jillrn

My surgeon told me that you should not have soda b/c the carbonation can get trapped and the trapped gas can cause abdominal distention and that can cause cardiac arrythmias! I wouldnt take a chance, boy I am going to miss my diet coke

My surgeon did say in some people the band pressure itself sends some sorta signal to the brain that you are not hungry... and no one knows why it occurs or why it only occurs in some people. Consider yourself blessed and keep going! Jill

Quote from DeLarla "GB is good for fast weight loss, but it's not reversible and you have to take supplements the rest of your life since you don't absorb valuable nutrients. (**I've heard reversing a GB is very difficult and dangerous but I'm not sure if it is done.) " Actually it is technically reversible. The surg has to open you up though and reattach the areas cut. It is a major surg but it can technically be done. It is mostly done for people that have malnutrition issues.

yes it can technically be reversed, but it is a major operation, and the blood supply to the unused portion of the stomach is still intact. Otherwise you could get gangrene and you would definetely be very sick and have to have the dead stomach removed. Youre unused portion of the stomach still contains gastric secreations and is emptied into the bowel. Look at a diagram and this will make sense

Since your eating alot less food are you hungry? Is it true hunger? Bored hunger? Psychological hunger? Or are you just hungry and the restriction prevents you from eating?

there were a few posts on there about LB. Very negative posts. Most of them were saying 25% of LB get it removed and get the GB, with LB you never feel full you are always hungry, just cant eat or you wont lose. You lose the weight very slow and it is hard to keep it off. Most people have to have it removed due to complications. What do you all think of that? I mean I do realize the weight loss is slower but I have read it equals out after a few years. I personally know 3 gb women that have gained most of the weight back. So I think it just depends on the person. They were also saying that with lb you dont have the 18 month grace period to relearn eating??? What does that mean? From what I read the eating is about the same minus dumping syndrome. I really think there is a place for both surgeries and it is a personal decision. Comments??

I dont know if this will help anyone but I have a hand cranked baby food grinder than makes things very mealy in texture. Not quite puree, but almost grainy (hard to explain) I used it for my kids and they loved eating "regular" food, my dd would not eat baby food b/c of the texture, but she loved this. I think it would be better than a blender b/c it would not be liquidified, you would however have to add some sort of broth or something b/c it gets a little dry esp chicken. Jill

Well I have not been banded yet but I am hoping for Jan too! I have PCOS and IR I took Metformin for a long time, but I never lost any weight with it, now I am taking Avandia. I have actually gained a few pounds of water weight which my dr said is normal on it. I worry that it wont work for me either as very low calorie diets have not helped me either. (800 cal/day) but I have not been able to stay on them longer than 3-4 mo then I go off then back on etc. I never lose any weight though. I am sure I will be part of the slow loser club but I am praying that it helps me to lose some. I need to lose 100-110 pounds but I would be so happy to even loose 75 lbs! Good luck I will follow your progress! Jill

This is helpful and I understand it is a process- I really didnt think about that-- Mostly I am worried about breakfast! doesnt that sound funny-- I get really really sick of eggs! I always eat way to many carbs for breakfast-- cereal, toast with peanutbutter are some of my favorites. I will do slimfast in the morning or a protein bar sometime. Is this ok??? I think I can do protein shakes with fruit alot when I am sick of eggs but what else do you eat for breakfast?

Well I am trying to figure out what this is going to be like? I see some people eat sandwiches, pasta, soda pop and I hear that these are no no's. I am trying to see what my everyday life may be like and how I am going to cook for an unbanded family. Please answer yes or no I will try and make this easy so you can cut and paste.... 1. Bread 2. Pasta 3. Pop 4. Tortillas 5. Salad 6. Steak 7. Roast 8. Cereal 9. Hamburger 10. Pizza 11. Apples 12. Chips 13. Cheese 14. Shrimp 15. Pop corn 16. Pretzels I do realize that protein, veggies, and fruits come first, and I cant see how there will be room for anything else but I am just wondering how this works Also if you go out somewhere and need something quick and only fast food is available what would you order? Could you order a Mc Donalds hamburger and just eat the meat? Would this be ok on a very occasional basis?? Thanks for the input Jill

I turned in my paperwork to the surgeon on Monday and they told me to wait to hear from them probably in about a month or so! I was kinda disappointed on how long it would take. 2 days later the office calls me to make an appt to see him. I said "why?" She said are you no longer interested in the Lap Band? I said No I am very interested, does this mean my insurance approved me? SHe said that they verified coverage, but now we have to prove medical necessity anyone know how hard this is?? I have a BMI of 44, I am border line diabetic taking oral agents, I have PCOS, GERD, hypothryroidism, and problems with sore feet from my weight. I am hoping I can qualify. I have Anthem BCBS My appt is next Thurs I am so surprised this happened so fast! Jill

I am not banded just getting started but my dr said to wait at least a year so I think your goal in fall is good. you will be well over a year. He said other than that there should be no problems. Jill

That reminds me of another question.... Anyone on here had a pregnancy with the lap band? Did your dr say what changes the uterus may displace the band?? Are you allowed to have a partial fill with pg as long as the baby is growing?

Hello- my name is Jill and I am thinking about the lap band as is my SIL and she told me about this site. I think it is great! I went for the informational seminiar the other day, and I am turning in my paperwork Monday to fight with my insurance company. Anyway I need to lose about 100 pounds and I have been unsuccessful on conventional low cal diets. I am quite insulin resistant but I am not a diabetic yet. I was on an 800 cal diet for quite a while and I didnt lose any weight with it. My endocrinologist said I would need to get my calories lower yet. ( my lack of loss was not due to the conservation theory- I was on it long enough to rule that out) I did however feel HORRIBLE on it-- constant hunger, headaches and low blood sugar. I am a little worried that I may feel the same way after the lap band. Has anyone experienced this? It never passed the 3 months I was at 800 cal. ( I went up to 1000 b/c I felt so much better on 1000) I dont want to live forever feeling that awful, and it makes me nervous that the lap band may cause this. Some other questions I have are: 1. What was your pre-op diet? 2. What was your post op diet? Liquids for how long? 3. When do you get a fill? 4. How much does it hold? 5. What happens if it slips? 6. How commons are slips? 7. How do you determine if you need a fill? 8. How do you determine if you need to unfill? 9. What happens if your port flips? the dr answered some of these questions at the seminiar but I want to hear it from the actual patients that have lived with this-- some how getting it from the skinny surgeon just isnt cutting it! LOL Thanks Jill