Elisabethsew

Eat a balanced diet, get regular exercise, and drink plenty of water throughout the day. I hope you feel better.

Good luck with your surgery.

It's important to realize that the amount of fill is 100% dependent upon your anatomy. If you can still eat as much as you want and as fast as you always did prior to the band, you need another fill. Period. Some people get one fill and never need another while many people spend months going for fills until they finally feel restriction. Think of a band as a blood pressure cuff. They put it on your arm and start to inflate it. If they put it on tightly, they won't have to pump it up too many times to get your B/P. If they put it on loosely, they will have to pump the cuff up several more times to achieve the same B/P. I hope that helps.

MANY people experience band tightness in the AM that eases as the day goes on. I'm an RN and I work 12.5 hour night shifts. What I find interesting is that my band does not respond to shift changes. For example, when I am off from work I have dinner at a normal time and sleep fine. I wake in the AM and have coffee and my medications. I measure out a cup of Special K Cereal and slowly have that with a second cup of coffee. When I am at work, I can't eat anything after 3 AM. If I do, I can't sleep when I get home because food and liquids regurgitate. It seems my band likes to sleep from 11 PM on and tightens up after dinner... strange! Because it's important to get Protein in throughout the day, try different Proteins when you're tight (Peanut Butter, soft cheese, etc.), and hard proteins for dinner.

The danger of having a hernia is that it could strangulate. The pain becomes severe and immediate surgery is necessary. Hernia repairs are almost always done via a laproscope approach so if you're having pain, you might want to consult a general surgeon and have it repaired.

Ask about endometrial ablation. This basically burns the endometrium and stops the bleeding. Estrogen is stored in fat cells and being on double dose BC pills at 45 coupled with obesity makes you VERY at risk for blood clots (been there... NOT fun).

The 6 month medically supervised diet is common. While you're doing it, educate yourself on the banding procedure and practice not drinking anything with your meals.

Yes, it is normal to have pain afterwards and many surgeons advise 24 hours of liquids after an episode like you describe followed by 24 hours of a soft diet. Warm liquids might help. I hope you feel better.

Welcome. Several members of this board have been rebanded. Your surgeon will determine how long of a healing process is necessary and can give you the needed information on being rebanded.

Nicely stated, Lee. You're under the care of a quality surgeon and your "tool" is doing what it's supposed to do. Congratulations!

Welcome! The pre-op diet is hard but it's important to shrink your liver so that your surgeon can visualize the organs. You'll also have less pain post-op. You'll find a wealth of info here so read, read, read, and ask lots of questions.

Welcome! I would suggest looking for surgeons in your area and calling to find out when they are offering their free informational sessions. You'll meet the MDs and staff, talk with others like you are contemplating the surgery, and hear from those who had the surgery. Call your insurance carrier to find out if you're covered and what their requirements are. My fills NEVER hurt and I've had them with lidocaine and without. Do a lot of research and read all you can so that you can do what's best for YOU. For some people, another type of weight loss surgery might be better.

You've had a very fast weight loss. Congratulations! Those last 10 pounds might require a lot more time to lose that the first 100 because your percentage of body fat is so much less. We're glad to have you share with us.

Making the decision is a BIG first step to a new you. Congratulations! Call your insurance company to find out what they require and read, read, read, the posts on this forum.

Welcome, Melissa. Call your surgeon's office and explain that you're hungry. They might opt to add one or more choices to your diet. For me, they allowed 1/4 cup of ricotta low fat cheese and that was a lifesaver. My other "filler" was tomato soup made with skim milk for added protein.

Welcome and congratulations on being banded. If you're feeling weak, contact your MD. Frequently, they will advance your diet.

People need to have confidence in their surgeon and his/her abilities. Check out how many surgeries were performed, how many complications were reported, what were the complications, how have these complications been prevented, etc. Most surgeons make the decision on what size band to use based on your internal anatomy and the amount of weight you need to lose. Are there MDs out there who are driven by monetary incentives? Sure. EVERY profession has good and bad but it's the bad who get the most attention even though the percentage is small. The bottom line is that you should do your homework, choose a surgeon wisely, and then trust that the surgeon is going to do his/her best for you. Dr. C has been very helpful to many people in his posts and takes the time to offer professional opinions to people who are NOT his patients and who are NOT paying him. Let's stay on topic and NOT let valuable discussion topics deteriorate into cyber-wars. The goal for everyone is weight loss for the purpose of leading a long and healthy life. Review the rules of posting, respect differing opinions, and make informed choices. Have a happy day!

Redstar has obviously done a lot of research. I also read that she/he is a med. student. I am also in the health care field (RN - critical care) but realize that MOST people are not. They come to this site to find out the information that Redstar already has for the purpose of becoming informed to make decisions. Patients need to be trusting of their MDs. Offering opinions and advice without making it personal results in a win-win situation.

After battling through all the requirements to have the surgery, the hardest part is staying away from foods that can easily pass through the band... junk food. Candy, cake, pie, icecream, chocolate, chips, etc., can all slide ride down so you have to fight those urges and make good choices. Good luck!

Angie is correct. Call your insurance company and ask for a WRITTEN list of requirements that they mandate in order to pay for weight loss surgery. Once you know if you're covered, you can move to the next step... choosing a surgeon. Look for a designated Center of Excellence. Good Luck!

Welcome. You can ask whatever concerns you... 1. Where do you place the port (location in the abdomen)? 2. How long is the pre-op diet? 3. What tests are required before the surgery? 4. Can I continue to take all my medications post-op? 5. When do you allow the first fill to be scheduled? 6. When will I meet with the anesthesiologist? 7. How long will I be in the hospital? 8. Who will do my fills? The surgeon usually does the first and then the PA or NP follows you in many cases. 9. How does the post-op diet progress? 10. What do you prescribe for post-op pain? 11. When can I go back to work? 12. When can I start to exercise? I think those are the one's that you might want to ask. As for the psychologist appt., it's no big deal. They ask questions and fill out a form and it takes about an hour. The required psych exam and dietician consult were NOT covered by insurance and cost me a combined $450 out of pocket so be prepared. Finally, read as many posts as you can and write down questions they might provoke. Good luck on your surgery.

I'm glad you're feeling better. Have you tried tomato soup? You can make it with skim milk to bump up the protein and it's both soothing and filling.

Here's another plus. For every one pound lost, there is a 3 pound decrease in pressure on weight bearing joints. Slow and steady wins the race. You're all doing great.

Gallbladder pain is AWFUL and I'm glad mine is now history. If gall stones are blocking the common bile duct, you'll need surgery so don't wait to get medical attention. Check with your surgeon about the NSAIDs. I have arthritis and take one ALeve in the AM and another in the PM and my surgeon has no problem with that as long as I flush them down with a full glass of water. I hope you feel better soon.

I'm guessing this is a problem with gas? Increasing your exercise, drinking lots of water, and adding fiber GRADUALLY to your diet can all help. I have found that 10 raw almonds a day keeps things moving as they should.