MerryHearted

Probably varies from surgeon to surgeon. I imagine they want anyone who has signs of it to do it, if they don't already know for sure. If there's a possibility of having it, getting treated will make you feel a lot better!! (less tired during the day)

Welcome to LBT!

Doesn't it feel great? Here's hoping you hear from your insurance with good news soon! :thumbup:

Congratulations!! Wow, 70 lbs down from WW already -- what a great start, and now, with the band, you likely won't rebound from that loss. There's a sticky thread somewhere about how to do the tickers... maybe do a Search on ticker.

Are you keeping a food diary and carefully measuring / weighing everything you eat to make sure your caloric intake is what you think it is? If it is accurate, and you have been eating that way for over a year and not losing, you should start talking to your primary care doc about other possibilities. I know Vinesqueen, who was on here back in 2005/2006, also had great difficulty losing despite low cals and exercise. She discovered she had Cushing's. It's rare, but there are other causes of weight issues out there that could prevent you from losing.

He's my surgeon too, and I would highly recommend him and NWWLS in general. They have great patient support both pre and post op, and make sure you have all the info you need to succeed. You have to take advantage of it, of course -- attend support group if you can, for example. Most of the staff there are banded themselves, so they know everything you are going through. I Jessie, too -- she's so blunt & straightforward. She generally runs the support group. Pre-op: Dr. Montgomery told me it wouldn't hurt to try to lose 10 lbs but it wasn't a must as I'd been doing WW already. I did anyway, using Optifast. Figured it'd be a jumpstart. He will decide based on your weight and dieting history if you need a preop diet (besides the cleansing/fasting the day before surgery that everyone does) Post-op: my surgery was 2.5 yrs ago, so I don't know if they've changed the rules. They'll give you a booklet with all the info. For me, it was a week of liquids (anything that can be sucked through a straw). Then he transferred me to mushies for a week or so. Then on to solids in week 3, and first fill at 6 weeks out if I needed it (which I did!). If I recall correctly, he had me come in one week after surgery for a quick exam to make sure everything was healing up well. Good luck!

Yes, stress can make the band tighter. I don't know if it would shut it altogether, but it can certainly make you tighter. If you are throwing up and can't get liquids down, you probably need to go in for an unfill until you are feeling better. (stress-wise and band-wise). Good luck!

Hiatal hernia probably won't be a problem -- I know my surgeon says he will fix those while doing the band surgery. Honestly, most band info I found on sites sponsored by doctors was straightforward and accurate with the experience I'm having so far. The bad info I found was mostly on sites sponsored by competitors -- surgeons who do DS or RNY surgeries who want the Band to look bad in comparison. You do need to be careful just reading on sites like this. If you read a forum like "Lap Band Complications", it will seem at first like everyone banded is having horrible complications -- when in reality it's a small percentage and they are getting support in that forum. There are risks with any surgery, but imho the Band is a great tool and I'm glad I went through with it.

I think it's high. Mine was $200 I think.

My docs picked 150 -- it's near the top of the weight range for my height with a few lbs of wiggle room. In the past, 150 lbs on my body shape is a size 12 for pants -- I'm thick waisted with a belly. While size 12 is marvelous compared to 26/28, I think I'd rather be slimmer. So I'm aiming for 140. (in my fantasy world, I'd be 125 or so and a size 6/8, but I need to be realistic :ohmy:)

Our psychiatrist who does counseling said that there does appear to be a link between obesity and depression. i.e. Most obese people do have some level of depression. She does not recommend going off antidepressants before you hit your goal weight, but once at goal for awhile she said it is worth working with your doctor and/or psychiatrist to see if they are still necessary. I imagine it depends on why you are suffering from depression to begin with. Simple chemical imbalance, or other issues? Depression, no matter the reason, doesn't seem to be a permanent condition for some people. In fact, most people I know in person who have been on antidepressants have only been on them for a year or less before being successfully weaned off. Me? I'm a lifer. :ohmy: Never did succeed at getting off them, and it'll be 12 yrs this summer since I first started on them. I'm not holding out much hope that being thin will make a difference, but ya never know.

I usually end up taking something at night if my nose is stuffy or runny enough that it makes me cough. For drainage like that, I use nasal irrigation. For stuffiness, often a snort of Vicks nasal spray keeps me clear all night. If it's really bad, I take something with pseudoephedrine in it, which is the only thing that works for clearing me up when I have a sinus infection.

I'm going to 2nd that -- this was the best choice for me. Do I consider it successful, even though I'm not at goal? Absolutely. And I'll get to goal eventually. For me, not having a "window of opportunity" was key. The band is still here, even if I wander off track. The key is that in wandering off track, I no longer gain back everything I lost and then some, because I just can't eat large quantities of food -- the worst I can do is make poor food choices. Of course, part of my decision was because I had one friend and one acquaintance who regained their weight a few years after their initial RNY. And the complications with RNY are very scary. Of course, there must still be a lot of successful RNY patients out there, or it wouldn't be so popular. Have you considered a duodenal switch (DS) or gastric sleeve? Those are a couple other surgeries I hear people talking about on here as alternatives to banding or RNY.

Dessert once in awhile is definitely normal. But if you find yourself eating ice cream and other desserts too often, or find that eating the ice cream tonight starts you down a slope where you are starting to crave junk food a lot, then it's better to avoid it for awhile. Everyone's different!

Yes, totally normal until you get filled -- maybe even multiple fills until you get proper restriction. If your band slips, you won't be getting down half an apple and scrambled eggs -- you'd likely be puking if you try to eat anything at all. :purplebananna: Don't worry -- you sound completely normal for where you're at post-op! (assuming your doc has moved you off mushies and on to solid foods) Search on "bandster hell" -- that's the phase you are in from now til you get filled. :cool:

Just wanted to share that this book has blessed me lately. The full title is Praying God's Word : Breaking Free from Spiritual Strongholds. She has chapters on Breaking Free From Overeating and Breaking Free from Guilt with a lot of scripture-based prayer for these. I've been making 3x5 cards and starting to memorize some of the scriptures, although I might break down and pony up the $20 for the pre-made card set at some point. Anybody else use this resource? I do not find it a source of condemnation ("you evil gluttonous sinner!") but rather the scriptures she has chosen are encouraging and comforting as I work on the disciplines of daily food tracking and exercise.

Congrats on your band date -- good luck with surgery!! :regular_smile:

I'm not sure how medical works in the UK. I did not have to have my primary care doc "approve" me to get the band. I found a surgery center, went to their seminar, and started the ball rolling that way. So if I were you, I'd try to find a band surgeon and then work from there. i.e. if they require your primary care doctor to approve you or refer you, see if you can find a doctor who is pro-banding. Maybe by visiting a bandster support group in your area and finding out who their doctors are?

Me too! I have to buy special bras online because I'm a 46A, and don't even fill out the #$(#$ A cup. At top weight my only choice was sports bras. Behold, the uniboob. I don't even need a bra at goal weight! lol I am pondering a breast augmentation once I hit goal. Maybe a nice B cup? But I waffle on whether that's a prudent use of my money.

I put mine on Photobucket and linked from there.

I'm glad to hear you walked away from WDW. For a very similar, but more grace-based program, check out Thin Within. The Bible studies I did through them were very good, although it was several years ago and I don't know if their materials have changed. Unlike WDW, they do promote choosing healthy foods and doing moderate exercise, but otherwise it is the same concept of 'eat only when physically hungry and stop when just satisfied'.

I get that if I irritate my band. Sounds like you are doing the right thing and having some liquids to avoid irritating it further. The feeling should pass in a couple days.

For a yummy "liquid" multi, try Emergen-C Multi-Vitamin. You mix a little packet of powder with 4-6 oz of Water to make a strawberry-flavored drink. I had to order mine online though -- my drugstore carries like 7 flavors of the regular Emergen-C but not the Multi. I use Viactiv chews to up my Calcium. Still working on finding a good solution for Iron.

The hair loss is because of surgery -- it happens with any major surgery. Quote from familydoctor.com: This is what my doc says is usually the cause. Getting adequate protein: we all need to be doing that anyway so the weight we lose is mostly fat, not muscle. But you don't need to eat excessive Protein -- it's not going to help with the hair loss. US RDA is .8 g per kilogram (2.2lbs) of your ideal weight.

Good luck, and I hope it goes through for you! Come back and let us know.