Constance

My husband and I have been trying to eat half portions and chew really thoroughly in preparation for me being banded. But we barely lasted a day until we were shoveling food into are mouths indiscrminately! I don't know if it is 'last supper' mentality or what. But I can't seem toi have a shred of discipline and it scares me. How will I be once I'm banded? How do you DO this?! Does the band just force you, with penalty of PAIN, to slow down, chew and take it easy? I feel like I can't even get it together enough to do portion control PRE-band. I feel like I've already failed and I'm not even banded yet. I have so little confidence in my will-power -- like my belly is a botomless pit. Are all of my demons mental? I know the band won't address that. I'm freaking out - thanks for letting me share.:phanvan

Ok, I have more PB questions.:confused: Which is more likely the cause of PBing for you: food not chewed thoroughly? or The wrong type of food? How long until you know you have a problem? After a few bites? After the whole meal? Once you know you are "stuck", can you gag yourself and expel the offender? Has anyone tried the meat tenderizer and does it work? Does anything else help? Why is it a bad idea to take a sip of Water? It seems like that would help lubricate and move the food along. thanks everyone!

I'm glad I saw this thread. This has been a recurring question and internal debate for me. I'm happy to see there are some honest opinions about the long-term use of the band. I would rather hear "yes, another surgery is possible maybe even likely", than "No way! You'll be FINE". I'd rather know the facts. But really, sometimes I think of all the damage I could do to my body being morbidly obese for another 10 years -- or even 5. Wouldn't that be worse than any corrective or maintenance type surgery that might follow getting the band? I do strongly believe in the next 20 years there WILL be a safe, effective pharmaceutical breakthrough and obesity will be far less common. It will be like anti-depressants. Huge numbers will get on them and say "wow, why did we suffer so long?" Until then, we have to accept the risks of WLS...or just diet...which basically means staying fat.

I think I will order one. I'm not banded yet but I think it would be good for me to work on the slower eating in preparation for the band. I have alredy been working on mucho chewing. Now that I really am focusing on it, I notice I tend to swallow huge chunks of food. Not good. ps. I was thinking about PBing. Once in a great while if I am wolfing down tortilla chips, I'll get one that goes down barely crunched and sideways. It feels like it scrapes the whole way down and absolutely SUCKS! The pain is the worst! Is that what a PB feels like?

I want to check and see of there are any on Ebay. 50 bucks seems a little steep but I suppose if it helps then it's worth it.

wierd! cool! So does it make a noise? Are you ever annoyed with it?

This quote from DH. He says, "Wouldn't it be easier to just eat half as much food all the time, instead of having a band?" I sort of didn't know how to answer. I said, "well, you eat slower so you feel full sooner and for longer" . He says "so why don't you eat slower and take small bites...without the band? Especially when there are erosions and slips and all this stuff you keep telling me you read about on lapbandtalk ?" (so yeah, I did tell him I was learning of more of the downside of banding recently) He isn't being devil's advocate, he's asking some questions that are challenging my mental preparedness for the band. Help folks! Why IS the band better than just portion control and/or dieting?

Good for you! Glad to hear you a feeling good. You were banded by Snyder, right? Just curious, what was his pre-surgery diet like? I'm seeing him 4/12 for a consultation - already went to the group seminar.

I think the Thornton clinic will actually be another office for Dr. Snyder at St. Anthony's North. But I could be wrong.

Hi, here is the letter my PCP sent to Cigna. Do you think it is compelling/informational/persuasive enough to get the sugery covered? Is this close to what your letter looked like? I am writing this letter of medical necessity on behalf of my patient, xxxxx. I am requesting insurance coverage for a laparoscopy, surgical, gastric restrictive procedure; placement of adjustable gastric band (gastric band and subcutaneous port components) and the CPT code is 43770. She has tried numerous diets and weight loss programs for the last 15 years. She is successful for a few months but her weight loss was 5% or less and short-lived. She has gained the weight back and more time and time again. She had a resting metabolic rate done in our office in August 2005 and had consequently followed the caloric recommendations with daily exercise and gained 5lbs over the next six months. Her BMI was 39.5 in February 2006. Here are some of her weight loss attempts: In the last 5 years she has tried the following diets (with exercise): Weight Watchers (multiple attempts) South Beach Low-carb (Atkins) Low-calorie, low-fat calorie counting. EXERCISE: She also has been seeing a personal trainer for 9 months. She was on a diet of 1700 calories a day for 4 months. In all of these attempts her weight loss was 5% or less and short-lived. Weight related conditions: Swelling of feet and legs, knee pain, achy joints, and pain in arches and heels if she is on her feet for any length of time. She has low back pain after only 15 or 20 minutes of walking or standing. She has tried better shoes and supports but to no avail. She has been diagnosed with depression and anxiety. Her medications include Zoloft and Wellbutrin. She suffers emotionally from being overweight. Family history in her words: 3 of my 4 grandparents died of heart disease. My mother, father and brother are obese. My uncle is taking medication for high blood pressure and high cholesterol. I will enclose her recent office visits and tests that have been performed since she has been under my care. Please fax or email me with decision of patient's coverage for surgery. If I can provide any other information please let me know.

Average. Not perfect world, pre-planned meals. I mean the average day where maybe you have a chance to pre-plan some things but maybe you go out to eat, too.

HI, sorry to hijack. Please post your thoughts about the vote on the "would you do it again thread". I know it isn't anonymous, but you can use that old "my friend" approach.

Ok, another thing. Don't you think to some extent this whole board is a tough place to find accurate statistics on people who are happy/unhappy with the band? It's sort of like when you go to a restaurant review website. (of course I use a food example) Only the people who are totally thrilled or totally disgusted will go to the trouble to get online and post a review fo a restaurant. Majority of the people have an acceptable time and feel no need to comment. Don't you think that is true here? That there are newbies considering suregery (me), newly banded (less than a year), and a handful of veterans (2+ years). There are probably thousands of people out there who don't post who feel like the band is acceptable. No need to rant or rave either way. Certainly I don't intend to diminish the comments of the members here. It is GOOD to know the pros and cons. I just theorize about getting a fair representation here.

Wow, I'm surprised that some people are unhappy with the band. But it is great to get an honest answer, too. I think it is really important to hear about the realities of being banded. Princess and Strawarts: I've wondered if there is some long term data out there. I know I've read somehwere that people in Europe have been banded since the late 80s. It would be great to hear about their successes and failures.

Jess, good for you for getting help! There is no need to suffer. Being on an anti-depressant can literally change your life. One piece of advice...give yourself a month or two and just observe how you feel physically and mentally. Don't make yourself crazy or worry with side effects. You can really start GIVING yourself side effects if you obsess over every little thing (dry mouth, dizzy, the sex, etc.). Statistically, you have a 90% chance of experiencing nothing but the good stuff. Sometimes your dosage may need some tweaking or you may even try a different drug. That is perfectly normal in treatment of depression/anxiety. Don't be afraid to up your dosage to the 50mg, that is the lowest effective dose for many people.

We can put a man on the moon but we can't remedy stretch marks? I have a new crop and it sucks! I'm about 4 months out from getting banded so I'm trying not to diet them away at this point. (If that is even possible). They are on my lower belly and only on one side. (?) They are dark purple and itchy and I "check" them several times a day. As in "are there more?" "Are they worse or better now?" "Are they getting bigger?" Is there anything I can do? I have some generic Renova (like Retin-A) and I've been putting that on them. I have them on my arms, thighs, boobs, hips, butt, etc...but those are all clear/white now so I don't care. But these new ones are so bad! I've never even had kids and they are on my belly like a full-on prego lady! Should I try to lose some weight? That seems so dumb at this point. I mean, I'm not on a crazy binge or anything. Any ideas? Can I slow them down? ANYTHING?

Hi. I am your weight issue twin. I, too, keep second guessing myself. I think there is an element of it being too good to be true. We have had so many other weight loss failures and it is hard to belive something can and will, work. I seriously go through your list of second thoughts DAILY. Me: "I could still try another diet" "I will feel so stupid if I die on the operating table" "Will I ever be able to unconsciously chew thoroughly, or will I think of it every single time I eat?" "Will the scars be hideous? (Moreso than my stretch marks? ha!) "What if I am stranded on a deserted island and I just got a fill - will I die of starvation?" (the 'desert island scenario' is fodder for countless paranoid ramblings) "Will I be 80 years old b!thcing about PBs?" So that's my list - if it makes you feel any better. But think of this. What if you were in the reverse position and someone said "Ok, I know you are thin, but I want to give you a chance to eat anything you want and never work out. You can be as lazy and gluttonous as you want. But you will get big, huge even. It will creep up slowly. Soon you'll stop ever wanting to wear anything cute or sexy and settle for baggy and elastic. You'll dread bathing suits and everything surounding them. Your pants will wear out quicker because your thighs rub together so much. You will feel embarassed when you eat a big meal in front of strangers. Much of your enjoyment of life will be in the shadow of a looming sense,'cripes, I'm huge." Sounds lame, right? Like who the heck wants to sign up for THAT?! So really, I think we are opting for a better way of life. edited to add: I'm not infering that we are all lazy and gluttonous -- just saying it for the purpose of the argument, doing nothing vs. doing something

Do you think there is a guilt associated with weight loss success? Particulary when it is paired with an outside source? Let's say you lost 20% of your weight and kept it off for some time WITH the help of the band. Do you feel like you need to say "oh no-sir-ree this wasn't easy! It was hard! It was awful" because you had help in the form of the band? Is some martyrdom attached to weight loss? Like we must suffer and be deprived to FEEL succesful - even if the scale says you ARE succesful? It is very interesting to read the different points of view on this. Ultimately, does it matter how you reach the destination? Sure it would be fun to brag that you rowed a boat across the Atlantic...But if you booked the next flight out, you'd have more time and energy to enjoy your destination.

The first time I mentioned it to my husband it was in IM (instant messenger). He said "no rubber bands around the gut, OK?". But by the time I had read him countless threads from this board (both good and bad), he started to come around. Finally, we went to an info seminar for Dr, Snyder in Denver and he was fully behind it. Ironically, I was SO concerned with getting my husbands acceptantce of the suregery and now *I* am the one getting cold feet!

Seriously one can get a food discount? That is hilarious!

I'm in the obsessed information gathering phase. I haven't decided on a surgeon yet. I will probably be self-pay b/c I'm a 39 BMI and very healthy. (Why doesn't Cigna want to KEEP me healthy?) What scares me: -I wolf my food down. I'm scared I will PB all the time before I learn the slower eating. -I am an emotional eater. I think it will be hard to face that I can no longer stuff myself. I feel like it is a break-up of sorts and I know it will be tough but it has to happen. -Eating out is a huge activity with my friends and family. I fear that I will be weird or high maintenance and not able to just relax and enjoy something off the menu. -I fear the 'being on a diet' feeling. I hope to be able to balance mostly healthy eating with some treats too. But having thinsg be 'forbidden' bothers me. -I fear the nerves before surgery more than surgery! Like I'm more afraid I'll have a panic attack as they wheel me in rather than a surgical error. -I hate barfing and nausea. I could have freakin Botulism and I would walk around the block a hundred times to not barf. Hate. It. Otherwise, I think it could be one of the best things I do for myself!

Oh man, I hear ya. I don't even have a date set and I'm already eating as if I'm never going to eat again. I agree with Terri B. After so many diets and forbidden foods, it feels very liberating to just eat whatever, whenever. But I know it isn't the healthiest thing for me. But hey, it could be worse, we could be drinking and smoking to excess. Food seems a little more benign than many indulgences.

I wish I could "untell" my mom and brother. Maybe if I told them now, that I decided against in, they would forget and then when I hav ethe surgery in a few months they won't remember. I feel so icky and sneaky - but my Mom especially, she might as well call the local news to save her time in telling everyone.

I am not banded (yet). I have met with one surgeon (another next week) my PCP, and my workplace benefits administrator. the wheels are in motion. I have read hundreds of threads and learned many good and bad things about the band. But can you know "too much"? When this happens in my work I call it "analysis paralysis". You have taken on so much information you can't produce a clear yes or no answer anymore. I am reluctant to give myself too much time to mull it over. I have felt like the surgery is more of a "when" and less of an "if" and I think it sort of scares me that I would decide NOT to get it. Does that make sense? Since learning about this surgery, I feel so hopeful about being a healthy weight. It has been a long, long time since I felt hope. So I feel afraid of over-researching the heck out of this and talking myself out of it over time. I like information. I like to know what to expect. But is there a point where too much info is a bad thing? Could it prevent you from doing something radical (relatively speaking) to change your life?

Skye did you have any co-morbidities? I don't have any. Which a surgeon I consulted with seemed surprised about considering my weight. He said "well, don't your feet hurt at least?" Um, no, thanks, my feet have somehow managed to support all this extra weight. (I know he was just trying to be creative with insurance - but still!) leatha g, that is a good point, about just taking the time to think while i do the supervised diet. I have more to say on that and I think I'll post on the main board.