adorkbl

Congrats to everyone scheduled!! I am scheduled for a repositioning July 9th. So I am starting all over with pre-op diet. I consider this my new beginning. I have had lots of bumps with my hiatal hernia and look forward to a fresh start.

Looking good!!

Josie... How did your appointment go?

Honk... Which waterproof MP3 player are you using? I am swimming laps and could use some tunes. I searched on Amazon and was surprised of the selection. Reviews were mediocre at best on most of them. I don't want to spend a ton... since money it tight right now.

Oooo that sounds awesome 123crod. I will have to give it a shot. Ice cream is my addiction. I have successfully transitioned to Skinny Cow, but I still overindulge more often than not. Going to try this tomorrow. I only have vanilla premier. Not a fan of the chocolate. But chocolate with PB2 sounds yummy!!

Did your surgeon repair a hiatal hernia at the time of banding? That can cause additional pain. It is always a good idea to contact your surgeon if you are having chest pain. If you feel it may be more than just recovery pain.

I hope the consult with the surgeon goes well!! Make sure to write a list of questions out so you don't forget what you want to ask!! Ask him about his experience with patients with PCOS. Do you keep track of what you eat? Are you volume eating? The band will help with volume eating for sure. I am convinced that is the 70 pounds I lost and have maintained through the years. The sugar and carbs are what are killing me now! I am Day 3 back on liquid Metformin and I have not had ONE sweet treat or carb. I felt like having something sweet after dinner last night, but it quickly passed. I think I wanted it out of habit. Eat dinner, sweet treat. Evil habit! lol. I hope your consult goes well!! Keep us posted!

I was DX'd with a leak by my surgeon. I would lose all sense of restriction. He would pull all the Fluid out of my band and fill was missing. He would put in a specific amount, and the next week I would be missing several CC's. It can also be DX'd under Fluoroscopy. Why do you think you have a leak?

Talk to your surgeon. I had an EGD done and was diagnosed with hiatal hernia. I am having it repaired in 2 weeks. There may be something else going on besides a slip or being too tight.

Jan 2008. I had my port replaced in 2011, and am having it repositioned next month. The repositioning is due to a hiatal hernia repair.

So sorry about your experience thus far!! Hope you have smooth sailing from now on. It is normal not to feel restriction. You have no fill, you are fresh out of surgery, you are healing. You may not notice it until you actually have fill. You may notice it when you transition to solid foods. You are probably more aware of the lack of feeling restriction because you were too tight and squeezed shut so early in the game. Hang in there.

I am an ice cream addict. And I apparently was a bit of a binge eater. I didn't realize that I was a binge eater until I read the definition on an OE website recently. The lab band stopped the binge eating. I can't physically do it anymore. I really truly believe the 70 pound loss I have maintained over the years was from binge eating. Then I realized, ****, I am still addicted to ice cream and sugar and the band does not do a damn thing to stop that. That is ALL me. I decided I didn't want to deal with that for awhile and I stalemated. Then I got real again a few months ago and have been losing again. I think it is 50/50 for me right now. The band does help, A LOT. I can't overeat. It makes it easier for me to step back and focus with the head hunger and addiction for the ice cream and sweets. Do I slip up? Sure. But it is easier to get back on track. I am still working towards my goal. I have hope for making it. I didn't have that before the band.

I rarely get stuck or PB. I had brussel spouts about a month ago and was so horribly miserably stuck. It was the most painful stuck episode I have EVER had. I will never ever ever eat a brussel sprout again. I am certain they are evil. lol. I am so sorry about your episode! I am sure it is the evil brussel sprout and not you.

CONGRATS!

I am self pay. I was banded in Colorado by Dr Kirshenbaum. My surgery was $9995, not including airfare/travel expenses from Arizona. I started having problems about 1-2 months after surgery and ended up in the ER 3 times trying to figure out what was wrong and if it was band related. I had 2 CAT scans, an Upper GI, an EGD, 3 ultrasounds, and finally a HIDA scan. All of the tests were covered by my insurance except for the EGD. I had to go out of network for the EGD since I was doing my follow-up care with a surgeon in Flagstaff (4 hours from Tucson where I live). It ended up being my gallbladder. My gallbladder surgery was paid for by insurance. Then I had problems with a leak in my port. I was in and out with fills for awhile before we determined it was definitely a leak. I paid for all those out of pocket with my new aftercare surgeon (who I found when he removed my gallbladder). I pay $100 for a fill with him. I have had approximately 24 fills and 8 unfills over the last 4 and a half years (a lot during the time I was diagnosing the leak). I ended up having my port replaced last year. My surgeon did it under local anesthesia for me so I could save the cost of a surgery center and anesthesiologist. I *think* that cost me approx $2200. I would have to look at my records. I had another EGD done this year to diagnose a hiatal hernia. That was covered by insurance but my co-pay and co-insurance was approximately $800. Now I am scheduled for a hiatal hernia repair and band repositioning surgery. Luckily my surgeon's office got my insurance to approve the surgery as a covered expense. I thought the band repositioning was going to be my expense due to an opt out clause by my employer for bariatric. Since the band has to be repositioned to do the hiatal hernia repair, they are covering it. I still have co-pays on the surgery that will end up costing me approximately $1300 out of pocket. It would have been more but my yearly out of pocket maximum will be reached. Honestly I am afraid to add everything up to see just how much this lapband has cost me!! I did NOT expect so many things to pop up. I am "lucky" that my insurance has picked up a lot of the bills... but my co-pays & co-insurance are high. And if it was explicitly band related (like port revision surgery) I was on my own! If I had to guesstimate… I would say my lapband has cost me at least $20000 at this point, if not more. If I knew that going into this, I wouldn’t have done the surgery. It has been a burden financially to my husband and me.

24 fills & 8 unfills over a 4 and half year period. I had a leaky port that was the cause for a lot of the fills for awhile.

I still have cravings!! ugh! Actually, I am refilling my RX for the liquid version of Metformin tonight. (I can't take the pills because they are too big for me to swallow with the band.) I am excited to be able to get back on Metformin. It really did help me with my cravings. The side effects are AWFUL! But if you go SLOW in the beginning, it isn't as bad. Also, you have to be vigilant with restricting your carb intake on Metformin or you will be sick. Another motivator to avoid the crabs! I am not trying to dissuade you from choosing band surgery. Everyone's situation is different. Just make sure you are mentally there. I wasn't in the beginning, and it has made my bumps a little longer than they needed to be. I am finally mentally there, and it makes working with my tool a lot easier. The band has definitely assisted with curbing my overeating and binge eating... I am struggling with sugar and carb addiction. Unfortunately, ice cream goes through the band wicked easy. Boo. That is where the strong mental health will come into play. To pick up where the band leaves off.

Awesome! What a fun goal!! It is on my list of thing to do when I am no longer over the weight limit.

Just wanted to add... that for most of 2009 and 2010 I went back and forth with trying to figure out if I had a leak or not. My restriction was crap/non-existant.. and I was frustrated and gave up. Hence the re-gain. I literally wasted 2 years before getting my band fixed. It works when you work it and it is functioning properly. I don't want you to be dscouraged by my journey but I do want you to see that not everyone has a smooth ride. This isn't a magical fix. This is SURGERY. Make sure you really truly have given it everything. Looking back, I wish I would have given diet and exercise one more try.

Hi. Welcome. I too have PCOS and have struggled with my weight my whole life. I would have some success, but gain it back plus. We have been TTC for over 11 years now. I actually got banded in hopes of getting pregnant and getting my PCOS under control. I did well initially. I lost 100 pounds. Unfortunately I have had some setbacks. Gallbladder surgery, a leak in my port that required a second surgery to replace the port, and most recently I have been diagnosed with a hiatal hernia and I am scheduled to have it repaired and my band will be repositioned at that time. I did re-gain approximately 54 of the 100 I lost when I had a leak in my band and no restriction. Once my port was replaced I quickly lost pounds again. Then I had some life drama and I gained a few. I am back on track right now as I prep for surgery and am losing again. I am down 70 overall from my pre-surgery weight. Have you tried diet and exercise with the use of Metformin? Diet and exercise is essential if you have PCOS, sugar and carbs are absolutely EVIL and will stick to you like superglue. Metformin helps with the cravings and helps your body regulate your insulin levels so you aren't having insulin spikes and dips. Some people get pregnant with the use of Metformin, diet, and exercise. I was banded over 4 years ago, still not pregnant, and PCOS is still not under control. I have had more road bumps with the band than most. But I want to be honest with you as to where I am right now. Now, there are quite a few bandsters that HAVE lost really well despite PCOS, reversed their PCOS, and achieved pregnancy! So it is a realistic possibility. It still takes A LOT of work with the band. You still need to make good food choices and exercise. I don't think I would still have the 70 pounds off if I was not banded. So I have mixed feelings about my band. I am not as successful (yet) as I had hoped to be... but I also recognize that 70 pounds is a lot of weight, and I am healthier now that I was pre-band. So even with all of my complications... I am healthier. Hopefully this last surgery will fix the last of my "issues" and I will be back on track permanantly. Keep reading the boards. Do searches for PCOS and you will find quite a few threads about it. Good luck with your decision!! Sorry this is so long! ACK!

I have chest pain from the reflux, but I don't burp acid. So my symptoms are not quite the same. If your PCP thinks it may be a hernia... that is a possibility. You would need an EGD to diagnose.

I am up a pound today to 315. I think I am eating too many nuts and am retaining water. Dang pistachios. Lol. This challenge is not going well for me!!

I had one last month. They used profonol. It was wonderful. Don't remember a thing. Woke up quickly feeling refreshed. No nausea. No sore throat. Very good experience. My first EGD several uears ago was not as good of an experience, but that was done with twilight sedation which does nothing for me. I was dx'd with a hiatal hernia. I am having surgery to fix it in 3 weeks. My band will be repositioned at that time too. Insurance is covering it all. I was shocked since I have an opt out clause and was self pay. You will do fine!!

Wow!! You go girl!!! I hope it works out for you. Hang in there!!

I switched to a balconette style bra with underwire. I get mine at Avenue when they are on sale. Super comfy and give me "lift". My girls have definitely deflated some and I went from a DDD to a D cup.