waitingpatiently

I only have 4cc in a 10 cc bandand sometimes I wonder if I really even have a band.....maybe he just pretended to put it in to collect the insurance money....jk of course......It just takes time. but we will get there.

Good Morning eveyone!! I had my 3 fill yesterday. Thats 4 cc in a 10cc band so hope that will give me some restriction.----I met my June goal to loose 8 pounds. It was hard fought, the scale gave me what I wanted to see this morning. So my weight today is 189!! only 24 more pounds to go !!

Thats awesome...what a great story. Congrats!!

I can tell you from personal experience that you come to this site in different stages. Before I had the band, I lived on here...I asked every question I could think of and read every success story I found.---stayed away from the horror stories. The first month after the band I lived on here as well...everything was new, I asked my questions and came to the group for encouragement to get through the awfull 6 week post op diet----everyone was so awesome!! Now that I'm several months out...I only check in a few times a week. And since things are going smoothly, I rarely ask questions. My point is, as sad as it is....I can see myself not relying on the site as much anymore....and won't probably be as active as time goes on..................But I will tell you this...the first time I'm unsure about something....this is the first place I will come!! And I think that is the same idea that others have. They kind of drift away when everything is going smoothly.....but they come back when they need advise or are in crisis. So don't worry too much about something going wrong. Your odds are the same as everyone elses....5% of us will have a slipped band and less than 1% of us will die from a complication....Those odds are pretty good compared to those of living a life trapped in an obese body. Just be proactive....Its kinda of like a person allergic to bees. Most of us wouldn't run to the ER because we were stung. But if you are allergic to bees and are stung, you dont wait arounnd to see if the symptoms will go away, you rush to the hospital. Same with the band. You know what you are looking for....so if think something is going wrong....don't wait around!! seek help ASAP!!

Thanks Again Lisa for keeping up with the numbers!!

I haven't seen those. I will have to look around for them.----And Yes....it is definately filling....holds me for hours. Yep the calorie count comes in at 185 so we are just about the same....cool

I agree with you about the medicaid....I'm all for helping out my fellow american...but not for the rest of their lives!! So i guess it becomes a discussion as to how long a person should be allowed to stay on medicaid? And should it not just be the basics? Should it be a better plan than most of american have? I don't think so. I actually changed jobs one time simply because I needed better health benefits. If a person is handedeverything they need, a home, food, insurance....what is the incentive to do better. Now medicare is different. We pay into medicare through our payroll taxes. Because peoples insurance is usually linked to their employer when a person retires or becomes disabled they need to have something to take over. They have earned it. Then discussion turn to is lapband a elective surgery? Or is it a neccessary treatment? I say it is a treatment. If a person is successful on lapband, it will actually save the tax payers money. One avoided triple bi-pass heart surgery will more than pay for a lapband surgery and all the follow up care. Think of all those that have had LB and avoided becoming diabetic and all the money that is paid to treat a diabetic patient....same with heart disease. I think all commerical insurance company should be made to cover it. It has been proven to be a successful treatment.

I like the New whey shots that you find at walmart. They have 42 grams of Protein in 3.8oz. I split the bottle in half and mix it with 2 crystal lights and 32 oz of Water. I nurse on it between meals. They come in kool aid flavors like grape and watermellon. I sometimes will blenderize ice into a snow cone consistence and pour the mixture over it....makes a great slushy. I mix the watermellon with cherry lemonade and the grape with grape and the acai berry with blackberry.---good stuff As much as I like them, I will tell you that I find the protein powders hold off hunger better...maybe because they are thicker....I don't know....but if I have to wait a while to eat...I pick the powder ones first

I try to follow a low carb diet i usually have my first meal at 11:00am. I usually start with a egg white omelet. 6 Tbs egg whites 1/4 cup frozen pepper/onion blend ( i cook theses first with the sausage before adding it to the omelet) 1 jimmy dean turkey sausage patty chopped 1/2 oz cheese 1 tsp bacon bits lunch 2:00pm grilled chicken spinach salad or a Protein drink 1 cup spinach, 3oz grilled chicken, small amount of carrots, onion, apple, gorganzola cheese, almonds I make a dressing using 1oz vanilla carbmaster yogurt and 1Tbsfrozen apple juice concentrate. dinner 6:00pm Veries a lot..... Usually 3oz of beef, pork, or chicken followed by either green beens, or roasted squash Some quick meals that I like to have on hand Oscar Meyer turkey weiners ---only 40 calories each!! Johnsonville Turkey and cheese sausage---120 calories each Carbmaster yogurt !! only 60 calories and 4 carbs

SharronK---This wouldn't be BCBS of PA is it? Just wondering. This sounds very similar to what my girlfriend is going through. No one can figure out what else they want. The surgeons office said they (insurance comp) won't reveal what the problem is. And when they ask, they are sent the same copy and paste handbook requirements...but both the surgeon, the nutirtionist and and the GP doctor say they have done everything they are requiring. If this is the same company, I'm going to tell her to file a complaint too. This is crazy!! It just seems like they have to tell you what they want!! Good luck.

Nice to see the scale move again!! 192 this morning. Thats down 2 pounds for the week, Only 3 more for the month to go....might be tight. But I'll give it a shot.

Hi Andi, I think what you are going through is normal. Until we find restriction....we are very much still on a diet. This doesn't mean we are doomed to suffer and wait for restriction. I created a very safe enviroment for myself at home. There are no Cookies, chips or ice cream to be found. Its a no temptation zone. ---And yes I have a husband and children....and yes that means there are none here for them either. That was a big deal the first few weeks ..but now that my son has lost 25 pounds and my daughter another 20...everyone is on board now. ---We might break this cycle after all!! Exercise...that awfull word!! I exercise every day at the same time...even if its only for 10 mins. I work best when I stick to a routine. Most of the time I figure I'm already on the dang machine, I might as well stay there and watch an episode of Big Bang Theory and burn 100 calories. It doesn't mean I like (never will) but I don't like being obese either so I just do it.---and pout like a small child the whole time!! Diet: I think for most people, the food pyramid works...they are able to eat a little of just about everything and lose weight. This wasn't me. I have found that my body loves the low carb/ high Protein diet. I'm a little more strict than most. I keep carbs to about 40g. and have lost on average about 2 pounds a week. Untill 2 weeks ago....at the advise of my nutritionist I upped my carbs to 60g. kept the same calorie level of 900. At the end of a week the scale stopped completely...The first time I haven't lost anything!! To say the least, I am working this week to get back down to less that 40 carbs....but now that I have had them for the last week.....I am craving them something awfull!! Feels like pre-op all over again.--so if you aren't following a low carb diet...you might want to give it a try...see how your body responds Lastly, I would suggest you join myfitnesspal. I would weigh all your food and record everything you eat. Some times we forget what 3oz looks like. Until you find that elusive green zone....do everything else in your power to make this work. Follow the rules (no drinking 30 mins before or after meals), exercise daily, find a food lifestyle that your body responds to. Stay postive.And remind yourself that this is a journey not a race. Good Luck!! Inbox me any time if you want to talk.

Feel free to add me...same username: waitingpatiently

My band is a size 10...I have had 3 fills and have 3cc in my band. I have a monthly appointment where I can have an adjustment if needed. I'm 3 months out today!! Try not to compare yourself to others.....how many/how much will differ greatly between patients.

Thanks for doing that lisa!! I thought I checked in on the 8th..but I must have forgot to. I was 194 on the 8th and 194 today (use for the 15th)....This is the first week the scale hasn't moved for me....I tried to add a few carbs to my diet (from 40g to 50g) a guess my body didn't like that....So I'm working myself back down to the 35-40 range....sad....I love carbs...sniff, sniff

I was faced with a similar problem last month and seeked the advise of our fellow bansters....their wisdom is always welcomed. I have been doing well with sticking to a low carb/high Protein and loosing about 1.5-2.0 pounds a week....so I didn't know if I should get a second fill..............but I did recognise it was "me" doing all the work and not the band...but I didn't want to risk getting a fill then having to give up some food (like chicken) that has been a key element in my success.On the other hand, I can eat anything I want...in just about any quantity....so one bad week could do a lot of damage. I discussed it with my doctor and we decided to do small fills 1cc at a time...that way when it begins to get harder to loose and I "need" to find resctriction I won't be 7cc and 4 or 5 fills a way. so now I only have 2.5 cc in a 10cc band. he said when I get a fill that I actually notice...we will slow down. (he thought that would be at least 2 more fills)....then when I need help....I will only be 1 or 2 fills away to restriction and won't have to start with an empty band. Seeks to be working for me.

I don't "think" I can feel it......but sometimes I do feel something around where I think it is....but I wonder if its where I had a hernia repaired and not the band--but I do always wonder. I keep meaning to ask the doctor at my visits...but I always forget. I have however felt it when food passed through....only a few times...but it was in the beginning and I thought maybe I still had a little swelling or maybe I hadn't chewed my food well enough...it wasn't painful, but definately a foreign feeling.

My doctor doesn't recommend it....he says 3 meals a day and you have 30 mins to eat it. That being said...... You know your body better than anyone else....so if its working for you I say go for it.--just make sure you aren't conviencing yourself that its one meal that is divided in half. I could see where it would be very easy to accidently add extra food to each meal...thinking it wasn't large enough. Seeing only 200 calories on a plate and thinking thats a meal might be hard...even though another will be coming in two-three hours. I would make sure you weigh and track your food religiously. Join myfitnesspall.com if you need help recording it.

Don't fret...I think a lot of us can feel our ports. Mine is very obvious to the touch (not so much visually). It feels like a half egg sitting about 3 inches below my last left rib.

My doctor basis it on how I'm doing.....am I hungry, am I still able to eat everything,how much am I eating. So if you are able to keep foods down, you are hungry between meals and are eating more than you should then yes...most likely he will let you have one if you want it. However at 3 weeks, I was just getting to the puree stage...so I'm assuming your doctor is moving you a long quicker than mine....I didn't get my first fill until 5 weeks out---and that was considered a week early. Since you think you still have swelling, have you had a hard time keeping certain foods down? I really don't want to be too tight.

Here's my thoughts: Your calories are coming in at probably around 600 thats fine for pre-op...but you should get a few more a few weeks after post-op. It looks as if you are just getting the bare minium in Protein with maybe just 60 grams. and your carbs look low. You didn't mention what veggies are in your salad and how big it was...I mention it because I can eat my weight in veggies...but some do have carbs. Not saying that you should eliminate them, but you do need to count them. I think, if if were me, (with the blessing of your doctor of course) I would do the 2 shakes a day and a light meal for pre-op. It seems to work well for a lot of soon to be bandsters....and most have a good weight loss with it. Its hard, but I thought it was worth it. I would weigh myself at breakfast and come back at dinner and would have lost a pound..it was the coolest thing. Something else to consider, is that UTI....my guess you are retaining Water as well. hard for the body to get rid of it when there is infection.painfull too. So that is also a contributing factor as well. I would also recomend myfirnesspal.com ...it will help you track both your food and exercise and you can see where you are at. After surgery...it will come in handy to see what calories/carbs/ exercises levels are working for you. Feel free to add me...same username:waitingpatiently Try not to get too flustrated....this is a journey and will take time....I know it feels like you are slow to start, but you will catch up....be patient. Good Luck!

Both. But I just saw a recipe on myfitnesspal where you make your pizza crust out of cauliflower and cheese...the whole pizza is less than 400 calories and everyone said they couldn't eat the whole thing. I'm thinking that might be worth a try.

May I ask what you consider low carb? I know it sounds silly but I was once helping someone with there "low carb" diet...and discovered we had very different ideas about what "low carb" means..apparently in her mind 125 was "low carb" because that was half of what she used to eat. And while I think its great she was able to cut them down to half..125 is NOT low carb.---So just wondering.

I was glued and prefered the bath. I have a deeper tub and wouldn't put too much water into....kept it low enough not to touch any incisions.

I use the New Whey Protein shots 42 grams in 3.8 oz. Walmart sells them. I find that they are good mixed with crystal light. I will also blenderize ice and pour the protein/crystalight mixture over top....makes for a great slushy. I do find that the powder Proteins hold off hungar longer. Thats probaly because most of the shots have collagen in them....My doctor didn't want me to use them for pre-op but was ok with them after surgery (week 4) because I would be getting protein in through real food.