Kalipso2

unfortunately, insurance companies don't consider weight loss surgery as preventative medicine. do you have a surgeon picked out already? i didn't have to do this because i was self pay but what i heard of some people doing is wearing heavy clothes and wrist and ankle weights while getting their initial weigh-in to submit to the insurance companies to make it look like they weigh more than they really do.

when i cough at night it is usually due to my acid reflux... and could be the reason for your husband's too.

i know many people go to Mexico and i don't know either way about the surgeons BUT you have to be careful about who you will see for your aftercare (for fills and such) because a lot of surgeons won't touch patients that they didn't band. my surgeon, Dr. Trace Curry, is out of cincinnati but he has a satellite office in columbus! check him out at www.thebanddoctor.com. i can't say enough good things about him or his office. i was self pay and my surgery cost $12,900 with 2 years of free fills. i hope you find out your insurance covers the cost! just remember, the initial consultation fee with any surgeon is free so if you don't get a good vibe from one, find another! let me know if you have any questions!!

welcome to the forum and congratulation on the beginning of your journey! i'm a crazy bird lady with 5 birds (and 2 cats)! where are you at in ohio? i live in the cleveland area but had my surgery in cincinnati!

i'm glad i could help! it took me a long time before i got it too. you'll notice that it becomes a struggle between your band telling you to stop eating (an angel) and your brain telling you "one more bite" (a devil). which one will YOU listen to?

my port is on the opposite side of my belly button... and its right above the scar. you'll have occasional pain there. even 3 years post-op i still get a twinge every once in awhile especially while at work because my desk seems to be the same height as my port and i lean on it all the time!

i'm 3 years post-op and i don't know if i'd say i REGRET having the band but it has been such a difficult journey... more difficult than i ever imagined. i thought i did all the research beforehand. i knew how little i'd be able to eat. i knew i'd have to give up my favorite foods. i thought i'd be okay with that because i'd be skinny, right? it's as hard today as it was 3 years ago. BUT... i am happy with the results i've achieved. i've gone from a size 16 jeans to a size 6. it's almost like being in a catch 22. i'm glad with what the band has given me. i just thought that my addiction for food would disappear with the pounds and it hasn't.

you have to REALLY learn your body to recognize the new signs of feeling full. to me, its not so much as a physical response but a mental one where i think to myself, "if i eat one more bite i'll throw up." i do get short of breath or the hiccups are 2 physical responses i get.

my go to foods when eating out are grilled chicken (no bread) with a baked potato, quesadilla, nachos or chicken fingers. luckily all my friends know about my band and we all share appetizers or they let me eat off their plates lol i can't eat most breads... including pizza. i can handle the crust of one piece and the toppings from two pieces. i also can't eat any ground meat which has been just as rough as no bread!

i'm on the opposite side of the spectrum... my doctor said no carbonation or alcohol for 3 months then after that time period it was fine. i drink 1 or 2 cans a day plus my Water. i've had absolutely no problems except for a gurgling noise when the soda passes thru the band that sounds like my stomach is growling. i'm almost 3 years post op.

it could be that you are too filled. i do know that my body tells me that if i take one more bite i'll throw up. can you NOT take that one more bite and see what happens? after you have an episode of throwing up, you should do liquids for a day or mushie foods to give your stomach a chance to heal from the vomiting.

good luck on your first fill! have you seen or read about how a fill is done? i hadn't and it totally freaked me out! my doctor sprays the port area with a liquid pain med and quickly sticks the needle in but during my first fill i wasn't expecting it to happen so quickly and i grabbed the doctor's arm before he could stick the needle in. lol its not really painful but can be a bit uncomfortable until he finds the port with the needle.

1. hit my personal goal to be in the "normal" bmi range by april 2011... my 3 year anniversary date 2. run in a 5k race by the end of 2011

1. listen to your doctor. he's there to help you succeed. yes, people here are supportive but only your doctor can tell you what's right for you and your body! 2. don't stop eating all the foods you love. give yourself treats occasionally otherwise you'll end up binging. 3. don't beat yourself up if you give in to temptation. just get back on track the next day! you didn't gain the weight over night so you won't lose it over night either!

this is the first year EVER that i haven't gained any weight around the holidays... i actually lost a pound. but don't worry... it's not because i have this overwhelming self discipline.... i'm just not a fan of my mom's cooking lol

if you're losing... then don't get a fill. eating a cup of food may be okay for you. if you can go 4 hours without feeling hungry... then you don't need a fill. also, feeling hungry is okay. its normal. its how long between meals is whats important.

keep taking your pain meds... on time as prescribed... even when you start feeling a little better. i think the first 3 days after surgery are the worst. it WILL get better!! so, just relax... take cat naps... don't do too much the first few days while your body recovers.

my advice to you is to trust your doctor. no one here can tell you if you need a fill or not... while you say you don't feel hungry but don't feel restricted... i guess i can understand that but isn't the end result the same? you stop eating either way. your doctor knows what he's doing and he wants you to succeed too!

i agree with Hummingbird.... i think you have to be covered for at least a month after you're let go. sooo you might be okay!! i'll be keeping my fingers crossed for you!

listen to everyone... you may not think it but you are definately over-filled. how do i know? i was having the same exact problems 6 months after i was banded. i was having the horrible reflux during the night... almost afraid i was going to choke to death. yet i didn't say anything to my doctor because i was losing weight. after 3 months i couldn't take it anymore. i had scared myself one too many nights. i went in and he looked at my band under flouro and my pouch was dilated but hadn't slipped... yet. he took most of the liquid out and over the next few months did small fills. thankfully my stomach went back to normal and my band didn't slip but the longer you wait the better chance it could happen to you!!

i had my surgery on a monday and went back to work that following tuesday. i probably could have gone back that monday but i was scared lol

don't be so hard on yourself. you should award yourself a "treat" once a day. that way you won't binge by holding yourself back. its okay to eat a couple chocolate covered pretzels... just don't go overboard! of course, maybe because i'm NOT so strict on myself that i'm losing weight slowly BUT i'm almost at my goal weight without EVER gaining a pound of it back! it would be silly to think that you'll never "slip". what matters is that you realize your mistake and next time maybe you'll think twice!

my surgeon said he wouldn't know which band he was going to use until he saw my stomach. i have the 10cc lapband.

i'm sorry to hear that, Mimi! i readily admit... i was VERY lucky. and you're right... it's not good to be over-filled for too long!

right after i got banded, i went through a couple of months where i was over-filled and didn't say anything to my surgeon. yes, i was throwing up and had horrible acid reflux but i was losing weight so i kept quiet. after a few months, i couldn't take the nightly acid reflux anymore. i was scared i'd actually choke to death so i went in for a flouro exam. here is a picture of my band, you can see where the top of my barium filled stomach pushes outward almost over my band... not a good thing to have happen. i'm one of the lucky ones... my band didn't slip. i got unfilled and then over a few months slowly had my band refilled and things have been fine since then.