ginalareine

Great Job!

What I find funny is a few individuals around me talking about how they want to do it because I have been successful so far. They have absolutely no clue just how hard this is and how much work it is. You really need to be educated to do what we are all doing.

Well Feb 20 is the big day. It's such a relief to know that insurance has approved & this WILL take place. It's been a very long road.
2 years ago i was supposed to have this surgery on Sept 21, 2011 but my crap insurance, United Healthcare denied me 2 days before surgery. They determined that since I'd only been morbidly obese for the past 2 years not the past 5 years, I was not eligible. Basically, they told me I wasn't fat enough for long enough. I appealed four times, to no avail.
I've since started a different job with new, better insurance, and they approved me right away.
As long as I've waited for this, and as much as I want it, I'm still nervous, the closer we get to Feb 20. Can't wait to have the surgery & healing part over with!

I got a pair of knee high boot!! Woot woot NSV!!!

Yes, sounds like you are a little too tight. Call your surgeon, ask for a slight unfill. If you can't do anything but liquids, that is not good! Best wishes.Karen

This may help you in understanding the restrictive mechanism of a Lap-Band.
The ALLERGAN protocol for Lap-Band fills calls for a six-week delay after surgery, prior to any fills. The purpose for the six-week delay is for the patient’s stomach to heal from the surgery, as well as allowing time for the Lap-Band to “Seat” or “Nestle” into the fat pad between the stomach wall and the interior wall of the Lap-Band.
Prior to receiving an EFFECTIVE fill, it is VERY uncommon to have any restriction from a Lap-Band. Some patients will NOT lose weight, or may even GAIN weight until they have received an effective fill in their Lap-Band.
Normal weight loss with a properly restricted Lap-Band is between 1 and 2 pounds per week.
The normal cycle of fills, restriction and weight loss is as follows:
1. The patient's Lap-Band constricts when the patient receives a fill. Swelling for a few days after receiving a fill is very common. Many doctors require a patient to go on a liquid diet for a day or two after receiving a fill. A fill may have a “Delayed Action” of up to 4 weeks. A “Delayed-Action” means that the fill may not become effective for up to 4 weeks after the fill. That is why the ALLERGAN protocol states that fills should not be performed on patients who will not have access to medical care for at least two weeks after a fill.
2. The patient's stomach capacity is lessened as a result of the restriction caused by the Lap-Band.
3. The patient loses weight because they cannot eat as much food.
4. The residual fat-pad between the inside of the Lap-Band and the outside of the patient's stomach reduces in size because of the overall weight loss in the patient.
5. The reduction of the residual fat-pad causes the Lap-Band to become loose again.
6. At that point, the patient needs another fill, because the Lap-Band is loose, and the patient has a loss of restriction, which allows the patient to eat larger amounts of food.< /span>
7. The patient receives another fill and the process starts all over again.
Most Lap-Band patients receive several fills to adjust the Lap-Band as their weight loss progresses, and there is less and less residual fat-pad between the inside of the Lap-Band and the exterior of the stomach wall. Once a patient has lost all of their residual fat-pad, fills become less common. As the Lap-Band patient progresses in their weight loss, the effect of very tiny fills (Less than .2ccs) becomes greater and greater.
It is not uncommon for a late-stage Lap-Band patient to experience a significant difference in restriction with as little as .05cc of fill.

I cycled 5.41 miles today in 30 minutes up from a sedentary lifestyle! I was banded June 25, 2012 but just recently joined a gym and trying to workout 3x a week. I am going to try the elliptical machine tomorrow!!

I just wanted to start a March group. My surgery date is March 2nd.

I wanted to offer up any support that I can offer to anyone who may need it.
I am over 2 years post-op and have been at goal for about 14 months now.
Hopefully I can help

Feels like it has taken forever to get to this point...but I got the call today....surgery is scheduled for April 26...pre op scheduled for April 11 and I will start the pre op liquid diet on April 12....so excited I can't begin to express the excitement

The only food I have problems with is chicken or Turkey...I have found that I need to put a bit of low-fat gravy (like the McCormick mixes) on it, then no problem. It sounds like you have a mild sticking problem. Once you have a real stuck, you'll know it and there will be no doubt. You will throw up and have sliming...quite gross..could take 1-2 hours to get it all out but that is part of the learning process. Once you have that sticking problem, you can't eat the rest of the day - only drink as the stomach is inflammed.
Melinda

I signed up for this forum two and a half years ago when I first began considering lap band surgery. Since I never became part of the online community I thought it might be appropriate to officially introduce myself. My name is Shoshanna and I received my band in March of 2010. My weight loss was slower than that of many people and I hit my share of plateaus along the way, but that is okay. My highest weight was 240; I now weigh 160 with a final goal weight of 148. Currently I am resting on another plateau and thought perhaps some interaction with other banders will help me over what I hope is the final hump. If I can lend an ear or benefit of experience to others along the way, all the better.