seanmama

Thanks for all your kind replies guys! Zoe, yes actually I have had to buy a new wardrobe- I have gone from a size 22 to a size 10/12. No doubt if I lose more, I will have to again- can be pricey! Advice for new bandsters- FOLLOW THE RULES. Your band is NOT a magic bullet it is a tool- you must still use your brain! Be tenacious about finding your sweet spot- you should be able to eat almost anything, without discomfort, BUT only a tiny amount of it. I am unable to eat more than about 2 tablespoons at any given time- and depending on what I ate, I will stay full a really long time. I never, ever drink and eat (I have 2 friends who have been doing this ever since they were banded and they have lost a fraction of what I have lost, so...) And, don't believe what the literature says about losing all your weight in the first 6 months- this is not necessarily true- heck, it took me at least that long to figger out how to live with my little best friend! My loss has been slow and fairly steady. Each day is a little different and I can't always eat the same thing one day from the next, but variety is the spice of life right?!! And, watch out for high calorie fluids like ice-cream- try to avoid. I drink Protein shakes every day- have become quite the master of smoothie blending- I had to do this because my hair was falling out in bunches from too low protein. I try to focus mainly on consuming around 60 grams of protein every day- one smoothie easily takes care of 30-45g. Sorry if I sound like I have all the answers!! But I know when I was first banded I felt so insecure and petrified. My mantra was "what if it does not work for me?" Well guys it has and is and I am living la vida loco!!! YEEHA!!!

Hello, Just a quick word of encouragement...I have had my band now for one year and have reached my personal goal of 155lb. I now plan to go beyond my wildest dreams and attempt to get down to my "medical" goal of 135lb!!! I am posting because I want to give encouragement to everyone- it is a long, hard road, but well worth it! Merry Xmas to all Seanmama

Also go to the following groups on Yahoo Groups: BandsterInsurance Smartbandsters Venting-bandsters This is where I got a blueprint for my appeal letter.

I was also denied amd then appealed the denial myself and got approved. I basically wrote a really long and detailed letter about my obesity history and the related medical and psychological problems, attached a whole bunch of medical records relating to my "comorbidities" and was approved about 3months later. Good luck!

Thanks ladies! I am currently at what I think is my "sweet spot". I only have 1.25cc in, but can eat almost anything, only a very small amount though! This is a far cry from 2 previous fills when I have been too tight and ended up unable to swallow anything. The difference is now it does not hurt every time I eat- which is what happened before.

Does anyone have heartburn? I used to get it frequently and badly before my surgery, but it stopped after I lost weight. Now it is back and really bothering me. Tums, etc does not help. It is a burning throat/chest sensation and not connected to eating or drinking. Help!

Thank heavens I am not alone in this! I feel embarassed to talk about it to anyone. The remedies you all post are great, thanks. The only problem is I am so tight that I can only eat or drink a very little at a time- like 1/4 cup at most- and then stay full so long afterwards, that I don't seem to be able to manage to get in enough water or fiber. I am going to try the Atkins bars- hope the consistency is tolerable for me.

Okay- now we will all be skinny, bald, with hairy legs and arms....and chronically constipated!!! What a hilarious picture!!!LOL!

Does Veninga still do bariatrics? There is one more here locally-(Plano Presby) Dr Horrileno- does mainly Roux-en-y here , but has done a few bands too. There are actually tons of surgeons who do em here in DFW, but the issue is getting one to take you on as a pt?

Oh, and, where did you get your band?

Hello Leatha, Thanks for your note- how nice to find a neighbour. Yes, I know Hamn and Cribbins won't take pts from other surgeons- and I believe they might sign off on you if you go elsewhere for a fill. I will stick it out and work with them- after all I have come this far. (One suggestion I made was that they get a Nurse Practitioner to help- something I would love to do, but I am about 3 years away from getting my MSN.) Now all I need to do is be a good bandster....

You know how it goes...one always thinks of how one should have handled the situation in hindsite. I plan to not let this go. I happen to be a nurse at the hospital where these guys practice and know them well. So, will make sure they know my opinion about their new "system". How would I get in touch with the Inamed person? I have actually wondered about this before.

Thanks ladies, I thought it was just me!! I recall seeing some info about a place here in the Dallas area that does fills- does anyone have the details please? I think it may have been a free standing diagnostic radiology place where they can and do use fluoro.

I called my drs office this morning to set up a fill as I am starting to gain weight and feel no/VERY little restriction. The receptionist told me that they have a new procedure where the pt comes in, gets weighed and fills out a questionaire before getting set up for a fill. Okay, sounded fine. Well, I went in, filled out the questionaire (very basic, like how often do you vomit, how much do you eat, how often do you exercise, etc) and got weighed (- and payed a copay). Then the nurse turned to me and said , see you, bye, we will call you. I was a little taken aback, and asked her was I to wait in the waiting room for the dr ? No she says, we will call you. I said about what? She then tells me that "they will consult", decide if I need a fill based on the questionaire and will call me to tell me when the next available date is. BOY OH BOY!!! I do not like decisions being made about me, my body, my anything, without my personal input!! Right at this point one of the other surgeons walks past and overhears and interupts. He explains to me that many pts are mismanaging their fills and are requesting fills every 2 weeks, to the point that they are taking up all the slots and those pts that need fills are not able to get in. Mmmmm?!? Thanks for letting me vent... any comments?

Thankyou ladies for replying. I am always encouraged by the genuine caring shown by members of this website. My fill history- well, believe it or not, I have only had one fill of 1.5cc!! I have no plans to get another fill until I learn to live with my band successfully- it makes me way too miserable to hurt and not to be able to eat!