2muchfun

Leaking? As in many drops or just a few? You might want to call your doctor or his assistant?

"And yet so many Americans go yo Mexico for healthcare. So much for your logic." Apples and oranges? Canadians pay for their healthcare in the form of much higher taxes and expect 100% coverage for all citizens. This does work for some provinces but not for the majority. So, they pay for services that are not available to them in a timely manner. This is not the expectation here nor will it be with the new ACA rules. It's logical for Canadians to cross the border to avoid the long waits and/or denials as well as Americans to cross the border to find affordable surgery that may not be a provision of their own insurance policy. tmf

I agree with Terry. I recall the first 60 days after surgery I could eat anything but the band still held me back from eating as much as I could before. But, when it had no saline in it steak, chicken, pizza, anything passed through with no problem. You might also try to find another doctor who has a clue?

I've been stuck and slimed hundreds of times. I've only been able to PB once and it solved my stuck episode.

Why is that? What are you eating that is giving you problems?

Until you get the adjustment(fill) that gives you restriction this will be a diet for you. There really are no tips other than try to fill up on healthy foods and stay away from slider type foods. Eat Protein first and then veggies and then carbs.

Unfortunately the band is still being sold this way. My doctor and my nutritionist still believe I have a pouch that fills up with food and when it's full I should feel satiety. That's not how it works. I love my doc and he'll fill me whenever I want for free but it's important for bandster's to really understand how this process really works. Please don't take this the wrong way, but many people cannot tell the difference between a craving and true hunger. You may not be one of these people but it's one of the most difficult aspects of WLS for patients to understand. We all got fat because we ate too much food and many of us ate too much because it's an addiction. Addictions can play games with our minds. Here's hoping your next fill does what you want?

The green zone is when your band is adjusted properly so that you are satisfied for 3-4 hours with just one cup of food. Here's a video that explains it better. If you're new to this you should watch all 9 minutes but the part about the green zone starts around the 5:45 minute mark. If you have time, try to watch all 4 9 minute videos. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qa3Lwt6ElIs&list=UL

Here's an article that explains why we lose weight so rapidly in the beginning and stall shortly after 2 weeks: http://www.dsfacts.com/weight-loss-stall-or-plateau.html#.UqP7uBLn-Uk

Unless you're a marathon runner or super athlete, it's nearly impossible to lose more than 10 lbs of fat per month. Most lose around 4-8 lbs per month. There are exceptions though. I lost 50 lbs the first 7 months. tmf

Should be no connection between the two. I'd check with your doc but it's probably just a coincidence.

Most of us followed Dr's orders and ate the 4-8 oz/meal prescribed by most docs. But many of us were very hungry and could have eaten more. That would be a bad idea as the surgery has not healed completely before the first 30 days.

You won't find restriction with liquids unless the band is too tight. Liquids will just flow right through the stoma. Don't judge till you're eating regular food. It took me 3 fills before I felt any restriction and 6 to find the green zone.

You should fill in your profile so we know more about you? Many people do not lose weight during the first 30 days and more. The band won't work it's magic till it's adjusted properly. Until then this is basically a diet. You don't have a scale? You should invest in one.imo This is a difficult time to be freshly banded. I was banded 11/2/8/11 and the holidays can be difficult.

Oh but I can. It's simple. Before Obamacare she was covered, after Obamacare she's not. I know you think you understand how the ACA works but I don't believe you do. I certainly don't? Why is bariatrics covered in some states and not in others? Is it the ACO's that govern these regions that push or mandate less or more coverage? It's too complicated for any of us to understand imo. In fact, very few if any politicians understand what they've authored. My insurer a year ago is no longer available in the state pool of insurers. Did they pull out? It's not as simple as the mean old insurance companies denying benefits when just months ago they were. If they can make a buck on providing bariatric coverage they will do it. Somewhere, in a formerly smoke filled room, a group of doctors, CEOs, political appointees and lawyers(ACO), hammered out what will and what won't be covered. And there may be a plan for Jaye that covers bariatrics if she dug deep into each program, but it's also possible that program has a $6,000 deductible with high copays. So what's her alternative? And where's all that transparency we were promised? tmf

That isn't what she said she said her insurance was cancelled a decision made by her insurance company. Nothing in the ACA stops her from purchasing a plan with Bariatric coverage. The minimum standards don't vary just the individual states participation in setting up an exchange so it's easier to find and compare available coverage. Which would again be a state issue not an ACA issue as ruled by the Supreme Court. Sorry, you're wrong. There are about 18 states that offer no bariatric coverage and some of the others offer limited bariatrics. If you sold insurance you know very well that a policy is a contract and to change the policy/contract one must issue a new policy. Therefore millions of policies have been cancelled and offered under the new Obamacare standards/guidelines. Bariatracs has been dropped to keep costs down in many cases. There are just far too many varied policies for the government to accommodate each one individually. Apparently the authors of Obamacare do not recognize bariatrics as a necessity? Guess it's back to being pigs as far as the government is concerned?

My point is in this case the barrier between the physician and the patient is the insurance company not the government. The company never should have offered such a poorly constructed policy in the first place or they could have simply changed the policy to meet the new standards. Their blaming the government is just a bait and switch maneuver to take attention off the poor construction if their own insurance policy. As I said it's like getting angry at a speed limit when you're caught driving too fast just because you didn't crash yet it doesn't mean you were safe. You missed the point completely. Her old insurance had it right and the new insurer(under Obamacare) does not have bariatric benefits. She's angry because she no longer has the benefits she needs. The new policy is meeting the new(Obamacare) standards and standards seem to vary from state to state. tmf

I use egg beaters in my omelets. I make a mean crustless quiche with egg beaters too. My son uses them in his Protein shake but that's kind of gaggy for me. Here's a link to recipes using egg beaters(all white). http://www.eggbeaters.com/recipes

The new forum is (not) so sad Thanks for the change and I agree. tmf

Here's another dilemma and I faced it tonight. Start off with a salad. Ingredients, jicama, cucumber, red pepper, a few grapes, spinach, arugula, lettuce, tomatoes, one kids cutie orange dissected and all topped with about 6 ozs baked salmon and a homemade Asian vinaigrette. Started off small but soon became a small mountain(wife's was a mountain). I ate half and was no longer hungry. Not the type of meal you can put back in the fridge as a leftover. Just not the same if it's not fresh. So, I ate about 90% and now I'm stuffed. But, it's mostly Water based veggies so I got that goin for me? I can't get my eyes to agree with my band? LOL tmf

I have to agree with Lisa on this one. Taking most of the Fluid out and restarting seems extreme to me? Giving up on months of fills just to start over would make me very frustrated. My doc was conservative too and by using very small fills, we snuck up on the green zone. I did go back in at one point because I thought I was too tight and he took .5 out. Turns out, it was too much. In fact, I think I was never too tight, I believe I was not eating slow enough, small enough and not chewing enough. I eventually went back and had a couple more small fills. If your doctor usus fluoroscopy for fills I think that would be OK to completely unfill.

It's funny how quickly the stoma closes off once it gets to a certain point. Seems like you can eat about anything with less chewing effort and then that one .25CC fill can take you right to the green zone. Or, that 1CC fill can take you to too tight and a quick trip back to the Dr office.

Wish I could have lost 9 lbs over Thanksgiving. I gained 4 lbs.

Even solid foods like chips, crackers, lasagna qualify as slider foods. It's not that we shouldn't eat them, it's OK to eat them, we just need to make sure their calories are counted towards our daily goal.

Another Bandster hell victim? Like I said, I lost 12 the first two weeks and then nothing the next 3.5 months. I was in Bandster hell for 3 months. BH is where your band has not been adjusted to give you the restriction or satiety to avoid being hungry all the time. It took me 3 fills to start to feel satiety and 6 fills and 7 months to find the green zone. You're following a very normal, typical pattern that so many before you have traveled. This will be just another diet till you find restriction with the right fill. tmf