RestlessMonkey

I don't know what size band you have etc...but I can tell you with 100% honesty that once you finally get restriction and hit what they call on here "the sweet spot" (my doc calls it the "green zone") it is a whole new way of life. I have lost over 1/2 of my total loss to date since 5/7 when I FINALLY hit restriction. I won't diet and use sites like the daily plate because I become so darned obsessed with food. That's not why I got the band. I want to be FREE of thinking about it, not over concerned with it, and when I "diet" I think about food all the time. Now I truly go hours. The first night I realized this I was up very late and around 2 am I thought "Wow something's wrong with my stomach. About then it growled and I thought OMG I"m HUNGRY" LOL sounds so silly, doesn't it? But I'd eaten my meal at 8pm and hadn't even thought about food (or a snack) since then. It had been right at 6 hours! I thought "HALLELUJAH! I'm FREE!" LOL and most days that is the way it goes. If I choose filling nutritious foods for my meals I am not hungry for hours. Makes it easy to pass up the bad stuff. Who eats thinking "I want this so I can be hungry again in an hour" ? No one. It'll happen for you and if you are a good dieter and can diet without becoming a raving lunatic like I do, then just watch your calorie intake . Either way, restriction will most likely change things up for you in a big way.

I think I win the BMI so far (LOL it's nice to be #1 at something) since mine started out at 67.4. I had to diet preop to shrink my liver for a longer period than others, but did not have a "goal" or set amt. of weight I had to lose preop. My doc never tried to steer me to RNY Bypass (he does both surgeries) and is encouraging and wonderful. I just have more to lose than many other bandsters but hey, that was true before I got the band, too. I love my band.

My doc had a chat with me preband. He said the goal was for me to be able to eat ANYTHING I could preband (except to drink carbonated beverages) but be "satisfied" by a significantly smaller portion. He believes in small incremental fills. He said some of his patients have trouble with bread or stringy red meat, but not all. Ok I have 7 cc in my 14 cc band. I was just cutting up and freezing my steak leftovers from last night; I can eat about 2-3 ounces and am FULL. AND guess what? I can eat bread IF I CHOOSE. White bread. Hot dog buns. Hamburger buns. Toasted or not. I have carb control flour tortillas that are high in Fiber and are a staple of my diet. They go down fine. We are all different. There is nothing inherently evil in bread. I just often don't eat it because unlike some I feel better and more energetic if I keep the processed carbs low and eat Protein first, then fill with veggies. One thing I was told...if, after a fill, you have foods you can't eat, wait and revisit in 4-6 months. I've never had that problem yet but will folllow that good advice too. I didn't get the band to eat only 2 ounces of steak per meal, or never eat a sandwich, or never have a pancake again. That wasn't the point. The point was portion control, not making chunks of food off limits for life. Right now while I'm losing it's easy to choose things that fill me up and keep me full for a while. But I know, down the road, if I want a waffle, I can have one. The world won't end. God won't come down and take back my band! You have to have something you can live with. If you want white bread to be part of your diet, try eating it with foods of different texture, and taking small bites. That should break it up and keeping it from becoming a "dough ball" in your pouch. Good luck to you! :blushing:

Honestly, no. I am worried about how I would hold up for the next 20 years without it. It is reversible. If something goes wrong, it can be removed. But if I were dead of a heart attack or stroke from being 405 (or more) pounds at age 60....well, dead is dead. I'm being totally honest here. To me, it was not even an issue. They've been approved in the USA for a while, there are issues with the band, there are MORE issues with obesity. I'm playing the odds.

I agree. I had planned to self-pay and found out literally a week before the seminar that ins would cover it (I had to switch surgeons, in fact. Thank God. I love my doc!) Anyway I decided I was worth the price of a Kia. (shoot, I'm worth a Lexus but the surgery wasn't THAT much!) That's honestly how I looked at it. LOL

Ok...but the staff is a huge portion of the "team". If they are not helpful, then you aren't getting good service. Because the band is just the start, and you DO want a good surgeon. But fills, questions, problems, all are generally handled, at least initially, by the staff. THEY must be as responsive as the surgeon. Sometimes "kind" docs have the staff you've described on purpose, as a kind of "fire wall". I often find it odd that people would think that docs don't have a clue what goes on in their little worlds. I know it CAN happen but it does not happen as often as you'd think. So I'm not so sure that informing your surgeon will do any good but I am sure you should at least try. If they don't improve, you really shouldn't proceed. The aftercare (and access to that aftercare) is what makes the band work. It's like buying a car but being unable to get gas or oil changes. If you can't get the aftercare, the band won't do you any good.

You're safest to call your insurance and ask. For one thing, your bariatric surgeon may not be one in your insurance network. They MAY require you to get it repaired by another surgeon before your band surgery. Call them now! Good luck.

Personally...I want a surgeon who does MY TYPE of surgery. All surgeries (and surgeons) are NOT created equal. The guy who took out my gallbladder (an excellent surgeon) does GALL BLADDERS. My banding surgeon does BARIATRIC SURGERY. He knows what to expect...he knows what emergencies can arise he knows about my AFTER CARE...my fills, my potential problems and how to rectify them. Because he has done over 2000 bariatric surgeries. He hasn't done a single gall bladder. My gall bladder surgeon was doing gall bladders while my WLS surgeon was doing bands and RNY bypasses and duodenal switches. See my point? You want a surgeon who does BARIATRICS. RUN RUN RUN to a different surgeon. S/He should be able to obtain your records (they legally are YOURS) so you won't start at square one. Get one who only does bariatrics, get one with experience in that area. You wouldn't want your gall bladder surgeon to operate on your knee or your heart, would you? Then why pick him for your band? Get a pro, like you did for your gall bladder! Good luck!

Just FYI...fruits (with their natural sugar) have carbs...some have LOTS of carbs. Maybe the doc put you on a "no processed carb" diet? If he said NO CARBS, I'd question the "fruit is ok" thing. Lucky you if you get fruit! I didn't even get veggies with many carbs...I had to stick to green veggies! :blushing:

I agree, it's all in the fill. I could eat large quantities (not as much as preband, but still a LOT) of food until I finally got restriction. When you start to get "filled" you'll see a little bit of sterile saline goes a long way. For example, at 6.0 cc I could still eat normally (a "normal" plate of food for example) and at 6.25 cc I couldn't even eat half as much and many old favorites got stuck if I didn't chew the dickens out of them. So that 1/4 cc (which is a very little bit of liquid...15 cc is a tablespoon) makes a big difference. That "little bit for a big effect" is pretty common for us bandsters! Keep the faith; it will happen for you!

I lost a chunk on my preop diet (32 pounds over 5 weeks) and another 9 during the 2 weeks of liquids post op, but then gained some back as I progressed into solid foods. I didn't really get good restriction until my May 7 fill (miracle!) and did NOT diet during the interim (been there, done that) Since that fill I dropped a good chunk, and then have stalled for a bit (that happens) but expect it to pick back up here at any time. At one year I'll probably have averaged around 1 1/2 pounds a week for year 1.

I'd ask him how long does it take his average patient to really start losing weight/reach good restriction. :blushing:

I'd suggest NOT wearing an underwire bra for another month or so and letting everything finish healing. Just a thought. Three weeks isn't long enough for everything to be back to normal yet.

It's a fine line...just think of a fire. Too much wood can smother it, or not enough wood and it doesn't burn well. Our bodies are like that...we need enough food/energy to get the old metabolism engine running but not so much that it doesn't turn to our stores of fat when needed. I'd think 300 cal a day isn't enough, esp with your exercising. Your engine isn't running smooth. On those low days, I'd add in Protein shakes or some type of food supplement, and if you are so tight you can't drink liquid, get a slight unfill. I am NOT a weight loss pro (although I am a pro at almost any diet, done them all LOL) but this I know...you have got to give the furnace fuel to burn.

If it were me, I'd call the person at my doc's office who does billing and say "My insurance company has directed me to pay only my deductible, which is the same as what your office originally told me to do. So I'm just going to pay that and then I'll pay the balance once it's billed and insurance has settled. I know that will be over a thousand, and I plan to give you a credit card (or whatever you plan to do)" As long as the issue isn't that you CANT pay it but just don't want to pay it too soon, I think that would do the trick! :blushing:

Did your doc's office say WHY they wanted 2k instead of $750?

Every person on earth is different. We are unique creatures...but I still think maybe some therapy would help you; what you describe sounds to me like depression. Not the blues, but something that is ongoing with you? I am not a psychologist and I don't even play one on TV so forgive me if I am intruding. I do hate to see people in pain (mental or physical) when they don't have to be. If you had a headache I'd offer aspirin or tylenol; since your psyche seems to hurt, I can only offer therapy. Don't be so quick to dismiss it, or to think that losing weight will solve every problem. It won't. That thinking is dangerous and will set anyone up for a big disappointment. Sometimes getting out of a prison requires more than opening the door. I hope you will think/pray/meditate/ruminate or whatever on maybe getting a little professional help, maybe an anti-depressant? A talk with your doc would be a place to start. Good luck to you, whatever you decide!

I asked my doc (they all do it a little differently) and he said "It has some primer in it; nothing important". He's one who feels slow steady fills are best, and that post op we need to heal from the trauma of surgery. Personally I'm glad I wasn't filled; I've read too often about people post op who were nauseated, couldn't keep liquids down, etc because of a fill! (Not the only reason for nausea ... unfilled people can be nauseated...but I wanted to do anything to avoid it!) Different docs will handle it differently.

Call your doc ASAP ! Seriously. There are drugs to give you to help that, and if you DO vomit this early in the game you MAY (note I said MAY) do damage to your healing band. Don't just suffer, call your doc.

Yes I would never make light of anyone's sadness, and I think that there are issues that our weight may make worse (some medical, some emotional!) So that's why I suggested therapy...because not all fat people are lonely, so it can't be just a condition of being overweight. And how sad to have the surgery just to "fix" loneliness and it not work!

Just another reason not to have our bands too tight! Hope you feel better soon!

So sorry but your questions are ones best answered by your surgeon...all we'd be doing is guessing. I hope everything works out well for you! I can tell you that if it "has eroded into the gastric lumen" the odds are high that you will need it removed ASAP. Also because it hasn't been in there for a LONG time, odds are you'll be ok after a time for recovery. BUT those too are just guesses. Good luck!

Therapy? You do KNOW the basics, right? Only you know why you aren't using the tool you've worked so hard to get and keep. That's why I was wondering if therapy would help you? Otherwise just tell yourself you'll follow the rules for just ONE day. Then see if you can stretch it to two, etc...or, do what worked for you before. Our lives change and sometimes things are easier than others, but you know this is do-able...you know it works if you work it. You have to find the answers within why you won't "work" it this time...

I'm so sorry you're lonely! But honestly, losing weight may not fix things for you; some therapy may help. I AM more active as I lose more weight, but I had friends and a social life at 405 too. A good therapist may help you come out of your shell a little? Good luck to you, whatever you choose!

If excess weight caused your asthma, losing will cure it. More likely your symptoms will improve because you will be more fit, but it won't "cure" it. ALL our medical issues aren't caused by being fat, so getting thinner won't fix them, but anything that obesity causes or makes worse will improve with weight loss. For example, I have a bone spur on my left heel. Losing weight may make the surgery I'll probably need easier (too hard to drag this fat carcass around on crutches for 2-6 weeks!) and losing weight MAY make things hurt less, but it won't make my bone spur go away.