ParrotheadCathy

Not me! No problems, losing weight, glad I made this choice. Now, that doesn't cover the fact that post-op I had mu doubts. That time we call "bandster hell" will make you question your decision. You're healed and back on normal foods, have no restriction because you haven't gotten any fills and you feel like you can eat just like before surgery .. then, you may wonder why you did this (or, if you're self-pay, why you spent all that money). But once you start getting fills and move closer and closer to your "sweet spot", the doubts go away.

Well, let's see. Caffeine is considered an appetite stimulant. Have I given it up altogether? Heck no! Every morning, I have a vitamin concoction of which I disguise the taste with Crystal Light "Focus"...which has 80 mg of caffeine in the individual packet (Coke as 34 mg per 12 ounce can). I drink hot tea -- strong, dark, hot tea. Not every day and only 1 cup. You will have to give up carbonation, which means no beer and no sodas. Steak? I can eat steak. So can many, many others. SOME CAN'T. Every person is different. I've gone from medium rare to rare because it is more moist (dry meat of any kind is a killer). Tough meats will be harder to chew to the proper consistency so take that into consideration as well. Steak is a little harder to digest than, say, fish or chicken, so it will stay in your pouch longer but that's not bad. We all have things we just don't/can't eat anymore. I don't eat the yolks from hard boiled eggs, soft breads (or, actually, much bread at all) and pasta .

Just because somebody does drink carbonation (beer and soda) doesn't mean they should. They just don't want to give it up and are willing to take the risk of stretching out their pouches. Treats? I have a piece of birthday cake once a month at the office b'day party. Is is a big piece? NO! It's a true sliver, but i get a taste asnd I enjoy it. I don't eat any candy or Cookies (nobody in my house is a sweets-eater so it's not problem to simply never buy them) as a rule but might consider ONE cookie a treat. If you can't make yourself stop at one. don't eat the first one. And don't give yourself a treat every day....it's as greasy fast slide once you get on board and before you know it you're out of control. Until you get some fills you will have to do it without any help. As you get more restriction and closer to or at your sweet spot, it get easier as you don't experience hunger the way you did pre-banding. If you can't make the commitment to the changes from slider, high fat, high carb foods to healthy foods, you not be an ideal candidate for a band. It's only as helper, not s magic wand.

http://www.lapbandtalk.com/faq.php?faq=vb3_board_faq#faq_abbreviations This will help some with other abbreviations....

Educated assumption ... googled "elise band" and got a bunch of hits for a rock & roll band.....

I think you mean the Realize band, manufactured by Johnson & Johnson. Lap Band AP is manufactured by Allergan/Inamed. Realize is 9cc while Lap Band us 10cc or 14cc. Lap Band's "inner ring" (the part that is inflated with saline) has a sort of scalloped effect so that not all of the surface is in direct contact with your stomach (the premise is that this reduces the chance of erosion). Realize's inner ring is smooth. Realize's port is a little flatter than Lap Band. They work the exact same way.

In the 4 weeks from surgery to my first fill, i gained and lost the same 4 pounds until a few days before the fill when I finally lost 2 pounds. But it getts better, I promise!

That was a PB. While quite unpleasant, it's truly NOT vomiting, which is good. It is extremelyl unlikely that a PB made youro band slip.

My PCP once told me that the only thing that gets slim with OTC diet products is your wallet.....

If you are expecting your insurance to cover surgery, call and ask what their requirements are. My best friend had coverage but they required that she have a BMI of at least 37 for 3 years and hers had been that high only for 18 months so they didn't cover her surgery.

I know someone who had surgery in Mexico. She had testing at the doctor's surgical center the day before surgery. Maybe you need to talk to the staff where you're going for a little reassurance and more details about what to expect. That's about all I know about it. She had GSV insetad of the abd specifically because she didn't want to worry about fills.

I have 5.6 and I MIGHT need about .5 more but I'm feeling erither there or VERY close.

Worth a try. Sorry. Now, let me know my ignorance of Texas geography! Where is Lubbock? My doctor is part of an umbrella organization called True Results. They have several offices in Texas. Perhaps one is close to you? Maybe they would do the fills for you? Look at www.trueresults.com and see if they are even close by and if so call and ask.

You can't do it for her! She has to make the decision to eat healthy foods instead of stuffing herself on what we call "slider" food! Gastric bypass doesn't come with a guarantee and your friend may become a statistic but the sad fact is that you can't make her as successful as you've been. I could guess that perhaps she's intimidated by your success and/or her fear of failure but I don't know that for sure -- it's just a supposition. It sounds like she desperately needs therapy but I don't think she'd do it. She can stretch out that little stomach of hers and eat whatever the heck she wants. Obviously, she's one of those that doesn't experience dumping so she has pretty much nothing to slow her down.

1cc is basically almost no restriction. If you try very hard to stick to the eating plan, you will lose but you will experience hunger. Getting stuck has nothing to do with having any restriction. It can happen before your first fill. A few comments .... corn is a starchy vegetable and probably not a good choice. Dry Protein of any variety is likely to stick. Put some kind of sauce on it or soak it in broth. My doctor suggests eating your protein, then your veggie and then waiting 15 minutes. If you still feel hungry, then have a single serving of whole grain carb (not potato or corn or similar starchy vegetable). If you get hungry before 4 hours, eat an ounce of low fat cheese, 1/2 cup of low fat cottage cheese, or even an ounce of meat. Eventually, if you eat slowly and chew well (and have more restriction than 1cc), you will feel full. If won't be that Thanksgiving Day stuffed feeling but full nonetheless. If you eat fast, you'll just run right past that feeling, so eat slowly and enjoy your meal [your protein, then your veggie and then waiting 15 minutes. If you still feel hungry, then have a single serving of whole grain carb]. Don't eat chips and salsa (and other "slider" food) just because you can! Eat by the meal plan. I've had 4 fills (on top of .6cc in my band after surgery) and I am at 5.6 and feel that I am at my sweet spot. My surgery was 2/10 and my 4th fill was just 2 weeks ago. Patience is something you're going to have to find, and I know it's hard. You feel like you've finally done something to fix this problem and damn-it-all it isn't working as fast as you want.

I don't believe either is very common. I've only read a very few posts where either was diagnosed. The key is to follow your doctor's instructions as far as your eating plan, EXPECIALLY in the weeks immediately after surgery. Erosion is not something you can control, I don't think. I've read one or two posts where people said that was their problem but neither actually knew what had caused it. I think the improvements to the Lap Band to the Lap Band AP were aimed at further limiting erosion. Slipping can occur as a result of vomiting. PBing is not vomiting. But even very frequent PBs could cause issues. But PBing is pretty much "Operator Error", usually resulting from eating too fast, taking bites that are too big, not chewing well enough or eating (particularly) meat that is very dry. Perhaps someone who has dealt with either problem can shed more light.

Just tell everybody your sparring partner went a little crazy but it looks worse than it feels.:thumbup:

I was on liquids for 10 days. Then moved to mushy for a week. Then mushy with "real" food added slowly over the next week. It doesn't sound like you've rushed yourself, but it's probably too soon to move to "real" food.

I've read where people use this facility: www.fillcentersusa.com They have a locator thing on their website where you can put in a zip code and find out if they have anything close.

Sounds like you probably have some gas issues. A heating pad will help. take some Gas-X on the chance that you have gas in your digestive tract. AND, move around as much as you can. Don't just sit or lie around.

I don't have any complaints at all! This was by far the best "selfish" thing I ever did for myself. The liquid diet post-op is the hardest. They will tell you that you can have broth. The stuff you buy at the grocery in cans and boxes has almost no taste. Instead, buy a chicken or roast and cover in Water in a large pot. Add chunks of celery, carrot, qaurtered onions (you don't even have to peel them), salt, pepper, garlic if you want it. Simmer until the meat is fall-apart tender. Feed the meat to your family. Strain the solids and toss them as they are likely overcooked. Now you have the best stock to drink hot! Put in a supply of SF popsicles, juices, SF Jello and the Protein Shake you like best. Get a heating pad. That will help with gas pains from the gas they pump into your abdomen when they do the surgery. Get Gax-X (comes in strips or little gel caps) for the gas you may have in your digestive tract. Remember: Move around as much as you can. Walk several times a day, as far a you are comfortable with. That will help with the gas AND just make you feel better (fresh air and sunshine!).

This was your first fill! Until now, losing weight wasn't even the primary goal. Healing was the intent of that time. You are now on your way to your "sweet spot" -- can't predict what fill level will put you there but it's coming. I feel like maybe you're being very impatient with yourself. Eating as instructed, getting 60 grams of protein or more, plenty of water, no snacking all will be easier as you get more fill. And your weight loss will come easier to you.

I don't look at this as cost per pound at all! I was paying $175 per month for medication co-pays and my diabetes control was slipping a little and my doctor was talking about adding Byetta to my regimen (which would have been another $35 per month). I paid $5,000 in cash and financed $10,000, so I have a monthly payment of $187. So, let's see: Pay $175-$210 per month and it never ends, may increase OR pay $187 per month for 7 years (or sooner if I pay extra each month as I have been doing so far since there are no prepayment penalties on the financing). I saw a way to improve my health dramatically and put an end to those drug bills. In the interim I have replaced one expense with another and I'm good with that.

Cut back on the soda as much and as quickly as you can. Try giving yourself some amount of caffeine (Mountain Dew is LOADED, has more caffeine than Coke) and slowly cut it back. A cup of hot coffee or strong tea in the mornings, Crystal Light makes a selection of flavors called "Focus" and those have 55 mg. of caffeine in each packet. Caffeine withdrawal can cause all of the symptoms you describe. IF you offset the caffeine lost from cutting back on the soda and then slowly reduce your caffeine you should be fine. I drink a packet of Crystal Light Focus Natural Citrus Splash (or a cut of hot tea if I'm feeling really tight) every morning as my wake-up. That small amount of caffeine is fine. Congrats on working on stopping the soda! It can only undercut your efforts in the long run and possibly cause problems with the carbonation.

I believe you posted this before? My comment stands. Call your insurer and ask them for a referral to a WLS and surgery center that accept your insurance. That's about the only way I can think of for you to pick someone who does. Bear in mind that just becaue you and John Doe #2 have Blue Cross of California does NOT mean that your insurance coverages are the same! Your employer likely negotiated the coverage for which it was willing to pay and John Doe #2's employer did the same. That could mean they each belong to a different pool even. So the only way to find out anything definitively is to call your insurer. Talking here, while full of support and great help, could only leave you comparing apples and oranges.