Mellie

Hi, I'm glad to have found this group. I was banded back in June of 07. I initially lost 51 pounds. In November the doctor took my saline out due to my esophagus being dilated. I gained 17 pounds since my unfill. I tried WW for awhile but it just didn't work for me this time. I decided to start low carbing last Tuesday and have stuck with it strictly. I had lost 6.5 pounds as of yesterday morning but when I weighed last night had gained 3.5 back. This morning I was down 1.5 from last night but that is still a gain and only 3.5 loss instead of the original 6.5. I can't pinpoint why because I have not strayed from the plan. My ketosis strips are in the purple and I should be losing, right? Have any of you guys experienced strange fluctuations in your weight while following this?

Tina, Thanks a bunch!! I will definately try that. I'm going to give them a call.

I posted this in the insurance forum, but wanted to check in here also and see if anyone had any information. I was wondering if anyone has had this problem or any advice for me. I had the LAP-BAND® surgery in June of 07. My company insurance was BCBS of NC at that time and they covered surgery and follow ups, fills etc. Later that year, my company went self insured thru med cost. At that time the HR department told me nothing would be covered related to weight loss or my follow ups. Because of this I have not been able to have regular follow ups and maintenance. I only go when I can save enough to. I spoke with our HR again, but she was no help and I also spoke with a company nurse and she said that she believes this is wrong. Because I did not change insurances and I have a medical device in me they should not deny me care now. I need to know if anyone else has dealt with this and if there might be any options I could take. Thanks so much! __________________

I have talked to my doctor's office about this and they do give me a discount if I pay in cash at the time of my visit. That does help some, but it's still alot out of my pocket, especially for fills.

I was wondering if anyone has had this problem or any advice for me. I had the lap band surgery in June of 07. My company insurance was BCBS of NC at that time and they covered surgery and follow ups, fills etc. Later that year, my company went self insured thru med cost. At that time the HR department told me nothing would be covered related to weight loss or my follow ups. Because of this I have not been able to have regular follow ups and maintenance. I only go when I can save enough to. I spoke with our HR again, but she was no help and I also spoke with a company nurse and she said that she believes this is wrong. Because I did not change insurances and I have a medical device in me they should not deny me care now. I need to know if anyone else has dealt with this and if there might be any options I could take. Thanks so much!

I have been banded since June of 07. I have had 2 small fills since then. My doctor is not very agressive and I have 1.5 ccs in right now. I have lost 31 pounds since June but haven't lost anything in the last 3 months. I am very discouraged and wonder what restriction is supposed to feel like. I feel a little discomfort when eating meat but that's it and it passes quickly. I feel like a failure. I've been bouncing 4 pounds back and forth for about 2 months now. I can eat pretty much what I want but I am trying to watch what I eat but it's really hard especially this time of year. I'm not sure what I'm supposed to eat and what I'm not anymore. My surgeon was excellent pre op but I haven't seen him since. My visits are with the PA. They gave us information before the surgery but it was geared more for the gastric bypass patient because that is the majority of his clients right now. I thought by now that I would be alot further than I am. Can anybody give any advice on what I should eat and what are the signals to look for in restriction. I don't want to give up.

Sorry I haven't been here in a few days. I have been so busy with work and the children. Anyway, put me down for 60 minutes of exercise. I've only had time to use my elliptical 20 minutes a day this week. I hope to get back on track this weekend. Thanks!

I attended the Walk in Pinehurst. I wish I would have known about Charlotte's walk and I would have walked there also. I really enjoyed participating in it.

I walked 60 minutes in the Walk from Obesity this Saturday in Pinehurst. Sunday I walked 60 more minutes just around the neighborhood. I can't remember what I had posted up until now but I'll look back and see what my total would be. How often should I post my minutes?

Thanks for letting me know how the exercise challenge goes. I'll start with 900 this month.

I'd like to know the answer to that too. I had my second fill on Sept. 26th. That would make it 1.8 cc's in a 4cc band. I feel a little more restricted but it depends on what I eat. I can eat soft stuff. I had a baked potato and a small chili from Wendy's for lunch today. Last night I had a spoonfull of field peas and a couple bites of salad and about 4 bites of chicken and then started hurting.

I'd love to join in but I'm not sure what the rules are. I just purchased an elliptical machine and it should be here next week. I started walking Sunday. I've walked 1 hour a day for the last two days.

Banded June 11th 2007. Thanks Heather!

Hang in there. I'm at my second fill and still don't feel much restriction. I know it will come and that keeps me from giving up. My weight loss has been really slow for the past 6 weeks.

I remember waking up in recovery and a nurse was talking to me. I felt sick all of the sudden and they gave me something right away to take the nausea away. I was very sore and my throat hurt and I needed to cough. But, the pain wasn't severe. I was sleepy and my eyes were blurred. But after recovery and for several days after the surgery I couldn't sleep. I only slept two hours the night in the hospital and the next day. I wanted to sleep but just couldn't.

Thanks Karla. I will try that. I just bought some Isopure and it has 50 grams of protein. I've been drinking that for a couple of days now. I was down 6 pounds as of yesterday but this morning I was back up 2. I know I need to stay away from the scales. I see the doctor tomorrow so maybe he can tell me exactly what I need to be doing.

Thanks for the encouragement. I have been so confused about it because I haven't been eating anymore than I was to start with. Thankfully, my willpower has been incredible this far. I'm sure that I could eat more if I wanted. I'm worried that once I do start putting more calories in that my weight loss will surely stall. I hope not. When do you usually get your first fill?

I'm just bumping this back up to the first page to see if anybody has any replies. Thanks

Thanks for the replies! I hope it's nothing. There isn't any swelling or redness around the incision, so that's a good thing.

I lost 20 pounds between the week before surgery and 2 weeks after surgery. I'm 4 weeks out and have lost 3 pounds since last Tuesday. I'm wondering why the weight loss is slowing down. I'm still on liquids and my calories are the same. Am I eating too little. I figure my caloric intake is about 500-600 a day, some days less. Do I need to eat more to lose weight? I have heard that sometimes you can put your body into starvation mode. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy with the loss, just confused to why it is slowing down now. Any answers for me? Thanks!

I am almost 4 weeks post op and just now experiencing some pain in my port area. It feels like a sore pinching pain when I move. Has anybody else experienced this? I'm not sure if I have done something to make it hurt.

Thanks for responding. If you don't mind me asking. . .How much weight did you lose on the liquid phase and how long was it? I've lost 10 pounds since surgery but I was hoping for more. I'm trying to decide if I am doing everything right. I have friend that lost 25 the first two weeks and I'm wondering if there is something else I should be doing. I really want to make this work for me. Do you lose more quickly after your fill? Sorry for all the questions and thanks again.

I'll be 2 weeks post op on Monday. My doctor has me on clear and full liquids for 4 weeks. They gave me a list of things I could and could not eat but I'm wondering how many ounces am I supposed to have at a time. I don't want to hurt anything and right now I can eat 10 ounces of creamy tomato soup(lowfat) in about 20 minutes. It doesn't hurt at all. The first week I could only do about 2 ounces at a time but now I take small sips and it goes down fine. I just want to make sure that I'm not doing anything wrong.

Who has used any and were they successful? I'm about to hire one and wanted to know some experiences with them. Thanks

Thanks for the replies. I was hoping that someone had gotten BCBS to overturn their decision. Anyway, I think I'm going to get in touch with a lawyer and see what steps I need to take. I can't pay for it myself and I don't want the RNY.