bbammom

Are you referring to the your GP on post? Is the surgeon on post? There are quite a few military surgeons who also do bands. I had mine done in a military hospital.

Then I don't understand why your doctor is insisting on a fill. You can tell him "No" and I think you can easily justify that by telling him what you told us! Good luck!!

I'm not sure what "gas x strips" are but I would suggest you start trying different Protein drinks to see what you like before surgery. Keep in mind, your taste might change after surgery so don't buy too much. My favorites are Muscle Milk Light (costco, Wal-Mart, etc.) and

The pain wasn't too bad. Very manageable. Being flat for sleep was uncomfortable so the first night or two after coming home were spent in a recliner. My doctor gave me all liquid meds after surgery so that helped too! (no pills!) I lost the bulk of my weight on the pre-op diet. My program took that part VERY seriously and so did I. I lost about 50 lbs before surgery (15 during the "thinking" part when I tried to do it myself before deciding on surgery); then another 35 during the pre-op program. Since surgery I've lost just under 30 pounds for a total of 80 pounds. I'm about 20-30 pounds from goal. I think I'll see how I feel and decide then. I started at size 22/24 and now I'm a 12/14. Getting to my "sweet spot" has been a big challenge. Moving across the country didn't help!! I've had a few challenges getting to where I wanted to be but it all seems OK now that I'm here!! I would suggest taking a good week off from work. I was teaching elementary school at the time and took off one week. In hindsight, I should have taken off a few more days since I worked with children.

I got banded in August 2010. Feel free to ask any questions you may have. I'm new to the area.

Just a FYI...I have a 14cc band and I'm at 11.4cc. I'm finally at my sweet spot! It took a long time to get here but it's so worth it!

We moved last June from Hawaii to Alabama. We are also a military family using Tricare. I had the hardest time finding a doctor here. After being at Tripler for my pre-op, operation and post-op, I became incredibly spoiled!! I just wrote Tripler today with this suggestion... Make sure you have all of your records with you. Doctors do NOT like to take transfer patients. I had to practically beg my new doctor to take me (tears helped)!! Within those records, ask for the complete surgical report, including the information on what size/type of band you have. This could eliminate a lot of aggravation for you. Trust me!! IF my assumption is correct, you have been using a military doctor/hospital. Remember that it's different outside of that realm. Different paperwork has to be filed for visits and visits with fills/unfills. A lot of doctors' staff don't realize that when they send the paperwork. Mine had to learn too. Good luck with your move. I hope what I learned the hard way from my own experience makes yours less stressful!

I just saw your post. I'm here in Madison.

I've heard that some people have to wait as much as 90 mins after eating. Just be sure to hydrate between meals!!

I ended up having .5 cc taken out of my band after 5 days of pain, throwing up, being uncomfortable, and losing 12.5 pounds!! Don't wait that long if you feel like something isn't right!! It seems that my band has slipped. On the up side, I feel wonderful and the slippage doesn't seem to affect the effectiveness of the band!!

My doctor told me today that my band slipped. I had a fill with a flouro last Thursday and I was overfilled. When I went in today for a unfill, he said that my band slipped. He showed me last the images from last week and today and it does look more horizontal now. He said that some patients are fine with a slip, could go years with no problems, and everything looked good with mine. When I asked him what would happen if it weren't fine, he said he would remove it and that he does not do band replacements because of scare tissue. Anyone ever hear of this? I threw up a few times over the weekend so I'm assuming that caused the slip. What are the symptoms of slippage? Since my .5cc unfill today, I feel wonderful and ate "lap band normal" at dinner (about 1/2 cup). Any advice is appreciated!

Michelle, I hope you have a wonderful cruise!! We cruise every year and our next one in in Dec. So if you have any questions...

NJGirl32, I remember meeting a girl years ago with the band and she told me she was taking out some saline for her cruise. At the time I thought she was crazy and wasn't getting the point of having a band...to control her eating. Now I get it! I'm planning on doing the same, not because of the food on the cruise, but because I don't want to get sick and put myself and my family through that. My adjustment on Thursday is still way too tight. While throwing up in my bathroom last night, our oldest son heard me. The look on his face was so sad - he was so worried about me. I don't want my kids worrying about ME; it's my job to worry about THEM!!

NJGirl, I agree with you. I was at my "sweet spot" before we flew overseas and next time I plan to have about 1cc taken out before a flight. We cruise in December but fly to Florida to get there. Did you fly before your cruise?

I'm going to call the Fill Center on Monday and see what it's all about. They have a flouroscopy in the Center, which I like. Good luck finding a good fill option where you are!