lafrogura

thank you for the info betsy. that helps explain why they don't dissolve and become stuck

Thank you all for the helpful information! It's very much appreciated. Also, I do not take Metformin for Diabetes, I take it because of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. I have terrible, excruciating pelvic pain without Metformin so I do not want to be without it. I have an appointment with the doc on Aug. 9th but I'll be in the E.R. before then.

I am in trouble. It has been 3 days now that I have been unable to swallow my Metformin ER pills. They cannot be cut, crushed or chewed, etc. They have to be swallowed whole. I have swallowed them but come the next morning with the first bite of food they come right back up, whole, covered in slime and expanded but I have called the doc's office and they said the band is too tight. I finally have good restriction after having the band already for 2 years. I do not want an unfill. OMG! This is just too much!

If you are planning to get banded in Mexico due to self pay, then you had better find a doctor that will see you for fills, follow-ups near where you live BEFORE going and getting banded. FYI. I had a heck of a time changing docs and mine wasn't done in Mexico. However, when I was calling around trying to find a new doc, that was the first question they asked me, "Were you banded in Mexico?" because they don't take patients that were banded in Mexico. FYI

Don't do the band. My BMI is 68 now. It was about 62 when I was banded 2 years ago. I have since changed doctors and am now able to actually get good restriction with the band and am finally losing weight. Hopefully this time it's for good. Anyways, what I wanted to say to you was to consider the gastric bypass. The doc I have now has explained that anyone with a BMI over 45 should not have the band. It's not always possible for the band, even the largest one, to compress your stomach enough even when the band is full for you to get good restriction. It's very difficult with very large stomachs like ours. I am currently at 381 lbs. I was 360 when I was banded 2 years ago. I would not recommend the band for people our size. JMO

Something has got to give here.. I have had my band for 2 years now.. I just changed docs recently for the fills. My surgeon was doing them but I was not losing weight, I actually gained weight for the 2 yrs following my lap band surgery. I changed docs a couple of months ago and he has done a couple of fills and now I have good restriction but I have terrible left shoulder pain that starts about mid-day. OMG! It's terrible. I have been taking liquid gas meds for it thinking it's air that is trapped in my stomach and the "hole" where you swallow food is the same hole that you burp through. I can't expel the gas from my stomach so it's moving elsewhere in my body and becoming trapped in my shoulder. Laying down is the only thing that's helped.

I will be there!!!! Looking forward to meeting you all that show up. :biggrin:

we haven't yet .. we dicsussed meeting at least every 2 wks but haven't set a date yet .. will keep ya posted for the next one..

what works for one person doesn't work for everyone. If you don't want or aren't ready for a fill, then wait on it. but i think you eventually will stop losing or plateau and then you may want to reconsider. also the more weight you lose, the looser the band becomes so you may have to for that reason also..

I have seen many people say that they did not have a pre-op diet. I know more people have to be on one than don't. All surgeons are different. I think it has more to do with how much you have to lose. I know for us super obese we have much more fat on our livers that has to be shrunk down prior to surgery (the reason for the pre-op diet) ... did you ask your doc about a pre-op diet?

Absolutley you can! just send the denial info to your secondary ins with the request for approval from them. i think i would appeal the first ins denial first, though.

we're meeting at starbuck's tomorrow at 9am in kingwood. the address is 2515 green oak pl. Please come and introduce yourself. i know i would love to meet some people in the area and maybe we can help support each other at the same time. :thumbup:

Those were my exact thoughts for the entire 8 days after surgery!!! i couldn't believe i only scheduled 1 1/2 wks off of work and it took me 8 days to be able to breathe without pain and 9 days before i could lay down and breathe at the same time... i slept sitting up for 8 nights .. that was miserable!! if ANYONE tells any of you that it is easy or a breeze, it's B.S.!!!!! They are crazy for saying that. hang in there and you will feel better eventually. I have been there and can sympathize completely with what you're going thru.

For me, that pain is when i have gas that is working it's way up ... usually after a good burp, i feel much better .. getting up and moving around helps it come up.

awwwwwwwwwwwww .. bummer! I can't do Mondays. I can do any other day.. i work in kingwood until 5:30 every day .. i can usually be somewhere by 6 pm ... or i can do sat. mornings or sundays, too.. whenever ... let me know if there are any that arent' on monday ...

i'm going to start a new thread and let's see how many we might be able to get in on this... it would be great and it's nice to know others that live nearby that are going thru the same things and have the same questions and experiences, etc...

Were you guys succesful at getting the group together? I don't see any recent posts, so was just wondering.

I do love him. I go for my first fill monday aug 11th. I just had to have surgery again today unrelated to the band and all went well but not as well as with Dr. Collier. I really am glad i found him. I thought the meetings were the 2nd tues of every month at 6:30 pm on the 2nd floor of his office bldg in conroe ... i had his office staff write it down for me... i will try to call their office tomorrow to clarify that ... i do plan on going though, whenever it is.

It's probably just going to delay being banded a little bit longer.. but in the long run, at least they have found this out before putting you under anesthesia so you wake up perfectly fine after being banded .. that's always a good thing .. hang in there! get yourself taken care of.. i do have to say that was my BIGGESt fear prior to being banded, was that they would find something wrong with my heart .. not that i've ever had heart problems, but being a big gal it doesn't exactly take much to put a lot of stress on your heart .. they're just making sure you can handle surgery i'm sure .. it will all work out !!! I will pray for you!

I had one and didn't know it. My surgeon found it and fixed it when he did my band.

My sister is a nutritionist and she says yes. You only need 7 grams of protein per 20 lbs of weight. It's important to get enough calcium since your body uses calcium to help digest protein and if you don't consume enough calcium, it will be taken from your bones to digest the protein. Too much protein can also cause other problems, like kidney problems if you aren't exercising but taking in high amounts of protein. Your body will use carbs and fat first for energy so if you're eating a lot of protein, plus carbs and fat, there is no real use for the protein. It is supposed to be "fuel" for your body (energy).

In my opinion, if the child is gaining weight at an early age, i think diets are not the answer .. i do think counseling can help for some because so many teens don't deal with their emotions .. i think, if after counseling that the lap band would be a great thing to have .. especially since soooooo many of us bandsters started gaining weight as teens and really never stopped gaining until we were banded. i would have loved to have had some counseling early on for my eating habits but not sure that would have totally corrected it .. i think it's great for anyone, young or old!

Don't listen to your doctor! Write a lengthy appeal letter yourself and send it in! there have been many people do that and then get approved. Don't even tell your doctor's office you're doing it.. DO NOT GIVE UP!! I have BCBS also.. it just takes a little nagging by the patient. Use your right to appeal. Then if they deny again, then hire a lawyer. You are allowed more than one appeal. usually you can appeal up to a 3rd level. APPEAL, APPEAL, APPEAL ...

hahaha.. i did the same thing .. i was so tired of soup and popsicles and pudding and jello ... i ate a bean burrito as soon as i could eat mushy foods .. i think i was 10 days post op .. i didn't get sick either .. since the swelling has gone down, i have no restriction really .. i have been relying on pure willpower until my first fill, which is not until 08/11 .. even though everyone says you don't lose until after the first fill, i just can't except that so i have found willpower that i never knew i had. i do stay full longer on smaller amounts of food though .. before being banded, like a lot of people, i used to eat a large meal and 1 hour later i would be looking for a snack... just take it slow eating .. my protein drinks are my friend.. i don't really like the taste of them, but they really keep my hunger and cravings down when i manage to get 1 or 2 in a day...

Same thing happened to me .. i was able to keep my undies on with a pad .. i had on stretchy cotton ones so they just rolled my undies down so my stomach was not covered.. i was so happy i didn't have to take them off ... that would have been very uncomfortable. just depends on your surgeon/hospital i guess ..