lisalee

Stehanee, I had surgery done in Houston by Dr. Spivak. He said something profound in his seminar....only about 2% of people that go on diets manage to lose the weight and keep it off. THIS IS A DISEASE! My doctor actually works in the same place as Karik's. He is so supportive and sees no other way for weight loss to truly work at this time in medicine. Sounds like your PS needs a refresher on compassionate care. I was self pay so I can't comment on what insurance companies will pay but I believe most want you to have a minimum BMI of 40 or 35 with co-morbidities. I cannot be sure but I think if you are self-pay Dr. Spivak will do the surgery even under a BMI of 40 if there are no additional health problems. I overheard him mention people needing to lose "60 pounds" that had the surgery...and you would have to be pretty short to have a BMI of 40 at that weight! I don't know where you live but I think he and his staff are wonderful and will do a lot to answer questions and help you sort through this kind of thing. How wonderful for you that you are already exercising...it is one less life change that you would have to adapt to. Good luck and keep your chin up!

Hi there! So many interesting people and from so many different walks of life....I'm another one of those nurses...specialize in psychiatric and mental health patients. Love every minute of it!

Please accept my apologies for my naivety (sp?) What are NSVs? Thanks!

I had mine done by Dr. Spivak and he was WONDERFUL. His resume posted on his website is very impressive. I asked a family friend who is a surgeon to read over it and he too was impressed. Be aware, Dr. Spivak is a very busy man....in and out of the office very quickly but is truly warm, reassuring and is a firm believer that there is no other way to lose weight and keep it off permanently. Cost out of pocket is $15,500...or 15,000 if you pay it off up front. The office staff can give you a list of creditors who will work with you on a payment plan...sort of like a credit card. Good luck!

Oh, what a wonderfull place this is! Glad you joined us. I was banded by Dr. Spivak too, on September 19th. Welcome.:clap2:

Shell: Don't get discouraged! Go back to the basics....getting enough water, limit your snacking and exercise as prescribed. I think with this recent fill you will start to see something happen. I actually gained weight after my first fill and had to be checked again. I am starting to wonder too if people experience plateaus where they once sat at a certain weight pre-banding. As if the body has a memory and wants to keep the weight at that previous weight place for a while? Does that make any sense? What did your doctor say? I am learning that I CANNOT compare my weight loss to others'. Each body is created differently and we have different metabolisms. It is too discouraging for me otherwise. Hey, you have lost 17 pounds! When was the last time you were able to do that? Frankly, I don't remember the last time pre-band that I could. Just keep trudging along....it will work out in time!

Oh, I like the satiety gauge...sounds pretty clear and concise. I have my fills done by a physicians assistant or the doctor himself (Dr. Spivak.) They check a barium swallow right there in the office. It's interesting, he could tell that a fill of 1.5ccs was too full so decreased it down to 1.4ccs. Such a tiny amount made a difference! I don't think I would be comfortable doing it any other way. They also ask you to drink about 1/4 cup of water before you go to make sure things go down easily. We have patient representatives that circulate through the office and answer questions and hand out information. These are employees of the clinic but people that have had the band done themselves. A lot of the nurses, and clerical staff have had the band done to so it is a wonderful place to learn from. They also have your average skinny folks working there:) One gal behind the desk made a comment about how "fat" she was and the rest of us patients started laughing...not to hurt her feelings though. I genltly told her that she was in a dangerous place to be complaining about her unfat unlap-banded body. We all got a real kick out of that!

Interesting thought...the holidays. I guess I can still cook and entertain and feed everyone. That is what seems to bring me the most joy. No reason why we can't taste a little too...it is afterall "the holidays." Maybe I'm just being this optimistic because of my fill yesterday. The wonderful thing is that we can still be there for all of the fanfare, family, and friends and will most likely not gain like we had in the past. A pound here and there, up and down, it really all works out in the end. Frankly, I think maintenance through the holidays would be in itself a blessing. I may be fooling myself but I will trudge through this...it won't last forever...and there is always the promise of New Year's resolutions. How I love those!

Laurigee: I had a fill after the first 6 weeks. One week later I found myself actually eating full meals, feeling obsessed with the next one and my mouth watered when I thought or saw food. It actually dawned on me that my mouth has not watered (in hunger) since the surgery. I was able to guzzle a half liter of water at a time. I thought for sure something had broken! I went back to the doctors office one week after my first fill and they found that I was down to .8cc from 1.5 ccs (4cc band) in one week! Somehow it seems the saline was absorbed into my body (through micropores in the band.) They refilled it with some sort of synthetic filler and boy what a difference that made. I have had my first slime and PB (twice) sometimes only after a couple of bites of food. I guess the thing is is that if you are still losing at a good rate, keep it where you are. You'll know when the time comes to refilling it. It is a vast difference. And, the shoulder pain will go away in time. It seemed to bother me when I ate too much, or snacked. I can't say how thrilled I am to have this band. I am a snail in the weight loss progress but already I feel better. Someone asked me last week, "How are you?" and I said "Great!" Sadly, I don't remember the last time I said that and really meant it. I read somewhere that after a few months some people encounter depression and really begin to grieve for food. This whole process has been a true journey emotionally and physically. Is there anyone who has heard about this? Am I in a honeymoon phase? Life is so promising, I just would hate to encounter a bumpy spot down the road.

Karey, I had a fill last week and it was by far less traumatic than I expected. Don't worry, you'll do fine. I'm weighing in this week at 218 just for the overall loss...not in the challenge. Back up about .5 pounds. Whatever they put in last week in my fill is no longer there and so I go back down to Houston for another fill this week. Something about the band "absorbing the saline?" Whatever it is, I have been stuck and have been so worried that I was doing something wrong...phew! Is it possible to get addicted to fills? Just joking! It is so nice to read everyone's postings and realize that others have their up and down days too.

I had my first fill on Monday this week. I thought I had restriction that day but it went away the next day. Last night I ate a 9.5 oz. Lean Cuisine AND a banana and had no sensation of satiety or fullness. The only sensation I seem to have is if I fail to chew adequately or something is too dry then it is moderate pain for about 5 minutes just above my clavicle. I don't think it's normal either but I have read that it may take a couple of fills to get to the right place. In the meantime I am walking 2miles or 30 minutes a day with 1.5lb weights on each ankle and struggling to stop after a 250-300 calorie meal. That and 1 or 2 snacks eg. a piece of fruit or an ounce of lean sandwich meat between meals. The inches...I think are slowly reducing...I think. Frankly, I cannot remember what I weighed when last I wore a size 22, 20 or 18. I am obsessed with being a success and want to do better than the quoted "50% excess weight loss average." I realize that one has to find "new obsessions" but how?

I'll try the scale...it will be interesting to see what I think is a portion size and what it actually is. Does lettuce weight a lot? And has anyone had a problem getting it down?

I went into the doctor's office for my first fill today. Frankly, I was more afraid of being chewed out for what I worried was an inadequate weight loss (silly me.) I am down 21.5 pounds from the day of surgery, 238 down to 217.5 (gotta get that half pound in there!) The fill was really uneventful and I definitely feel a difference today. Of course, crazy is as crazy does, and I turned down a Frappachino at Starbucks (thinking of how unhealthy that was) but found myself eating a scone with a cup of regular coffee instead. Fortunately, my dog was happy to share the scone so things did not turn out as badly as it could have been. A couple of questions...has anyone had the experience of hearing their tummy growl? I happened to be sitting in court as a juror last week and the sounds coming from my hungry tummy were outrageous! I have never heard it growl so loudly, I think the Judge was wondering what was going on in the juror's box. Since that time I have noticed it more and more. Also, I've read here that people weigh their food. What about measuring it in ounces with a kitchen measuring cup? The bowls in my cupboard are so big I felt deprived when I scoop out portion sizes. Now I have a few small bowls that are about 6 ounces each...it seems when I see one of these full, I feel less deprived. Which is the proper way to measure food? I would love to hear what people are doing.

Hi all! I feel guilty for not checking in sooner but life has a way of getting the best of our time. I noticed that I have not posted a weight as of yet. I guess a part of me is still having difficulty believing it is possible that I could truly be loosing weight (finally? after so many years of failure?) I am happy to report that I started out at 238 on september 19th and today weighed in at 218. Twenty pounds! I actually had to get on the scale a couple of times to believe it. I am getting nervous though, it seems my ability to consume portions is getting greater and greater. I am scheduled for a fill on the 30th so I am sure that will help. I am actually looking forward to that! As far as cooking chicken....I made a wonderful meal this week....I cooked chicken breasts with a little olive oil, vegetables and spices in one of those turkey bags for a couple of hours at about 275 degrees. It was fantastic and incredibly tender. I chewed it well and had no difficulty getting it down. Good luck to all. Lisalee

Hi guys! I am new to this site. Just banded on September 19th by Dr. Spivak in Houston. So far this has been a mysterious yet marvelous experience. I just wanted to thank you for having such an organized and informative site. I am quite a ways away from Houston and so have found this site to be one of my first go-to places when I am confused or curious about what is happening. Again, thanks!

Add me to your list...I was banded on September 19th in Houston by Dr. Spivak....fantastic people.