Alexandra

There is nothing wrong with your band, first of all. Second of all, you're in the stage where LOTS of people start to worry and fret because their appetites have returned. It's NORMAL!!! If you're still on the post-op diet of liquids or mushies, in my opinion it's very important not to let yourself get too hungry. Go ahead and drink ALL the time, if that's what you need to stay satisfied. Don't worry about calories, this time is not about weight loss! It's about healing and making sure you don't stress your stomach too early. Liquids cannot damage your band's placement, so just don't worry about that at all. There is a world of soup for you to discover, and there is no reason at all to be hungry. Acidic things can absolutely cause heartburn, so just steer clear. You're doing just fine!!

Oh, Kimber-lilly, my heart breaks for you. I hope you and your family can find some answers.

Hi Pam, welcome to LBT!! Everyone has the same concerns, you're not alone. Just take it slowly and be patient, it's not an overnight change. You'll do just fine, and we're here to sympathize, empathize, and possibly answer a question or two along the way. You're on your way!!

You all look like you're have SUCH a good time. Someday, someday...sigh...

Miranda, that weird feeling in your throat is indeed restriction. food is getting halted in your pouch and perhaps in your esophagus a bit, and the sensation does sometimes feel like something caught in your throat. You'll learn how to translate the feelings, but take it very slow in the meantime. The best strategy is to WAIT between bites, until you can see how readily the food goes down. If you feel anything stuck in your throat, do NOT take another bite. Good luck!!

Miranda, there's no need to worry. We were just talking about this on another thread; it's not unusual for the doctor to be unable to pull out the exact amount that is "supposed" to be in the band. Evidently that's even more true for the VG band, which has compartments and lots of nooks and crannies for Fluid to sort of "hide." And don't worry about the amount! It may be that your "base" level of fill is whatever it is, like 7.5 or 8, at which point you feel good restriction. If you ever do need another fill, you may only need a tiny little tweaking amount, .5 ccs or less, to get your restriction level back. As the band gets adjusted to fit you, it takes less and less fluid to make noticeable differences in the restriction level. So don't worry!! No one has ever been filled to the max and not felt it. You will NOT need to be filled past the capacity of the band to be successful.

You've given me a great idea--I'm going to take those first-day shots of both my girls from here on out. And yes, indeedy, he IS a cutie!!!

I don't doubt one tiny bit that they tell you that. But I have a feeling that if I told my doctor this, he'd shake his head and say this is very unlikely to be the case. Anything is possible, for sure--maybe you have a very stable tube/band environment and it is in fact all coming out every time. My doctor's experience is different over hundreds of patients and thousands of fills, and I'm certain he has some good reasons for saying what he does. Not that it really matters in the bottom line, though. It's all about too little--not enough--just right.

I've never mentioned it to my dentist, but would if there were anything more than local anaesthetic involved.

Thanks, ladies. Parvathi, by "good" I didn't mean that I'd never fall off the bandster wagon, calorie-wise. What I was referring to is OVER-eating, and the behavior that leads to gastric or esophageal irritation. Hell, I'm still an ice cream addict, and proud of it. The goal I'm looking at is a long life with my band in place, and happy.

People can be such idiots, but it may help to think that MOST of them are asking because they truly care about you. Of course, some may just be nosy and possibly jealous, but whatever their reasons it's rude and tactless to ask anyone about their weight. Man, I just can't believe what people will do! It probably is a good idea to be circumspect, unless we really want attention from others and close examination of our waistlines. I know I didn't and I only told people close to me and who I thought could handle it. There's only one person I regret telling.

I had nothing but good news at my appointment today, I'm happy to say!! For those who have been following my saga, and whoever else may care, the word from the doctor is that my band is in great position, my esophagus still works, and my pouch is not enlarged to any great degree. Whew!! :banana :banana I wasn't really worried about a slip, but it's very unnerving to have a doctor tell you that's what your symptoms indicate. Since my recent unfill resolved my symptoms so completely, it seemed very unlikely that anything real was wrong. But still, having the doctor see immediately on the fluoro that everything was cool was SO reassuring, I almost wept. Dr. Bertha told me today that when "all" my fill was removed recently and only .8 cc came out, it very likely wasn't actually ALL my fill. Measuring the amount of fill just isn't an exact science, he said, and it's almost impossible to be precise about totals. Then he put an additional 1.1 in, leaving me with -- well, I don't know how much total but with what felt like a bit more restriction than I had going in. And that's what counts. So it seems that all my problems were likely my own fault, and I probably should have done a three-weeks-of-liquid regimen when I first started having symptoms. That's what I'll do the next time, if there ever is a next time. For now, I'm happy to have a clean bill of health for my band and a good level of restriction, and I promise I'll be a good little bandster-camper from here on out. (I PROMISE!) :D

Congratulations! :D

Babs, it sure sounds frustrating, I'll give you that. But just today I was told by a surgeon I deeply respect, that it's really impossible to get an accurate measure of how much saline is in the band at any given time. Two weeks ago I had what I was told was a total unfill, and the amount removed was only .8 cc. The doctor who removed it said sure, it's possible that's all that's in there. When today I told a different doctor this story, and expressed my surprise that after all my adjustments that's all that was in my band, he said (I paraphrase): I guarantee you there was more than .8 in your band. I could put in 2.5 right now and take it out, and not all would come back out. Or maybe more would. There is just no point in worrying about the specific amounts, because they are quite literally meaningless. My point is that worrying about who took out saline or where it disappeared to is just not worth it. It may very well have disappeared into your body somehow, or vanished in the ether. The things that really matter are that you don't have the restriction you feel you need, and that you're not being treated with proper respect by your doctor. THOSE are the items that need addressing, not what happened to a couple of cubic centimeters of Fluid. I submit that worrying about that is wasted energy.

It's just too filling for me. Not enough room in the pouch.

United Healthcare, on a corporate level, has a good track record in this regard. And any plan that is a PPO/indemnity plan is much more likely to pay for the procedure (as long as it's medically necessary) than the managed-care type of plans (HMO/POS). But really, all bets are off because there are so many local variables.

So adorable!! My older dd just started second grade (HOLY COW!!) and my younger is in pre-K also. It's a little sad--like their work has begun and they're joining the rat race. But I'm so proud of them both!!!

This is the acid test, it seems to me, and one I've failed too. It's unbelievable how, even two years after being banded, a lessening of restriction seems to be a ticket to complete indulgence with no thought to consequences. The future is NOW, and every unneeded calorie we take in is a tiny step back to where we came from, back to morbid obesity and all that entails. By the same token, every calorie avoided is a tiny step in the RIGHT direction, so we simply have to keep trying. Maybe carry your very least favorite before picture for inspiration? I wish I knew what the answer was, but one thing is for sure, it's in our own heads. Here's to keeping on keeping on.

It's so funny you should ask this! At the house we rented in Cape Cod last week, this magazine was lying on the coffee table. I never see this magazine, so I was interested to read it. The Bra Bible article was excellent! It didn't address foundation garments, though, just bras. And the basic advice was pretty much the same for everyone: make sure the band is snug and perfectly horizontal (i.e., not riding up in back). For a LOT of women, that will mean going down a size or so even if it seems tight when fastened on the loosest hook. The fabric will stretch with time, so starting out snug will give the bra longer life. And then look at the cup size and consider going up if there's any spillover or squishing in front. So, for example, a woman who thinks she's a 36B might actually do better in a 34 C or D. Or to translate that for women of size, if we think we're a 44DD but don't get the support we need, consider a 42 F. They also made the point repeatedly that the straps should only provide 10-20% of the support; the band should do most of the work. Of course, the recommended bras were all in the $50 - $80 range, except for the one that was in fact a 42F. THAT one was $167!!! Naturally. :rolleyes

Kerry, that sounds like your employer has permitted the standard exclusionary language to remain. It's possible there is a rider elsewhere in your documents that overrides this language. I hope so, at any rate. If there's nothing in your employer's deal or in your state regulations that countermands that language, you may be out of luck. That's a very clear exclusion.

Wow, that article is mindblowing. How prescient, and how even more unbelievable was our lack of preparedness.

One thing we can immediately do is change the name of this thread. We'll talk about starting a separate area for adult topics (which I don't particularly think is a good idea, but I'm open to discussing it). But I DO think we should take care to label threads appropriately, so those who don't want adult discussion can avoid it.

Here's my thinking on that: That's been suggested before, and I think the consensus was that it wouldn't be helpful. Personally, I think it's cyclical--given any particular day you might fine mostly good posts or mostly problem posts, but anyone reading for any length of time is going to see both. If they really look, in fact, I'll bet most of the posts in general are complaints of one sort or another. Separating out the "complications" would tend to emphasize them out of proportion, because we wouldn't have a separate forum for just the "good news"--and even if we did there woudn't be anyone posting after the first little while. Posting "I'm doing fine" gets boring after a while and people move on. All anyone has to do is start a thread asking for complications stories, and she'll get them. But if it is in fact true that MOST bandsters don't experience complications in any major way, we shouldn't highlight some stories in a way that would tend to make it seem otherwise.

This is the hardest part, waiting for the diagnosis. It may sound strange, but once you have the news it's easier to deal with than the waiting. My sister-in-law is being treated right now for breast cancer and she says the chemo isn't as bad as the pre-diagnosis waiting. Our hearts are with you and your mom at this very hard time. Fingers crossed for good news!!

Cathy, every state has different rules regulating insurance. The first place to check for your options is your state's insurance department. Here in NJ, for example, if you're even eligible for group insurance you simply are not eligible for insurance purchased as an individual, period. (While that sounds bad, the flip side is that if you are NOT eligible for group insurance, you cannot be turned down for individual coverage, medical conditions or no. So there's a good side.) So we can't possibly advise on what your options might be with regard to changing policies. But sure, it's always possible that another carrier might look at banding differently than BCBS IL does, so if you're eligible for some other policy through your employer definitely check it out.