Futr littl Debi

Hi Cutie...today is my bandiversary too. I have lost 75 pounds as of today. I am thrilled. But 109??? You must be over the moon. Congratulations!

My doctor talks to me quite a bit about how things are going with my appetite, how fast and how much I can eat. He also monitors my weight loss. If I am losing 1-2 pounds a week, no fill is needed. He does make me wait 6 weeks between fills though.

I've got 7.2 in a 10 cc band...I think I finally have good restriction.

Sometimes, just a little bit makes a huge difference. When you are first starting to get fills, there is a fat pad around your stomach. When you lose weight, you lose weight everywhere - including that fat pad. Therefore, the band will get looser as you lose weight and you will need more of a fill. I have a 10 cc band as well. I didn't have any restriction for my first 2 fills (for a total of 5 cc). I had perfect restriction with my 3rd fill (1 more cc), but that restriction went away after a few weeks. I went in for another fill of 1 cc. That one was too much for me, so they took out .5 cc. That slight unfill left me with very little restriction. The moral of the story is that just because you get restriction with a certain amount of cc right now, doesn't mean that you won't need more or less later. That's the beauty of the band - it is adjustable. Good luck with your journey!

I also struggled with the decision between GB and Lapband. I really liked the idea of the dumping syndrom. If something makes me sick, I am a lot less likely to eat it. In the end, I decided on Lapband. I felt a lot more comfortable losing the weight more slowly. I also liked the idea that when you lose motivation (even a couple of years down the line), you can get a fill and get the motivation back. You don't have the option of an adjustment with GB. Once I found out that the overall weight loss was the same for both surgeries after a couple of years, I was sold. Good luck with your decision.

Hi Tiffeny, My name is Debi. I live in Fountain Valley. I had my band done on August 6, 2008 by Doctor Leport at Orange Coast Memorial Hospital. You have done very well in the weight loss department! I am down a total of 44 pounds, and have been at it quite a bit longer than you. I don't sweat it though - it took a long time to get to this size...and losing it is a long term adventure. Don't fret about the fill. It sounds a little scary, but it is not that big of a deal. Personally (and every body is different), I didn't get any restriction at all until my 3rd fill a couple of weeks ago. But boy, once I started feeling restriction, it was everything I hoped it would be. I need to eat slowly and I can't eat very much volume. Just what I needed! Welcome to bandland.

Grannyky, Yes, there will be a Medicare deductible and coinsurance for both the hospital and the doctor's charges. If you have a Medicare Advantage plan, you will have to pay whatever your plan documents say is your copayment for hospital and doctor's charges. Check your Evidence of Coverage or call the customer service phone number on your ID card. They can tell you what your payment responsibility will be. Good luck,

My doctor actually listens for the gurgle when he is doing the fill. It's a sign of some restriction and let's him know when to stop.

Last week - 250.5 This week - 248.5 I am thrilled! Earlier in the week, I was actually down another pound. But Thanksgiving put me back up a little. But still, 2 pounds in a week is great for me. And I hit the gym a few times as well. Things are turning around:smile2:

I'm down 1 pound this week, which is pretty good considering I made some poor food choices early in the week. But yesterday, I discovered that salmon won't kill me. I think I will make it my friend.

I'm down 1.5 pounds this week. I feel like I'm going in the right direction!

This is my first time on this thread, but I thought it would be a good idea to keep me on track. I have lost 3 pounds in the last 2 weeks and am now at 253. This includes my 2nd fill (which was last week) and 1 time to the gym. The visit to the gym was a first for me, so I am trying to get some movement in my life. Wish me luck!

I usually get on the scale every morning. For me, it works both ways. If it is up a little bit, it motivates me to behave myself. If it is down a little bit, it feels great and I want it to continue. If I don't get on the scale everyday, things get away from me really fast.

I just got back from my 2nd fill and had some bloody saline as well. They told me that I had a small hematoma. Nothing to worry about at all. They just replaced the saline.

Yes, I have noticed that I am quite sore over my port area. But I wasn't sore at all when I got the fill. I sure hope the soreness goes away soon. It feels like I pulled a muscle. The fill was just over a week ago, but I didn't get very much restriction at all. Luckily, from reading these boards, I didn't have my hopes up that the first fill would give me much. So I am still trying to behave myself with the eating and keeping my fingers crossed for the next fill.