Cocoabean

I've been voting for you! I wish it had stats as to where everyone stands on the votes! Fills are about $200 a pop for those that self pay. Some are lower, but it seems that is about average. Many surgeons include a year of after-care for self pay patients. Your current insurance will cover any life-threatening complications, but the band is not a set-it and forget it procedure. Do you have a choice with this contest? If you cannot afford aftercare, a bypass might be a better way to go. I am not trying to scare you off. I just want you to be fully informed of what is to come or may happen down the road. Getting banded is one of the best things I have done for myself.

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For me, liquids on top of something stuck starts the launch sequence! And it cannot be stopped. Many bandsters swear by papaya enzymes. You can get them in the supplements section of most stores. They are chewable and help breakdown the food quickly. I haven't tried them myself. Walking helps somehow. As does rocking back and forth. My hubby swears that making faces must help, too, because I make some doozies! I actually have used the drinking water technique to bring the offending item back up. For me, it does it without retching, which is what my surgeon says is the biggest risk for a slippage. But of course, the best thing is to not get stuck in the first place, then if you do, to wait it out if you can. Another thing to try is small sips of pineapple juice. It has the same reported effect as papaya enzymes. It didn't work for me. Seemed a waste to open a can of juice to sip a few sips and then still be miserable. But some say it works very well.

Do check your insurance. I am on an HMO. My surgeon is out of network or something like that, but now when I need a fill I get a pre-authorization for it. The surgeon's office submits it for me. When I get it it is valid for a fill and two more visits, in case I need an unfill. I'd imagine if I didn't wait for that, I'd be paying $200.00 for a fill. Ask your surgeon, your PCP, and your insurance company. If the band is covered, the aftercare should be (in my opinion!).

Do a web search for full liquid diet. That will give you ideas. On a liquid diet, the hospital won't remove liquids from your tray.

Until you start getting fills and reach restriction (which will probably take more than one), then you will be able to eat normal quantities of food. Right now, food just passes right through the band. It isn't providing any assistance at all.

My fills/unfills are covered, i just pay my co-pay. The doctor cannot predict what a fill will do. When I was overfilled, he took half what he had put in out. About a month later I was hungry again, I went back and he put all that he took out plus a little more in. When we get overfilled there is often swelling from vomiting, so they take some out, we feel better, the swelling goes down, then we need another fill. It sucks, but fill amounts are a guessing game.

My first meal was mashed potatoes! Yummy!

My opinion, for what it's worth....I think the pouch empties quicker than initially thought. I read somewhere that as the pouch empties it stimulates an area of the lining of the stomach that generates the feeling of fullness. Medicine is full of treatments that were thought to work one way but were then found to work another. But I do think of it as an hourglass, the food starts emptying right away and drains slowly.

liquid in, liquid out. I called it the explosive decompression of my bowels. NOT fun, but something many of us go through. Along with the noises!

Not being a slave to food and the scale! I still love food, but I don't always think about it like I used to. Before banding, food was always there, I'm sort of hungry, what am I going to eat next, how long til lunch, what if my meal is delayed? On and on it went. Now it's no big deal. I also to obsess over the scale. I hardly ever get on it any more. I am maintaining with confidence. I eat to my appetite. I pull on my size 10 jeans and they fit!

I've heard of putting your fork down between bites, but never waiting 10 minutes. Wowser! You'd never finish a meal. Oh, and reheated meat can get stuck very easily...

Evil thought just came to mind...post his letter on his gym's FB or web page! Let his possible clients see how caring he is!

The reason so many of us eat them is that they are a good protein snack that generally goes down well. Very easy to take along, too!

My weight came off in fits and starts. I'd lose 2 lbs then be steady for a week or two then up 1 then down 3, then steady for a month, then drop 2, then up 2, then down 4, then steady for three weeks. But overall the trend was down. I averaged 3/4 lb per week. It was dreadfully frustrating, but after a couple of years I was 70 lbs down. Try not to let it get to you and look at the big picture. We don't have the malabsorption like bypass patients, so our losses take longer. Sometimes our bodies hang on to the weight even though we are doing everything right. Then it just lets go, all at once. Hang in there!

The sleeve is promising. For me it would still not be possible as my insurance doesn't cover it. There's not much long-term info on sleeves, not that there is for bands either. Strictures scare me. But I do like that it doesn't have the malabsorption. I don't know...it was not even a choice for me when I made my decision between RNY and band. Hard to say what I would do today.

I do no sugar-free anything. People do sugar-free Jello and popsicles for the immediate post-op phases as they are Clear Liquids. I chose not to. Actually I hate jello sugar or sugar-free. My surgeon says that aspartame has an appetite stimulant aspect to it. So thanks but no thanks. If I want something sweet, I'll take the fully loaded variety, have less, and work it into my daily plan. My question to you about cooking dinner is why are you tasting? Are you afraid you are going to poison your kids? Are the bites so large that the calories are adding substantial amounts? If so, then you need to count that into your daily totals. You can taste for spice content without taking a big bite. Are you truly doing it for cooking purposes? Or eating purposes? Needing snacks to stay awake...well, you can work this out. Depending on your surgeon's orders, of course. Mine says eating between meals is fine as long as it is nutritious food that is planned into my overall day's plan. What he doesn't want me doing is brainlessly eating. My point to all this is to not go looking for reasons or excuses to fail before you even begin. Each of us has to find the best way to make the band work for us. We CAN do it!! Also, please don't get into the Last Supper Syndrome. That can lead to extra pounds you will have to lose. You will still be able to eat your favorite foods. There might be a few things that you cannot tolerate. But overall, my food life hasn't changed significantly. It has been a gradual shift, all for the better. And sooooooo worth it!

I was on solid foods at two weeks post-op. I often imagine the pain to be at the upper curvature of my large intestine or the far left side of my stomach. Sometimes I think it could be that the stomach is hitting the tubing as it is gyrating. But in reality, I haven't a clue what it is. Most likely gas. It will get better with time, if it is what mine is.

I used to, but after my weight loss stopped it go boring. Now I go by how my clothes fit. It's wonderful to be liberated from the danged thing!

Awesome!!! Way to not let them get away with it!!

You could maybe appeal that based on when you started it was 3 months and also submit the other info. Does it have to be consecutive months?

I voted! Here's hoping. If you win, be sure to check for after care. Band fills can be mighty expensive. Perhaps you have already considered it. Just don't want you to have a surprise. Does your hubby have a choice of insurances? If he has an open season, you might want to check the other plans and see if you can switch to one that covers WLS.

I get pain on my left side just below my ribs. It's a few inches above my port. Sometimes I think it is gas, sometimes I think it is my stomach moving as it is forcing food through the stoma (opening between pouch and large stomach). It comes and goes. It often comes if I over eat. A surefire sign to check my portions. But that is not always the trigger. It was much worse immediately post-op, is pretty rare now, but I do still experience it from time-to-time. Is that what you are feeling?

Just use more rum than diet coke and you are good to go!!

Hello and welcome! I remember being so hungry during the clear liquid stage that I was eyeballing my dog as a food source! It was horrible! The pain you felt is most likely something getting stuck over the hole between the pouch and the lower stomach that is created by the band. When we are banded the surgeon anchors the band by pulling the stomach over it and placing a few stitches to hold it in place. We are put on liquids to allow time for those stitches to heal. Liquids will go right through the band. Adding solid food causes the upper pouch to grind and can pull on the stitches. By doing so, they could tear. Getting food stuck increases the risk of tearing the stitches. The band is near the Vagus Nerve with runs to the shoulder. Many bandsters have pain in their left shoulder due to this nerve being stimulated by the band. As to air in the band...my guess would be that he didn't want you drinking from a straw to bring too much air into your stomach which can cause a bit of bloat and discomfort. Why it hurts when you take a deep breath? You had surgery? It seems minor, but your insides were filled with gas and moved around so a foreign object could be placed around your stomach. A tubing was run from that to the port which was sewn to your muscles. The body needs time to recover from all this. We downplay it, but it is a big deal. Give yourself time to heal before you say you regret your decision. If you are still having the chest/shoulder pain, give your surgeon a call and tell them what happened. They can check your band placement and be sure nothing has slipped. If you weren't vomiting then you are most likely OK. Hope you feel better soon!