Jim1967

Part of the problem is every Doctor is different and every Doctor has "rules or guidelines" he/she wants the patient to adhere to. That being said, I go to a center of excellence which is like an all inclusive weight loss center. They have in house psych counselors, Doctors and Nutritionists. Now I was told by the Nutritionist and my Surgeon NO carbonation of any kind. No soda even if its flat. Last month I was at a support meeting and one of the Nurse Practitioners answered a question about it saying soda was OK in small volume. I choose not to drink soda or any carbonated drinks as I want to keep my band and my pouch as healthy as possible. I was a terrible soda addict prior to surgery. I would easily devour a case of diet Pepsi in three days time. I thought giving it up would be tough but it wasn't. By the way Steak, chicken no issues as long as I chew it up really good. I had a stuck episode once involving chicken but it due to being a left over and dried out. Need to soak it in some type of sauce to moisten is up.

Based on your height and using the weight of 215 your BMI is just under 34. Plenty of BMI calculators online just google it. Also, if you want to know how to calculate it manually this site has the formula http://www.wikihow.com/Calculate-Your-Body-Mass-Index-%28BMI%29 Lapband requirements: http://www.lapband.com/en/lapband_is_for_you/medical_considerations/

My port is in the center of my stomach just to the lower left of my large incision and I do believe I have a hernia on the far right side of the same incision. I go to see my doctor tomorrow and will have it checked. I know its definitely not my port as the problem area is no where near the port and I can feel both.

OK, it's not the port. Once I laid down I could feel the port fine. I think I got a hernia. I have a Doc appointment on Tuesday and will seek some advice.

Hi All, I have been banded since April and all is going well. Today at work I noticed a pain in the middle right side of my stomach. Feels almost like a muscle strain but I haven't done anything. I have a sit down job banging on a keyboard all day. When I touch the area it feels almost like my port has drastically moved. Where my port normally is I cannot feel it. I know its all speculation but do you think my port separated from the muscle wall? Thanks,, Jim

You're probably still swollen up a bit which may keep you from feeling it. I couldn't find mine until I went in for my first fill and the Nurse found it.

Wow, sorry to be harsh but your husband sucks and not only is he an unsupported d**k he sounds like a bully. He is obviously uneducated on what the band does and how it works. Good luck to you. You have a long journey ahead of you with that kind of support system.

Same here. It's been since April. I drink decaf now. I tried a diet snapple the other day and it was pretty good and then I saw it has caffeine in it. I guess I will keep sticking with crystal lite.

Hi Jason and welcome. Everyone is giving you great advice here and it sounds like you got a good head on your shoulders and you're researching and not going into it blind and uneducated. If you want it bad enough you can do it. Take this waiting period and learn all you can. More you learn and prepare now will just make success more obtainable. At 488 pounds I felt hopeless....but I am doing it. It takes a lot of discipline but it must be done and done right or what's the point of it all. Good Luck and don't be a stranger around here. A lot of good people and resources on here. Jim

Congrats and good luck to you all. Pre-op anxiety is quite normal indeed...

Thanks all. I guess an occasional caffeine drink will not kill me. I was also told to avoid carbonation.

How much do you avoid caffeine? I really like diet snapple but I know it has caffeine. They say caffeine can lead to band erosion.

Hi Wendy, Welcome to the forum and best of luck on your journey. I am from Salem, NH and go through the Center of Excellence through Lowell General. Good Luck on your journey

Oddly enough my cravings and appetite disappeared after surgery...pretty strange feeling for a life long binge eater. After my last fill I just simply have no interest in food.

Sometimes your body has to get used to the weight loss and it goes into survival mode. Stick with it and try not to let it frustrate you to much. My Wife hid the scale on me because I became to obsessed with it. I was weighing in daily for a very long time.

Walking, walking and more walking is really the only thing that helps. Gas pain especially in the left shoulder is pretty common. I had it in the shoulder and my lower stomach area. Walking and drinking plenty of fluid is all that helped me get by.

My Wife was considering the Band as well but when we went to the seminar they said if anyone wants to have a baby they expect you to wait 1 year post op before doing so. She passed on the band at this time. Being 34 she didn't want to wait.

Hey Lady,,, Wow such a great achievement in such a short amount of time. Great job!! Sorry it took me so long to post. Between vacation and then finding out about my father's cancer returning I haven't been on here much. You're really doing awesome and you may not know this but you are among the few who really do inspire me to try harder and really work the band. Your numbers along with the shortness of time are absolutely incredible. - Jim

Cigna has definitely changed because I did the 6 months and was denied on day 1 for lack of information and they had my birth year wrong. They said I was under 18. As soon as that all got corrected I approved on day 3,

Doctors and Insurance companies want to make sure you're educated and mentally and physically ready for a life long commitment. This is not like going to the Dentist for a cleaning.

Awesome, Congrats!!

Strange tightness is not very noticeable to me....

Since my last fill I don't have much of an appetite and I don't get hungry for a good 4.5 hours. This past weekend my wife and I had breakfast and then went about our day then around 1pm as I was driving she looks at me and says "I'm getting hungry". And I turned at her and said "really?" and I must have made a weird face at her because she laughed at me and said "I don't want to hear it band boy" LOL...it was quite funny.

For me I appreciate it most when I feel like I've lost some weight even though I didn't step on a scale to confirm. Kind of like that empty feeling in your stomach but not like hunger. Not sure if that makes sense.

I was told to let them fall off on there own but by the time I went to my post op appointment all but one were gone so the Doc took it off so he could see how all the incisions were healing up.