Cocoabean

I would think they'd want that # more normal before proceeding. That makes you extremely hypothyroid. If the cause is known, then treatment and re-running the test is good. Sorry you have to wait to find out the results. You cannot see them on-line?

Sometimes, you just have to laugh and deal with it! Yesterday my approval letter to see my surgeon arrived. Didn't get a chance to call for an appointment today. Will do that next week for sure. Had the tightness been more severe and I had not gotten so sick, I would have been calling and pushing to be seen. It is VERY important to keep your fill level where it should be. Being too tight is never a good thing. And yes, bands to have minds of their own. My is named Bandit as he steals meals from me sometimes. The dirty rat.

Hi JennyBee! My last fill was in Sept of last year. Not sure of the total in my band, somewhere around 6.75 in a 10cc band...could be a bit more or less. I've lost track. My doc has the exact figure. In Feb I got very tight. After 3 weeks I called my surgeon for an appt. Insurance being what it is, they had to get prior approval. It sat on someone's desk and got forgotten. Things loosened up a couple weeks later, but I let the request stay in place. Few weeks later I got very sick. Didn't eat for a week, lost 10 lbs (only good thing to come out of it!). Missed 3 weeks of work. ER twice. Band got tight again, as it will do when I am sick. This illness was in no way related to my band. So, I called surgeon again, oh, still waiting for approval. Call insurance, it's up to your medical group. UGH! Finally got approval for the Upper GI my surgeon always runs before a fill/unfill this far out. Had that last week, it shows that food is not moving through as it should. BUT, insurance co. sent a letter denying a visit to surgeon pending more info from primary care doc. NICE. So, short story long...as I love to do Had a fill, it was fine, then got tight a few months later, now need a teensie bit out, because I am getting stuck a couple times a week, and I don't like that one bit. I don't like only eating yogurt and smoothies. Some days I can eat just fine, but it is too fine a line right now that will put me over into the stuck zone.

It sounds a whole lot like a slipped band, but odd that the swallow didn't show it. Perhaps the unfill triggered a full on slip somehow if something has changed more since then? If it were me, I'd be going back and wanting more answers or a revision to another procedure. Do you have one of the older 4cc bands?

The minimum I've generally seen is two weeks, but give them a call. Being an experienced bandster might make a difference.

Glad you are feeling better!!

Way to go!!! Great feeling, isn't it?

Having a slight unfill is not defeat, it is just part of the banded process. It also isn't the end of fils. You'll most likely be able to go back for another fill after things calm down and you've lost a bit of weight. I am heading in for a slight unfill soon myself. Just as soon as my insurance approves the visit.

Approval times are all over the calendar, and it depends on what you mean. Each insurance company has a list of requirements (tests) they insist upon. Call yours or look online to find out what you have to do. They also have their own rules for how long you have to have been obese (some require proof of obesity for each of the past 5 years some require none), if you have to have been on a supervised diet for a certain period of time, like 3-6 months. Once your surgeon submits the request to the insurance company for surgery, I believe most states allow up to 30 days to respond. It took me about 2 months to complete the testing, then I had a problem with getting the psychologist to write the letter saying I was fit for surgery. That took another 2 months. After I sat on his stoop and got the letter, my surgeon submitted the request just before Thanksgiving. With all the holidays involved, it took until mid-January before I got the approval.

The saline is in the band immediately. It can take a couple of weeks for the fill to take effect for some reason. I had a fill where they pulled out all the fluid and put it back to check the amount. I could feel the bladder contract and then expand again as the syringe plunger was maneuvered. Odd sensation.

You say Protein makes you gag. What do you mean by that? Is it getting stuck? If so, you might actually be too tight. Protein is what will keep you satisfied. It should be your priority. If you cannot eat 3 oz of solid protein at a meal, you could be too tight. I lost very slowly, too. But time goes by regardless. Work on good habits, the rest will follow. Many of us are hungrier at night. It just seems to be the way of the band. Ask your nutritionist if you can plan your day to allow for a small meal in the evening. I know many surgeons say 3 meals a day and no Snacks, but I feel if 4 meals a day works better for you and gives you more control, so be it. My surgeon is ok with eating between meals if I am truly hungry and the food is planned out.

I don't think the distance is too, too far. But, how far away is your surgeon if there is a problem the next day? My surgeon's office is further than the hospital for me. The hospital is about 20 minutes, his office is about 40. If there is a problem after you are discharged, you'll most likely go to the office unless it is a severe issue.

Time passes no matter what you do. Why not continue on? In 4 months you will either be done with the 6 month requirement or you will be 4 months older wondering if you should have finished it, and no where closer to being banded or healthier.

I feel that often we ask for our bands to be too tight in the hopes of speeding up weight loss, it doesn't work and invariably leads to problems (my layperson opinion only). It would be interesting if we could all do a barium coated meal. We might be on our way to finding the perfect fill level. Today I am having an Upper GI with a barium coated sandwich. My second, as I feel I am a little too tight, and like your client, I am unwilling to take bites that small and wait that long between as to not get stuck. Even with my best efforts, I am getting stuck once or twice a week, too often in my book. My weight is at a normal BMI and my bloodwork is all good. I do not need my band this tight. As I am 4.5 years out, my surgeon always runs an Upper GI before and adjustment to be sure all is well. I will work with my surgeon as to how much to take out. My last fill was .25cc. I think maybe .1cc will be a perfect amount to remove.

Call the member number on your card. There are different BC policies out there, your best bet is to call or look it up online. I have BCBS California Access H M O. All of the requirements were spelled out online.

I don't wait 1-2 minutes between each and every bite. So, some of the food would back-up into the pouch, yes? Helen, did the studies have the patients eat an entire meal or a few bites? I am sorry, but I could not wade through all the statistical "mumbo jumbo" (for lack of a better term) to get through the entire thing. Like Humming Bird, if I drink during a meal, often times it leads to dire consequences and much pain. Early on I could, but as I got more fill, it became less practical.

1. How long have you been banded? 4.5 years 2. How much weight did want to lose? Enough to get rid of high blood pressure and cholesterol, and help pre-diabetes. Wanted to become normal-weight. Did not have specific number in mind. Successful on all counts. 3. How much weight have you lost? About 75 lbs give or take, depending on the day. 4. How happy are you that you have been banded: scale of 1-10 (1 being regretful, 10 being elated) I give it a 9. It is totally awesome, but it has its downside. Getting stuck is not fun, and sometimes inconvenient, but sometimes funny. There is a lot of aftercare. Having a foreign body inside me forever will always be a concern, but something I will risk for better health. I am very, very pleased with my band.

If only I could understand all the "study speak" of the study! Page 3 does have some very interesting information on the pouch filling up. It also speaks to us feeling the reflux from peristalsis if it hasn't cleared on the first trip down. interesting. And exactly what I experienced. They also observed some stuck episodes..cool! I think we will be seeing more studies of this type come out. If nothing more in an effort to understand truly how bands work and to see if they can be made better.

Elcee, you are right, I only ate a few bites of a sandwich. It was for the purpose of checking my restriction level and for reflux. And you are again correct in that I was very aware of my chewing. But after my experience, my personal belief is that food passes through the band fairly rapidly. With each bite I took, it went through fairly quickly. But then again, I don't normally take a bite, watch it on TV for 30 seconds to a minute then take another bite. But they were normal sized bites, if covered with barium. I get to repeat it again this week..yum. Throughout medical science we see treatments that are effective for some unexplained reason. We see off-label use of medications for conditions other than for which they were developed. Apparently Allergen doesn't even know. I dunno. I think there is just way more to be learned about the mechanism of how the band works, myself.

The pain meds can cause nausea and vomiting. Were you given anti-nausea meds? If not, call your surgeon and ask for a prescription. Slowly sip water, you don't want to get dehydrated, THAT is more important than protein at this point.

I am glad things went a bit better for you. I always have a big learning curve after a fill as to what I can tolerate and how bit my bites can be. I have an upper GI schedule for Wednesday. I get to eat a barium dipped sandwich, how tasty! Ugh. I've been having quite a bit of heartburn, so it will be interesting to see if I have reflux. I am on the mend from my illness, it was not band related. I had a horrible blood infection called Sepsis. It brought me mighty low, and the recovery is long, but I am improving, thanks! Some people can only do teensy fills of .1cc or .25cc. My surgeon always said he prefers to sneak up on the green zone than go blasting through it and end up chasing it. I am hoping to just get .1 removed, as long as there isn't something wrong. Which is why I love my surgeon, he makes sure nothing is wrong at this point before adding or removing Fluid. The fill before this last one was a great level for me for a year. This was just a little top-off. I guess a little to big of a little top-off.

Bread is pretty much off my menu these days, it is just too dense. Same with white meat chicken. I can eat dark meat no problem. The smaller the pieces are cut, the better for me. And the moister the better also. My opinion, there is nothing wrong with take out, just remember, there is extra fat in some of the choices. So beware of that, but I eat out often. Making 3 meals out of one is something that I do a lot. It sounds like you did pretty well the other day!

I am in California. They have 30 days to respond, business days, that is. Mine was submitted just before Thanksgiving. By the time it all went back and forth with all the holidays, it was mid-January before I heard back. My surgeon's schedule was booked a month ahead. I made the appointment for my pre-op visit and to begin my 2-week pre-op diet. Does your surgeon have time on his schedule for June? Once you have approval you have to get onto the surgical schedule. Mine was a month out, yours might not be. You can ask about a pre-op diet and make arrangements to start it with a proposed June surgery date. If approval doesn't come through, no harm no foul. Or if you don't have to do a pre-op, then no worries. But if your approval doesn't come through until June 15 and you want surgery June 20, and you should have been on a 2-week pre-op diet..you have troubles.

Is your port red or inflamed or hot to the touch? Can you eat without restriction? Where is the pain?