spud.mama

My BFF is 300lbs, 5'5", has had back and knee surgery, has diabetes, and everything else! She needs LBS!!! I had it last year and she just has ins issues! Finally her ins will pay $20,000! But we can't find anyone close that will do it for that!! She has bc/bs. We live in Colorado. Can anyone help with any advise or where ins would cover at that price???????? She cannot afford self pay.

That is AWESOME!!! :thumbup: I hope this will be your miracle baby! And I know you are not alone. There are others on here who got pregnant soon after getting banded (maybe not as soon as you. lol) and you can have a safe pregnancy and be banded--you'll just have to wait to loss weight. But what a good excuse! I am happy for you! Hope and pray it will be a safe and normal pregnancy. P.S. You definately have to have 'band' somewhere in it's name. lol Or 'lap'. lol Either way!

I'm new to all this like you. It took me 5 fills before I felt real restriction. And I think I am finally there. What I have noticed in myself and seen from others on here that feel they are at their sweet spot is that we are really tight in the morning--like you can only drink liquids, and as the day goes on you can just barely eat 3/4 of a cup and be satisfied. And as the day goes the band loosens up a bit. I learned this week that dry=tight and that is why in the morn we are tighter. I heard someone say they drink warm tea first to loosen things up then eat breakfast. I'm trying that today. I personally think you need a fill and are doing VERY well observing your body ques and measuring. Good Job!

Iv heard that if it's meat that is stuck you can drink a little water with tsp of season salt in it and that will break it up. I have not had to try this but hear that it really does work.

Thanks Jacqui, that really does help. :thumbup:

My question is for people who have been at their 'sweet spot' for a while. How long did it take for you to get a grip on things?? Like actually taking smaller bites w/o thinking about it? And chewing enuf w/o thinking about it? Even taking sips instead of gulps? Just generally working WITH the band instead of testing it? I am now 3 months out, just had my 5th fill and hoping and praying that I am finally there (but still wary of it). I have had 3 months of 'normalcy' like before my Gizmo. Yes at every meal and at every drink of Water I get the pain in my chest that says I swallowed too much. And I'm thinking that at some point my head will tell me I don't want to eat so I wont feel the pain, or that my brain will tell my mouth to do what it's suppose to do BEFORE I wait for the pain to tell me. So, I'm just wondering how long it took people to GET A GRIP?? (If you were perfect from the beginning--I am SO happy for you, :thumbup: but I want to hear from people who have struggled like me.) :frown:

You hit in right on the head!! I 100% AGREE!!!! Took only a few days to get approved!

IDK. Is it gallbladder??

This whole "stretching out the pouch" thing for some reason really bothers me that people freak out about it--no offense meant to you0. Think about it--thru your life you eat sometimes too much and if you keep eating a lot you end up being able to eat more (stretching your stomach), but then you go on a diet--you eat less and over time you are satisfied with less (your stomach SHRANK) until you decided to eat more and it stretched again, then you ate less and it shrank, and on and on. I'm not exactly sure about the over the years thought of well...being like a balloon--after it gets bigger it will shrink but not as small as before, or like skin stretches and shrinks but over the years it loses it's elasticity. My point--DON'T STRESS! :wub:

You are a BANDSPIRATION!!!! :biggrin:

Back to the topic at hand...:thumbup: When I was on here before surgery at one point I started to get discouraged cuz of reading the negative. I had to tell myself that I had researched it and know what I expect--good and bad--and had to make myself just read the positives or helpful information. That helped get away from the info overload. Hope that helps. Oh and I had surgery in June and it was a breeze! I am FINALLY out of bandster HELL!! Didn't lose much but a pound a week since surgery till my third fill. Don't stress there are many more successes than not--we all just like to vent our struggles more so (misery loves company). Good Luck!!

I am a firm believer that we can eat whatever we want. So how about ice cream and chocolate ONCE A WEEK?? I just moved and my journal has been packed for a while so I will have to review and think about my goals. Good thread!

I've been getting is during the day at work, but I'm not sure if it's cuz I'm a hairstylist and my muscles are weak cuz of taking time off. I always say my back doesn't want to hold up my boobs anymore. lol But I'm gonna have to check the hunger thing cuz I don't eat as much at work. Also, I'm 2 weeks out and all of a sudden my port hurts again and is swollen. IDKY?? Weird!

Hey Too Phat!! (I had to change it! :smile2:) I am TOTALLY with you!! This is definitely harder then I thought!! I thought that 2 weeks of liquids and 1 week mushies/pureed and 1 week of soft would be easy! It's less than a month--no prob! HA!!! I don't even think I made a week of liquids! I haven't really eaten too much of non-approved food (or so I think), But I haven't been exercising like I thought I would and I haven't lost a pound!! :thumbup: I figured I'm not eating much I should be able to lose weight, right?? I know I need to walk--I have a lot of excuses! (by the way excuses are like butts--we all have one (some are just less than others!)). OK I'm done venting. Thanks for Playin'!

That's awesome! It's great to have people like that. It makes us feel so good.

One of my co-workers was commending me for being able to do this surgery. I don't remember the exact words she said, but the ones I think of is STRENGTH and COURAGE. The past couple of days when I ponder the fact that I had the surgery I put my shoulders back and say to myself, "Yeah, it did take alot of strength and courage." I don't say it to be boastful but to acknowledge that I did (WE did) something that not everyone can do. To do something so drastic as have surgery to take back our lives knowing that we may have to PB in public, or turn down our favorite foods for a while or even for a lifetime if we cannot tolerate it, and in most cases to do it alone takes ALOT of STRENGTH and COURAGE!! That is very EMPOWERING!! Congrats to all of us for being a part of this EMPOWERING JOURNEY!!! :thumbup:

I didn't stay over night and was happy about that, but I was great after surgery. To me walking SUCKS!! My port kills me when I walk for more that 10 minutes.

I am so sorry!! That TOTALLY SUCKS!!!! but I agree with Stephanie. Now you can be on a Journey with the Freedom Fighters!! lol See, I can do CHEZ too!!! :thumbup:

My doc says as long as the meds are the same size or smaller than a #2 pencil eraser then you can take it whole. So I take mine with no worries ('sept I can't take a handful anymore). But if you are worried call your pharmasist (sp?) they should know.

The taste means you are in ketosis. Basically it is when your body turns fat into energy. The ketones are released in your urine, sweat, and breath. So just think that every time you pee and even breathe you are losing weight!!!! :wink2: It is a good thing. It happens when you are on a high Protein low carb diet. The Atkins Diet thrives on this and there are even Ketostix that you pee on that tell how much ketones you are releasing. You can get them at RiteAid drug stores. When you progress your diet to more foods (ie Carbs) the bad breath will go away (hense why your weight loss will slow). There ya go. Hope this helps.

Oh I am so sorry! I was hoping that wouldn't happen. I am mad for you!! What a STUPID thing to postpone surgery!!!!!!!! :bored::cursing::thumbup::cursing::eek:

The doc knows that you are not expected to lose weight right now, some people even gain weight. don't beat yourself up. I know we all want to see that scale move and we have high (sometimes unrealistic) expectations, but this is a time to heal and eat all the pudding and mashtaters we can!!!

I think you'll be ok to have the surgery. You will have been on the meds for about 6 days that should get it, ya think? I hope you don't have to post pone it, but if you do it wont be for long and, although it will seem like forever, you really wont remember it after you get your band. I trust my instincts--you'll get it this week.