Cindy C

Thanks, Manda, but some of us - me, anyway - should thank you. LBT participation is one of the things that keeps me on track!

I think some people are under the misconception that the 6 month diet has to begin AFTER the process begins. It doesn't. You just have to prove that you have attempted to lose weight on your own. I had BCBS of Michigan. My primary wrote his letter to the insurance company telling them that I had met that requirement and I was approved immediately. In fact, I went to him on a Monday and already had a surgery date for the following Tuesday. He faxed the papers to the insurance company and I got a call from the surgeons office on Thursday that the approval came through.

Drive to Sarnia and cross over to Port Huron. Dr. Bhesania, who happens to be Canadian also, is awesome. He's been doing Lapband since about 2002 and has done about 2000 of them.

The problem with gum isn't the calories or the air so much the fact that if you accidentally swallow it it will most likely get stuck!

I don't think it sounds like a slip. You said you can get small amounts in. If you had a slip nothing would go down. To me it sounds like you have some major swelling. Put yourself on Clear Liquids for a week or two and see how it goes. You really should try to save up for an unfill. Persistent acid reflux in a lapband patient can cause esophageal erosion. Call your doctor and tell him what's going on. He's not going to let you suffer just because you can't pay the bill.

When I saw the title of this thread, I got a pain in my chest from the thought of it!

The last month has been a pretty long plateau and I've been getting down on myself about the scale not moving. Today I reminded myself that it isn't always the scale that tells the picture. I did a little shopping and not only was I able to shop in the Misses department, but I bought a dress I would never have touched before. Completely out of my comfort zone, or so I thought. Couldn't wait to get home to try it on for the boyfriend. Big success. Can't wait to wear it. I feel a nice evening out in my future.
I find that I enjoy shopping now, trying on clothes and pushing my own boundaries. I have painted toes, that I can see, and feel more feminine than ever before. I don't know if it makes sense, but instead of trying to 'blend in' and not be noticed, I want to say "look at me here I am".
Looking forward to the next stage in my journey. I will reach goal that is a promise I've made to myself that I don't plan to break.

Yes there are hundreds of failed bandsters but the successful ones far outweigh them. I'm sorry you have had a bad experience and hope you find a way to become successful in your journey.

Yes there are hundreds of failed bandsters but the successful ones far outweigh them. I'm sorry you have had a bad experience and hope you find a way to become successful in your journey.

Your Dr seems to have been negligent so because of that you advise everybody that they should not get a lapband.
People get organ transplants and their bodies reject them - would you advise them not to get the transplant?
Women get pregnant and die in childbirth - does that mean people should stop getting pregnant?
You can get MRSA in hospital - does that mean noone should go into hospital.
You can have surgery for something minor and end up dead because of a blood clot or some other unforeseen complication.
You can take medication and have a serious allergic or anaphylactic reaction - should everyone give up taking medicine.
Yes you have had a bad experience and I am sorry about that. It sounds as though the NHS or whoever it is in Scotland messed up. That is hardly a good reason to advise others not to go ahead. If you want to caution others maybe you should make them aware of the risks of this particular Dr or the NHS in general.
Life itself is risky. There are no guarantees. Imagine trying to live your life without taking any risks - that life would be no life at all. You wouldn't be able to go outside your front door because you could get struck by lightning or run over by a bus. You certainly couldn't go in a car as that is one of the most dangerous things people do every day. But staying at home is dangerous too, that is where most accidents happen. You could:-
Have a fall
Burn yourself
Get electrocuted
Be poisoned by food, or chemicals or gas or plants
You certainly wouldn't want to have sex as that could involve catching a life threatening STI
You would probably be so bored sitting in your room wrapped in cotton wool to protect you and keep you warm that you would over indulge in food and then you would get fatter and fatter and fatter and probably die prematurely anyway from a stroke or heartattack

Yep! Got the Bump!! Now to Find a lady to Bump ports with!! LOL

Hello there. I am coming up on a year and very happy with my band. I can't say that it has controlled my hunger, hoping my next fill will do it. My horror story? Thank goodness there is only one! I ate a handful of cheese Its, packed my band full and then drank a slushy. Not even thinking that I shouldn't have the slushy after eating, I was excited because my kids wanted one and I saw they had a sugar free one. Well, shorthly thereafter I couldn't even swallow my saliva. When you do get something stuck, you will get a ton of saliva and that's what comes up for me whenever I have had something get stuck.
After 5 hours of throwing up, I finally decided to call my dr. Mind you, I was camping and now it was 7:30 pm! I was atleast 50 miles away from the office and thought I could just crawl into my tent and just sleep it off. Nope, no way, no how! My physician asst met me at the office at 9:30 pm. She took a tiny bit out and instant relief! Did I learn my lesson? Well, yes and no. I never did it to that extreme but I did have cheese Its one more time and felt them going down slow. So, since then I haven't touched them! I wish the same thing would have happened with chocolate!
Good luck! Can't wait to hear your success story down the road.

Before my surgery I would go through 3 or 4 12-packs a week. I gave it up cold turkey the day of my surgery and haven't had one in almost 4 years. I don't miss it one bit!

My out of pocket cost for my surgery was $2000. I saved that much at the grocery store the first year. While I spend a lot on clothes, I always have so that hasn't changed. The change is that I don't have to go to expensive "fat lady" stores ti buy size 10's. I can get them anywhere! Another financial change is my earning potential has gone up. Right or wrong, the fact is that HR directors are more willing to hire someone thin and fit than someone morbidly obese. Even if I hadn't had insurance and had to pay the $20,000+ it would have been a bargain. The benefits far outweigh the expenses. In the long run you'll come out money ahead.

Holy Moly, 17 pounds from goal already? You go, Girl!!

Gee, why wouldn't you want to ask your doctor that? LOL! There is absolutely no reason not to. You won't do any damage to your band. Congrats on your success so far and Happy New Year!

Gee, why wouldn't you want to ask your doctor that? LOL! There is absolutely no reason not to. You won't do any damage to your band. Congrats on your success so far and Happy New Year!

That's great. What a good feeling. When I was about a 16, I put on a pair of size 30 jeans...both legs in one side, and walked into the living room. I said to my daughter, "Hey, Maggie. Look, there's room for you in here too!" "Mom, you're such a dork!" "Yea, but I'm a skinny dork!" Here's to being a dork!!!

Happy New Year,,,good for you! BTW, I love that commercial!

Absolutely you can! An empty band is like a car without gas. It's nice to have, but doesn't do much for you. As you fill it up, it gets you to where you want to go.
I am sorry for the hard times you've been through. I am happy to hear how you've pulled through. As you get fills and find restriction, follow band rules and you should be able to start losing weight! That is the joy of the band. You can jump back on the wagon at any time.
And the folks here are here for support! Welcome back to band land!

Bread, white Pasta, rice, bananas, pizza, beef, pork, lamb. Thank G_d I can still eat chocolate!

I started a new job on Monday. On Wednesday a coworker said, "I think you went to school with my husband". She told me his name which sounded vaguely familiar....lets face it, I graduated 30+ years ago! She then went on to say, "He said you were heavy in school and I told him it must be someone with the same name because you were VERY THIN!"

Hi, because I am bored and should have been an accountant....here are some interesting numbers. there are 39 of us that 'signed up' weighing in for a total of 8572.9 pounds!! Our combined goal is to lose 349.3 pounds. Thats an average of 8.956 pounds each for the month and 2.239 pounds each per week. The first week, as a group of 31, we weighed in at 6791.3 for a total loss of 49.5 pounds and an average of 1.6 pounds each. I think thats pretty damn good as a group...lets keep it up.
Lisa

Ive always been a Taco Bell junkie too. Now instead of some meal or deal box I'm happy with a side of pintos and cheese. 170 calories, 9g Protein and I usually have a hard time finishing it!

Years ago, I tried hypnotherapy to quit smoking. They added weight loss hypnosis to the seminar as a free bonus. On the way home from the seminar, I stopped at 7-11 to buy cigarettes and nachos.