catfish87

Thats CRAZY! My insurance is billed $700 for nut visit, fluoro guidance, adjustment, etc, etc. And they pay about $365 I think. ALL adjustments are done with fluoro at my surgeons office....I wouldn't want it any other way. I can get you my exact bills if interested....

His story is amazing.....he started at 501 lbs. Where there's a will, there's a way. Kuddos to him! http://www.bicycling...g-bike?page=0,1

Yes...only you can decide. Hopefully, with lots of good information to help you make your decision. I've told several people recently, I don't get on here to try and sell anyone on getting the band. The companies that manufacture/own the band have plenty of public relations folks to sell/promote the band....thats what they get paid for. They don't need me to do that....although I would IF ASKED, because it has been nothing short of lifechanging for me. Almost four years after getting banded, I get on here to still learn what works and what doesn't for successful bandsters...also what to avoid from folks who aren't successful. And just share my experience...

I can relate to the "having second thoughts" part of your concern. I know I did! Second, third, fourth, etc.... even after discussing it with my PCP and then eventually meeting my surgeon/staff at the seminar. It's certainly not something to rush into without being sure. Get lots of information, and discuss your concerns. For me, I took a good look at my history....I was continuing to fail at dieting and getting to the point where my failure would lead me to SERIOUS health issues. And being tired, exhausted all the time. I've lost a lot of weight in the past....then said just one piece of bread, one donut, one bag of chips, etc. I'm sure you know what I'm referring to. Those diets have one goal in mind....to reach the END of them because they suck. Then what??? What do we do after the diet? For me, it was back to the same old, same old...even more because I was in deprivation mode during that diet. So after much research and talking with people who actually had the band...some successful, some not, I decided it was my best chance at changing paths on that road I was on. I knew I had to try something besides dieting for the rest of my life. I'll say this...I've been frustrated, mad, depressed, and Hungry along my trip down this road. But once you get to a good spot with your band.....it works! There is no question in my mind about that. It won't necessarily be easy to change your eating habits...at least from my experience. Being morbidly obese wasnt easy either. Think about that...MORBIDLY obese. The experts use that term for a reason. I have my life back, thanks to my band and a wonderful team of professionals at my surgeons office, who NEVER told me it would be easy....just that it would work! I wish you much success in whatever your decision is. Never, Ever give up.

I slept in a recliner for the first few ( 4-5 ) nights.

Just hang tough for a bit, let your body completely heal from surgery. Then is when your surgeon can start adjusting.....and hopefully get you to that "green zone" you'll hear referred to so often. It may take one or two ....or possibly more adjustments, until you start to "feel" the effects of the band. Again...just do your best, eating the types of food your team allows. Best of luck and Never, Ever give up!

Don't worry....it's totally normal after you start healing and any surgical swelling goes down, that you won't "feel" anything....similar to prebanding. Hopefully, tomorrow when you go to see your doc, he/she will expain that by discussing when you may get your first adjustment. Until you start getting fills and get your band adjusted correctly, it'll mostly be just like before....a diet. Just do your best!

I'm sorry to hear of your bad experience with the fill! Hopefully, you won't have to go through that again and your doc will SEE what they are doing the first time....using the fluoro as they ended up doing this time. Maybe suggest it to them...very nicely of course. Best wishes

Well done! Congrats!

Congrats! Wishing you all the best and much success.

WOW! Bingo! My thoughts exactly Jim! When I socialize ( eat, drink and just be "normal" ) now....NOBODY would even know...unless I tell them, which I do often. Or maybe when I'm drinking beer. I do that slower now

First, congrats on your success! I'm hoping your upcoming test show what is causing your loss of restriction and it can be corrected easily. I did not have an esophagus stretch, but did have another issue that caused loss of all restriction. VERY similar symptoms to what you describe. ( you can read about that in "my story" ) Fortunately, my issue was easily detected and then corrected, after it was found with fluoroscopy. How long has it been, if ever, since you last had a fluoroscopy? Was the loss of restriction "overnight", or was it more of a gradual thing? As far as gaining weight when your band isn't working....quit beating yourself up!! Thats why we had surgery to begin with...we aren't good dieters. And you are taking steps to determine the cause. Good for you! I wish you the best. Never, Ever give up.

Todays ride: 31 miles 1:57 hours ~1000 cal

Great job! Congrats!

The nutritionist at my surgeons office and I were talking some time back (really she was talking and I was just listening, thinking yea right) about me doing some kind of "impact cardio" as she called it, to help with longterm health of bones, etc. I haven't ran in over 20 years,..at Ft. Bliss, TX in 1993 to be exact and I did NOT like it back then. But I see so many people running and hear lots of good health benefits from it. And I read on here from some of the fine folks about how good they feel after running.....Hmmmm, what am I missing out on? I cycle a decent amount now and I feel healthier than I EVER have in my life....could I possibly tolerate running...let alone ENJOY it? I wanna find out! "Mix things up a little" as some of the most successful folks describe on here. So this morning after I got home from work, I said "ITS TIME"...time to see If I could make a go at it. We used to HAVE to run 2 miles back in those days, so I said that's gonna be todays goal.....I really didn't think I'd ever run the whole two miles. Now to you Pro's, my pace was probably laughable...but I did it. "Ran" the entire 2 miles without stopping. I think I shall continue to do this running thing, at least occasionally....not just because of what the NUT said....but from all the good things I hear about it from folks on here. From folks just starting out, those doing a "5KM", to people I see doing marathons on here and all in between.....Thanks for the motivation!! http://connect.garmi...ivity/346478133 Distance: 2.00 mi Time: 22:25 Avg Pace: 11:11 min/mi Avg HR: 163 bpm Calories: 382 C

Here's a link to a pretty good website for Bariatric Eating. Theres lots of recipes and suggestions on it. This particular page talks about the transition phase...Hope it helps. http://www.bariatric...s-to-real-food/

First....I congratulate you on having the desire to make this work. And the 25 lb loss. You say you know the loss is due to your "diet" and "exercise" effort. Thats great willpower! Sticking with a "diet" for almost a year. Has the band ever done anything for you? Were you ever able to sense any restriction due to having it adjusted? Did your surgeon do any fills/adjustments? The reason I inquire, is I see from your profile that your surgery was on Aug 6th of last year. I would hope....HOPE, that any surgeon/doctor could understand your insurance situation and provide some means of allowing you to have your BAND WORK. After all, he/she probably received a nice sum of $$ to install the band. Have you spoken with them about possibly seeing you prior to January? If you are not experiencing any problematic symptoms, a simple adjustment should be fairly inexpensive. Lots of doctors even include the 1st year adjustments with the surgery costs? Just some suggestions....I wish you much success! Best wishes

Here's a recent post about this very topic...and NEVER, EVER give up! http://www.lapbandtalk.com/topic/173709-ahhhthe-mystical-green-zone/

Happy upcoming Birthday T! Enjoy your weekend

I'm not a nurse, but I've worked rotating shiftwork for about 20 years. The last 10 have been 12 hour shifts. Two weeks of days then two weeks of nights....so I know some of your concerns. Night shifts are usually/hopefully pretty boring here....so the desire to be snacking/grazing is more significant for me then. . As far as exercising...PLEASE don't take this the wrong way, but as the truth/reality, from my experience. If we CHOOSE to make exercise a part of our weighloss journey and lifestyle, we WILL. If we don't choose to....there will be plenty of excuses available. I'm not being critical, just speaking from experience...I started at 324 lbs. About 18 months or so ago I decided I couldn't "exercise" only when it was convienient. It had to become a part of my life, a priority. I used to think...What if it interfere's with my life? Where will I find the time?, etc, etc....all the excuses I'd used to get me to 324#'s. So I cancelled my gym membership (that I wasted money on every month because I always found those excuses) ....and found what I enjoyed and would stick to. Now...my "exercise" is a priority, BECAUSE I ENJOY IT. Doesn't really matter what you choose, just DO IT and get that heart rate going, CARDIO! I read the same experience from folks who do various different things. Running, Walking, Cycling, Zumba, Swimming, etc, etc,etc. You can read back on here from some super successful folks about how they feel almost an out of body experience when they are exercising. Its amazingly addicting when you find what you enjoy. And the benefits.....

There are at least a few of us from the Metro St. Louis area on here. Collinsville here.

Saturday evening ride to work: http://connect.garmi...ivity/345821446 Distance: 20.99 mi Time: 1:17:09 Avg Speed: 16.3 mph Avg HR: 150 bpm Calories: 972 C Sunday morning ride home: http://connect.garmi...ivity/345821474 Distance: 20.82 mi Time: 1:11:30 Avg Speed: 17.5 mph Avg HR: 140 bpm Calories: 894 C Just went over 100,000 calories logged on my Garmin since I got it March 24th. YEA!

I find myself wanting to snack on midnights more than days....usually/hopefully because I'm bored instead of really hungry....

Thats awesome news! Love these lines: "what a difference!"..."feel the band working" Yes, you probably will have to adjust a bit, but thats ok....take it slow and easy for the next week or so. Yea for you!!!

liquid passing through mine...last week.