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Thx Mildge, Sorry to hear about your difficulties:sad: Hope your surgery goes well, maybe they can do a revision or something?? Thankfully, the pain resolved itself in about two days, we were doing alot of yardwork, building a patio, a lot of heavy lifting, so I think I just strained the muscles that my port is attached to. No pain since. Sending good thoughts your way, hope it all works out for you:blush:

Hi All, I'm about 16 months out of sx, and other then slow weight loss I have had no issues with my band. Sx, healing, fills everything has thankfully gone without a hitch. Now for the past two days I have had severe left upper quadrant pain, that seems to be worse when I move. No fever, able to eat without difficulty, but it feels like something is twisted up inside, pulling. I can sit still without an pain, but when I move a certain way it hurts. We did alot of heavy lifting and work over the weekend, but this really doesn't feel like muscle pain. Has anyone else experienced this?? I'm going to call my doc tomorrow if it hasn't subsided, but I thought I'd come and ask those in the know Advice??

Ok, it's been awhile since I posted, but after yesterdays doctor visit I knew where I needed to come for answers. I had my surgery a year ago, have not been as succesful as I had hoped but part of it is my fault due to life issues spiraling outta control. Anyway, so I've had to switch doctors to one that is closer to where I live for fills. So I have all of my records transferred from my surgeon to my new doc. During our initial visit yesterday he's reviewing my chart and starts talking about the fact that I have the VG band and that they are finding that the AP bandsters are seeing greater success. They aren't exactly sure why but the newer band seems to kill the appetite. He kept mentioning my VG band and finally I stopped him to have him explain what the heck he was talking about. As far as I knew I had the AP band placed last February. All the documentation that the surgeon showed me prior to sugery referenced the AP band. During the consult he showed me a model of the AP band. All the research I did was on the AP band. I never even heard of the VG band as I started doing my research after the AP band was released so everything that you found was referencing the AP band. I asked the new doc how long the AP band has been available and he tells me he's been using it since 2007... so I'm like wait I had my band put in 2008. Why the heck would have they given me the old band??? He says, well sometimes, they just use up the stock of what they have before moving on to the newer product. WTF!!!!! So now I'm super pissed!!! He says the VG band had a greater occurence of prolapse, plus it is harder to get off if it ever needs to be removed, as well as the added benefit of the loss of appetite with the AP band...again I say WTF!!!! So I come to the people that have the knowledge and experience. What do you think banders?? Should I be super pissed or shouldn't it matter?? Hellllpppp!!!!

Thanks everyone for your responses. The new doc is not trying to "sell' me a new band. In fact he wasn't really making that big a deal of it, he was mentioning it in passing and me being the anal retentive medical professional that I am, made him stop and explain what he was saying. I have lost weight and ur right wasabubble, u tend to not be as strict after several months out, I'm definately assuming the responsibility of only losing 50 pounds, not blaming the band at all. I just feel kinda decieved by the first surgeon. He never mentioned the VG band, and as I had stated I didn't know anything about the VG band. Alllll of my research and his and my discussions prior to surgery were about the AP band. I have no intention of having it replaced....no way!!!! And God forbid that I ever have to. I spoke to one of the docs I work with and he agreed that it was something that I should just pursue, simply by asking the question of why he chose to use one instead of the other. I'll let ya know how that goes. I am happy with my band and the decision I made to have surgery, I know that without my band not only would I probably not be down 50 pounds I'd probably gained another 20.:tt2:

I failed to mention that the surgeon I am going to now has the lap-band himself. He had the VG had a prolapse and had to have a revision with an AP about a year ago. So he has personal experience with both bands, and he tells me that recent research as well as personal experience that with the AP he is not as hungry. Something about they believe that the width and positioning of the AP band rests on a nerve that sends the signal to ur brain that ur full, therefore lowering ur appetite. I'm not sure if there is a difference in cost, the entire procedure was covered by my insurance so I'm not exactly sure what was billed for. I just feel like I was mislead. I'm in the medical profession, and like most bandsters I thoroughly researched before I had this done. I just have a bad taste in my mouth that my original surgeon didn't mention it to me. The only thing he said prior was that there were two size bands and he wouldn't be able to tell which one he was going to use until during the surgery. He NEVER mentioned that he was going to use the previous generation of band:huh2:

Ready----You can do it--I have confidence in you!!!! I'm very fortunate with my insurance, it only costs me $15 copay for fills. And my doc is I guess pretty agressive with fills every three weeks. So all the stars have aligned for me and yet I'm still not losing the way I want to be. I've been reading these boards and posting for months, and pre-surgery I was like "NOOOOO not me I'm not gonna be one of those people that eats around my band" Uhhh yea ok, pass the Doritos:ohmy:!! People are right the garbage slides right thru and the good stuff is harder to eat. I've got to be more accountable to myself. I've got to utlize this thing for all it's worth. For the love of pete I went thru major surgery to have this darn thing put in, and now I'm not doing all I can to make it work for me??? Yep this is where the crazy part kicks in...lol:tt2: Of course by the time dinner has rolled around my determination may be waning, but as things stand at this point right now I'm determined. That's the other thing that I've learned, other addictions people say they take it one day at a time. Not me, with this thing I've gotta take it one minute at a time, cause god only knows when the snicker fairy might attack again:w00t:

Hi Gone Baby, I feel your pain, I'm down around 27-30 I guess since Feb 25th. Been holding steady at this weight for the past month or so. Went to see my doc yesterday and he was going to do a fill but I asked him not to. Let me explain, cause I know all of you who have trouble getting into ur doc or getting a fill are thinking to yourself "what is she crazy!!?" Yea I am crazy but that's besides the point:w00t: I definately know the band is there and giving me restriction as some things get stuck. But I've figured it out, and it's what everyone has been saying all along, the band is a tool. The band is working, I'm the one that's not working. Not saying that you are the same, but I'm kinda resting back on my laurels and not being as diligent as I should be with my food choices or with my excercise. So Dr. Ing (my doctor who I absolutely love by the way:wub:) says you should have lost at least three pounds since the last time I saw you, to which I responded well don't fill me and I will lose 6 by the next time you see me----his response Yea I doubt it :thumbup: hehe very sarcastically. So we made a small wager on me losing 6 pounds in three weeks. I'm highly competitive and hate to lose so this is my motivation. For the next three weeks I am going to follow the rules to a T and bust my arse to see what results I can get with my motivation and using the band as the tool it was intended to be. Your welcome to join me, I'd be more then happy to compare notes, or I'll be happy to give you the results in 3 weeks. I guess my point is hang in there, take stock of what you're doing and be brutally honest with yourself. If you're doing what you're supposed to be doing I would talk to my doctor, if not, feel free to join me on pushing my band and my body to the limit:thumbup:

Suzanne Your welcome--enjoy your wii fit. It's alot of fun!!:thumbup:

Hi---got a wiifit last month. Signed up online with wii alerts, web site that will email you when they are in stock somewhere. Managed to get one from circuit city at regular price. Love it!!! Except my mii is short and fat LMAO:w00t: www.wiialerts.com Good luck!

If it's been 5 months, regardless if they did your three month review or not I don't think you are any longer under "probation". Talk to them and tell them you want all they promised you retroactive 2 months. Good Luck!!

I hear ya girl, my get up and go, got up and went. Which irritates me to no end. I wanted this surgery sooo badly and worked so hard to make it happen and now can't get motivated. Joined the gym, went for like two weeks, haven't been back:thumbdown: Have a treadmill downstairs collecting dust:thumbdown: Have the Nike+ sneakers and iPod (um at least I think I do, they're buried in my closet somewhere) Now I just went and bought a Wii Fit, and believe it or not I'm doing it:thumbup: It's not the most challenging workout on the planet, but it's fun and it gets me up and moving. Use it for about 45 minutes a day, keeps track of your weight and BMI and makes you create a goal. Was just proof reading this post and it dawned on me..I'm really good at losing weight in one place....my freakin wallet:lol:

Hi all!! It's been awhile since I posted but that pesky little thing called life has been kicking me in my arse lately. Stopped in to see how everyone was doing and saw another great thread by gibson. My band anniversary date is the 25th and I've lost 29 pounds. Have another fill today and I don't know if it's my fourth or fifth. I haven't been the best bandster and I have to recommit myself, and hopefully seeing that everyone else that got banded at the same time is really doing well, will be my motivation to get my butt back in gear. Forgot what a great motivational tool this site is!!!

Hi LapBand Losers (pun intented:wink_smile:) Been awhile, sorry and I've missed reading all the double V posts (and I agree our posts are the best and most entertaining---yes I'm biased) Wanted to share with you my NSV, leaving for Key West on Sunday for work--yea I know life's tough:thumbup:. Anyway back to my NSV...guess where I shopped for all my clothes??? NY and Co!!!!! Biggest size there is an 18 and I'm sure that you've all had that feeling where your looking at the pants before trying them on and kinda size up wether it will fit you or not, praying that it will but knowing that it won't...well guess what, not only did they fit but they were too big!!! Couldn't believe it, I shopped in a normal clothing store and didn't even have to get the biggest size:w00t:!!! I have a box in my room that I'm filling with my "too big" clothes and when it's full it's going to Wings For Success, which provides clothes for women who are getting back into the workplace after abuse. My loss is their gain (again, pun intended lol)

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!:tt2::party:

Thank god you said it cause it's what I've been thinking but didn't want to say. I talk to people that had surgery a week or two before me and they have lost 50 pounds:cursing: What?? 50 pounds---how the hell do u lose 50 pounds in two months, and more to the point, why can't I?????:glare: I started the exercise thing, I think I'd rather have chinese water torture:blink:. If I have to drink one more glass of water they are going to have to hook up the foley catheter for me so I can get some work done, without running to the bathroom every five minutes. And yet I've only lost 20 pounds---that's right 20 pounds, where's the line to sign up for that "50 pounds in two months band", cause I think I got in the wrong line:w00t: I think hella frustrating is the understatement of the year:w00t: Try to hang in there girl, guess we should join the slow losers group:blush:

Ezma--glad you're feeling better, but let me just chime in and say Ding-dang girl you're my hero. We had surgery basically at the same time and I'm in the same boat as Gibson---guess I'm one of the infamous slow losers. Wish I could say that I had lost over 60 pounds---shoot if I did that I would be damn near at my goal. I've tried to stay off the scale for the most part cause it makes me crazy, trying to concentrate on weighing in on the "official scale" at the docs office. Well I went for my second fill yesterday and lost another 4 pounds since my last weigh in 3 weeks ago. It's not a lot by anyone's standards, but I'm trying to look at it as---it's better then gaining 4:blushing:. Hang in there and remember that there are a lot of us out here who are super envious of you, and you can count me at the top of that list!!!

Mark me down for a bikini too. Don't think it will ever happen but it doesn't hurt to dream. Even when I was thin I didn't have a "bikini body"lol.

MySpace.com - megan - 36 - Female - Pennsylvania - www.myspace.com/xramami Me too, me too:w00t:

Heights!!!! To the point that I took my 5 year old daughter to Disney and decide to climb the Swiss Family Robinson Tree House, well my pansy ass manages to get half way up then I wrap my arms around the tree and cling onto the tree like its a life raft and I can't take another step, meanwhile DD is happily climbing farther and farther away from me. "c'mon mommy this is fun!!!" UHH NOO ITS NOT!!!:rolleyes2: The freakin 16 year old that was "manning" the ride had to come and walk my silly butt down. Not one of my brighter moments:lol:

Once again great thread Gibson. When I was way thinner, people used to tell me all the time that I looked like Jennifer Lopez, so my name comes from my goal which is to look like J Lo by this Christmas---lofty goal I know but ya gotta aim high:lol: Shoot I would settle to have an arse like hers by Xmas.:thumbup:

I bought one when they first came out. Pretty motivational. I saw that they have a new wrist band so that you don't have to buy the Ipod. It only works for running, or walking, meaning it doesn't work on the elliptical or on the stairmaster. You can then attach the sensor to a computers USB port and upload all of your info to the Nike+ website so that you can track your progress. For those of us that are numbers motivated it's an excellent, easy way to monitor your workouts.

I know exactly what you mean. My 18's are super baggy on me now but the 16's are still a little snug on me, hopefully by next week that will not be a problem. It's nice to not have to worry about going out and buying clothes on my way back down the scale. But the difference this time is that as each size gets to big for me it is headed off to the Goodwill never to be seen again:thumbup:

Hi Ed, I had Aetna when I started my lapband pursuit last year and checked with the coordinator at my surgeons office to see if it was easier to get approved through Keystone or Aetna, and she said Keystone, so I waited until open enrollment and switched to Keystone. She submitted the paperwork for me and I was approved the same day. Even though the insurance didn't ask for it I gave them 5 year dieting history, and a letter from my primary. Keystone will pay as long as it's not a restriction of your policy thru ur employer. Good Luck!!

Sitting here alone on a Saturday nite. The man of my dreams, my best friend for the past two years called tonite and told me that we are no longer "exclusive" and said he loves me but he's tired of all my responsibilities and he's tired of being lonely so we need to "just be friends" I take care of my elderly parents 85 and 80 and my two children a 13 year old and a 19 year old. I'm a single woman stuck in the sandwich generation. How does the world expect us women to balance all of these things and still keep a smile on our faces?? And the worst part is I can't even drown my sorrows in a bowl of Ben and Jerry's cause of my band!!!! I know you will all jump to my defense cause that what we girls do, and I love u all for that but can somebody please tell me how to turn off my head and the hurt in my heart when I can't turn to food anymore:confused2: