Alexandra

Why would they say that most of the time you will not need a fill? Perhaps they meant that many times when you think you need a fill it's not necessary. But just about all bandsters WILL have adjustments, it's absolutely an expected part of treatment. The band is not designed to work without personalized adjustment, and every bandster should absolutely have access to a good reliable fill doctor so that adjustments can be made as necessary. This is crucial both for effectiveness and safety reasons. If your doctor really said what you think they did, there is something fishy going on. Are they trying to convince you that return trips to Mexico won't be needed? That's only a safe bet if you have a reliable aftercare doc in the States. Otherwise, you absolutely MUST plan on getting back to your Mexican surgeon at least a couple of times post-operatively. It's just not complete treatment otherwise.

Holy cow, you've been "have been stuck for like 4 days with the same weight"? If you're expecting to see a drop every single time you step on the scale, this is going to be a VERY LONG journey for you. RELAX!!! Sigh. Remember? This is not an overnight cure, it's a process and will take time. You will slow down before you speed up, and then you will slow down again. Don't overanalyze every ounce, and don't weigh yourself if all it does is cause stress.

I have three bosses, and none of them are anywhere near as hot as that one. Whew!

Cindy, I hope you'll let us know what the doctor says once they get a look at your band. My fingers are crossed that nothing serious has happened, and if anything IS wrong an unfill can repair it. Good luck, and I hope you feel better soon!!!

Welcome to LBT!!

I've heard of people doing that, but it never appealed to me. I used the time on mushies to indulge my taste for dips and pates, all the exotic and expensive things I don't normally buy. Seafood pate and hummus and tzatiki and refried beans and chopped liver and oh, yum, yum, yum, yum, YUM!! Baby food just couldn't hold a candle.

My doc is in the same practice as Lauren's, and I also wasn't told to lose weight before surgery. And there wasn't any special pre-op diet when I had surgery, either.

Taking in fewer calories than you expend. Sorry about that. I wish you the best with your endeavor! Whatever you do, adding or upping your exercise is also going to help. But of course you know that, like you know what's "new" in realistic dieting.

Yep, that's how it goes. Now watch the pounds melt off!

Lol, VQ!!

I'm convinced restriction is a function of much more than just the tightness of the band. The tissues of your stomach may have...retreated...in a way; thinned out in reaction to the trauma of having something stuck. I've definitely felt the same phenomenon, both right after fills (when you'd think there would be MORE restriction) and after a negative episode. Again, I'd just give it a couple of days. It's so easy to leap to the conclusion that something is terribly wrong, when 999 times out of 1000 it's just a matter of letting the system rest and recover.

I sure hope no one thinks I was being judgmental! Hell, I do this on a regular basis.

What would I do? I'd wait a couple of days and see if it gets better. There's no reason to think it slipped just because of one instance of stuckage; obviously you're inclined to think that way but it's not necessarily so. Remembering that when you did have a slip you had NO symptoms, pain now isn't necessarily related. Just take it easy for a couple of days and see how it goes. It's more likely that you pulled a small muscle or something and that's the source of your pain. Good luck!

Glo, this is a question for your doctor. My surgeon never mentioned this to me at all, but protocols can change and there may be another practice in place now.

I agree 1000% with you, Sue. My earlier post could have been qualified by saying "if all is well, then..." But Flower's question seemed to simply be one of definition. When we say someone is "eating around the band," to me that definitely does impart some measure of intention--that is, eating so as to intentionally defeat the purpose of the band, which is of course to make us eat less. If someone is resorting to soft foods with a different intention--for example, because ANY amount of hard Proteins cause pain or difficulty--the same phrase wouldn't be used.

This can be serious, tizag is right, but it also may be managed. If you've never had it happen before talking to your doctor is an excellent idea. You may be able to get through it with medications, behavioral changes, whatever, but it must be handled. Letting it go on for a very long time can damage your esophagus and more. Can you figure out anything that might have caused this to start? I know that for me, eating anything bready later in the day can be a trigger, as well as nuts after about 4:00 p.m. Also when I'm having an allergy attack and am congested, coughing can make it worse. Ultimately it's important to soothe the tissues and let them heal, while at the same time addressing the causes of your reflux. An unfill can be a magic pill; it solved my problem immediately this past summer. Talk to your doctor and see what he recommends. Good luck!!

What are you asking? When people say eating "around" the band what is usually meant is eating foods that are easy to consume in large amounts. Things like Soup, ice cream, the infamous milkshakes, junk food--high-calorie, nutrient-poor foods which will compromise one's weight loss. You've been here long enough to know that bandsters must work with their bands, and not avoid its effects by only eating soft food. "Eating around the band" is another way of saying...not trying.

In my experience the band helped me lose faster than I ever had before, outside of the three months I once spent on a liquid Protein regimen. Normal "dieting" had never given me results like that before, probably because I'm a LOUSY dieter and have never been able to make one work for me. But your BMI is only about 34, right? There is no way you're going to lose as fast as someone whose BMI was almost 48, like mine was when I started. It's just not the same animal. All banding does for you is limit your intake of calories. If you've been able to do that before on your own, then you'll likely get about the same result. I had just never been able to restrict my caloric intake to the same extent that I was able to post-banding, or for so long. There's nothing that's different about the way I've lost weight this time, except that THIS time it's staying off.

All I have to say is that you are a brave, brave woman.

Mandy is absolutely right. It ALL depends on how the claim is filed. Your doctor should be able to tell you if he has successfully filed claims for fills in the past.

Nice to hear frm you and that you're doing ok. Heal up quickly and thanks for posting!!

Hi Monica, It should not take more than 10 or so business days for your carrier to make a determination once they have all the required info. If you have confirmed that they DO have all the information they need, you should be hearing soon!

Sherry that does sound extremely frustrating, but it may be just that they're extremely busy. Can you GO to the office and try to talk there?

Exactly what Vines said. I had no problem with the ongoing maintenance--I WANT to be more mindful of my health and staying attuned with my band makes that happen. My body works fine, thanks, and I wasn't at all interested in having that changed while I am still so young. My small children, too, were the most important factor in my decision. When things go wrong with bypass they can go VERY wrong, and I just wasn't willing to take such a big risk. Small though it may be, the risk of death with bypass is exponentially higher than it is with banding. I wanted to gain health, not create a malabsorptive disease in my body that I'd be dealing with for the rest of my life. Who knows, my opinion may change down the road. But for now I'm EXTREMELY glad the band was available and I was able to have it done. And I'm glad I did.

Congratulations on your success, and welcome to LBT!