that letter. NOT COOL!! At this point he hasn't given it to you, and you don't know if he will. Maybe he wrote it in a fit of pique and has since changed his mind. You have taken a lot of time off in the first 7 months, and that can indeed get things off to a bad start. Clearly he has, or had, some concerns, so if you want to keep this job you need to hew to the straight and narrow for the next year. Is this boss your direct supervisor?

Did this bill come from the hospital or the doctor? I'd imagine that "general operating room services" isn't just the doctor, that's the hospital charge as well. Can they break that down further? There should be be a separate item for the surgeon(s), assistant(s), and anaesthesiologist(s) fees. Then there's likely radiology and facility charges. (I think the band itself would be included under "surgical supplies.")

I feel your pain. I was sick from the middle of October through Thanksgiving with the same sort of thing. I did take antibiotics and they helped, but my cough didn't go away until I took narcotic cough medicine. Yuck!! I don't have trouble taking pills, but I break big ones in half as a precaution anyway. Then I discovered the label on one of them (Tritussin) said to take whole--not chew--so I stopped breaking that one. It's about the size of a Tylenol caplet and went down OK. I think as long as you take them with plenty of Fluid and not right before bedtime, you'll be fine. Drink LOTS of tea and stock up on Vitamin C. Feel better soon!!

Holy crow. That really sounds like three times what it should have been, even allowing for the high prices in CA. Hospital markups can be 500% of the actual cost, which is how a three-hour surgery gets to be $25,000. But $75,000?? That sounds like your insurer should contest it. Luckily, YOU aren't responsible for that. Of course, your carrier will pay whatever the negotiated rate for these services is in your network. That $75K figure is meaningless in the real world--it's not what they would actually charge someone and it's not what they're going to collect from your insurer. It may be academic, but it would be an interesting exercise to see how they arrived at this grotesquely inflated figure.

December 30 Breakfast: 1 container Fage 0% Greek yogurt with 1 tbls all-fruit preserves two cups coffee/tea over three hours Snack: 2 ozs. Brie Lunch: 1 can Progresso chicken w/dumplings Soup Holy cow, then my day went OUT the window: SnackS: mocha latte, LOTS of popcorn from one of those plain/cheese/caramel Christmas tins; large brownie Dinner: Two chicken "crispers" and several french fries, even though I really wasn't hungry at ALL; ice cream for dessert. Water and tea: plenty Exercise: Hah. None.

I was WONDERING where you were!! I didn't realize you'd scheduled surgery so soon. I'm glad for you that it's over and you can heal up completely, cleanly, and move on putting this behind you. Take care and rest up!! Have a great New Year, but do NOT go out and party. This one you can take a pass on.

Hi Cali4kneeia, I moved your post so more people would see it. It does sound like you are too tight, that's all. Did you have a fill recently? If you didn't then you might have irritated something which led to swelling. I wouldn't assume there's anything like slippage or erosion going on; plain old irritation can lead directly to the kinds of symptoms you're describing. Try sticking to liquids STRICTLY for several days. Don't even try to eat solid food. You can get substantial nutrition from Soup, and Benefiber will help you in the Fiber department. After a few days try moving on to mushies. You need to give your esophagus and stoma time to heal and let the swelling go down. If you can get an unfill that is probably a good idea. But in the meantime try babying it and see if things don't feel better. Good luck!!

Everyone heals at their own pace, but certainly by a week out you should see substantial healing of all the incisions. No muscles were cut in your surgery, but everything in your abdomen was a bit traumatized and it will take a few days to recover. I've heard lots of people say the third day out is the worst. Hang in there, you're almost around the corner!!

If I think I've overdone it a little, I'll take a Pepcid Complete a couple of hours before bedtime. If you're having reflux try analyzing your behavior. Your esophagus could be irritated from something you don't even know you did, and need a few days' rest. Good luck, and I hope it resolves soon!

Hi Minniemay, Yep, you're normal! You're healing from surgery and this is definitely going to take a few days. The gas they used during surgery can indeed cause pains in various places even after several days or a week, so don't be alarmed. Moving around can help, especially walking, but don't overtax yourself too soon. Rest is good! Welcome to bandland, and know that from here on out you will feel MUCH better day by day. Congratulations!

December 29: Breakfast: 1 container Fage 0% Greek yogurt with 1 tbls all-fruit preserves three cups coffee over three hours Lunch: 1 can Hormel chili with beans; handful wheat crackers; 2 ozs brie cheese Snack: Dinner: 1 knockwurst w/mustard, 6 brussels sprouts, large bowl ice cream Water: about 72 ozs, including decaf tea Exercise: 40 minutes today on the bike and treadmill. Yay me!!

Congratulations, Michelle! :)