NurseMelly

I don't know either. It doesn't make sense to me. Just like the fact that my doctor doesn't allow you to eat anything the day of a fill. How does me eating breakfast at 6 am affect having a fill at 3pm??? That food would have long passed. Personally, I don't think drinking up till the time you eat harms anything but what do I know :w00t:

You also have to realize that many people are misinformed about WLS. They always know someone who is a friend of a friend of a long lost relative who died when they had WLS:rolleyes2: One thing I really love about my band is that it's given me the opportunity to educate others about the process. I've found that once people really know what having the band is like most are extremely supportive.

I still don't feel really excited yet. I guess it's because I was once really thin and I still have that image in my head. Right now I still consider myself pretty fat. I think once I hit around 175 I'll just start considering myself chubby :w00t:

Hi there! I am not in your age range but I wanted to chime in as I noticed some of the other posters were in the very high BMI range prior to surgery. They will lose weight at a much faster rate than you as their diet was probably more unhealthy compared to you or I. I started close to the same BMI as you. I feel my weight loss has been slow. I do not regret the band but I'm still less than a year post op. I've had to work the band much harder than I thought going in. I had to join Weight Watchers. I also have pretty constant pain in my port. On the positive side, I've gone from a size 20 to a 12 and almost feel like a normal person again:biggrin: Research all your options. Go to the complications section of this site so you are aware of everything going in. And make sure to choose a very experienced doctor. Best of luck to you in your decision!

Right here! I'm doing pretty good. At times, I would have liked to have lost more by now but I think I came into this whole thing with some pretty lofty expectations. I'm over half way to goal and I've gone from a size 20 to a 12 so I'm very happy about that. Hoping to reach goal by sometime next spring. Sounds like the rest of you have done wonderfully! Keep up the good work!

I am so sorry to hear this. My heart goes out to you. Your family must be so strong to have gone through all this and still keep fighting. I will keep you in my thoughts. ((((HUGS))))

I had an overnight stay and was so happy about it. PCA pump with Dilaudid = happiness. Plus, I have 2 young children. I was able to just sleep after my surgery without disturbances so that was nice.

I mourn the loss of popcorn. I just simply cannot eat it since being banded. I'm a glutton for punishment, so I "experimented" with popcorn three times before I came to terms that I cannot digest it any longer. My symptoms were terrible stomach cramps followed by a trip to the bathroom (I know, TMI) about 4 hours after I eat the popcorn. I went to the movies this past weekend (saw Julie and Julia with my mom). I was really feeling sad over not being able to have popcorn. I guess it's ok since movie theater popcorn isn't exactly the healthiest snack anyways.

Nope, not just RNY patients. I was on Actigall for 6 months after my lap band as well =) No stones so far *knocks on wood*

I'm sorry to hear that this happened but I'm gonna let you in on a little secret...Nurses are people just like everybody else. There are going to be nice ones, mean ones, ugly ones, pretty ones, smart ones, dumb ones, etc. You get my drift. Just being a nurse doesn't suddenly make you this awesome giving angel of mercy. I kind of hate when people think that nurses should be without fault (you didn't say this, another poster hinted at that mentality). Next time, I would say something. You will have to stand up for yourself as a nurse. Trust me. Doctors and even other nurses will try you in front of other people and you have to speak up for yourself, or they think it's ok to treat you poorly. I think good nurses have to have a little bit of a thick skin to handle the stress that comes with the job. Good luck to you in nursing school and beyond graduation!

I still don't understand why you wouldn't submit to insurance and see if they deny you first. I had a lower BMI than you, am younger, no comorbidities and I was approved a week and a half after submitting the paperwork. Do your part with the paperwork and see what insurance says then go from there.

How many times has your particular surgeon done the single incision procedure? I would definitely find this out. I won't be a guinea pig for anyone. I personally feel like the doctor's need adequate room to work and place the band correctly, which means more incisions. I hope they study those that get the single incision so we can see if they have more slips down the line. Correct placement of the band is vital to its success.

I love what you said here. I actually got a little frog in my throat reading it. I'm such a sentimental wimp!

Sadly, I did not make my goal. I started this challenge shortly after being banded and I thought I would lose weight much faster than I am. *LOL* 11 pounds short! Hope everyone else came out better than I did!

Jachut, your stomach looks beautiful! Not in my wildest dreams would mine look like that. And I know my opinion means nothing, but I don't think it's worth the hassle of a tummy tuck. Yours looks so good already. To the OP: unfortunately, c-sections by their nature give you a little apron, then add to that being overweight stretching the skin, then losing. It's just not a good combination. I know my stomach will never look fantastic. I will never be able to wear a bikini and I'm ok with that. You can always look into a tummy tuck if things aren't how you'd like them when you reach goal. I'm just way to scared to get one. The scar, plus the pain is enough for me to stay away from it. Good luck! I hope your skin bounces back on its own.

Hi there! I wish you luck with your decision but I wanted to clear something up that you said and alot of people tend to believe before they are banded. You do not typically have this magical restriction right after being banded. Once the swelling from surgery goes down, you are pretty much in the same boat you were before surgery. You have to go through the process of fills, which can take a long time before you are satisfied off small portions. I'm almost 6 months out with 6.5cc in my band and I still don't have restriction. For instance, you bring up pizza. It's my favorite food too:tt1: I can still eat 2 pieces of hand tossed Pizza Hut and 2 bread sticks if I let myself. That's ALOT of calories. I've basically had to diet myself to a 50 pound loss. It's extrememly frustrating and even though they warn you it's slow, when you're not dropping the pounds you can't help but feel disappointed. Of course, you're being male is going to work in your favor. The band is good as long as you realize you have to bust your butt for every pound. If you are prepared to do that, go for it :smile2:

Yep, Jachut is right. We are all different. We have varying amounts of fat around our stomachs, some people swell alot, some don't. There's just lots of things to consider. I, myself, have 6.5 cc and I don't feel restricted. This last fill I got 1 cc and for a couple of days I felt something, but then it quickly went away. I've also never Pb'd, slimed, or gotten stuck. I can actually eat in a fairly normal matter. I know I'm probably just going to take more fill than other people to get to the "sweet" spot. This is a process and I know we all want it to go quickly. Heck, I am guilty of that myself but we have to remember that this is how the band was intended to work. Slow fills over time = restriction.

1). I cannot handle popcorn. I tried it twice since being banded, thinking maybe it was a fluke the first time I got sick. NOPE. I've never PB'd. gotten stuck, or slimed but my body just has trouble digesting certain foods. Popcorn is one. I had stomach cramps for hours afterward. So, I've made peace with Popcorn. Goodbye old friend. 2) I have this thing for Hot Tamales. So, sometimes I'll get a box and have my husband ration 5 out to me per day. 3) Definitely mozzarella string cheese. I just love it! 4) As far as favorite recipes, I like to make roaster chickens so I can use the leftover chicken for salads during the week. I put my chicken in an oven bag with carrots, onions, celery. I put salt, pepper, poultry seasoning, and a little honey on the chicken. Add a little chicken stock to the bag then I put in the oven for 1-1/2 hr depending on the size of the chicken. Comes out moist and yummy:smile2:

Mine is right under my left breast, kinda where your bra comes across. I have a low profile port and I can definitely feel mine. Although, you can't see it. Not sure how it will look when I get to goal but it has to look better than the fat that was there before, right?

Oh Lord no, I wasn't trying to say that. My specialty is nowhere near bariatrics. NICU, school nursing, community health, I'm your gal =) I just thought maybe you were one of those people who come on here and say "well my doctor this or that." I just meant I know doctors are fallible just like the rest of us. Heh. And, no, Nelly sounds horrible. Makes me think of that mean snot on Little House on the Prairie

Well, my purpose in posting that was not to scare you. There's no need to obsess over it. I think because I am in the medical field, I tend to look at things through "worst case scenario" glasses. If I was in your position, I would definitely just start stocking away an "oh bleep" fund. We should all have that really cause even if you did go to the ER, they would treat you, but it is doubtful your insurance would pay. Your lapband would fall under a pre-existing condition. Anyways, stop worrying, follow the rules, save some money just in case, and start dropping that weight Good Luck!

I'm laughing so hard right now. Damn port is killing me!

To the OP: I think it's too early out to make a judgment about my band. I do have to say that prior to having the band I was a "healthy" fat person. I had no comorbidities. That's probably only due to my age and was just a matter of time before I developed something. I will admit my motivation was largely beauty based. I didn't like being fat anymore. So the fact that I wasn't seriously suffering any conditions before the band probably bears a little on my thoughts thus far. I do have some complaints about the band. I tend to get awful shoulder pain after fills. I also have pretty constant port pain. Sure, it's livable but I don't particularly like it. It's enough that it bothers me and others notice. If my insurance had covered the sleeve, I would have opted for that. I'm not really as concerned about the reversibility thing that others seems to be hung up on. I don't want to be fat...ever. I plan on converting to a sleeve when either my insurance covers it or I can save enough to do so.

Yeah, your post is particularly offensive. I hate to break it to you hun, but having a silicone tube around your stomach to control overeating is not exactly natural either. If there's one thing that really bothers me on these boards it's WLS snobbery.

I think there must be some sort of reading comprehension problem on your end. 1) I never said "I'm the expert, listen to everything I say" (as she pulls out her pocketwatch slowly swinging it back and forth) 2) I never said the band will fail. In fact, if you look back at my posts and read carefully, you'll see where I specifically said, "I'm not saying bands are bad." 3) It's Melly with an M. I have to disagree with HH about the self pay vs. insurance thing. I'm sure WLS has some effect on prices but I'm sure it's not nearly as great as every wahoo that shows up at the ER with no insurance for a headache, toothache, stubbed toe, nose bleed etc. I pay for my insurance. I'm a little tired of feeling sorry for everyone without a job, insurance, living on the system, etc. Of course, that's a whole other thread. Probably best intended for rants and raves:lol: