Anwyn

That's wonderful news! Thanks for keeping us updated - you had me worried!

Congratulations! UHC came through for me too. I feel kinda guilty for all the complaining I did about them pre-surgery...

Count me in! My weight this morning is 255.5 and my goal for the 10 week challenge is 25.5. I'll post a pic later, as soon as I figure out how. I just had my first fill a few days ago, so I'm feeling optimistic! Good luck everyone!!

After seeing all of those astronomical numbers I feel embarrassed admitting this but I was banded on 7/26 and I'm only down 4.5 lbs! I was down 9 at one point, but once I started solids and had no restriction I got into a last hurrah mindset and gained a few back. I had my first fill 3 days ago and I'm feeling ready to get this weight off!

My last name is Wynne (pronounced "win", though most people guess wine or whiny). I guess that means I'm a winner.

Thank you so much to everyone for offering your suggestions and support. I've been feeling much better since I posted. It's amazing what a little venting can do. I am still having issues of course, but I feel much better after reading your feedback. Vines - you're absolutely right. I've known that I need counseling now for a long time, and I keep procrastinating. I've found a good program nearby, and I'm going to schedule an appointment asap (leaving for vacation tomorrow, or I'd do it Monday - yikes! that sounds like procrastinating too! :-) ) But, I am really good at keeping promises to other people, so I promise that I will set up an appointment as soon as I return. This is going to sound really dumb, but I truly don't know what my issues are. It's not like I haven't given it plenty of thought, but I really don't think I have anything to complain about. I've had back issues this past year, but overall my life is great. I've read so many threads about those of you who have really been through so many hardships and I think to myself - you haven't had to deal with any of those things, why can't you just be happy?! I've been truly lucky in my life, yet for some reason I must on some level think that I don't deserve it. So, I'm looking forward to uncovering my issues and dealing with them head on. Thanks again for all of your words of wisdom - words can't express how good it makes me feel knowing that there are people out there supporting me.

I was just reading a thread about someone who is worried about letting the doctors see all of her fat during her surgery, and it got me to thinking about my all time most embarrassing moment. Here goes (and I CANNOT believe I'm writing this...) I was giving birth to my first child and the babies' heart rate dropped. I was of course dressed in one of those lovely hospital gowns that opens up the back. The nurse had me turn over onto my hands and knees to see if it would help increase my son's heart rate. After a very embarrassing moment where I could tell I was exposed she covered my 300 lb naked arse with a sheet. After a few minutes about 15 doctors and nurses were in the room and a woman was calmly telling me that I was going to have an emergency c-section. Before I could blink I was being wheeled down to the OR, naked butt still to the sky and covered with a thin sheet. I could see just enough through my tear-stained glasses to realize that I was passing a crowded waiting room when I felt the sheet fly up to my neck. The constant chatter of the people wheeling me down the hallway immediately fell into a stunned silence. It seemed to take forever for one of them to pull the sheet down... guess my booty was mesmerizing. :-) Thinking about this got me thinking that it would be fun to hear everybody's most embarrassing moment. Let's see if you can top mine!

Hang in there and keep trying to get it covered! There are some great threads under the insurance section - check them out. You can try a search for your carrier to see if anyone else has had success with getting an exception made. If all else fails, there are ways to finance the band too. Good luck!

Please help! I'm in serious need of support. I was banded on 7/26 and I get my first fill in 2 weeks. I have very little restriction, and ever since I started eating regular food last week my eating has gotten completely out of control. Why am I doing this to myself?! I'm eating too fast, not chewing enough, and flushing the food through my band with Water when it gets uncomfortable. I'm going to slip my band if I keep this up. Why am I so self-destructive??? Most days I feel like I'm pretty together, but this band has really made me see myself differently. I had surgery for God's sake, and I'm ruining my chance! I'm up 7 lbs, and I'm just sick with myself. I need to get back on track, but I feel like I don't know how. Please help me get through the next two weeks! I'd appreciate any words of encouragement you guys can give me. Thanks for letting me vent - I've been avoiding this site for the last week so that I could stay in denial. I feel better just touching base.

My surgeon told me that drinking carbonation will stretch out the pouch over time. Something about the gases dispersing in the stomach... Sounds kind of implausible to me, but at this point I'm not doing anything that might make it harder to lose weight. I don't think it's really that hard to stretch the stomach pouch out. A friend of mine had the roux-en-y 3 years ago (a very different surgery from the band of course but we both have a pouch) and they just did a test on her stomach and found out her stomach pouch is as large as her old stomach. Obviously she consistently ate past the point of fullness for a long period of time, but her story still put the fear of God in me.

Good luck with your surgery! You'll be a bandster before you know it!! :-)

I know what you mean about not enough calories - I was convinced that I was at a plateau because I couldn't take in more than 600-800 cals while on liquids. Now that I'm on mushies I'm eating more like 1200 cals and all of the sudden the pounds are dropping off again. I really believe that the body holds onto weight when it thinks you're starving it, so it may pay off if you can find a way to get a few hundred more calories in. At any rate - congratulations on getting a good fill! I'm sure the pounds will start to come off soon! DID YOU GUYS EVER THINK YOU'D HAVE PROBLEMS GETTING ENOUGH CALORIES? I LOVE MY BAND!!!!!!! :-)

I'm lucky, I worked at an apple orchard for 10 years making doughnuts and apple fritters. It's true what they say - when you make them you definitely don't want to eat them. It's been 8 years since I worked there and I still don't crave them. Jachut, I'm from Michigan and I have to ask... What's a bikkie?

All together now... "HELLO CHERYL!!". :-) Should we all sing a chorus of "We Shall Overcome"?

I just tried my unflavored Unjury for the first time - I put one scoop of Unjury, 1 serving of carnation instant breakfast, and 8 oz of milk in a cup and stirred. There was a slight aftertaste, but it was 34 grams of protein! The carnation cut the protein taste so that it was palatable. Should make it much easier to make my protein quota.

Wow - Great Job!!!!!!!!!

That's exactly where my pain was too. You just had a much clearer way of saying it, lol. Hope your boobs even out! :-)

Jane, I've only been banded for 2 weeks, so I'm no help on the solids issue, but I know my stomach was twisting in sympathy knots for you just reading your post! There are few things more stressful than trying to sell your home. Good luck, and I hope everything turns out well for you!

Are you referring to the shoulder area by any chance? I had pain in my chest/shoulder as well, and my physician told me that the band can rub against the diaphram and refer the pain up to the shoulder (even though obviously they're nowhere near each other). I was banded 14 days ago. My pain was on and off for about 4 days and I haven't felt anything in about a week. It was worse when I was walking around. I would check with your doc just to make sure. You don't want to blow off chest pain in case it's something serious. You may also want to search for other threads on this topic - I think I remember seeing someone else posting about this issue. Good luck, and I hope you feel better soon!

There are some good threads under the food section about suggested post-op diets. The most important thing is to get in at least 60 grams of protein a day. That's your first priority, and because your stomach is so much smaller it doesn't leave much room for the rest. That's why most people seem to be following a low carb diet. I'm surprised that you didn't meet with a dietician as part of your program - IMHO it's extremely negligent to send a banded person out into the world without clear instructions about what you need to be eating. By the way, anytime you introduce a new question it's best to start a new thread. More people will view it that way and give you the advice you need. :-)

Brandi, you are not alone! Maybe we should form a support group... Weighers Anonymous or something 8-) I go to the bathroom, strip, and get on the scale first thing in the morning and right before bed. It's like I'm obsessed! And it's only getting me down. I just don't think I have the willpower to wait a week. I'm thinking of asking my husband to hide the scale on me.

Here's my list: Things I don't use: -Exercise bike -The Firm step & tapes -Exercise videos -Jane Fonda step -Hand weights (stubbed my toe on one just this morning) -Exercise bands -Curves membership that led to 2 back surgeries and countless days in bed. Ironic, eh? Things I use: -Treadmill -Elliptical Machine I'm enjoying exercise for the first time because of my iPod. It's amazing how much fun walking can be with my favorite tunes. I tell my kids to go for Dad if they need something because I purposely turn it on too loud to hear them. I spent a fortune on the elliptical, but I'm too out of shape to use it. It should probably be under a "hope to use someday" column. Wow - I never realized I had bought so much crap. I'm vowing here and now to get rid of everything in the don't use column. What a waste of space and money!

I couldn't agree more with Vinesqueen - this isn't an easy way out at all. Yes, it's a tool that will help but all of the work will be on you. You deserve to be heard out, and at the very least he can go to a consultation with you. You may find this isn't for you anyway, but you have every right to research your options. What do you think his issues are? Is he worried about you having surgery or is he thinking of how this will affect him? Because IMHO there's a big difference between the two. You need to do everything you can do to educate him about the procedure and put his mind at rest if he's simply worried about your safety. If he's only thinking of himself, then this is his issue to work out. Just remember - you have a God given right to be happy and healthy!

Hi Dani - I was banded 2 weeks ago at Henry Ford Hospital. My physician was Dr. Ganaw. They haven't done very many bands, so I'm not sure if they will do fills on people they haven't treated. I have heard that there's a physician by the name of Dr. Pleatman in Bloomfield Hills who will do fills. You may want to search for him on this site - he has actually posted here a few times. Hope this helps! :-)

Congratulations! Best wishes for a speedy recovery.