neptune693

I know its been a while. Just wanted to let you all know that the benefit administrator had the insurance company pay for the fill that they said wasn't covered. They also informed me that they will cover for fills the first year of surgery even if your not considered obese.

Thanks again for everyones advice

That is awesome!! Glad you had success!!

You are too funny! Thanks for the support! And you are right, I didn't gain any!! :-)

You are so right! I didn't gain any weight, so I guess I should just get over it and get back on track. Thanks for speaking the truth! :-)

I doubt if you stretched your stomach unless you have a really tight fill.

Going back to the basics of Protein only will get you back on track. You can search the 5 day pouch test too. That really seems to get people losing again . Up on the right is the search feature.

Thank you for the info! I checked out the 5DPT website, and I'm gonna do it!!

Hey everyone! I'm suffering from the post holiday blues.

I was really bad this holiday, and although I didn't gain any weight, I haven't lost a large amount either.

I partook of way too many holiday treats, and at some points think I really ate too much.

I'm not having any problems; no acid reflux, no getting stuck, or anything bad, however I'm wondering, with all my badness did I do anything to harm my band or possibly stretch my stomach?? I want to know if anyone else out there has every overdid it, and what they did to correct it or if they had any problems.

Anyone's feedback will be greatly appreciated!! It's a new year, and I'm ready once again for a fresh start, I'm trying to get back on the wagon.

Hope this new year finds everyone out there happy and healthy!!

Take care!

This advice has been so great for me! I have an appointment with my doctor on November 20th! I measured my food for tonight, and I am bound and determined to get back on track! Thank you everyone for your wonderful encouragement and support!!

*HUGS*

Jason

Thank you to everyone for the words of faith!! It is so helpful! I will certainly let everyone know when I get my appointment and how it goes after. I know I have done well, but I can't help but think I could be doing better. I thought maybe since I was six months out, that there was like a period where you kinda fall off the wagon and need a kick in the butt to get back on. But thank you all again for for the comforting words!!

Thank you very much for the encouragement! I really needed that. I think I desperately need a fill. I can really eat any amount, and that scares me. I am going to call tomorrow morning!

Hello All!

Can someone please help!! I am 6 months post op, and I was doing really well, I started at 340lbs, and am currently bouncing between 275-280lbs.

My problem is, that it seems all I want to do is eat everything that is bad for me recently. Cookies, ice cream, chocolate. . . ARRRGGGHHHH!

Is this something normal that everyone banded goes through? Is it like the 6 month itch or something?

Everyday I tell myself that I am going to get back on track, that I'm only going to eat my Proteins, and well balanced meals, in the portions I am supposed to be eating. But then I see something and just crave it, and eventually end up having it.

Also, the last time I went to my surgeon, he said I was over-filled and took Fluid out; now it seems I can eat as much as I want. I want to go and get another fill, but I am scared because I haven't lost any more weight since my last visit (well, maybe 5lbs).

Anyone who can give me advice, I will greatly appreciate it!!

Thanks!

Jason

Hi Michelle!

What an inspirational post! I am nearing 6 months out, and I have lost 55lbs, my goal was 75lbs for 6 months out. I was beginning to get discouraged, but your post has just inspired me.

All of your thoughts made me think about my life. I am 39, and I have gone back to school. I have gone from a size 54 waist to a 48 waist. I am more active, but still need to exercise. I quit smoking! I used to drink 3 liters of Mountain Dew a night at work, and now I drink all Water. My diet used to consist mainly of chocolate, and now I only have it as a small treat very occasionally. Much has changed, and I need to see the positive side of things. I feel good, and I need to remember how I used to feel!

Thank you so much for your thoughts, they are an inspiration to me; and I'm sure will be to many others!

Jason

Hi Neptune693,

Thank-You for your reply! I agree with you talking to the surgeon is very important. And being on top of the tightenings and appts. is definitely a way towards success. I just have a hard time with self controll towards foods sometimes but I am really going to try to do this. If there's a will there's a way! How much weight did you loose since you were banded? school is a great idea! I find keeping busy is the best bec. that way your out of the house and not thinking abt. food all the time! I wish you luck and yes Let's both support each other, seriously I want to start tomorrow with eating healthy and no junk and we will do this together. Be in touch! do you have instant message?

Hey CG!

I have been very good, I have not cheated. I went to the doc the other day, and he actually took Fluid out, he said I was too tight and that's why I was snacking so much. I have lost 55lbs since 4/14/08 when I was banded. I know it is a success, but I wish it was more. I haven't lost anything in the last few weeks, but I am hoping with the band being adjusted again I will get back on the way to being thin.

I do have im, but am rarely on it, but it is AIM - neptune693, YAHOO - bearforcub, and MSN - neptune693. Maybe I will see you on sometime.

Hope this finds you well, and feeling good. Take care, and we will talk soon!

*hugs*

Jason

Hey Collegegirl22! It is a very difficult adjustment, and I think no matter what stage you are at it is a challenge. I am 5 months out of surgery now, and I have fallen off the wagon. I am actually concerned that I may have dialated my new stomach pouch, but I am going to consult with my surgeon this Thursday. I guess I am just not sure if I over eat or not. Somedays I can eat a lot and some days I can eat very little. So I am at an unsure place.

My perspective has always been to communicate with your surgeon. My surgeon has been a great help to me; and so has this site.

Band buddies are great! I'll tell you what, if you get back on the wagon and stop cheating, I promise I will too. food was my friend for a long time too, it is important for us to find something else to occupy our time. I went back to school after 16 years, it is helping.

Good luck, and you will be successful, it just takes time!

Take care!

I have have 3 fills since my surgery on 4/14/08. I just made an appointment for a 4th fill. I am hoping this is the one! My appointment isn't until 9/11. Right now I have 4.2cc in a 10cc band. I was worried that I had stretched my new pouch, but I don't over eat and I don't throw up, so they have assured me that I have not. I finally reached the 55lb point, so I only have 100lbs more to reach my goal!!

Good Luck Patty! Dr. Dietrick banded me on 4/14/08 and so far I have lost 53lbs, give or take a pound. He is an incredible surgeon, and I'm sure you will have a very positive experience! I wish you the best of luck!!

Take care!!

That will be great. It's good to have an interweb quit buddy because two real life friends should NEVER try to quit togethor in my opinion.

I agree! It's gonna be tough, but I know we can do it. By the way, you look great!! I checked out your albums on here. We are very similar, we started out close to the same weight and our goals are about the same. I look forward to our interweb friendship!

Hi smokers. I'm not one, but I know on the larger threads they've talked about this very thing. Perhaps you should put your thoughts out there, if you haven't already, to get some feedback.

Jason, it's nice to meet you. I'm a 40 y/o (ack!) who returned to college like you. I'm just getting my BS and working toward my MBA. The beauty part about this life is that we can be and do anything we want to do. I spent all my 20s and 30s saying I was over weight and under educated...well no more.

So what are you studying? What part of the world do you come from? Welcome, welcome!

I am going back to school to do a double major in Paralegal Studies (AS) and an AA so that I can move forward and get my BS in Business Administration. It's very intimidating being 40 (39 for 7 more months) and going back to school. When I went to orientation the other day, I was surrounded by 17 year olds!

I am from New Port Richey Florida. It looks like you are from Ohio, I am originally from Pennsylvania, Brush Valley about 50 miles outside of Pittsburgh.

I quit a year before my surgery and I worked so hard on quitting,

but recently I have started again. And I have set myself a quit date. August 17th.

I got the lapband to be healthy and smoking would totally destroy everything I am doing, not to mention it makes me tired and I can't work out as easily.

So, I'm quitting. Let's quit huh?

Let's do it together! I'll set my date for the 17th too!!

As a benefits administrator.... RIGHT ON!

In this world we all need to justify our jobs, so the more people need us the better! I'm a cardiac monitor tech and I do everything I can to keep my job.

If you are a benefits administrator, thanks for all the work you do to help all of us workers! :-)

This was very interesting to read, and I am surprised more people have not responded.

Do people (especially ones that have been together for 3 years) really not know the art of communication? Have we become such an electronic world that we have forgotten how to sit down with our partners and talk, and I mean TALK ~ not just a comment about "maybe we should work out together".

I am a 39yo gay male, and my partner is 19yo; in December we will have been together 2 years. Before we got together, I never thought much about my health, my weight, or my long term. However, after spending just a year with him, I knew that I wanted to be around for him as long as I could. So, it was announced that my insurance would finally cover the lap band procedure. Did I just go and sign up? NO! I sat down with my partner and told him my thoughts.

Part of the reason he fell in love with me was because I was an older "bigger" man, a BEAR if you will. I was 340lbs and 37 when we met! So ok, how am I going to suddenly become thin (thinner) without discussing it with him? We sat and talked a long time about it, the decision wasn't completely made for several weeks. My constant question to him was, "will you still love me and be attracted to me if I am thin?". What I love even more about him was that he didn't lie, he said he didn't know. It is very similar to asking your partner if they would mind if you had a sex change, you will NOT be the same person they fell in love with. I gave him time, he gave me time and we sat down again, and TOGETHER, as a COUPLE we made the decision for me to go forward with the lap band. He realized that he would rather have me around for a lifetime than be with someone that he was just attracted to physically, he realized he loved ALL of me! Now I am banded, have lost 52lbs and am more healthy than I have ever been in my life; and most importantly, I know that I have a partner that I can talk to and who will be honest with me. How much more rewarding can you get.

So I say to the girl who was upset with her girlfriends weight, instead of asking her to work out, did you try sitting down with her and talking about how she feels, and is there something she is going through causing her weight gain? Did you ask her if there is anything you can do to help her (and suggesting working out is not asking a question). Did you ask if she is happy with herself? Perhaps you need to look closer at yourself, she has given YOU a good 3 years, but have you given HER a good 3 years? My suggestion to you would be to take a class on etiquette, couth, and communication because it seems you lack all 3! In any relationship our goal is to support our partner, encourage our partner, and the two most important are LOVE and RESPECT our partner. So I suggest she rethink things, and decide if she loves her partner, or her partners body; and if she can't answer that honestly, she needs to give her partner the respect she deserves and move on.

Sorry if I went off there a bit, but I feel pretty strongly about relationships, and that girl who made the post on Craigs List needs some help!

Jason

I'm debating on whether I should weigh once a week or once in the morning. The once a day thing is getting very depressing because I don't see anything happening. What do you all do?

I was feeling your depression at getting on the scale everyday, cause it never seemed to change. So I started a new policy with myself that has been working very well; I only weigh in and post my weight when I go to the doctor. I've been going about every 3-6 weeks for a fill. I don't change my ticker, or post my weight on lap-band.com until I weigh in there. And believe it or not, everytime I go they are all like "great job" you've lost another 6,7, or 8lbs! You cannot stress your weight daily, it changes based on Water retention, bowel movements, muscle mass, etc. You will only get depressed and feel like falling off the wagon if you weigh in everyday. Take a break from the scale, watch what you eat, excercise, and weigh in at your doctor's office. You will be amazed at your progress! Good luck, and I hope this helps you :-)

Jason

I was told he wanted you to quit 3 months before surgery - well my 1st visit was 5/31 and surgery on 7/17 - so no 3 month period in between consultation and actual surgery - I had lung test heart test - I did quit for 10 days put was smoking again right before surgery - heck asking me to give up food and cigs at the same time - cruel & unusual punishment..

I told the anesthesiologist that I had cheated and smoked the night before - they still operated on me - and again pple quit before surgery and go back after -

The boards hate smokers more than the hate obesity - it's just another addiction that pple don't understand the alcoholic (obese) person thinks their habit is not as bad as a druggies (smoker) - reformed smoker can be the worst..

This is a load question - you need to ck with your doctor - not the board..

There are still a few smokers among us... We just don't advertize

IndioGirl55! As always it is a joy to hear your posts! I have been very worried, because I quit smoking in March 2006, and haven't really craved a cigarette. However, since being banded I started craving one and finally broke and bought a pack. I started off with just one every few days, and now I smoke about 3 a day. I actually had just made a post asking a question about this on another thread on here.

I have heard stories of band erosion and stomach ulceration, but have not found any confirmed literature. I work in a hospital, and have even read the CareNotes there that mention nothing about it. I am sure it is detrimental in some way (what that we enjoy isn't?); but I don't feel bad in any way.

My theory is, as is how we treat most patients, that if you are eating without problem, not vomiting, still having bowel movements and urination, and no pain ~ your body is functioning properly. Don't know how good of a theory it is, but I'm sticking to it!!

Hope you are well, and I hope you never leave this forum!

Jason

I was banded 4/14/08 and my Primary Care is Dr. Bruce Kahan in the business center off of Bearss and Medaca Lane. His number is (813) 960-7533. He is very good, and is lap-band friendly, as he supported me completely through mine. If you cannot make and appointment with him, his ARNP Scott Schierer is AWESOME!!

Dr. John Dietrick at UCH did my lap-band, and is an excellent surgeon who takes the time to explain everything to you step by step, and is very honest and not driven by making money by volume. You can reach the surgical weight loss center there at (813) 971-6000.

I hope this helps, and if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask.

Jason

Hi everyone, I am an employee at UCH, and yes we do have support groups. They are held at the Surgical Weight Loss Center, typically the third Thursday of every month at 6pm. The next support group is July 24 at 6pm. If you would like details on support groups and the services offered, contact the Surgical Weight Loss Center at (813) 971-6000 and ask the operator for the surgical weight loss center.

Dr. Dietrick and his staff are a superior group of people and are very knowledgeable. I have not attended a meeting as of yet, I was banded on 4/14/2008; however the meeting nights fall on a work night.

I hope this helps all of you from Tampa, and if there are any other questions I can try to answer, don't hesitate to contact me

Jason

Hi! It is a tough decision, but it was the best decision of my life! I am not sure what all you need answered, but any questions, just shoot them my way and I will try to help you.

Jason

Welcome! This is a very informative site and will help you a lot! There has not been one of my questions not answered on here, this is a great bunch of people!

Congrats and good luck!

Jason