cwm812

I had Dr. Davidson and things were pretty easy. I did have to wait a long time for the process. When I started, Capital Blue Cross required a 6 month diet, so I had to do that. It was completely ridiculous, like I haven't been dieting for most of my life. The insurance requirements may have changed, but I needed lab tests, a psych eval,and I also had to go to 2 of their support group meetings. After all that was done, they submitted the insurance claim and then waited for approval. That took a couple of weeks. Then it took about 3 weeks until the actual surgery. One of the good things about this clinic is that they don't require a pre-op liquid diet. You do need to do liquids after the surgery, but I wasn't hungry at all and it really wasn't bad.

I went to The Weight Loss Clinic in Harrisburg. Is there something you want to know? I had a really good experience with them.

I guess it's really a matter of which "what ifs?" bother you the most. With bypass, I was more worried about complications from the surgery and my long-term health. I was also worried about the possibility of needing chemo someday and not being able to get it with a bypass. The idea that the band was removable was comforting to me, not scary. I hope to never lose my band and it has been very good to me. I am hopeful that we will have a long happy life together, but if problems arise, maybe there will be something even better to try 10 years from now. Cindy

You are right. This is a lapband board and most of us love our bands, me included. I do think with your state of mind, it would probably be a mistake to go ahead with the band. It really is a tool and if you don't work with it, it doesn't work. It's hard to put alot of effort into something, if you really don't think it's the best option. I think weight loss surgery is a very personal decision and most definitely one size does not fit all. There is one more option, though. Have you considered a sleeve? To me, it seems like a reasonable choice, but I don't know much about it. Good luck with your decision. Cindy

Bluestate girl, I think you've got the right attitude about this. Surgeons are the fix-it men of the medical world. Most of them are savvy enough to know to be nice to their clientele, but others just want to get in there and get the job done. Your fill doc will be the important one ...have you met him? Also, there are alot of surgeons who are not really interested in bariatrics but are doing it because either their hospital is pushing them to do it or they know how lucrative it can be. The motivation isn't important...but is he a good surgeon? He doesn't have to love fat people, but he does need to do his job well and treat us with respect. Cindy

Trystelle, It looks like I'm in the same range as you. It won't be 2 years for another 9 months, but I'm hoping to be a size 12, too. I'm 16-18 right now and it finally seems like a possibility. I appreciate the inspiration. Cindy

This happens to me, too. If I've had a really bad stick, I seem to swell up. Even when I drink, I can hear every swallow go through. It sounds like a half-clogged bathtub drain. It usually takes about 24 hours for the swelling to go down and I've found that if I drink really cold stuff, I can move on to mushies quicker. This has only happened to me 3 times. I feel better since I expect it and I know what to do. Cindy

I was always in favor of the band over bypass for all the reasons everyone listed above, but one thing clinched for me. As part of my insurance requirements, I had to go to 3 meetings of a local support group. When I got there, the large room was overflowing. They asked the banders to sit together. Out of the whole conference room, at least 100 people, there were 7 people who had the band. My surgeons practice does both and is about 50/50 as far as frequency. I asked the nutritionist, :Why are there no band patients here? She said, "Oh, they're pretty happy. They don't have the issues that the bypass patients have to live with." That was enough for me. I've got plenty of issues of my own and I didn't need more from a bypass. Cindy

The fiber-based products have never worked for me either. I don't understand it, but I get the bad stomach pains and pain all the way through until it's out of there. I swear by Miralax. All I need is half a dose every 4-5 days, and everything keep moving. That stuff is great. Cindy

If misery loves company, I'm right there with you. I just saw the scale and I'm up a lb again from yesterday, even though I ate well and spent an hour at the gym. I never care if its higher the day after a party or something, but doing everything right and gaining is so unfair. And to top it off, I'm in the middle of a plateau right now and I haven't lost anything for about 10 days. I, too, know this is normal, but I don't have to like it! Cindy

Since you asked, I felt the exact same way. I wasn't "afraid" of the surgery, but I felt like since it was scheduled, I didn't have to try to maintain any kind of self-control. Luckily, I didn't have to do a pre-op diet. I doubt I would have handled that well. After the surgery, my head was in a completely different place and I did just fine. Hopefully, the pre-op diet will do that for you. Cindy

I can honestly say that you are doing much better than I did. Somehow about a month before my surgery, I lost any semblance of control over my diet. I even gained 5 lbs between my preop check 2 weeks before surgery and my check-in at the hospital. I can tell you that it didn't matter one little bit. I wasn't hungry after surgery and I didn't cheat on the liquid diet postop stuff. It was completely different with the band. I still struggle with what I want to eat and I what I should eat, but I think that's normal for everyone. The band gives you help through that struggle. It's just what I needed. As we all know, if this were as simple as wanting to lose weight, none of us would be having surgery. Cindy

For me, it seems to be the opposite, but I can't say why. My band was completely covered my insurance and I'm doing well, but my other countless attempts (WW, LA Weight Loss, etc) were self-pay and I failed. I think you just have to find the right fit for you. Someone has succeeded at every method out, it just never seemed to be me! Cindy

no pre-op diet for me either! From my point of view, it was easy to do the liquids right after surgery, because I wasn't hungry at all and I wasn't already sick of them from doing 2 weeks of pre-op. I think it would have much harder to follow the post-op diet, if I had already done the pre-op. It was great to go to scale every day and be down a lb. Cindy

I was a Curves member for 2 years prior to banding and I really like the concept. I'm one of those people who will work out, but doesn't enjoy it and prefers to chat with strangers instead of paying attention to sweating. That being said, I just joined another gym. The big problem with Curves in my area is their hours. They seem to cater to non-working women. At my Curves, you have to start your workout by 6:15 pm. I couldn't possibly get home from work, make dinner for the family and get there in time. Also, the only weekend hours were 8-11 on Saturday. There was no way I could go 3 times a week with that schedule. My gym is only $20/month and it's open 24 hours a day. Also, they have an express workout area that is circuit training like Curves, but weight based instead of hydraulic. The only thing I'm missing is the chatting. Cindy

I just wanted to let you know that I'm doing ok. The swelling has gone down some and I did liquids yesterday without a problem. In fact, the weird sound is gone, too. Today, I'm going to stick to mushies, but I think I'll be fine. Thanks again, Cindy

Hey, he was rude and so is most of the world in regard to fat people. I am married to a thin man and he after 20 years he has learned not to give me "helpful" advice. From your ticker, you are doing just fine. If you're like me, no one will say a word and then all of a sudden they are remarking on how great you look. I love the compliments, but it's the folks on this forum who have a clue about how hard it is and and offer actual helpful advice. Try not to let it bother you, he has no idea what he's talking about. Cindy

Thanks for the replies. I'm not having any pain. I do make a weird gurgly sound when I'm drinking. I sound just like a very slow bathtub drain. I think I'm going to call my doc today, anyway. I'll drive myself crazy through the weekend if I'm not sure I'm ok.

Last night, I got stuck. The pain lasted for about 7 hours and I pb'd at least 10 times. This morning I felt ok, but could just barely sip Water slowly. Then I foolishly tried a little thin potato Soup for lunch, and the pbing started all over again. Now everything is calm and I am back to Clear liquids, ever-so-slowly. I've been banded a year and I never before had any problem with water. I will call my doctor if this gets any worse, or lasts more than 48 hours, but I'm trying to figure out if I'm just swollen from the bad stick or if this could be something worse, like a slip? Cindy

I do have one theory why boneless chicken breasts are damn near impossible to eat... I think it's a plot by cattle ranchers (or junk food manufacturers!) that we eat less chicken and more hamburger! Someone is trying to save those chickens! Now as for the m&ms, that will require more research on my part, I will let you know. I have determined that chocolate Easter bunnies go down easily! Apparently, we are supposed to eat them??? Cindy

I work at the Hershey Medical Center. I've had a long career in a lot of different areas of the lab. I've moved into the Information systems end of things now, so I have my fingers in a little bit of everything. I'm glad you're enjoying your career. There aren't enough of us anymore. Cindy

Don't get too concerned until your new results come back. An elevated PTT level means that you take longer to clot. This is obviously not a good thing if you are having surgery. It also really matters how elevated the result was. Just so you know, I've worked for a major hospital laboratory for 20+ years. There are many reasons for an elevated PTT, some are very serious and others just mean that something went wrong in the testing process. Repeating the test is the right thing to do. If it's still high, finding out the issue prior to surgery is important. As for me, my PTT also runs 1 or 2 points higher than normal all the time, and I have had surgery and I have no bleeding issues. Cindy

Kimo, I think you've really got this figured out and you are right to give it one last non-surgical try, but there is one more thing you ought to know....I love my sweets and junk food as much as anyone, the thing that makes the band so wonderful for me is, for some reason, I don't crave the bad foods as much as I used to. I, like Restless, am a good dieter. I'd always lose lots of weight and then for some reason or another, I'd get sick of the process and go right back to eating whatever I wanted. Then I'd gain all the weight back and another 20 lbs. With the band, lots of my favorites (like pasta and bread) aren't as appealling. Even cake and donuts, they just don't feel the same way in my stomach and I don't even want them anymore. Don't get me wrong, I will always prefer cookies to salad, but this is liberating. I don't feel like I'm controlled by the food around me. I have not found a food that I can't eat with the band, but my usual menu has changed radically, and I'm alot happier because of it. Cindy

Simone, I am having the exact same problem. It was alot easier to be shopping in the women's dept. where there was 1 rack of pants and either you liked them or not. Now we have the rest of the store. I've just started to try to figure this out, but so far I've had my best luck at department stores like Macy's and Kohls. My problem is that I have to try on absolutely everything. I tend to like to stuff that's way too trendy for me, but then I look ridiculous. I do have to go to work. Then there's also another area of the store that has me dressing like my mother.I'm not ready for that just yet. I have a feeling that it will take me another year to figure out my new style. I guess it's all just part of the process. Cindy

Hang in there, Stephanie. Things will get better. For now, just try to do one thing at a time. It's too overwhelming to try to get to do everything just right. I know the gym and exercise is important, but honestly, I lost the first 85 lbs without doing any. I'm not saying it's a great idea, but now I'm thinner and it is the right time for me. Second, and I know this is easier to say than do, don't worry about your mom. She isn't going to get this even though you (and the doctor!) told her and she's just worried about you. You just need to try to concentrate on you and eat better, not perfect, just a little better than yesterday. As soon as you get some more restriction, that is going to become much easier. You just need to hang in there a little while longer. You decided to get a great tool and it's going to work for you. Patience is the hardest part for all of us. I hope you feel better soon. Cindy