Alexandra

Hi CathyRN! Welcome to LBT!! So how are things going for you? We'd love to hear more about you and your banding journey, and provide whatever support, information, or advice we can. Please feel free to post and ask whatever you want. There are no stupid questions!

Bschucher, typically insurance carriers have to pay for medically necessary care. If you have a band implanted and something happens to it later on, the care involved would be considered medically necessary and therefore be covered. It doesn't matter if your carrier paid for the initial surgery or not; if the complication is far enough out from surgery that it isn't part of the same procedure -- that is, after you've healed -- it should be covered as a new medical situation. But do check with your carrier to be sure, since laws vary from state to state. Look through your plan document to find the list of exclusions. Good luck!!

Yeeehaaa!! Congratulations, Carolyn!! I'm so glad to hear this, and June 6 is a great day for banding. We'll keep a seat warm for you here in bandland!

Bubbame, remember that a "roll" is cut into six or so pieces, so three of them would be probably more than you can eat. If you're eating just the fish--sashimi, which is sushi with no rice--you could eat maybe 8-10 pieces if they're smallish. Sashimi is more expensive because it doesn't have the rice and vegetable fillers, but it's SO worth it.

Spldgrl, as soon as you're on full liquids you can start exploring the world of Soup. Any seafood soup or egg-based soup will have lots of Protein, along with Protein drinks. For this stage there are, I think, some protein powders that dissolve fully in liquids--Benefiber makes a protein supplement that dissolves as well as their Fiber supplement and could be taken in Water. And aren't there clear protein drinks, too? Go to a health food store and ask about that. Good luck, and remember this stage is TEMPORARY! You'll feel better before you know it.

Paula, OH MY GOD!!!! You have lucked in to the perfect situation. I'm so jealous!!! As for the move, Kathy's right. I am now the proud owner (WITH a hefty mortgage, though) of my family's "ancestral" home, and I love sharing stories of my childhood visits there with my kids. My mother and her siblings grew up in the house, and there have been three family marriages under the maple trees in front. In various rooms we have old photos taken decades ago in those same rooms with members of previous generations. My daughters are the fourth generation of our family living in the house, and they get a huge kick out of that. So yeah, you're moving, but look WHERE you're moving! You can make it a wonderful "coming-home" event for them and really set roots down that they'll appreciate. The moving itself will be over soon but the sense of belonging will be permanent. Congratulations!

Time for the lecture: Once you are healed from surgery, your regular signals will return. It's NORMAL to be hungry now! But you're still on liquids or eating mushies, so it's a little harder to keep satisfied than it will be when you can eat solid food. To my mind it's very important to try, though, so that you don't compromise your healing phase by going too quickly to solids. IMO, postops should be encouraged to eat or drink as much as they need to stay satisfied. When you're back on normal food you may very well not feel much change from before your surgery with regard to how much you can eat--your band is not designed to be effective without any saline in it. Most people don't feel restriction until after a fill or two, although if you pay attention you will likely find that your capacity has dropped and it really does take somewhat less to make you feel full. Patience. This is not a race and you will not suffer any long-term negative effects if you eat enough now to stave off the grumbly tummy. After you get adjustments is the time to be looking at whether you have restriction or not. At this point, you probably don't and that is NORMAL. As for why you're "not losing weight" that's just what the scale says today. Don't micro-analyze the numbers! In a couple of weeks you will probably be down 10 pounds or so and be laughing at your initial worry. Please just be sure to get enough Protein in now and don't compromise your healing by going to solids too quickly. Take care of your hunger.

And the answer to your question is that no, most people even with the smaller band do not feel any restriction before getting a fill. Sorry, dude, you're NORMAL!

Productive Burp (or Belch). I hate that phrase, but it's so widely used I gave in. :rolleyes

Leatha, truer words were never spoken. No one should go for more than a few nights with reflux waking them up. It's dangerous and does NOT assist in weight loss.

Hi Desertmom, If I'm reading your sig right you were just banded a few days ago, right? This is a post-op bloating phase that will indeed pass. Do you have a postop checkup scheduled soon? If it doesn't resolve you might want to talk to your doctor, but I'm sure this is just gas or other post-op healing issues. You'll feel better soon!!

Hi Bob!! Thanks for letting us know how Nick is doing. I'm so glad all went well, and yes, I'm sure you're right that it's a bit soon to be trying Protein shakes. Tell him to stick with Clear liquids for another day or two and try again. Give him our best wishes for a speedy and uneventful recovery, and the same to you too!!

Babs, what are you trying to say? LOL!! :)

Hi there, All of the adjustable bands are designed to work the same way. The only real differences are the lengths and fill capacities, as far as I know. The type of band you get depends on a couple of factors. If you're banded in the U.S., you will get one of the Inamed bands--the only ones approved for use by the FDA. Inamed has, I think, two sizes of band, one that holds 4 ccs of Fluid and one that holds up to 10 ccs of fluid (known as the VG band). The length of the smaller band is either 9.75 cm or 10 cm: I don't know if that's two different sizes or two ways of referring to the same thing (since 1/4 of a centimeter isn't very much). The VG band isn't referred to by length, since it has a name. The Swedish or MIDbands are made by other manufacturers and are only used in other countries. If you're here in the US your choices are limited by the FDA and then by your doctor, who will decide which size of Inamed band your body needs. Hope that helps!

Hi Mary, Congratulations on your banding and welcome to LBT!! Care to tell us a little about yourself? We're practically neighbors--I'm in Morris County north of 80. Who was your surgeon? Are you healing up nicely, I hope? Hope to see more of you on the boards!

Once I was on solids, I definitely noticed a difference in my capacity from pre-banding. I may have "felt like I could eat a house" from time to time, but it really only took about half my usual amount to fill me up. The trick was eating slowly enough to really feel that signal. I don't think I ever had a really "hard" stop, but the soft stop signals were absolutely there. And then once I had a fill, wow, the brakes really went on. So take it slowly, you don't know what your reaction to solid food will be.

Umm, I'd probably wait until you've been on mushies for a week or so. And then take little bites. Enjoy!!

Hi Kel, welcome to LBT!! It sure sounds like you have the same thing DeLarla complained about, and it doubtless isn't serious. It shouldn't get in the way of your having a fill, since if it moves it can be moved out of the way of the needle. Just ask your doctor about it on Thursday. If you're not seeing the doctor and someone else is doing your fill, you might want to try to make an appointment at the same time. Nothing is too small to ask your doctor about, so never feel like you're bothering him or her. Good luck with your fill and let us know how it goes!

Whew! Now take it slowly and learn to love the sensation of restriction that doesn't actually hurt.

That sounds painful indeed, but I don't know what it might have to do with your unfill. Unless perhaps the needle hit a nerve and irritated it? Good luck finding out what's up!

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE SASHIMI!! It's the perfect bandster food, and if the rice is really mushy that works too. But I steer clear of the seaweed since an awful PB incident myself once. My favorite part of sushi is the fish, so I do VERY WELL at sushi places. "Sashimi lunch special, please" is my favorite phrase.

Hi David, welcome!!

Nykee, sounds like you're doing great! It's a terrific idea to keep your cash at home (but do carry your wallet), because even though fast food places do take credit, you don't want to pay with a credit card for one hot dog or something. How embarrassing that would be! I posted this on another thread, but I'll repeat it here: Why not try substituting calorie-free liquids for your milk and juice? Breaking the kind of drinking habit that you have will be hard to do all at once. (I mean between meals--you really do want to NOT drink at all for an hour after eating.) Lots of liquid is a good thing, but not if it's loaded with calories. Try those great flavored waters! They're really delicious and you can drink three gallons of them if you want. Propel and Fruit2O are two brands, and there are loads of others. You're doing great!! So did they say you could get a fill, and if so, when? After your fill you may find that a grilled cheese sandwich isn't the best bet for lunch. The bread makes it hard to eat. Start stocking your kitchen with other options--chili, tuna, deli meats maybe. The day will come and you don't want to be unprepared!

Nykee, don't think for one second that you don't have to work with the bypass as well!! When all is said and done you will be better off for having had the band, because you will have kicked these addictions and habits that you know are keeping you from getting healthy. The bypass would make you lose weight, initially, but unless you got a real grip on those harmful habits the weight would come back on after the first year or so. Why not try substituting calorie-free liquids for your milk and juice? Breaking the kind of drinking habit that you have will be hard to do all at once. (I mean between meals--you really do want to NOT drink at all for an hour after eating.) Lots of liquid is a good thing, but not if it's loaded with calories. Try those great flavored waters! They're really delicious and you can drink three gallons of them if you want. Propel and Fruit2O are two brands, and there are loads of others.

This is always a big topic of conversation, but it's really nothing to worry about! You will very likely notice more hair falling out than you did before surgery, for a while about 4-6 months after banding. But by the time you notice it it's already growing back. And you'll be so much more interested in the weight you're losing that the hair won't bother you one bit! It all comes back, and you will not go bald. I promise.