snowbird

A lot of my doctor's patients go alone. He has his own website and forum, and it's easy for patients to correspond and chat with other patients that are going to be there at the same time and make arrangements to meet each other at the clinic.

I thnk shortly after you first get restriction you feel uncomfortable, like food could come back up if you take one more bite. Eventually I am finding my body/mind is learning to reinterpret that sense of discomfort into more of the normal "fullness" feeling. Also, like what KB said, we need to learn to eat not until we are "full" but until we have had "enough." For me there is a difference.

For some reason, and it's not just lap band info, people trust info from other laymen more than from professionals. I used to work for the Social Security Administration, and I don't know how many times friends and family asked me for information about their Social Security, then followed up my statements with "That's not what my neighborfriendcousintotalstrangeronthestreet says." I don't understand it, but it's human nature. When I see posts here saying things like, "I've been puking blood for days, what should I do, do you think I should call a doctor?" I am so totally amazed. WHY ARE YOU ASKING US???

My doctor doesn't numb it, because it's a needle stick for the fill or a needle stick for the anaesthetic, so what's the difference? You don't feel anything inside when they actually do the fill.

Do you have a PCP that can go to bat for you with the insurance company? Does your primary care physician have anything that would help--his knowledge of your past obesity, even if it isn't reflected in your medical records? Lots of times a call from a PCP can push the insurance company along, once they realize there is a medical professional willing to help you fight them. If you truly think there is nothing further to be done with your insurance, then Dr Ortiz or several other competent Mexican or American doctors are viable alternatives. On the plus side, you will be saving money on your grocery bills after surgery. Not being smart, just stating a real fact. We spend much less on eating out and groceries since our surgery.

It may just be that you have some swelling due to throwing up. Don't panic; go back on liquids for a couple days and see how you are doing. If the inability to eat anything persists, call your doctor. The only way to really tell if your band slipped is with a fluoroscopy xray. Not a big deal to go through and not an internal scope.

When I went for my second fill, I had lost a lot of fat around my belly and my scar tissue had shifted so it was right over the port. The doctor kept pushing for a while and couldn't penetrate the scar tissue--only one poke, but I watched the needle bend under the pressure to the point he knew he couldn't continue without a bigger needle. When he got the bigger needle he was able to push through without any further problem. I am very glad he was able to watch what he was doing on the fluoroscopy and wonder what the experience would have been like without it. Would he have thought he was in the wrong position? Anyway, all my fills are with fluoro, and as everyone else says, it is a comfort to know the band is correctly positioned, and the port is oriented properly. I feel afterwards that my band has been checked for slippage, which wouldn't be the case without the fluoro.

I often have a 100 calorie bag of popcorn in the evening. It is very filling--sometimes I can't eat more than half--and it satisfies the munchies. Sometimes I feel so full afterwards that I feel guilty, until I realize I just had 100 calories or less.

I've said this before, but I like to repeat myself. In what part of life do we not always want to take the easy way out? I'm not still doing my laundry on a rock by the river. I don't walk 18 miles to work. I use email and phones rather than writing letters every time I want to talk to someone. So what exactly is the big deal? Oh, and there is no way this is the easy way out. This is the effective way out. Virgo, tell your weight watcher friend to check back with you in 12 months and compare success stories.

You might be able to. Some people have no restriction whatsoever at that point. Just take it slowly and chew very well. Don't expect to eat the quantities you ate pre band.

You might also ask about fills. Do you know if they are covered by your insurance? If not, how much does he charge for them? Does he do them with fluoroscopy? How does he schedule them--on a set schedule, or as needed? How much lead time from making the fill appointment to the scheduled date? How aggressively does he do fills? Does he charge for unfills or adjustments within a short time after a fill (to correct an unsuccessful fill level)?

Are you able to get adequate protein with such a diet? What are you eating for protein? Just curious.

My psych eval also consisted of a full MMPI, which is a long test of many hundreds of questions. The psychologist said they also look for any mental illnesses that may indicate a person is not a good candidate for the post surgical requirements of lap band life. You may not have to take the tests I did, but I wanted you to be prepared in case your doctor requires them. I think they are looking for people with bipolar disorders or other disorders such as that.

Another plus for the band for me was the thought that the medical community may come up with better solutions for obesity in the future. My band can be removed and I can change to whatever is state of the art for obesity treatment later on. If I have major parts of my digestive tract removed, I would guess my future options would be more limited.

Infections can be life threatening. Talk to your doctor right away.

So sorry to hear about the discouraging events you have had to experience. You might check under the Insurance forum; there are posts about Tricare there and there may be someone familiar with your insurance who can help you through this.

My preop diet was Atkins induction phase, which is under 20 g carbs per day.

I cured my donut addiction by eating one, which got immediately stuck and hurt like you know what. You could put a dozen in front of me now and they would only make me nauseous. Girl Scout Cookies, on the other hand, go down just fine. Sigh . . . at least they are around just once a year.

Mine used surgical glue, which was good as it minimized discomfort and scarring. However, I had a brief (48 hour) reaction to it and thought I had developed an infection (heat and redness) around the port incision, but it disappeared quickly.

Thanks for clarifying, Wheetsin. You always have the facts! I guess I meant it is close to the surface compared to the band itself. I do feel mine "poking" at me when I twist or bend, although I have gotten used to it now. It sits fairly close to a rib, and occasionally rubs against it. At first it was a strange sensation.

Could also be dehydration. Make sure you have plenty of fluids before, during and after exercise.

I had my first fill 7 weeks out, although my doctor usually does then 6 weeks after surgery. I had restriction at first, but it only lasted two weeks. However, I lost 10 lb in those two weeks! I had my second fill in January and was actually too tight for about three weeks, but now I am at a good spot. I've lost about 15 lb since the second fill.

birdee, I'm not a long timer by any means, but when did you last have a fill? The band is only a tool, but we need to tune it up to make it run right. I don't exercise like crazy--I ride my bike 5-10 miles a day, but I'm not sweating like crazy in a gym--and I don't measure my foods, because my band holds down the portions when I'm filled adequately. As for fluids, I'm already used to thinking about that because I live in Arizona and you always have to watch your hydration, but I just remind myself to drink a few times a day. I like the sugar free Hawaiian punch or Tropicana light orangeade as a tasty, easy alternative to carbonated drinks. If you're going to set goals, it might be better to set small, short term ones. I get too discouraged if I set a big goal and then start to see no results. Twenty six pounds in three months IS doable, but it would require a lot of work and constant vigilance. Why not just say, I will lose two pounds by the end of the month, and be thrilled if it happens sooner? That works better for me, and makes me feel successful rather than like a failure. I don't know as I am really in a position to give you advice, but unfortunately that never stops me!

It wouldn't "deflate" unless there is a leak, which I suppose could come from severe vomiting. It is more likely you could have caused band slippage with the vomiting, which might change your level of restriction. Neither thing is an emergency that you would have to rush to the doctor with, but either could cause a loss of restriction. You would need a fluoroscope and barium swallow to see what, if anything, is out of place. It could wait until your next appointment, but I wouldn't be surprised if your band doesn't work in restricting your appetite during your wait.

He said he feels a "lump" down between his breast bone. I say lump but he says it's almost as if there is something there poking him from the inside. Is this just the band he is feeling? Sounds most like the port to me. You can't really feel the band itself, but the port is right under the skin so they can access it easily for fills. It could also be swelling from being intubated or just generally from surgery. If it's the port, you can probably feel it just by placing your fingers lightly over the sport where he is feeling it. This is normal. If anything changes, like the lump gets bigger or he has redness around an incision, call the doctor right away in case there is an infection.