Thats All Folks

You do realize if that's the insurance requirements, your surgeon has zero say in it? It's not a matter of giving you a chance. If their requirement is a BMI of 40 then your surgeon has no choice but to abide by their rules. It's not the surgeon's fault.

I agree with Floridays completely. There is no way I'd have been as successful as I have so far if I didn't track my calories and hold myself accountable to every bite I eat. That's not so say I haven't had bad days. Believe me, I have. But it's a lot harder to justify a bad day when you have to actually see you've eaten 1800 calories and have to face the cold hard numbers. It's also been very successful when dealing with plateaus. Recently I hit a month long plateau, I think in large part due to starting to take birth control pills. I'm now doing some experimenting with my diet to break the plateau- but I couldn't do that without tracking my calories and monitoring my fat, Protein, and carbohydrate intake. Good luck to you.

Congratulations!!

Have they checked the actual band placement? Make sure it hasn't slipped?

I hear ya!! I had .3 removed a month ago and it was a huge difference, too. It's amazing how such a small amount can make a mammoth difference.

Yes, once you reach the Green Zone you won't for awhile. The same goes for reaching your goal weight. Some people are able to go years without needing more. However, the Fluid does evaporate slowly over time, so you could go along a year without needing one then finding yourself needing a small one again.

I'm sorry, but I have to blunt on this one: Only a fool would let a friend or family member attempt their fills unless that person is a formally trained bariatric nurse. Not only do you risk missing the port and damaging your tubing, you can damage the actual port, cause the port to slip/tear away from the muscle, and even break a needle off inside the port. Not to mention the very high risk of infection from introducing bacteria and germs into the port and skin. I don't say this to sound harsh or mean, but I agree with Toddy. Everyone knows going into this what to expect as far as cost. If someone can't afford the proper aftercare, including fills, then they have no business getting the surgery. That's about as foolish as buying a brand new car knowing there's no way you can make the monthly payments or afford gas for it.

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It sounds to me like an insurance requirement not a surgeon requirement. I would verify where the 40 bmi requirement is actually coming from.

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No you'll be fine. There's no way a couple puffs from an electronic cig would stick with you that long. Just drink lots of water and don't worry

I personally couldn't justify re-routing my internal organs or hacking off 2/3 of my healthy stomach without trying some less drastic first. In my mind, the Lap Band seemed like the best starting point in the natural progression. I figured if the band didn't work then I'd consider the Sleeve. Considering I've lost almost 160 pounds in 10 months, the band definitely works for me. I love it and getting the band was best decision I've ever made in my life. It's important to remember that whatever you choose, WLS is just a tool, not a magic fix for fat. Be it Gastric Bypass, the Sleeve, or Lap Band the work will always be yours to do. How successful you are is dependent entirely on you- not the surgery. Best wishes on whichever you decide.

Wow you look great!! Congratulations!!

I am on Medicare. The surgery and my fills are all covered.

Holy cow, that is EXACTLY what I was afraid of happening at the airport!

Plateaus are normal though extremely frustrating. I've been dealing with a month long one myself. I eat around 1200 calories a day

Almost 160 pounds in 10 months

Ugh yes, big time. If I'm really stressing out, I'm lucky to even be able to choke down a protein shake. A lot of people end up with tight bands due to stress. The good news is, once you calm a bit, the band will relax again too.

It all depends on your insurance requirements and your surgeon. Some people have to do a 6 month supervised diet before surgery, others don't and get it almost immediately because of it. I didn't have to have a supervised diet so it was only a month between the seminar and when I had surgery.

You don't always, especially if you have abdominal fat. I've had many hernias since giving birth to my son 10 years ago, in fact I had emergency surgery for a strangulated hernia this past August. When they first started, it felt like you describe but no bulge. It wasn't until they were considerably bigger and pushed through the abdominal fat that I could see them.

It's possible you're developing an incisional hernia. Again, I'm just guessing from my own experience, I could be totally wrong. I'd ask your doc to check it out.

Thanks all...it really is a great feeling. Though one funny moment: I was picking up a prescription a couple weeks ago that was a controlled substance. I had to provide my ID to get it. The woman kept looking at my (old) license then me, and I finally said "I swear that's really me, I just changed a lot". She finally goes "I hope you lost all that weight on purpose, not because you're sick with cancer or something". ROFL!!!

Well, for the last couple months I'd been having serious problems convincing people my driver's license was really mine. I looked absolutely nothing like the picture on it anymore. I have to fly in a couple weeks so I thought I'd better get a new one before then for fear security wouldn't let me pass because my ID didn't even look like me. So.. here is my old and new driver's license pics. On left taken November 2011. On the right October 2012. Almost 160 pounds lost

Yummm...I love a good sandwich! ENJOY!

I drink a lot of Lipton Diet Iced Green Tea. It's zero calories, no carbonation, and comes in different flavors. I drink the Raspberry, Citrus, or Mixed Berry flavor.