MLBL

I wanted to post a quick update. First, at some point there was either miscommunciation or I was confused. I have a 14cc Realize band. That makes it s totally different thing. Second, I am now at 10cc and I am VERY restricted. I am actually thinking of having .25cc removed at my next visit. The band is suck a roller coaster - one miute nothing the next too much. At least now I know it is working and will work for me. That is a huge relief!

I now have 9cc in an 11cc Realize band and have no restriction. I have to admit it is getting depressing. What happens when I get to 11ccs? I asked my surgeon if it was possible to be totally filled with no restriction and he said no. I have read otherwise online and am worried I will be one of the people who say this never worked for me. When I say no restriction, I mean I can eat and drink like always. It is like I didn't have the surgery. I just realy don't know what to do about it

If your Dr sent you for an independent barium study that shows the band is slipped that should be enough for your insurance to cover the removal. Get the Dr that ordered the study to do the referral. If I am misunderstanding and that is the same Dr. who will not admit there is a problem, removal or not, I would switch bariatric clinics ASAP. They are clearly not looking out for your best interests.

I am also an emotional overeater and know I will struggle even with the band. It will be great for me to see how your journey goes. I will be one of the people you help :thumbup:

That is great. Send some of that weightloss magic my way!

I am two months out and lost 10lbs pre-op and only 3-4lbs since then :thumbup: I feel ya. But, I do think it is because I don't have enough restriction for the band to be working yet. I am hoping to get somethign better next time.

I felt that way before being diagnosed and treated for sleep apnea. If you haven't been using your CPAP maybe it is catching up with you? Sleep with it for a night and see if you feel better.

I have found Overeaters Anonymous to be very helpful with this type of issue. Really, we eat for the same reason other people drink. And it is IMO harder to control it because alcoholics can avoid alcohol and we have to eat food. However, the first step is recognizing it happens. Too bad we can't get our head banded :blushing:

There is a Panera off of coliseum and Starbucks is everywhere. I would prefer Starbucks myself

I get hiccups.

Wondering if anyone is still out there? I would love to meet up at Starbucks with some locals.

I think what the OP might have meant is a reply like "Gee, that's interesting but I don't know because I'm xxx from surgery." doesn't add anything to the thread.

Thanks for starting the thread, and thanks for so many helpful responses. It is so good to know I am not the only one wondering about these things.

I think this is one way to use the band. If the loss of the hunger feeling is enough for a person to lose and make progress, that is definitely for them. Other people need to have actual restriction, and that is another way to use the band. I am personally aiming for something in the middle. I want to be able to eat 1 cup of food and stop with getting stuck of PBing, but I do not want to be able to eat 3 cups of food with no problem at all.

I have been really struggling to stay on the wagon myself. It just sucks to have had surgery and still be hungry. Hoping the next fill will do it for me.

I also did my research very thoroughly and band and bypass both have risks. I went with the band because in the end, if something doesn't work or there is a problem, I can have it removed and my body will still be whole. I am sure your Aunt scared the crap out of your family and that was a selfish thing for her to do. Did she also tell them the many horrible, deadly complications of obesity? I'm guessing not.

I would take in the Lap-Band literature that gives guidelines for when fills are supposed to happen. If he says no one more time, move on to another practice. I would also consider calling the Lap-Band company and explain what he said in your pre-op visit and now no fills. They will probably just say to work with your Dr. or at best to look for a new person for the fills, but you better believe they will send a rep out to educate the staff.

That is great! It is '"your" part of the store now too!

I also just had my first fill (4.5cc in 11cc band) and while I can eat anything I want I do feel less hungry. Thanks for starting this thread. I was wondering too. I was hoping I would feel "full", but I will take "not hungry" if I can get it.

My Dr. told me I wasn't big enough for lap band. Then I asked about a breast reduction and he told me my BMI was too high. I told him you can't tell me I'm too fat for one surgery and not fat enough for the other. He gave me a bariatric consult but told me I would probably be turned down by the insurance. I was banded a few months later. I wouldn't ask her opinion next time - tell her "I meet the guidlines for the band. I want a referral." Or, switch doctors if you can.

Just wanted to chime in and support the previous comments. Flouro is great, but the PA should be listening to you. When making the next appointment say you have communication problems with the PA and request the Dr. If that gets you nowhere it is time to change Docs. No need for a whole new surgery yet, try to find the right Dr. first. Hang in there - I know that is easier said than done but you are going to get there!

I recently had my first fill (4.5cc in an 11cc band) and I felt the same way. However, I have noticed that I can still eat a large volume of food if I want to, I am feeling full just a bit longer than I did before. I know I still need another fill, but I think feeling full for an extra hour or two will help me get through until my second fill.

I decided in March, first saw my PCM in late March for a referral, orientation in mid-April, Surgery late August.

Can it be done? Yes. Will many surgeons do it? No. Since your surgeon is willing to try should you? Only you can answer that. I will say it is true you have to get your head hunger fixed first. The disappointment from failing the bypass will be 2x as bad if you fail the band. You will also be out of options at that point. Psychologically that would be a big blow. If you want to do this, set your self up to succeed - get conseling about your eating or go to Overeaters Anonymous (I went to OA for 6 months). Let us know what you decide.

I have Tricare and was banded in Aug. The current requirments are BMI 35-39 with two comordities or 40+ without comorbidities. I was not 100lbs overweight, only 75-80. I was also surprised to learn that urinary stress incontinence is one of the qualifying comorbidities. Otherwise, I wouldn't have qualified.