Alli in StL

I've had a heck of a time these last several months. I've had some health issues and dealing with the deaths of a couple of people very close to me. In the midst of it all, I haven't given the band or the weight loss much thought. My last appointment was 4 months ago and my dr and I decided to not add more to the band because I didn't know if I would be having surgery. It's finally looking like I will be avoiding surgery (yay!) and my next appointment is tomorrow. Even though I haven't had a fill in a while and I am not in my green zone, I've still managed to lose a couple pounds. I'm not sure how I managed that, but I won't complain! I am so glad I'm back to a point where I can really focus on the weight loss again. I am so confident, though, that if I didn't have the band, I would have certainly gained weight during this time, and a lot of it. I had been feeling sorry for myself because I hadn't lost more weight, but I'm done with that. I've lost 50 pounds! That's amazing! How can I possibly be upset about that?

Hi, ladies. I'm also in the St. Louis area. I was banded a little over a year ago. I would love to chat with any of you that have questions or just want to talk to someone else that "gets it". Where are you having (or had) your surgery? My hospital has a support group, but I'm so uncomfortable around new people, I haven't been. Isn't that horrible? Do any of you know of a good one around here? It'd be awesome if I could find one during the day. I think it would help tremendously to get myself to one.

I would think that if you're already having problems with the office and you haven't even been approved yet, you should be looking for a different doctor.

I have cigna and its waiting on approval my bmi is 35.4 but my problem has not been with cigna yet its with the Lap Band office they are awful I really don't think I will be approved even tho I have sleep apnea and hypothridisim its worse than anything I have ever been through and I haven't even had to deal with cigna,becarefull who you chose to go through to do it ,it can be the difference between yes and no

Kara,

I think you'll really love Dr. Minkin. He has such great bedside manner and is so supportive. This last year of being banded has not been easy on me. Even though I haven't lost as much weight as I'd hoped, he's been wonderful. He's been very encouraging and not at all judgmental. If you need anybody locally to talk to, feel free to message me.

Alli

I love hearing good things about him! I was recommended to him by my doctor and I'm going to a seminar of his soon! I hope I can get banded by the end of the year pending insurance approval. Congrats to you all on your weight loss journey!

Weighing in at 269.8 this week. Woohoo! Down 5.8 from last week, and have surpassed my goal for the challenge.

Allison checking in.

Jan 1 - 280

Jan 8 - 277.6

Jan 15 - 275.6, -2 more pounds, for a total of 4.4!

Weight on Jan 8 - 277.6, so down 2.4!

Name, real or screen~ Allison

Age~ 32

Goal weight for January 29th~ 272

Weight on January 1st~ 280

Dietary goal for January~ Drink the recommended amount of Water every day.

Exercise goal for January~ 30 minutes 3x week

Personal goal for January~ Journal every day

Date banded~ 9/8/11

Total weight loss since banding/pre op diet~ 25lb

What is your goal weight for the coming year~ 200lb

I also use Dr. Minkin. I adore him. I agree that he's extremely patient and had a great bedside manner. I'm so glad I chose him to help me on this journey!

I currently have 4.5cc in a 10cc band. I had 3cc put in at surgery and then had to have a complete unfill because I was so swollen after surgery, I couldn't keep anything down. When I was ready to have a fill again, he put 3cc back in and I could tell a small difference, but not much. A couple weeks ago, I went back and he put in 1.5 more and I can definitely tell a difference now. I go back in about a month, but at this point, I don't think I'll get another fill. It does take a while, but it's worth it. Sure, I haven't lost weight as fast as I might have liked. I can tell you, though, that if I hadn't had the surgery, instead of having lost what I have, I would have weighed more. I have no doubt about it.

I think it's harder on the body. It's harder to heal when you have another surgery so close. That being said, if it presents a real danger to you, I don't think your surgeon will do it.

I had the same problem when I was banded in September. In my case, I was too tight because of swelling and had to go in for an unfill. I was on the verge of needing to be hospitalized due to dehydration. Dont be like me and assume that it's just part of the journey. If you can't keep anything down, call your dr.

Hi!

Hi

I'm at the start of my journey. I want to start exercising, but what's the best cardio for bad knees? I know swimming is good, but it's not an option for me at this time.

Thanks!

I also have Short Term Disability, but they'll only pay me as long as the dr says I can't work. I did tell him what I do and gave him a copy of my job description. I think he just didn't think about it when he was filling out my paperwork. I am feeling better this week and am making sure to take it easy and not do too much.

Hello all... This was something that really scared me in the beggining. I am a truck driver and I also work on the docks on a forklift. When I hook a set of trailers i have to lift this thing called a converter dolly that weighs almost 3,000lbs. Its on wheels but it is very heavy. then Im also opening up trailer doors, picking up packages, and climbing in and out the truck & forklift. Besides that just riding in the truck hitting bumps and railroad tracks send me bouncing and my stomach is always moving and jerking. So i spoke with my job and they have okay'd me to be off for awhile. We also have short term disability which i am eligible for so i can stay off work until I am truly sure I'm ready to go back. I believe if you weren't ready you could've told your doctor to give you more time but I know its hard being off work and not being paid because life and bills go on... Im very thankful for the benefits of short term disability cuz if not i don't know what I would have done. I hope everything goes well with you and try to be careful and take care of yourself. you are whats most important in this factor. So make sure you put you & your health first. Good luck and much success with everything!!!

I was so weak and tired also, which surprised me since I'd never felt like that after other surgeries I've had. I think it's because after surgery, we're on liquids and not getting the calories that we were getting before. It takes the body a bit to recover from that. I know some people can go to work 3 days after surgery, but I am not one of them. It's just taking me a little longer to recover, but that's ok. You'll feel better soon. Listen to your body and sleep when you need to and know that it will take a few days after going back to work to get back in the groove.

My doc released me to go back to work last week. I was surprised, though, that he didn't list any restrictions for my return. I'm not allowed to work out with weights until at least 6 weeks post op, but he thinks it's ok for me to go back with no restrictions? I work 10 hour shifts and spend my nights bending, twisting, and lifting 55lb boxes. Thankfully, I work with great people and instead of making me work by my lonesome, someone came in to help out. I still managed to hurt myself by lifting something that did not weigh that much at all and had to take the next two nights off work. So I'm curious about others that have jobs that require heavy lifting or other physical demands. Were you ok going back or did you also have to take it really slow?

On a side note, I was supposed to have an appointment this Wednesday for a fill, but had to reschedule because I just can't afford it. (Especially with being out another 2 days last week.) Unfortunately, the next opening available isn't until Nov 2. I'll get by. It will just give me extra time to heal before having to deal with a fill.

I have Cigna. All my stuff was submitted on a Monday and I was approved the next day. I did have to do a 6 month supervised diet before submitting to insurance.

Yep, me too. I actually had to make sure to list aspartame as an allergy when I got banded so they wouldn't give me any sugar free items. Aspartame is the worst for me; it causes a Migraine with vomiting within minutes of ingesting even a small amount. They all give me headaches though.

I always say the same thing. I am not diabetic so why all the sugar free things. I am assuming its the calories too. I have to say all this sugar free stuff tends to give me a headache. Does this happen to anyone else?

I experienced this also. I thought was getting enough fluids, but I wasn't. Once I got Fluid taken out of my band (I was too tight), I was able to get more fluids and felt better. Also, moving to full fluids helped tremendously. Do you normally take blood pressure medicine? If so, you'll want to monitor it. If your pressure is too low, that can cause you to feel lightheaded also.

So I went to the dr today. We talked about what I was experiencing, and he confirmed that it sounded like I was really swollen and the band was too tight. He took out all the Fluid, which was about 3cc, and I feel tons better! He said that it's a rare occurrence in his office to have a band too tight right out of surgery, but that's me.....an overachiever. It hurt so bad to have him press on my stomach to locate the port. So now my stomach feels like I just got out of surgery and is all swollen again! I'm excited to see how quickly I progress in my recovery now that I feel better on the inside. I finally get to start full liquids tomorrow and am hating my band a little less than I did yesterday.

-Alli

Well, the day's not getting any better, that's for sure. I was relaxing, taking my itty bitty sips of Water, when all of the sudden, it happened. My mouth start producing so much saliva and that feeling hits me. Yep.......I "threw up". Seems a bit silly to call it that since nothing actually comes up. It's soooo painful! Once I recovered, I called the drs office again. I have an appointment set up for tomorrow. The dr thinks I need to be unfilled. I didn't even know he'd filled me! I'm so hoping that tomorrow will bring me some relief. I honestly have no interest in having any Fluid in my band until my body is healed and adjusted to this foreign object.

Thanks so much to you guys. I know in my head that it's just Bandster Hell, but that doesn't stop the emotions from going overboard, does it?

Alli

I just have to get it out to people that understand. My poor husband is trying to be understanding, but he hasn't gone through it, so just doesn't get it, ya know? I am 6 days post op and right now, I just want the band out. It sucks. This whole Clear liquids thing is the worst thing ever. I'm so light headed, even though I'm following all the rules. The drs office told me to stop my blood pressure meds, sip on Protein Shakes all day and it should get me through the next couple days. I'm just so tired of all the same stuff......water, broth, diluted juice, Protein shakes. I can't have the sugar free stuff that I read everyone talking about. At this point, I don't care about restriction, I don't care about fills, I just want to be done with it. I want to lay down in my bed comfortably. I want to hug my kids without hurting. Why did I do this?

-Alli

Welcome! I was just banded on the 8th. Like you, I can't wait to see where this journey takes me.

Hi there! I am 49, live in North East Texas and am 2 days post op from my banding. I am so excited, thrilled to have finally taken this step. The program I am in seems very structured, and I LOVE that! I have followed my surgeon's instructions to a T and plan to be very successful with my new tool! I love interacting with people and look forward to learning how to live with my new friend, the band!

As I said in an earlier post, I was banded on Thurs, Sept 8. How do those of you that crush your pills take them? I'm thinking just mix it with a spoonful of applesauce? I can't believe I haven't put more thought into the logistics of it before now. Also, is it normal to not want anything but Water?

Thanks!

Alli