Elisabethsew

I am trained in accessing Inamed ports and am an RN but there is no way I would access my own port. I see the PA's at my surgeon's office every 6-8 weeks for a weight check and to have fills. They estimated on the last fill that I might need up to 2 additional fills before I am at optimal restriction and are now only giving me tiny fills. I am happy with their management and see no reason to doctor myself.

I had a tiny fill yesterday and don't notice any real change yet. Sometimes it takes me a week or so to "feel" the fill. I was told that I might need another one or two small fills before I am where I need to be but the person who did my fills the past 2 times seems to want to give only very small fills. Sigh! Hang in there everyone.

I don't believe any insurance company would pay for WLS for a patient at goal. A slippage might be able to be replaced or repaired as it is a complication of a surgery that was already performed. Don't dwell on complications as they are not all that common. Focus on the positive aspects of weight loss.

I chose not to tell any family members and only one friends knows. She is very supportive.

Welcome! A good place to start would be to call your insurance company and ask if lapband surgery is covered. Research through the posts and you'll find a lot of good information.

Thank you for sharing the information. Much of what he says makes perfect sense.

Hi Lapbandit, I was banded just over 6 months ago and played around with losing and regaining the same 3 pounds for a few weeks. I am back on track but it does take a lot of discipline. Try planning your meals for the next day the night before and include one or two snacks. I am now back to eating the 3 meals in the correct portion sizes and only usually have one snack a day. Are you due for a fill? I have yet to get proper restriction (getting closer) and have an appointment scheduled for the 18th. I am hoping that also helps. The last one was only 0.3 cc and that did nothing. Hang in there, you WILL get back on track.

I am sorry for what you went through. As a healthcare professional, I can tell you that MANY MDs are not familiar with the lapband procedure. Therefore YOU need to teach them in ways they will understand. I would suggest telling the MD that you have a mediport device in your abdomen that is attached to a band around the upper portion of your stomach. The band is filled with saline and it needs to be emptied. Tell the MD you need an RN certified in accessing and deaccessing mediports to withdraw the saline. In effect, you are telling him the problem and the solution as well as getting the person who you need to fix the problem.

Follow your pre-op directions and don't add or delete from it without checking with your surgical team. I was required to consume Medifast shakes with no added protein.

You might want to check with your insurance company to see if you qualify for lapband surgery with a weight of 199/200. For me, my insurance pays for people who have 100 pounds or more to lose and have a BMI of >40. They required TFT's (thyroid function tests) pre-op to make sure that was not the cause of my obesity. It seems they consider hypothyroidism treatable with medications and don't allow it as a co-morbidity.

It's a very personal decision to have weight loss surgery and having doubts before the actual procedure is normal. Make a list of questions to go over with your surgeon and review it with him/her.

Are you losing fat but building muscle? Check your measurements. Also, for a vigourous exercise program, 1000 calories and 40-60 g of protein a day is too low.

Welcome! It's great that you're feeling so good one week post-op and congratulations on your loss.

You look HOT! Congratulations on a great achievement!

Congratualtions on a WONDERFUL milestone. Do something special to celebrate.

It's a good thing you decided to get an unfill. The damage an overfill can cause to an esophagus might not be temporary. As you discovered, an overfill doesn't allow for the ingestion of solid proteins and can actually lead to weight gain. I hope you're feeling better.

Benadryl works for allergic reactions and you can buy the pills over the counter. It might be a good idea to take one 30 minutes before a fill if you have such bad reactions.

Name...............Christmas…...To Go A1ikou...............240...............XX Aza.....................299..............XX BPM..................230...............XX candy444..........299................XX Elisabeth...........275................22 Ericsmom.........250.................XX Indianlight........280.................22 Josette...............340................XX JulieNYC..........235................32 LapBandit.........250.................28 Libra.................270................25.2 Mariguita..........290................XX NatesMommy...275................XX Waterlily1072...275................24

It does feel good, Vegas. I am still not at a very good restriction level but I hope to remedy that when I return to the surgeon on 10/18 for another fill. My iron levels were rock bottom and I'm now 50% done with weekly iron intravenous infusions. I think that's helping my energy levels.

I weighed in yesterday... exactly 6 months from the date of my surgery and I am down 54 pounds. Today, I went out and finally bought some new slacks and a few tops... down from a 4X top to a 2X. Congratulations to everyone on their success.

Currently, I am working on my dissertation for a Ph.D. in Adult Education. In mentoring about 6-8 Masters level students each semester, it's amazing to me how poorly the quality of writing has become. In fact, most colleges and universities now have something called a writing center. Students make an appointment and have their papers "corrected" for spelling and grammar use by proficient teachers and graduate level English majors. It seems "spell check" and "grammar check" and the "thesaurus" available to students on word processing programs has taken a front seat to students actually writing drafts and then refining their academic writing endeavors. While I'm on my soapbox, it's also pathetic to see how many professional emails I receive that lack correct spelling and grammar usage. It seems we really do need to go "back to basics" as standardized testing scores show a decrease in percentages of "passing" grades as the students progress in school. Sad!

Preadmission testing at the hospital was blood work and a chat with the anesthesiologist. Prior to the preadmission testing I had pulmonary function tests and a chest x-ray with the pulmonologist and an EKG and stress test and thyroid function tests with the cardiologist. I also had a meeting with the psychologist and one with the nutritionist.

Congratulations to you and your family. Post a picture of your little blessing when you're able to.

You'll many people who are for and other who are against banding outside of the United States. The bottom line is that it's YOUR decision so do your research, weigh the options, and make the best choice for YOU.

You took the right steps in seeing your MD and having your medications adjusted. As far as the messy house and the pile-up of laundry, etc. you can easily tackle those problems if you don't see it as an all or nothing task. If things are as bad as you described and you take it as an "all or nothing" job, you'll never even attempt to make a change for the better. So, get out of bed, take a shower, grab a cup of coffee, a pen and some paper and start to make a priority list of what needs to be done. One day you can get the laundry done. The next day you can change the linen on the beds and get that laundry out of the way. The following day you can clean the bathroom. Make a daily schedule of jobs that you CAN realistically get done. As you make progress, you'll feel better and be motivated to achieved more positive outcomes. Take out another piece of paper and make some food menus out. Plan three hours to cook some healthy meals in advance and freeze them so you have food on hand when you don't feel like cooking. Remember, one day at a time gets the jobs done so take that first step and start to make some positive changes. You CAN do it if you WANT to do it. Good luck!