Alexandra

Hi tlloyd! Welcome to bandland and congratulations on your surgery!! It's hard to say whether your burning port is "normal" based on just that. Does it seem to be healing oK otherwise? Is it closed, healed, not overly swollen? Healing wounds can itch a lot and maybe you're feeling a variation on that. If it's not pink and excessively warm to the touch it's probably not infected, but if you're at all worried a visit to your doctor is in order.

Interestingly, my doctor has never addressed the question of what to do after a negative episode. At least, not in my hearing. But then, I've never asked him. I know from my own experience to let my esophagus rest for at least three subsequent meals.

Donali, that was truly an awesome post. Once again, you are my rockin' hero. Everything she said was right on the money. You will learn your own personal stop signals. Mine are the deep breath, usually followed by a couple of hiccups about three minutes after I've stopped eating. And I can vouch for the negative effects of swallowing that saliva. Man, is that the wrong thing to do. I've had a tiny stuckage turn into the PB from hell just because I didn't feel like going to the sink to get rid of the saliva. Do yourself a favor, spit it out. Trust us on this one.

This just made me laugh out loud, Pam. If I'd been drinking there'd be liquid all over my monitor. But you make a very good point. I don't eat just for the physical motions of eating anymore (well, most of the time I don't). If the food isn't really good, I don't bother. And air-popped popcorn just isn't worth bothering for. Give me the real thing every time.

It could indeed be that your swelling has gone, yes. And it might not be that you feel any restriction whatsoever, yet. But you should also start trying Protein food, like meats, rather than just the carbs. Experiment with a wide range of foods so that when you do go for your fill, you'll know how whether you have any restriction or not. And that will dictate the amount of your adjustment. Good luck, and remember to take it slow!

Tricia, I love all of those. That would be fabuloso! (See, right about now I need the thumbs-up smiley guy. But all I have is )

Hi Tshyyone, Welcome to LBT!! Probably the best place to start with a surgeon recommendation is Inamed's website, www.inamed.com. They train the doctors to install their band, so they're a good source for referrals. Are you trying to get insurance to pay for it? Once you have a list of docs in your area, the next step is to figure out which ones are in your insurer's network. That will probably eliminate most of the guesswork from finding a surgeon. Many people in New Jersey travel to NYC for banding, and there are at least a few surgeons in Northern New Jersey who are very experienced (mine included). So if you can't find someone really close to home, there are lots of options farther afield. Nice to meet you!

Isa, "bumping" just means adding a post to the end of a thread so it will jump to the top of the section. That way people can see it who may not have seen it before. And "DH" stands for d--- husband, usually, with the D meaning "dear" most of the time. Could mean darling, could mean danged, could be well, lots of things. And just to add my two cents to the topic at hand, I have to say that I'm not aware of any additional gas or burping/farting activity since banding. I certainly have grumbly noises in my tummy and sometimes in my throat, but that's about it. So it's not inevitable--or maybe it's just that it's not permanent. Maybe it did happen to me and I've forgotten about it.

Hey Tricia, I once asked Alex if we could get more smilies, and he said sure if I can supply them. I'm a technical doofus so I didn't have any clue how to do that. But it sounds like you know! Can you get in touch with Alex the owner of this board to increase our list of smilies? We're seriously in need of some new ones!! Another board I'm on has some I can't live without. (Especially the LOL laughing face. I'm dyin' here without it!)

WELCOME TO BANDLAND!!! Congratulations, Crystal, and it sounds like you're in great shape. I LOVED Trader Joe's for my post-op diet. Just wait till you get to the mushy phase--they have great pates and cheeses there. YUM!!! Glad you could join us here in the land of the banded gentry. (Love that phrase! )

I love popcorn. Like Paula I'm not picky.

The smallest size I'd ever had before banding was a size 18 dress I got into briefly after a stint with Optifast. NOW the smallest size thing I have that fits is a size 14 tank top from Avenue (which is really probably a 16 at least). I love buying in the teens!!

I moved this thread from the "Suggestions" board so more people will see it. Jennifer, congratulations on your banding date! To get some positive feedback look through the Before and After pictures thread, or the one on Total Weight lost by LBTers. That will give you all the positive feedback you need. Seriously, I've been banded going on 19 months and I have not regretted it for one millisecond. I'm by no means thin, but I'm 100 lbs smaller than I used to be and it has given me a new lease on life. Every day is improved by being smaller, more flexible, more energetic, faster, etc., etc., etc. I LOVE MY BAND.

My GYN was a huge help to me in getting my file together. During the 6 years before my surgery I'd been seeing her regularly through attempts to conceive and two babies. She had loads of notes on my weight and other health stuff she was watching. Not only was she able to say that I lost weight between babies but also substantiate my otherwise good health, which bolstered my argument that I wasn't interested in RNY. Your not wanting to wait more than a month is totally understandable, Christina. But I think you're closer than you realize to an approval. Definitely give it another go!! You'll probably find that it's impossible to collect if you have surgery and then fight them. One element of many insurance policies is a strictly enforced precertification requirement for surgery, and if you proceed without that they really do not have to ever pay for it.

Hi there, You can find loads of personal experiences just by looking through the current and older threads. Welcome to LBT!!

I think letting several weeks go by between fills is a good idea, since they can change on you and take you by surprise. Most doctors would say give it a month, at least.

I've never even heard of an all-noodle diet. Sounds like a no-win plan to me. (Or should I say, no-lose?)

Christina, I so can relate to your rollercoaster. I went around and around with my insurer for 9 months before winning on external appeal. But I won, and you will too. You have three specific reasons for denial and have already addressed one of them. The BMI thing will just take another letter from your doctor, maybe mentioning two or three co-morbidities that you have and maybe just weren't included in the first letter. And the other thing is just a matter of time, if you can't put together notes from the last two years detailing a physician-supervised plan. Start it now and re-apply in six months, and you'll have it. I know six months sounds like a very long time, but if insurance is the only way it can be done it's well worth the wait. But I think a couple of well-worded letters from your PCP, your surgeon, and maybe an OB/GYN that you may have seen in the last couple of years could turn the tables on you. This sounds like a routine appeal they are likely to overturn themselves if pushed a little. You were NOT told it wasn't covered, so you're in great shape there. This is just a small obstacle to be gotten around, and you will do it I'm sure. I know we don't have to say don't give up.

Let me add that while I was home the same day, I wasn't exactly up and hopping. I live 15 minutes from the hospital and I just wanted to be home more than anything. Personally I feel the worst place to recuperate from anything is in a hospital.

This is a great reminder!! Plateaus are nothing to get upset about because there are those weeks and months with more-dramatic weight loss to balance it all out. The math may be easier if you do it by months. For example, I've been banded 18 months. I've now lost (since the day of survery), just about 90 lbs. 90 divided by 18 is 5, meaning an average loss of 5 lbs a month--that's more than a pound a week, which is right on target.

Hi Dlynn! Sounds like you're well on your way and have things in good order. But I'd definitely ask again about having major surgery done in the doctor's office. That's HIGHLY unusual. General anaesthesia is nothing to fool around with, and that's what this involves. I had mine done as an outpatient procedure but it was in the hospital. The surgery started at about 8:00 a.m. and I was home by 2:00 p.m. Your surgeon may have been talking about having adjustments done in the office, which is a whole different thing. The initial surgery really must be done in a hospital setting.

Whoa, slow down!! You have a lot of research to do before deciding whether this is for you. You just discovered it yesterday? Have you ever considered weight-loss surgery before that? I can understand your enthusiasm but this is a very big step and not one just to take lightly. But to answer your questions, how you proceed depends on your situation. If you want insurance to cover it the usual place to start is with a physical at your primary care doctor. Make sure you get the diagnosis of Morbid Obesity into your record. Then see a bariatric surgeon who performs the surgery (visit www.inamed.com for names in your area). Whether you need a referral from your PCP or not depends on your insurance plan. The surgeon will examine you and let you know what pre-op testing or procedures are necessary, and will make the request for precertification from your insurer. If all signals are go you'll be on your way. If you're not going through insurance you just call an appropriate surgeon and make an appointment. Good luck!!

I used to do Protein drinks until I realized that the amount it took to fill me up was way more than I needed. 8 ozs just wouldn't have done it for me, so I was drinking 24-32 ozs at a cost of hundreds and hundreds of calories. Protein Bars work way better for me, and the Atkins ones also have 10 grams of Fiber, which is a big plus. I don't eat bread, no. If I am really hungry I might have a bite or two of the bread or wrap my sandwich came in, but most of the time I just toss it out. It's not that it gets stuck for me, but it fills me up too fast and I can't eat anything else. At this point I've had four fills and two unfills, putting me at a level of restriction I can live with. The last adjustment was an unfill in response to reflux I was having at night. I don't actually know how much saline I have in my band, just that I like the level of restriction I have right now. I live in Morris County. Sure wish I was closer to the shore!!

Hi Mandy, Banding doesn't affect your physical exams in any way, except that your doctors will be thrilled with your weight loss. At my recent physical I had to remind my PCP what that hard thing was in my abdomen, but it wasn't in the way or anything. How long you'll be sore is hard to answer--a few weeks? Whether you want to wear a medical ID bracelet or carry around a card post-banding is a personal decision. I don't. My thinking is just that if I'm not conscious I'd have bigger worries than whether anyone is putting a scope down my stomach. Wearing a bracelet would be a constant irritant to me--a reminder that I'm not "normal"--and it just doesn't seem worth it.

Hi Kirsten, Ahhh, the "half-cup per meal" myth rears its head again. You'll hear lots of people saying they eat way more than that, and lots of others saying that they have no trouble surviving on less than that. My POV is that we should eat as much as it takes to make us feel satisfied, and that amount will vary depending on where you are in your restriction. There's nothing to be gained by agonizing over whether a half-cup is measured by weight or volume, or whether six grapes take up the entire thing, or whatever, if the end result is that you're still hungry. I think the rule should be re-stated as: Eat slowly and carefully until you are not hungry anymore. And pay attention--it will happen a lot sooner than you think! My typical day starts with a Protein bar or a cheese snack. Something that dissolves pretty readily. If I'm able I sometimes will eat some raisin bran, but it just doesn't stick with me as long as a protein meal will. lunch is the insides of a deli sandwich or a chef salad. Eating the protein first means I usually don't eat much else. At most I'll eat a bite or two of the bread or wrap the sandwich came in. When I'm very restricted I only eat half the sandwich's guts. If I need a snack it's typically a handful of nuts. dinner is usually a piece of whatever meat my husband has made, and a small amount of vegetables. Dessert is almost always ice cream. (I'm an addict.)