isaviolinist

Thanks Restless. I'm really hoping that I'll get some really good restriction at my next fill (Aug. 25th) and the next 45 will come off as quickly as the first 45!!

This sounds horrible. Please post what happened when you get back from the ER. I really hope everything turns out ok...

My surgeon won't perform surgery on someone who is still smoking (and I believe he even says that the patient needs to be abstinent for 3 months prior to surgery). You are taking this opportunity to get healthy with your weight, why not extend that to your lungs? I've never smoked but I think I would be so sad to get thin and healthy and then die from complications of another unhealthy addiction I had. Plus, presumably you'll want to start working out once you get your band (or before you get it is even better). I can't imagine running on the treadmill or trying to get a hard workout on the elliptical if you can't breathe from smoking. My fiancee used to smoke, and I told him I wanted him to be around for our kids and grandkids and for me. He quit cold turkey that day. Its been over a year since he last smoked. It is possible, you just have to want it.

At first I was trying to keep my carbs under 30 a day. I wasn't really sure what the right amount was, what constituted a low carb diet, etc. but thats what I started with. It was kind of easy to do when I was literally just doing clear liquids (clear broth, crystal light, etc.) but when I got to protein shakes it was impossible. My protein shake has a few carbs in it (maybe 4 or something) and the skim milk has between 11-13 so I was getting 16 carbs or so just from one shake. Plus, I don't eat chicken or red meat, so fish and tofu are staples of my diet. Tofu has a few carbs (not much but a few) as well. Basically, I took a step back and said, "is tofu unhealthy? is skim milk unhealthy?" etc. And both of those foods (as well as any other food I eat with carbs) are very healthy. So I got much less anal about it. I rarely (or never, for some of the foods) eat breads, pastas, fried foods (french fries, fried fish etc.), sugary foods so my carbs are no longer coming from those sources. Every 2 week I give myself a treat (usually ice cream). At this point I'm averaging somewhere between 50-55 carbs a day. I've lost over 45 pounds since June so it must be working. Thus, I'll just keep doing what I'm doing until it stops working for me!

I officially started counting on my pre-op diet (which ended up being 3 weeks long).

I agree. You need to speak to someone (therapist, nutritionist, etc.) because poor eating choice/bingeing+laxatives = eating disorder. Good luck and I hope you can get some help soon.

I've decided that I'm going to give myself a treat maybe every 2-3 weeks. And it'll probably be ice cream. This is so my head does not feel like I am depriving my body of anything. And then of course, it helps prevents those moments of overboard, binge eating. Maybe try something like that for yourself? Good luck and let your slip go. Tomorrow is a new day!

Congrats on your upcoming surgery!! Welcome to your new healthy life! Good luck!

I swear by the elliptical. I love it. And recently I've started doing different programs (there is a weight-loss setting, cross country, uphill, etc....they basically offer just varied levels of resistance and challenge) instead of just sticking to one. When I can afford to have a piece of gym equipment in my house, that will be the first one I buy!

My surgeon told me I should begin exercising when I went to my first post-op appointment 5 days after surgery. I didn't really start then - I probably started 2-3 weeks after that and I try to do 7 days a week (30 minutes on the elliptical) but sometimes it ends up being 5-6 days a week.

Can you do this program on a treadmill or is it really meant for outdoor running only? This sounds great - I kind of want to try it now!

I agree with all thats been said! And this place is a great place to come for support from like minded people. Also, it looks like (from your ticker) that you've lost a significant amount of weight already!! Focus on that when you get discouraged and just keep on truckin'! Congrats on your weight loss so far and good luck with the approval process! Keep us updated! :cool:

I love the movies. I go pretty regularly. I munch on bottled water and thats about it. Sometimes my fiancee gets a hot dog or something but he always finishes it before the movie starts so hes not eating during the movie (sometimes that makes me wish a little that I were also eating during the movie). I do give myself a treat occasionally but I try not to associate it with the movies, and rather just be mindful while I'm eating (if I eat during the movie, it will be completely mindless).

I have 5 incisions. One above my belly button, one on the right side of my abdomen, one between my boobs, one to the left of my belly button (port incision) and one below that and further to the left. The port incision is about an inch and a half long. I'll probably be able to see it. The others are all less than one inch. I'm not sure if they'll be really visible forever, but I'm sure they will be much less visible 5 years from now than they are now.

I don't know anything about the distilled Water thing - I've never heard of it. I also can't say whether or not your doc missed your port. You can find out by having him draw out the 4 cc he already put in at your next fill (he probably already does this) before adding more. If approximately 4 ccs come out then he hit the port. It seems like you would know if you were getting injected with something and it was going into your skin or muscle rather than the port. I will say that a lot of people don't feel restriction after their first fill. I got 5ccs at my first fill 2 weeks ago and I really don't have much restriction at all. So you probably just need another fill. If you have legitimate reason to feel that your doctor injected Fluid into your skin or muscle and did not hit the port, you should probably schedule a follow up with him right away.

I didn't pay very much - just my program fee (300.00 I think) and some copays. There were some preop tests that my insurance wasnt going to cover but since I was a student when I was banded I made less than a certain amount that year, which entitles me to some kind of thing where all my preop testing stuff gets paid for. I'm so glad I wasn't really working while I was a student lol and I'm glad I got the band while I was a student. Thank goodness my insurance covered the procedure - otherwise I wouldn't have been able to get it done (I have enough student loans as it is). And I wasn't interested in going to Mexico to have it done (under any circumstances).

Hi - I was banded a day after you. I had the burning sensation for a little while when I pulled or turned too forcefully or too much. I think it was the port hooks (I have Realize band) sort of pulling against the fascia. But the thing is, after 2 week it went away. I definitely waited a pretty long time to sleep on my stomach. I don't ever have that burning sensation anymore. Its seems concerning that you're still experiencing it.

Good! That was really just my personal choice - I know on my post-op diet sheet they definitely listed cream soups so I know they're okay to eat! Enjoy!

It was probably 5 hours or 5 and a half hours after the first serving. I think I've come to the conclusion that I'm really just not tight enough and so I'm looking forward to my second fill on the 25th.

I weigh multiple times a day. I'm compulsive about it. Trying to cut down a little.

I've never tried cream of celery. Cream of potato is good but post-op, even though the time was really for healing, I did my best to stay away from it because of the carbs. I figured, with 3 weeks of a pre-op diet, my body finally adjusted to not really having carbs, so I didn't want to start eating them again really. I ate it once but I strained all of the potatoes out. It is very good though.

Hi everyone, just an update. I went in for my fill on July 28th and we did it under fluoro. Everything looked good on the x-ray - everything was in place and where it should have been. No band slips or port flips or anything else I was panicking about lol. And the fill went smoothly. I don't have enough restriction right now and I go for my next fill on August 25th. Thanks for all of the replies!

I basically just got all of my records from the past 5 years from my primary doctor. He also wrote me a referral for a bariatric consult and that was it. I didn't need to prove that I had tried diets or anything like that. I sent in my history from my PCP, did all my pre-op testing, and was approved probably a day or 2 after that (and insurance covered the whole thing). I have BCBS and my hospital is an approved center of excellence by BCBS, so that may have helped (my surgeon seemed to imply that they work most closely with BCBS). I do believe some patients that have Aetna or some other insurance like that had to do a supervised diet. But it seemed specific for that insurance only. Good luck!

I eat Curry Mee Soup (without noodles) and Tom Yum Soup on a regular basis. And I go to a Thai/Malay place in chinatown. It is really strong flavors and VERY spicy (its not 'watered down' food for the general population lol). I have never had a problem. I hope I never do because I LOVE Tom Yum. I also make soon dubu (Korean soft tofu stew) and that is even way spicier than tom yum or Thai curry and have never had an issue. Good luck and enjoy your soup broth!!

Firstly, congratulations on being in the category of 'normal weight' and losing almost all of your excess weight! That is great and you should congratulate yourself too!! Can't wait to be in your shoes! Like everyone said, I think the last few pounds are the hardest. My good friend who is thin wanted to lose a few pounds (she probably had 10 pounds to lose if she wanted, although she looked great either way) and it took her over 4 months to lose just 5 pounds. But thats because she only has that little bit to lose. It will come off, slowly but surely. But in the meantime (while its taking its sweet time) just give yourself a pat on the back for all of your successes already!!