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.

Dr. Leport's office requires that you lose a certain percentage of weight. They will let you know how much at your 1 on 1 appointment about a month before your surgery. They don't care how you do it, but they suggest Optifast because it works really well. I decided I would do Weight Watchers to get off the 15 pounds they requested I lose. After about 3 weeks, I had not lost enough weight, so I called the office and asked for the Optifast. That took care of the remainder of the weight. I then had to reschedule because some of my blood work came back unacceptable. When I re-did the pre-op diet 2 months later, I didn't even bother with the Weight Watchers. I just did the Optifast for 2 weeks and was just fine. Good luck to you!

I'm right where you are. I had my first fill today. 3 cc in a 10 cc band. I have lost 7 pounds in the last month since my post op check. They thought that was good and thought perhaps they wouldn't do a fill after all. I explained that I have fought to keep off every one of those pounds and that I had no restriction at all. So they went ahead and gave me the fill, but I don't have another one scheduled for 6 weeks. I see that most surgeons wait about 6 weeks for the first fill, but it really varies for the 2nd fill. I would really like the option of going back in another couple of weeks. I guess I'll just keep my fingers crossed that this one will help some over the next 6 weeks - but I'm not going to hold my breath.

Congratulations Lanakila! You have been such a source of support for everyone in this group. It is just so cool that you now have your very own band:thumbup:

I put a scoop of the unflavored Unjury into sugar free carnation instant breakfast. 12 oz of 1% milk (16 grams protein), 1 scoop Unjury (21 grams protein) and 1 package instant breakfast (5 grams protein). 42 grams protein total and it tastes great. I also put it into pudding and smoothies. I don't even notice it, but it really bumps up the protein count.

I have found canned tuna with a little light mayo to be great. It is easy to eat and fills be up. Lots of protein, so I stay full a little longer.

When the anesthesiologist came in to see me before the surgery, I let him know that I had a reaction to anesthesia once that caused a lot of vomiting. He immediately gave me a shot of anti nausea stuff. That took care of it - no nausea at all. And the pain medication I received was lortab - no morphine. It worked really well and did not cause any nausea. The pain is quite controllable with the medication and it doesn't have to make you sick. You just need to remember that you may not be up running marathons and feeling normal for about a week. You can do this:thumbup:

I'm right there with you. I stayed overnight in the hospital and was really glad I did. Just having the bed that did the lifting was such a help. And yes, I had plenty of pain and I don't regret one moment of it. Today, I am 1 week out. The pain and bloating were really bad for about 4 days, but I'm feeling better now. I'm just taking the medication at night - it really helps me sleep straight through. I think that perhaps the doctor put weights into my belly because I actually gained 7 pounds! No worries, I knew immediately that 7 pounds in 2 days isn't real weight gain. Just bloating. Those pounds are gone now and took several of it's friends with it. All in all, I've just laid low for the last week. Spent a lot of time in my recliner chair with a pillow watching the Olympics. I am now actually able to spend some time at my computer and am feeling like I am really on my road to recovery.

The insurance company has a duty to pay or deny a claim within a certain amount of time, otherwise, they can get in trouble. If they don't have all the information they need to pay the claim, they have to deny it. It isn't really a denial, they will re-open the claim and pay it when they receive the requested documentation from the hospital. Everything that people have said here is true. DON'T set up a payment schedule. DO find out what is missing and contact the appropriate people to get that submitted. DON'T panic. In California, HMO arrangements are between the insurance company and the provider. The provider is not allowed to bill you anything more that your copay unless they have provided a non-covered service. As long as you have the pre-authorization paperwork, and you still have the insurance, you should be fine. Remember - you did not get a bill for $54,000...you got a notice from the insurance company saying that they didn't get all the required paperwork. If it was a bill, it would have come from the hospital. This is just an annoyance...it will be fine.

I'm still pretty sore, but getting better each day. Thanks for asking!

Hi, I have PacifiCare HMO and was just banded on Wednesday. Currently, if it's covered by your policy, you will need to see the nutritionist and get the psych evaluation before you submit for the insurance approval. Once I did that, it only took about a week to get the approval. Good luck to you!