Maya314

Congratulations!! Be sure to let us know your date so we can pray for you!

I get that way all the time for everything.. it's called buyers remorse.. I do that every time I visit the financial aid office where I attend school. It's normal to feel that way. You live in your body 24/7, I think you're worth the investment. Good luck in whatever you decide.

Congratulations!!

Not sure where I got this from.. somewhere that I was doing research on.. but thought it might be useful for this thread. Increase Your Chances of a Good Fill The following suggestions are good rules of thumb and will greatly increase your chances of getting a good fill. 1. Be sure you are very well hydrated when you come in for your fill appointment. That means at least 6 to 8 full glasses of liquid every day for at least several days before the fill. (Remember, Water is your friend). Drink especially well the morning of the fill. If you're flying in, it can be much harder to stay hydrated, so take an empty drink bottle and fill it after you pass airport security. TSA rules state you can bring an empty water bottle past the TSA security check point. Bring some of those "to-go" packs of Crystal Light, they’re ideal! Ask the flight attendants for a refill of your water bottle, pop one in, and then you will have plenty to drink. (Hint - If you flying in for a fill, while you're on the plane, grab a couple of those white barf bags. It’s good to keep one in your purse or car, for "emergencies".) 2. Do not to have any solid foods for at least 6 hours before the fill. Don't eat a huge or late dinner the night before. If you're having any trouble (reflux, possible slip, etc) please have nothing but fluids after dinner the night before. In some cases, food can still be in the pouch for 12 or more hours. ANY food in the pouch will make it impossible to give a good fill, or get a good fluoro 3. Don't drink COLD fluids for an hour before the fill. That will shrink your stoma and give a false fluoro reading, and a poor fill. Room temp fluids are fine. Let the ice in your drink melt and hour before a fill, and then you'll have room-temp fluids to drink right up to the fill time. 4. Avoid getting a fill during a menstrual period or a few days before an expected one. During this time, girls are usually retaining water, and the fluoro will not be as accurate, and the fill will not be either. 5. If at all possible, hang around for at least a few hours after a fill. Don't run right back home or to the plane. It takes the normal swelling after a fill 1-2 hours to develop, and by that time you might be too tight and need to come right back. 6. If you fly in, If at all possible, stay overnight and catch a plane out the following late afternoon or evening. If you are too tight, this will allow time to get a small unfill before you leave. This is not very convenient, but sure beats having to possibly return to TJ in a few days, on short notice, in pain, and at high last-minute plane fares! This is "prevention!" Overfills are not common, but they DO happen, even under the best of conditions. Be prepared, and think about this overnight stay. Test your fill the next day before you leave. 7. After a fill, please have liquids only for at least 24 hrs. This allows the stoma to rest and heal. Then, a day of soft foods, then back to regular foods. Full liquids are fine, no need for clears. Remember, if you staying over night test your fill before you fly out. 8. Review the eating and food guidelines again before every fill. You’ll need to refine your eating more and more with higher fill levels, and there will be less and less room for goofs. As you reach a higher fill level, you'll no longer be able to "get away" with things you might have before! 9. Please don't get a fill if you are having ANY trouble with the current level of fill. This means ANY regular pain, PB or barfing more than maybe once a week at the VERY most, not able to get enough calories in, not able to drink enough, able to eat only soft foods or fluids. More fill will NOT help, and will make things worse. Discuss all this carefully with your doctor. You may even need an UNFILL, to keep your band and stomach safe. 10. First fills are routinely given at 6-8 weeks after surgery, but only as you need them. Many people do, some do not. Your doctor will help you decide if you need a fill, just ask. There is no rush for fills. Too much can very easily get you in trouble, and you end up further "behind" than if you had gone slower with fills. 11. Give a fill at least 2-3 weeks to test it. Some fills don't "settle in" for a week or two, and sometimes more. Your weight loss is what determines how a fill is - not any feeling of restriction, necessarily. 12. One of the most important things in determining if a fill is good is choosing proper band foods. Soft foods, liquids, junk foods, sweets, etc, will NEVER be well-restricted, and will never tell a thing about having a good fill or not. Only solid foods give useful info. A good test meal is 2-4 oz of solid meat or chicken - be sure it's soft and moist - and about 1/2 cup veggies. You should be able to eat about a cup of food (no less) and this should keep you satisfied (NOT "FULL", but simply "satisfied, not physically hungry". for about 3-4 hrs. 13. Plan regular meals. A good fill will keep you satisfied for 3-4 hrs, but no longer. If you are hungry 5 hrs after lunch, it is not because you have an inadequate fill! Regular meals at planned times are important for a number of reasons; including avoiding snacking, maximizing your calorie burn and normalizing metabolism, which is essential for weight maintenance later on. 14. Learn to recognize YOUR "soft stop" sign. Common ones are chest tightness or "fullness", a sudden runny nose, a single hiccup or burp, an eye twitch, back pain, left should pain. All mean the pouch is full enough and we should STOP eating, even spitting out the bite that may be already in our mouths. If you do not, you could progress to the "hard stop" - slimming, pb, barfing. Please remember that good fills are very elusive, even with highly- experienced docs and fill people. There are just too many individual factors involved that the docs cannot control. Even the fluoro is only a clue, and not entirely accurate - for some of the reasons above. It usually takes 3- 5 fills to slowly and safely creep up on a good level, and they can be safely given a month apart. Trying to go faster with a bigger fill is not the solution, and the stomach rebels at big sudden fills. The goal of the first few fills is NOT to achieve a good restriction, but to gradually get your stomach used to some pressure so you can tolerate a GOOD fill later. SLOW and GRADUAL is the key! Going slowly with fills can be frustrating, but is well worth the wait to avoid problems. • After a “fill” you are on a clear liquid diet for 24 hours; then, soft for 24 hours; then, regular food o Clear – juice, water, broth, miso Soup, tea - no salty or iced drinks. o Soft – V-8, yogurt, cottage cheese, smoothies, (no ice cream), pureed Soups, squash, apple sauce. • Call me if you are unable to sleep lying down due to reflux to schedule a slight “unfill”. Do not talk yourself into “working through the reflux”. • Eat Protein at every meal; eat your protein first in order to facilitate proper digestion of this complex food. • Eat three meals daily or six small meals; do not snack – ¼ to ½ cup per meal • Drink water instead of mindless munching (add lemon to water) between meals. DO NOT DRINK LIQUIDS 45 MINUTES BEFORE AND 60-90 MINUTES AFTER YOUR MEALS.• Make sure your bowels are moving daily with ease not effort • Add Fiber into your diet if you are not having complete bowel movements – 1 tablespoon ground flax seed• Have some form of movement every day for 30 minutes • Avoid white flour and white sugar products • You are not allowed to be on an ice cream diet • You may not lose weight if you’re not eating enough • Eat slowly between bites; take small bites; sip your drinks. • Chew your food slowly • Throw out all the junk food in the house • Don’t buy anymore junk food • Eat organic as much as possible to avoid increasing exposure to false hormones, antibiotics, and other toxic substances • Join a support group, Curves, or weight watchers. • Stop eating after 7:30pm during the summer; and 6:30 in the winter • Keep working on the mental emotional component to comfort food eating • Schedule another fill when your portion sizes increase to “old day” sizes or you are feeling hungrier earlier then you remember. • Journal about your feelings, keep a food diary, create a collage of what your future looks like and hang it in your room. • Create a collage of images you want to let go of and burn the collage. • Laugh every day RECIPES FOR AFTER A FILL Master Cleanse Drink (adjust lemon, ginger and cayenne to taste) 4 oz of apple juice Pinch of cayenne pepper ¼ teaspoon fresh grated ginger 4-8 TBls of Lemon juice 4Tbls of Maple Syrup or Honey Pinch of salt top off the blender with filtered water Blend till mixed Strain and drink ½ - 1 Quart a day SMOOTHIE: FOR DAYS WHEN YOU ARE ON SOFT FOODS AFTER A FILL OR UNFILL - A 24 HOUR REQUIREMENT FOR POST FILLS AFTER LIQUIDS. 2-4 oz of apple juice or Rice or Soy Milk 3-5 ground almonds 1-2 teaspoons of flax oil ¼ cup of frozen fruit ? berries, bananas, mangos, papaya 1-2 Tbls (or packet) Protein powder (I use a Rice Protein which is hypoallergenic and tastes pretty good) ¼ teaspoon Bee Pollen (do not add if allergic to bees or huge environmental allergies) ½ - 1 teaspoon of chlorella or spirulina

I like the bariatrix better than the EAS I recently purchased, I felt full longer but it's a little pricy even the website costs about the same as my Dr's office sells it for. BariatrX Essentials by Metagenics The GNC brand of ISOPURE has a TON of different products they even have a Cookies n Cream flavor sounds YUM.. But I haven't tried it but my friend swears by it. Their prices are pretty good. 41.99 for a 3lb container, anyway.. here's the specs on it. Perfect Zero Carb Isopure With 50 grams of 100% Ion Exchange Whey Protein Isolate NATURE'S BEST® PERFECT ZERO CARB ISOPURE contains 50 grams of 100% Ion Exchange Whey Protein Isolate. Any and all impurities typically found in most whey Proteins have been removed to provide you with a great tasting, lactose free, fat free, aspartame free, glutamine enriched, state of the art carbohydrate free protein supplement. Nature's Best set out to create a product that didn't hide anything from its customers. We wanted you to know that you're purchasing the best product available on the market. Our protein source is clearly identified as 100% Pure Ion Exchange Whey Protein Isolate. We didn't try to confuse you by listing a protein blend that doesn't tell you how much of the product is superior whey protein isolate and how much is caseinate or some other inferior protein. Furthermore, ISOPURE contains 0g of sugar and is instantized so it can be taken anywhere and mixed with a spoon. ISOPURE's Major Proteins Include: Beta-lactoglobulin 55-62% Alpha-lactalbumin 19-22% Immunoglobulin 9-10% Bovine Serum Albumin 6-8% Lactoferrin .5-1% In addition, ISOPURE is rich in branched chain amino acids and glutamine. Each Serving of ISOPURE Contains: 3465mg of isoleucine 7865mg of leucine 3080mg of valine 4.6g of L-Glutamine Athletes tend to need more protein than sedentary individuals to achieve positive nitrogen balance. Most recommendations range from 1.5 - 2.0 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day. Isopure will help you achieve thepostive nitrogen state you are seeking.It's So Pure The Protein Dissolves Clear. Enclosed in a protein sample that will prove to you just how pure the protein in ISOPURE really is. Using a spoon, stir contents ofbag into 2 - 3 oz. of Water. Let stand for 10 minutes. Please be patient, as ten minutes is needed for the air to escape. The result is a slightly cloudy liquid, clear enough so that you can see right through it. The protein used in ISOPURE doesn't have the properties typically associated with a milk protein. It doesn't look, smell or taste like milk. We isolated the whey protein molecules and eliminated the impurities to provide you with the purest product of its kind.

I've been drinking the EAS brand chocolate.. its OKAY.. I ran out of Bariatrix.. not sure if that's only available in Dr's offices, but my girlfriend says she LOVES the Isopure from GNC.. that's my next stop.

I'm scheduled for surgery tomorrow and I've suddenly started freaking out. Please pray for me! I know most of you have been through it already and don't think it's that big a deal, but I'm worried sick! Thanks all of you for your support! :biggrin:

AWWWW.. you guys are so awesome! I was brought to tears reading all your well wishes!!! BUT GUESS WHAT?? They cancelled my surgery! They stink! The hospital I was supposed to be done at was in "Crisis mode" and they were not able to take me, it was a huge bummer... So now.. I have to wait one MORE week and MAYBE get it done.. because the Dr's wife is pregnant and may have her baby that week so I may be cancelled again! Anyway.. I'll come back and stalk you all again next week. Thank you so much for the prayers and well wishes! Much Love!! God Bless You!!

Hey Tracy! I was 2 weeks into my 6 month nutritional counseling.. blah blah.. and then was told that it was no longer a requirement I also have BC/BS, this was back in December.. maybe early January.. So I'd definitely look into it, they may be working on what used to be the requirement. In the mean time I'd get every little bit of records you can together for them to submit your authorization including your psych stuff and ww stuff to help your case.. Good Luck!

As your insurance company how you can appeal their decision, Now mind you.. you will have to be prepared to have an excellent letter of medical necessity from your Dr as well as Medical records backing you up but it can be done. Do you have any co-morbidities? That's always an issue too. Good Luck.

Thank you! I'm gonna try and get some sleep now! It's tomorrow morning at 930... Ugh.. I'm so nervous.

Hi DeRaco, I struggled with the same dilema, and I guess I still struggle, the only one in my family that knows is my Mom, she knows everything about me and has been really supportive, I told one of my coworkers and I trust that she won't tell anyone, she's actually considering the same thing and would want me to keep her confidence as well, but I've read a similar thread to this one and this is the one thing I took from it and stuck with me and the reason I keep my mouth shut. Once you've told, you can't untell... Good luck in whatever you decide to do.

I went for my preop tests today, I was so lucky, The Nurse Practitioner that examined me is a Lap Band Survivor as well.. that sounds funny.. a band buddy? Anyway, she's lost 128lbs and could not have been more supportive, she hugged me twice and made me promise to call her if I needed anything at all! I was so blessed to have met her! :wink2: So in all my testing.. I was weighed... OMG I lost 22lbs in one week!! On protien shakes! I'm certain it's all water retention but who cares, it's been about 2 years since I've seen that number so there! :thumbup: So my surgery is scheduled for Wednesday at 930, I'm anxious to get this party started!! But at the same time, I'm so nervous about being one of the statistics that has the problems, So freaked out that I want to cry.. Please pray for me ya'll I'd appreciate it! xoxox's

I went for my preop tests today, I was so lucky, The Nurse Practitioner that examined me is a Lap Band Survivor as well.. that sounds funny.. a band buddy? Anyway, she's lost 128lbs and could not have been more supportive, she hugged me twice and made me promise to call her if I needed anything at all! I was so blessed to have met her! So in all my testing.. I was weighed... OMG I lost 22lbs in one week!! On protien shakes! I'm certain it's all water retention but who cares, it's been about 2 years since I've seen that number so there! So my surgery is scheduled for Wednesday at 930, I'm anxious to get this party started!! But at the same time, I'm so nervous about being one of the statistics that has the problems, So freaked out that I want to cry.. Please pray for me ya'll I'd appreciate it! xoxox's

I didn't get my preop instructions til I went for my preop appt. and have been on my preop diet for about a week now... You'll probably get your instructions then.. but there are a few who don't have to do a preop.. I wouldn't worry about it too much your Dr will direct you! Good Luck!

Have you already been denied by your insurance?

Hello, Good luck with your decision in picking your Dr, I'm in Tucson and am going through Dr Schwartz, There is a way to do a search on this site for different messages regarding your Dr, also, try obesity help.com, I went there to check out what other people were saying about my Dr and found the information comforting. Good Luck!

I giggled when I read your post, (I haven't been banded yet) But as most of us have, I've gained and lost weight plenty of times, one of the things I liked was this one time I went to a movie theater I put my feet up on the chair with my knees to my chest so someone could pass in front of me. *Sigh.. that day will come again for me as well.. in the mean time I'll live through you and your experience.. Little milestones are great aren't they? Congratulations!

I just checked the book, basically it says that it will give you gas that has to come out one way or the other even if you let it get flat. I got the book on amazon, I couldn't find it at any bookstores in town. You can also try half.com it's an ebay company, I've had good luck with them also. Good Luck!

I was informed by my surgeon absolutely no carbonated drinks and that they would probably come back up anyway because the pouch is going to be so small. My nutritionist recommended a book called weight loss surgery for dummies, I'll check in there and give you a better reply later!

Good Luck Leather.. I hope all goes well!

Thank you.. haha.. I've never heard of them being referred to in that way, Where I come from they're called deadbeats! j/k.

I've not been banded yet.. What does DH mean? I feel horrible for you, I guess that's what's in my future as well.. Good luck!

Do you have any weight related problems like knee or back pain? Do you snore at night? maybe you have sleep apnea? Do you have heartburn? Have you had any blood work? You might have some problems that you're not thinking about, When was the last time you went to a Dr? What was the reason? Think really hard, Documentation is key, usually what they need is a few years worth of medical records that show what your weight was and any problems that you might have had that can be considered weight related. I'd be more than happy to help (I work in a Dr's office and am familiar with the documentation needed.. as are most of us in here) Good Luck!!

Wow.. what websites are you looking at? I read about this woman "Furellie" she even had a problem with her band and had to have it removed but says she'd do it again in a heart beat. I'm getting my band next week and can hardly wait. Good luck in whatever you decide.