AZ Gary

My wife and I went out for dinner at one of the local soup and salad places. It is usually pretty busy at dinner, but tonight I guess the storms kept people home. So as we sat down I got a chuckle and said, "look honey the booth fits." Now looking forward to flying in October without having the fear of wondering if I will have to ask for an extender belt.

I had my first fill also. 2.5 cc's for me bringing me up to 7 total. I was surprised how much that made a difference even in drinking water. Like you said, best not to rush it.

It should only be for a short time. Once you start to lose weight it will be better. My wife has said the snoring for me has dropped 90%.

I was banded on 6/27/13 so one day later. Just had my first fill today. I didn't need one on my first visit last month.

I've had some back pain also. Recall having it at times also when I lost weight and I asked about it. The response was that you spine / muscles are adjusting to rebalance your body since the center of gravity is shifting. Not sure if I believe it or not, but until I hear otherwise it is the best suggestion so far.

Actually had my first fill this morning. I don't recall seeing anyone actually tell the story of getting a fill or the process of them poking around to find the edges of the port. I started at 4.5 during at the date of surgery and they added another 2 today. Looks like soup for dinner tonight. Also had my regular doctor visit to review labs and he said to stop taking one of my BP medications. All in all a pretty good day.

I'll be up there for a fill on the 27th. May bump into you.

My policy had that clause also and the center said I would have a very slim chance of fighting it. I ended up self pay but was lucky enough to have a 401K at work that allows you to take a loan against your balance. The interest paid goes back into your fund minus a very small administrative fee. I was able to apply and had funds in my hands is less than a week. For me it sure beat the 6 month study by the insurance company where they might bail on coverage anyway. I figure I will be 9 months ahead of the weight lose curve going that path.

I tend to get stuck on the scale from time to time. Seems like a week it doesn't move and then it will be a pound a day for several days in a row. Just monitor it from a big picture of the overall loss. If you need motivation use myfitnesspal to record your weight and zoom the graphs to 3 months.

A lot of us down in the valley. I had your same surgeon on the 26th of June.

I am doing great. I have found that being hungry between meals depends a lot on what I have. Protein shakes and meat seems to last longer, cereal for breakfast makes me want to forage by mid morning. Lunch I have gotten a workable standby. I have hummus and use fake crab legs(Transocean snackers 4 in a single serving pack) as a substitute for crackers or bread. That usually holds me until dinner. I have found also that my tastes for foods have changed. Hummus I never cared for and now could eat it five times a week. In the past week I have grilled beets and last night fennel bulbs. Any one else have their tastes change or now venturing out to different foods?

LessLee, You're coming up on the 2 month anniversary, how's things going?

I used True Results as self pay and one year of follow-up was included. Some of the office visits may be covered as routine visits under your regular insurance. You can always do any lab work on your regular PCP and just take the results over to your WLC center. I have a regular visit with my PCP next week to review labs and then have a fill schedules a few hours later, so they all share the same results over the single jab.

There is the My Content under your profile on the website. On the iPad / Android app it is under subscribed.

He is very good. I was banded on 6/27. Other than the consult and the day of surgery have had no contact with him. The TR staff is going to be your lifeline for all questions and answers since you will be seeing them regularly. Compare it to a wedding, you're going to do all this planning and prep for the big day, and on that day it will be over before you realize it. The only difference is there is no cake afterwards.

I agree everyone is different. If you have a low tolerance for pain, you may need the week. I had surgery on a Thursday and would have when back on Monday but my wife who had already taken the day off said no way. So it was Tuesday for me, even though I did a little work from home on that Friday.

I remember going to one of our remote offices about 200 miles away and needing to pop into Wal-Mart to buy a belt. I felt like one of those kids with their jeans sagging and their boxers showing.

While I haven't had one in public since banding, I had incidents prior due to an unrelated medical condition. Best bet is to try and excuse yourself to make an exit to the restroom. I wouldn't suggest trying to drink water or other liquids while at the table. (Big mistake on my part) For me it starts with hiccups and a tightness feeling in my throat and the thick slime starting to build and slowing pushing up. As far as foods, for me it is not the type of food, but eating too fast or too much. But some really dry meats cause me some issues.

Flip it around and say, "You're eating all that?" When you start to count the calories in the food that people consider to be normal, they would be amazed.

I'm going great, with a little luck and a lot of exercise will pass the magic 50 number in the coming 10 days. I'm supposed to go back in a month which will also be the day I meet with my PCP to review labs and consider another drop in the meds.

Went in for my first scheduled fill yesterday and they looked at my charts and said we could wait another month since everything seems to be working as it should. They said the docs sometimes leave in upwards of 5-7cc. So if I was on the high end, I came out of surgery with the glass half full so to speak.

In the men's section at Kohl's you can usually get some wearable stuff on the discount racks at 60-80% off. Add that with a coupon and it is a score even if it is for just a short time. On purpose I got a pair of really ugly pants that would feel at home on the golf course 1 size smaller than I am now for about $3.50. Looking forward to wearing them just to get noticed.

Just have to do a lot of chewing. Maybe consider starting with shredded lettuce.

I went to a dbacks game one week out. I brought a protein shake and the security gave me some grief of it not being allowed in the park. I lift my shirt to show them the stiches and bandages. Said I was on a medically supervised diet and they waived me right in. Sad part is once you are in, there is not a lot of food you can really eat one week or even one year post op. BTW how is Upton working out for you guys?

Glad you started this one since I was thinking about asking the same thing this weekend. Hope all the other June bandsters hop in as well. For me it has been a pretty easy month. This Friday will be the one month mark. When I got my staples out, I was told that they do start out the band with fluid in it rather than empty as most people think. I am supposed to get my first fill on the 31st, but am wondering if it is really needed since I am managing to stay under 1200 calories without feeling hungry throughout the day. I'm finding some of my smaller sizes are starting to fit and even need a belt with some. Last night we went out for sushi at our regular place and the waitress asked what I had changed since I looked different. Also have been able to start lowering the strength of some of my meds. All in all this was one of the best decisions I ever made.