Longhorn

I certainly understand why we shouldn't drink during a meal or for a certain period after the meal. But I'm curious why many also have a rule against drinking before the meal. Wouldn't the liquid pass right through and be gone before the food arrived so there wouldn't be any risk of the liquid washing the food down? What am I missing?

Howdy and welcome! You're asking questions of people who are in the same situation you are -- that is, most of us have had zero, one, or maybe two fills but few of us have reached the point of restriction where the weight is falling off. Some people lost a lot of weight on their pre-op diet. Some have lost a lot since being banded, too, but there are many reasons -- maybe they have more to lose, maybe they aren't hungry, maybe they're exercising, or maybe they're "dieting" until the band starts to work -- and any combination of these. As much as I'd like for the weight to be falling off, I'm not going to get caught up in comparing myself to others. There will always be someone -- usually a guy -- who is going to lose faster than me. In fact, I've always been a slow loser compared to other people so there will be lots of someones who lose faster than me! :present: I didn't get the band to go on a diet, per se. I understand that there are rules to follow but I also understand that I got the band to help me follow those rules and my band isn't doing what it's supposed to do -- yet. So I'm doing the best I can and I'm exercising and being patient. In the past, my efforts at losing weight were "short-term" but the band is a permanent condition. Being impatient now would be like giving birth to my first child and being impatient about getting my first grandchild! :thumbs_up: Congratulations on getting your band and good luck with your first fill!

I think you must have just read the first page! This is an active thread with new posts nearly every day. If you read through the pages, you'll see plenty of progress! Good luck!

When you're on the forum page where you wish to post (where all the threads in that forum are listed) it says "New Thread" at the top left. Just clcik on that.

I was never in constant pain. In fact, "discomfort" better describes how I felt. I've felt worse with a bad case of menstrual cramps! I did take the prescription pain meds the first three or four days, mainly at night so that I would sleep well. The liquid Tylenol was enough during the day. It wasn't difficult to find a position where I didn't feel any pain.

My doctor's post-op diet is two weeks Clear liquids and Protein drinks (Low-Carb SlimFast was okay) followed by four weeks full liquids/pureed foods followed by soft foods until five months after surgery. I pretty much quit losing when I got to soft foods but I knew that would probably happen. I had a couple of days of occasional discomfort but was back to work on Tuesday after my Thursday surgery. I was a bit weak and tired for the first ten days and tried to take it easy. But by the second weekend, I was feeling great and have ever since.

I'm 52 with 58 to lose initially. My BMI was 35. I'm sick of focusing so much of my time and energy on the topic of weight loss! I was banded November 1 and I'm feeling great! I've *only* lost about 20 pounds but it has been easy to do so I'm not complaining. I'll get my second fill next month. Be sure to check out the thread for folks in their 50s and good luck!

I thought I was going to have to sleep in my recliner but I decided to try laying down with my body pillow tucked under my belly and between my knees and I was able to get comfortable. It was painful turning over and I made sure that I rolled to my side to get up from that position instead of rising while laying on my back. I slept better than I would have in the recliner as I'm not a back sleeper at all.

You'll need to wait a couple of weeks until the incisions are completely healed but then you'll be able to take bubble baths again. In the meantime, you can shower but you're not supposed to soak your incisions while they're healing.

Well, the agent that we had for other insurance didn't do health insurance so I had to call around. What I found wasn't pretty! It was very cutthroat, with them telling me lies and even badmouthing each other! Then they wouldn't quit calling me, even after I told them that I had found something. I have a fantastic used car salesman -- but never found a decent health insurance agent. I'll have to get your agent's name if we find ourselves in need again!

I like your attitude -- I guess because I share it! :Banane34: I may be a "slow loser," too but since I won't be suffering, I won't mind the wait.

Mindy: I would check with more than one insurance company, just in case. I've had certain conditions excluded or "rated" differently. Also, what about a Medical Savings Account? I wonder if the qualifications are different for one of those? Good luck! I hated finding insurance when we were self-employed. I pay an arm and a leg for what we now get through my work (since the college doesn't pay for any of it) but at least I don't have to deal with agents any more! :angry

There's quite a bit of discussion on this topic in the Lapband Complications forum, including comments from a physician member of the board.

My doctor's fees were $12,500 plus another $1000 or so for labs and consultations. This price isn't unusual in this area, either. So yes, $17,000 does seem high to me but the price does seem to vary in different parts of the country.

I hate low-rise jeans! I order a lot of clothes online and that's one of the mistakes I've made -- getting jeans that are too low. On me, if they're tight enough to stay up, they're uncomfortable and if they're not tight, they fall down. People make fun of "Mom jeans" but I've seen very few gals who I think look good in low-rise jeans (and I teach at community college so I am surrounded by young people.) I've also wondered if those who wear them are oblivious to the fact that they're often giving the rest of us quite a view or if that's what they intended. I wonder if these same people make jokes about the plumber whose crack is showing. I thought the style of wearing low-rise jeans with a G-string sticking out the top was over but I saw a gal doing just that at a sports bar last weekend. In fact, low-rise jeans are apparently no longer in style: From the San Francisco Chronicle, December 9, 2007: "Thankfully, low-rise jeans (which seemingly existed solely to embarrass anyone lacking rock-hard abs) are so very last season." Learn to dress 'skinny' by choosing the right clothes Fortunately, the few low-rise jeans I have will be too large soon.

ymmv = your mileage may vary.

I don't blame you for not wanting a fill, especially since it's working for you. Just remember that this situation could change as you lose weight as there is less pressure from fat on your stomach. Enjoy it while it lasts and maybe you'll be one of the lucky ones who never needs a fill!

My doctor's fee includes one year of after-care -- 12 monthly appointments. I had one cc in my 10-cc band at surgery and three ccs added two weeks ago. I don't know how much will be added from now on but I will see the doctor every month whether I get a fill or not so I don't think his decision will be motivated by money but I can see where that could be an issue.

You're describing my experience so far, except I've lost about 20 pounds in eight weeks. If I'm at 29 pounds in another month like you, I'll be quite pleased.

My doctor told me I couldn't drive until I had been off of prescription painkillers for 24 hours.

Me, too! Regardless of the effect on the band, there are a lot of good reasons not to drink soda, diet or otherwise!

I had that question, too, so I asked my doctor. He said there is no reason for me to be hungry and to eat so I do. I follow the rules -- Protein first, chew a lot, wait between bites, and I try to get in 70 grams of protein per day. But he never gave me a limit on how much I could eat. Fortunately, I don't have to eat that much before I'm satisfied. This is how I've avoided Bandster Hell. However, I am not losing weight very quickly in the last couple of weeks, if at all (it's fluctuating.) I think a lot of folks would prefer to lose more quickly so they are limiting how much they eat but end up hungry. I'm not in any hurry. Just different approaches, I think. I chose my doctor because I share his philosophy.

Congratulations!!! What a nice surprise! :clap2: :clap2: :clap2:

There seems to be more and more evidence that obese people have a defective "switch" that lets us know when we've had enough food -- kind of like a faulty thermostat. Some of us have inherited it and some of ours may have gone haywire for a variety of reasons. With obesity becoming more and more of a problem, medical researchers are now finally looking for a cause instead of blaming the victims. I've had the same feeling as you, that NOW my switch is working. It feels wonderful to stop eating and notice that I'm often the first one finished! I had lunch today with a petite, normal-weight friend of mine at our favorite Chinese restaurant. I had Kung-Pao chicken with no rice and a small eggroll. She had pepper steak with steamed rice and an eggroll. I ate about three-fourths of my entree, no more than a cup of food. She ate every bit on her plate, as I would have before my band. But I didn't feel deprived and hours later, I'm still quite satisfied. Thanks for starting this thread and giving us a chance to share our joy!

Thanks for the link and I will definitely check it out! However, I am one of those people who did use fitday religiously. I weighed and measured my food. If a food didn't match exactly, I got the box or can and entered the nutrition information myself. Did I mention I'm also a tad anal? I also went to the University of Texas Department of Kinesiology and was examined and scanned and probed to determine my BMR, with a computer analysis of how many calories I should consume in order to maintain and lose. And I still did lose. So I had my thyroid and everything else checked and found out I am nauseatingly normal in all tests -- practically right on the median value! I was riding my bike 34 miles round trip to work four days a week. No loss. I was working out 90 minutes a day on my elliptical and home gym. No loss. I went back on a liquid diet. No loss. I counted every morsel that went into my mouth and limited my calories to 1600 a day, then 1400 a day. No loss even though my BMR is supposedly about 2200. And I tried these various methods for months at a time, sometimes at the same time (that is, both diet and exercise.) I was even skeptical about whether the band would work for me but I was willing to give it a try and I've lost close to 20 pounds so far (unofficially.) I believe now that I can only lose weight if I take in fewer than 1000 calories a day and that I need the band to help me do that. But theoretically -- burning more calories than I take in -- I should have been able to lose on 1600 calories, not counting the calories I burned via exercise. So I do believe that there's something else going on.