stargate713

@MaryAlice66 if you can not eat and keep down solid proteins then perhaps your band is too tight. Think about making an appointment with your surgeon to discuss the issues. I have read many banster blogs where people who were too tight to eat what they "should" began losing again after a small unfill. I myself am a healthcare professional, and i believe that the surgeons need to know what difficulties patients are facing 2-3 years out in the Maintence phase, so they can continue to learn and educate the new patients better. Don't give up.....you have come to far to throw in the towel!

as the other posters said, be thorough, and make sure you meet all of your insurance requirements, but no need to do more.....it's already a lot to begin with. Even if your insurance or doctor does not require it, join a program or support group BEFORE your surgery to help prepare yourself mentally and physically. And again along the lines of hunger, everyone is different, but until you get to the proper restriction you will still have hunger. For me it took 5 months to get there. Don't get caught up in the amount of time things take, you will make yourself crazy. it's a process, and it takes as long as it takes....but it will change your life forever!

You can "do the math" all day long...but the human body is a remarkable machine which is always striving for balance and homeostasis. It's a symphony of systems that must work in tandem....and if something is out of balance, one area will take over until it's reestablished

I have Aetna, they required documentation of all my failed weight loss attempts, and had to be in at least 3 months of supervised program, but i do not recall then having a specific weight loss amount. My surgeon required a 10 ib weight loss prior to surgery.

The pain of swallowing maybe from the ET tube put in your throat for anesthesia, but you should NOT be vomiting post-op. Call your surgeon

from Seminar to surgery was 6 months for me. Some insurances require a 3-6 month pre-op program. The end of october was one year from my Seminar!

My Insurance made it sound like weight loss surgery wasnt covered, but it was. You need to call and ask if your employer has an "exclusion" for WLS. Sometimes you employer will have the exclusion on your particular policy.

You dont start seeing the real weight loss with the band untill you are out of "banster hell" and have adequate restriction

Yes! go to a bike shop....They will not only help you find a good bike for your needs, but also make sure you are on the right size bike (which can be dangerous if your not). If you really aren't sure about investing the money, because you might not like it, borrow a bike from someone for a few weeks to see how it goes. I love my bike and it's my primary cardio when weather is good (which is from April-Nov here in Jersey) I also love my little odometer...it gives me incentive, and helps me track my progress.

Too funny! Get your new, smaller, cute a** out and buy some new jeans!!!

I remember your posts from the beginning Bob (we were banded around the same time) and i have to admit they were a bit hard to take sometimes......but what a dramatic change! It's so great to see that you are emerging out of that dark place you were in. Keep moving towards the light!

I got a stick blender and it was great! You can puree just about anything...even hard boiled eggs. But it also includes things like yogurt, cottage cheese sugar free pudding, ricotta cheese etc

Everything everyone else said is a possibility, but I just am apalled that Your surgeon dosn't do blood work. My surgeon puts all his patients on mult vitamin WITH iron, and in divided doses (1 chewable twice a day) as well as 1200-1500 mg of calcium twice a day. The other thing is that with any antidepressant it takes 2-4 weeks to reach a theraputic level in your blood and to start relieving symptoms, and sometimes the dose needs to be gradually increased untill it gets to the dose you need. often times family MD's don't have enough experience with psych meds, and it can be helpful to consult a mental health professional for medication management. But, please, have all of these things addressed, definately get blood work, give the antidepressants more time, and request a sleep study to see if your sleep apnea has returned (or if it ever really resolved)

Lorraine, you wrote: "I have had horrible eating habits, which did not change when I got the band. The band only changes your stomach, but it does not change how you think about food, you have to do that on your own and that is the hard part. I often 'forget' I even have the band... Im being honest, i really thought everything was going to be different then it wasnt..." Please don't get discouraged....you are only 3 months post-op.....I am 7 months out, and it took this long for me to get to enough restriction to lose....and believe me, if you are at the proper restriction it's pretty hard to "forget" you have the band. And someone else mentioned knowing someone who failed because she didn't go back for her fills....well of course it won't work if you don't follow up with your surgeon and get your fills! I can see how it could happen though, all through "banster hell" I COULD eat anything that I ate before, but when I finally reached restriction that changed, and I remember feeling a little panic set in, and thoughts like "wow, this is it.....now I can't eat like i did before".( For some people i think when they realize that they can't eat like they did before they choose not to have fills so that they can continue to eat what they want.) That was about a month ago, but now the weight is coming off and and I feel wonderful. It's a process, and it takes more time for some of us to get going, but all you have to do is read the sucess stories on here to know it CAN and DOES work!

Some people will say they felt well enough for that in a few days. Personally for me it would have been about 7-10 days. PS I'd find a new hair-dresser...you should surround yourself with positive, supportive people weather they know about the band or not.

Well, I can only speak for myself, as everyone is different, but now, after I eat about 1/2-1 cup of food I get a feeling in the center of my chest that let's me know to stop eating. The only way I can describe it is a little like indigestion, but not painful. Of course, no matter how much restriction you have, "slider" foods like ice cream, milk shakes, chocolate, etc will go down just fine, so you always have to be aware....the band will not make those choices for you. You will know when you get there...you get very good at paying attention to your body, and the signals you get.

You do have to be careful before you have restriction, and be conscious of your portions, but don't beat yourselves up about not losing at this stage. Your body needs time to heal. It took me 6 months and 3 fills to get restriction, but now that I have it, I'm satisified with very small portions, and am not hungry between meals. It's frustrating, but (IMHO) this slow process gives your brain time to adjust to the changes the band causes. Just try to make healthy choices, and continue to "follow the band rules" like chewing food well, drinking plenty of water , learn how to NOT drink with your meals and getting enough protein. This way, when you finally have restriction you will be ready and will have already established these habits. Remember....it took YEARS to establish the old bad habits, so it does take some time to learn the new good habits that will make you sucessful. Good luck to all of you....and be kind to yourself during this difficult time.

I did every roller coaster at Hershey Park last month including "Storm Runner".......had no problems at all....and the best part was....I FIT!!!!!! :cursing:

If you have sleep apnea, and have not had a study in the past year, things could have changed in your condition, which could effect how they want to proceed with your anesthesia. If you have "obstructive" sleep apnea, that means that part of your soft pallet in the back of your throat actualy closes off your airway when all your muscles relax when you fall asleep. This is an improtant thing for the anesteiologist to be aware of going into your surgery. They are doing this for your safety. Now your pulmonologist should have told you all this, and if he "forgot" that is annoying, but in the end your well-being during and immediately after your surgery is what is most important. I would not consider changing surgeons over this, that would mean you'd be starting the process all over again. Good luck!

Welcome! glad you found this site, it's a great resouce....as well as numerous blogs that are out there...don't be afraid to ask questions, someone will know the answer! Good luck on your journey ( that's my advice....don't view this as an "event" but a Journey)

Slim fast is a poor choice for protein suppliments, too high in sugar and not enough protein. Talk to your nutritionist, and call the surgeon's office to comfirm what his pre-op diet is. there are multiple choices available at places like GNC, Whole foods, bariatric web sites, even Walmart. look for the highest protein with the least calories, and try different ones untill you find one you like. I use one from GNC that has 21g of protein with 120 calories.

i have close family and friends who work for the "Maxx", so I have personal knowledge of what you speak! First I would contact the company human resources department and find out what the official policies are for the company, don't rely on your manager to be completly up front with you during holiday season. Secondly you will not be permitted to do any lifting for 6 weeks post-op. I'm a home care nurse, and i took 2 weeks off, which was just about right, I would not have been able to go back after one week because i was still taking the ocassional pain pill. The other thing you need to think about is being able to take breaks frequently for your fluids and bathroom needs. Everyone is different, and some people feel better sooner but there is just no way to know ahead of time. I understand your anxiousness, I was origionally planning on early jan, but due to insurance and the surgeon's schedule I wasn't banded untill March 31. Just remember this is a process....a journey....a delay of 8 weeks to get you past the holidays is insignificant in the big picture.....and in this economy, few of us can afford to risk our jobs. Good luck!

pancakes are rough...i think they get gummed up in there...lol. Generally drinking something when you are stuck makes things worse.

I'll trade you! if You can get me back some of my boobs I'll gladly send you some booty...lol!

That is true, high protein/low carb diets have been associated with an increased risk of kidney stones