lisacaron

My hubby and I incorporated the mechanics of band eating early on before our pre-op and our surgery. We started slow in the time that it took for us to reach the actual pre-op stage. We found that starting those things slowly pre-band, like giving up fizzy drinks and soda, cutting the caffeine, slowing down our eating to savor texture and taste. Eating with knife and fork and cutting things into smaller bits, all helped us as we reached our surgery date and have been invaluable lessons post surgery. Pre-op we started replacing meals about 2 months out with shakes so that when we were on the full liquid diet for 2 weeks our system wouldn't be "shocked" and it wouldn't be as hard to stick to pre-band. This is what worked for us, it was a little (I hesitate to say...)easier since we were doing it together and had the support of the other. I think anything that you can put into practice before the band will be an invaluable asset to you post surgery. All my best for a successful surgery and speedy recovery!

OMG Sunny! You made me bust out laughing! The chicken dance, I love it! I can just picture it in my head! Sorry for the stuck...but thanks Sunny for the chuckle!

Oh boy me too! Crazy the amount of hair that I see fall! It's normal to shed up to 100 strands a day..but I can pull fist fulls of hair out when I shower or brush. It's finally starting to grow back. I have some fine baby hairs under the longer strands that have stayed. I also take the Biotin and Vitamins..and use Nixoin shampoo/conditioner. The Protein seems to be the big key though. Really try to up that and get it in through out the day. That will slow the fall, and help the regrowth. Best of luck to you!

Hi guys, I read your post this morning and it made me sad I have a real issue keeping my protien intake high enough while still staying under my calories for the day. When I use the Protein shots, or protein bars/drinks...to help get those extra grams in they are great, and low in calorie..but OMG the gas!!! (TMI alert!!) Not so much the PU of it..but the pains in the belly. Grumble rumble tumble..and I can't exactly rip it here at my desk! By the time I get to the ladies room..I can sit there a good 10 minutes just blasting away..sounds like world war three! EMBARRASSING! Then of course when the protein is not high enough I am not losing any weight..and I'm feeling tired all the time and consequently got myself sick with a bad upper respiratory infection! So this morning...I was on a tirade! I am an overweight, gas blasting, bald cranky b***h! Get out of my way!!!!! Good thing it's Halloween...I got everyone running scared! BOO! Hoo...what should we do??? Yeah yeah I know protein..get your gas mask on, the bombs are about to blow!

That's great! I did the same things pretty much. Kept in control of what was needed for approval and helped the surgeon's office to push everything through to my insurance company.

For me the scariest point came when I knew that I no longer had control over my body. My heart rate and my blood pressure were out of control. I kept popping all these pills in my mouth praying that they would make me “feel better”. I’d have heart palpitations, and severe migraines from the high blood pressure. I would rush to the doctor’s office feeling sick and like I was about to die! There were days I would pray that I could walk from my office to my car at the end of the day without my heart exploding in my chest. The pain in my head would be screaming by the time I reached the car and there were days I wasn’t sure I could drive the 30 miles home. There was no magic potion in those doctor prescribed pills, they didn’t have the answers for me. I was in pain all the time, my hormones were so screwed up my ovaries were creating tumors so large they were grapefruit sized. I was in so much pain I had to be rushed to the hospital several times for several different surgeries. One day the nightmare ended and I woke up, and realized that it was time for me to take control of my life! Stop covering it up with fancy clothes that cost way too much to buy in my ever increasing size, enough to masking the symptoms with doctor visits and medication! It was time to get a tool and finally take back the control of my life! Last year after 6 years I finally said I do to my husband and put a band around my finger as a symbol of my commitment to him, and this year I said I do to myself and put a band around my belly as a symbol of my commitment to a life of health and happiness!

Thank you! I appreciate the advice This vacation will have lots and lots of exercise as part of it, lots of walking and hiking planned. I'm getting prepared and making sure we have plenty of protein bars on hand and in my bag just in case we find ourselves out of band friendly territory we have an alternative. For some reason, when I have fever I don't want to eat a thing and have to force myself, and then when it breaks I'm hungry all the time! If Mom forced soup down my throat I would have an aversion for it, till today can't eat any of the things I was force fed. I think I wanted the soup because my throat was hurting. It wasn't a good food choice though..it didn't really hold me from meal to meal.

I agree with Shazam! That's an awesome reality check!

EeeeOUCH! That does not sound like it was so much fun! Do you always have the same person do the fills for you? I would not want to have someone poke me all those times and hurt me. I'm glad it all worked out in the end. I hope this fill takes you to green!! I haven't reached that point yet...

My doctors office is conservative when it comes to administering fills..in my humble opinion this is not a bad thing, I would like to avoid ever having complications from being too tight if I can help it. They take the time to interview the patient and find out what's been going on for them through out the month. Checking on their eating mechanics and food choices. Now this last month...I have been sick. Fighting an upper respiratory infection for what's going on week 3 as of Monday! I have COPD so any bad infection tends to lodge in my chest and try to make itself at home there! Which can be a big set back for exercise it's not something one wants to do much of when you have a hard enough time just breathing without coughing your brains out trust me on this! It also impacts eating choices! Medications tend to have that affect on me, and feeling icky makes me want to have soup more then the solid protein that helps keep me fuller Today I am feeling better and towards the tail end of it I think, just in time as the hubby and I are off on vacation for our 1 year Wedding Anniversary! Time sure fly's when your having fun! Anyway.... Shortly after we return from Vacation we have an appointment with our Dr. I have about 5.5cc in a 10cc band. I do feel some restriction at this point, but I also know that I am eating more then one cup of food at sitting, and I am often hungry through out the day. I track my calories MFP, and there are days when I am just over that 1000 calories and really hungry. My question is...am I just "off" for being sick and not keeping up with my exercise routines? Should I take a step back and wait another month before asking the Doc to put more fluid in? Or is this what it is...and maybe i need a bit more of a fill to be in that "green" zone where I am eating portion controlled meals and satisfied with them; not feeling hungry for larger portion sizes or in between meals? I welcome and appreciate all your advice and/or opinions on these questions, which I will take into consideration before meeting with my Dr. -Lisa

My fitness pal works great for calories and beverages as well. Give it a try it's a free app.

I suspect that the reason they are now denying removal is because your doctor is trying to put it through as a revision type of surgery! Call your insurance company yourself! Tell them what is going on, that the band is eroding and perhaps causing infection as well. If you need to get another doctor to corroborate this information, Speak to the ER doctor or your PCP, and maybe even find another bariatric doctor that will do what YOU want and not what he wants to make more money! You can speak with your insurance company and find out what their side of the story is directly and then decide where to go from there. Best of luck to you!

Hi Ashley, I also have been coughing my brains out recently with a band upper resp. infection. You should definitely go see the Dr. b/c I was told it's possible to cough so hard you can actually break ribs! That didn't happen for me..but I was/am sore a bit from the constant coughing, the band and port is all good..just using those cough muscles too much I hope your feeling better soon!

You can and you will lose weight...and she will always be a mean spirited ugly lady. Feel bad for her, and great about yourself cause you ROCK!

You look great! I also cut my hair and started using Nixoin now its growing back and I have all these short little baby hairs popping out all over

Oof! I know what you mean and I don't even have all the parts that make that an issue! I have one ovary left...but it's enough to send me into the salty sweet greasy craving mood swings. Still causes some Water retention and bloating too! Aren't hormones fun?! NOT but they are amazing in the things they can do to your body!

Hi Chris, I don't think we are trying to say too much about the health care in Canada as opposed to what is happening here with this bill. The socialized healthcare you have there sounds like it works for you and for a bunch of other folks I know in Canada. We don't know what it will be like here if it should be socialized, and I think what people are saying is that if it follows the Obama Care model as it's set out, they are not happy about it. I believe things are what you make of them, and it's great that your country's healthcare is working for you and you are doing well.

All I can say is sometimes the evil that you know is better then the evil that you don't know. They have yet to put a viable candidate on the block IMO

Your right I can see that happening if we let it. That is why the bill has not passed, and why they keep changing and poking holes in it. I agree it needs to be re-worked and we should not have our choices taken away for the sake of providing health care to the masses, there are better ways to accomplish this. I don't want to see that socialized health care anymore then the next guy, the only thing I do support is the need to do something. The system must change, and perhaps this bill for the good the bad and the ugly can be the catalyst for that. I would not vote for it as it's written today, and most of the population of America wouldn't either. We are on the same side.

Tryingforever.... Speak to your PCP. If you see them regularly and they know you are having weight issue...perhaps they can go back through you chart for 6 months. My PCP had no problem signing the forms the insurance company required just by going back through my chart. I post dated the forms for the 6 months and sent them to the Surgeon and the insurance company and all was well. My PCP knows me well, and knows that this was something I needed and that I would be healthier because of it, she had no issues helping me to facilitate that goal. Talk to your docs the worst they can say is no. Best of luck to you!

Ugh..OK I typed a whole post and lost it....so now just a paraphrase... So my question short and sweet was this... Are the people in these states that are going to be without coverage for WLS the ones that have to rely on the Government plans for health care? I work and pay for my health care coverage, and here in the US we have a choice. We are not forced to use the Government programs, and we can also pick and choose from the programs available should we need to. That is the difference. These people can choose to get a job where they are provided the type of health care they seeking, or they can choose to pick from the Government selection, and at least have some kind of health care so that the hospitals they end up in don't have to eat the cost of their care. Ultimately we are all paying for this. Hospitals go bankrupt and nurses are laid off, staff is cut down and when we need them not only are they not available, but the cost of our health care rises to off set this loss. Obama care while it has it's flaws, also has it's merit. There should be some cost regulation on the testing and treatments that patients require. Doctors and nurses and hospital staff should be paid for their services, their experience and their education. However we should not have to pay thousands upon thousands of dollars for blood work and MRI's, chemo treatments etc. Here is an example: The cost of stitches, 7 of them was over 3 thousand dollars. The hospital billed out my son's stitches as "surgery". Really? The resident doc, stitched him up in the ER. No plastic surgeon came to check him out. I could have done that at home for the cost of the medical kit. $10. If you factor in the cost of the hospital time and the Dr. that bill should not have exceeded $500. OC provides patients that have a change in insurance to be covered for per-existing conditions and that is a plus, it provides my 21 year old son who is just starting to find a job and can't afford his own medical coverage the opportunity to be covered under my health plan until he can afford his own. Yes there are regulations on the plans that are chosen by those without coverage, but they have a choice as we all do, and it takes some of the burden from the American people who now currently pay higher taxes for Welfare and Medicaid. Empower people to work for themselves, to live their lives and to take care of themselves. Provide those who are suffering from traumatic injury and illness a respite from the high costs of care and allow them a fighting chance to recover and be able to afford to continue living. That is a message I can stand behind.

Take it slow, and if you need to rest during your shift give yourself the chance to do it. Feel good and congrats!

I have had the procedure as well. I don't feel much difference from the plication, but my husband who also had it done has noticed an increase in the speed of digestion. That is what it is supposed to do, it mimics the sleeve operation without the removal of the stomach, rather the stomach is folded in on itself and then stitched into place to hold the fold. Did you have any other questions about the procedure?

Every now and then I feel like my port is sticking out a bit more, or is more sensitive. It's usually because of the way I am sitting or leaning up against my desk at work. Occasionally when I do some exercises or lift something very heavy it will happen as well. It just reminds me that I have had surgery and I need to stop trying to be Hercules and sit properly at my desk If the port really bothers you though, when you see the Dr. you should mention it to him/her just to be sure there isn't something more going on in or around it.

Hi Erin, Wonderful news, and I totally can relate to the stress and weight issue. That is MY issue also. Always under some kind of stress here, and it just beats me up zaps my energy to the point that I think my body just shuts down and conserves resource including the fat I want to get rid of. Congratulations to you and your family! Keep up the good work the world needs people like you.