Dave_NW

Gax-X helped me by helping dispel gas trapped inside my stomach. But they inflate air into your midsection during surgery, and no telling where it ends up. it seemed after taking it I had less shoulder pain. (May have been all in my head.) The pain in your shoulder, or even your headache, may go away if you move around some, and drink more fluids. If you feel the urge to cough, do it. You may have residual Fluid in your lungs from the anesthetic, and not being able to breathe deeply can cause you additional pain or stress. Hang tough. You can do this, and it does get better, one day at a time. Good luck! Dave

I'm by no means an expert, but it seems very likely your band area is highly swollen due to all the coughing and dry heaves and such. I'd think as things calm down, the swelling will go down, and your restriction will also go away, allowing you to eat or drink more normally. Drinking liquids with a band is a technique you need to sort out. I just sipped a tiny amount of liquid over and over, as I got more used to the idea of drinking when I wasn't thirsty. i also drank icy cold Water, because I think it helped reduce swelling around the band area. If you're drinking with a straw, stop that. It makes you swallow more air, and can cause excess burping. Sipping slowly seems to be the key. I was fine for a week after surgery, but then developed dry heaves, and I had to be admitted to the hospital for a few hours till they got it under control. They gave me some anti-nausea meds and it stopped. After a few bags of IV fluids I was rehydrated, and everything moved forward. I've been fine since. Keep after your doctor to address the problems. You didn't make a mistake being banded, but you may need assistance getting your feet under you. Good luck! Dave

I only had one day of a preop diet - the day before my surgery. But after surgery I was on a liquid diet for three weeks. Dave

Hi Kayleigh, and congratulations on taking charge of your weight loss. You don't mention which type of Tricare insurance you have. There are several varieties of it. Depending on the coverages you have, there may or may not be out-of-pocket money you may have to pay. You need to find out exactly how much (if any) you'll be required to pay in order to have the surgery. The last thing you want is to get things done and end up having a big unexpected bill. Tricare is very straightforward as an insurer, but it all starts with a referral from your primary care doctor to a weight loss surgeon. You should research weight loss surgeons in your area that accept Tricare, and find the most experienced surgeon you can. In this surgery, even though it's very specific, there is no substitute for experience. Find the right person to do not only your surgery, but also your aftercare, because you'll be needing fills and followup support. Most weight loss surgeons have programs to take you through the steps, and usually can provide all the various appointments you need. After you have a referral to a good surgeon, you'll want to contact their office, and arrange an appointment. Many surgeons require you to attend a free weight loss seminar before they'll meet you in their offices. That way you'll know what to expect from the surgery, and you can ask the right questions. When you meet them, the surgeon's team will tell you what they require before they'll submit the request to Tricare for you to be approved for surgery. It usually requires meeting with a psychologist, a nutritionist, and having lab work done. Other things may be required, depending on the surgeon. Tricare does not require a six month managed diet, but some surgeons do. After you've done everything required, and the request for surgery approval has been submitted, Tricare is usually very quick to approve people. In my case, it was three work days till I was approved. Once you have your approval, the timing is up to you and your surgeon to schedule things. It can all go very fast, or may drag out, depending on how quickly you can get things done. In my case, it took a full month after the weight loss seminar before I could see the surgeon's team. But from that day till my surgery approval was only about three weeks. Others report it was even faster for them. Search the threads here for more specific information. But before even that, I'd strongly recommend you make some phone calls. Start with your Tricare rep and/or the Tricare regional offices to see exactly what they require for your kind of insurance. Then call your primary care doctor, to see if he/she will even refer you. (You may need to see a different doctor.) Finally, start shopping for a surgeon. Your primary care doctor can refer you to that specific surgeon, if it's the best choice for you. Wishing you great success with these steps. It sounds like a lot of work, but once you're on the pathway, it's very straightforward. Good luck! Dave

Fred, you continue to impress! Awesome success rate!! Keep going, and be sure to keep us posted. When I posted earlier in this thread it was Jan 12, and I was down 49 pounds. Today, April 5, I'm down 73 pounds. It's a great feeling to be this much thinner. I'm loving this kind of success rate. Dave

That sucks, Rob. But at least you know they're monitoring your diabetes, and don't want to put you at risk. Now that you've lost 20 pounds, keep it going. Maybe you can lose another 20 over the next month. Anything you can do ahead of time will make what the band needs to handle even easier. Good luck! Dave

Keep in mind that this Forum is primarily a support group for people with questions or problems. So the majority of posts will be from people who are having a problem of some sort. Most people who are having no trouble at all will be out living their lives, and won't be posting here, because they don't need to. For every post here that seems to be a problem, there will be dozens, maybe hundreds or even thousands of successful lap band people who never post here. It's the same on any surgery-based forum, so you need to keep things in that perspective. As someone who has had a primarily positive experience with my lap band, I'm happy to speak up and give you my honest opinion: If you've explored ALL your weight loss options, and have decided you need some sort of surgical assistance losing weight, and if you feel the lap band is the right choice for you, then go ahead and have the surgery. I have zero regrets, other than that I didn't have this surgery years ago. On the other hand, if you haven't researched everything available to you, if you only have a small amount of weight to lose, if you're not willing to be proactive in your weight loss, and if you're not willing to do the work it takes to make the most of the lap band, then lap band surgery may not be the right answer. You'll need to read everything you can find (and there are years' worth of posts here about banding, both pro and con), and make your own decision. Lap band is not for everyone, and it is definitely not a magic bullet. I've been banded just about four months, and I've already lost about half the weight I want to lose. As of this morning, that's 73 pounds gone. I'm currently at a weight that is lower than I've seen in more than ten years, and I owe my weight loss to the band. Others who haven't been as successful as I have may have worked just as hard, but their journey with weight loss is specific to them. Everyone has a different experience, and the band doesn't work exactly the same for everyone. In my case, it's been a great tool to help me lose the weight I knew I needed to lose. I hope this gives you some helpful infomation. I'm sure others will post and give you their thoughts. Good luck, regardless of what you decide to do. Dave

That's a tricky one. I think anyone has the right to remain private about their surgery, if they want to. But if it's a (potential) loved one you're talking about, you should probably tell him about it, if only in the name of "full disclosure." He needs to understand that you struggled with weight issues for a long time, and finally decided you needed some help losing the weight permanently. And it's working well for you. Explain that you're very private about it, so want to keep it just to yourselves, but that you wanted him to know the whole story, so he wouldn't think you had some sort of eating disorder. Good luck! Dave

I agree, you should ask your doctor for specifics, or to explain why he has such a negative attitude about such a well-respected surgeon. You deserve to make your own informed decisions. I work at a hospital, and was speaking to an Emergency Room doctor awhile back. He complimented me on my slimmer appearance, and asked how I'd lost all this weight. I told him I'd had lap band surgery. He got that, "Aaah, yes!" I-know-everything expression, and said, "That's the surgery where you pinch off your digestive tract and starve yourself thin, isn't it?" I thought he was joking, but he wasn't. He was totally serious. I said it was a lot more than that, and nothing so extreme, and that I'd bet him I am eating healthier than he is. But as I walked away, I couldn't believe how judgmental he was about something he knew so little about. Glad he's not my regular doctor! Dave

For those who missed the show, they have segments on the Dr. Oz website: http://www.doctoroz.com/ Not sure how long they'll be available. Dave

Segments of the show are on his website: http://www.doctoroz.com/ I found the food portions for the woman who was banded six months ago to be very unrealistic. That's the sort of soft foods I was eating three weeks after my surgery. Last night for dinner I ate several ounces of steak, not a few spoons of yogurt. She must have her band very tight. Dave

I hope they don't say the lap band doesn't work - I'd hate to have to gain back all this weight! LOL!!! Dave

I was also banded December 6th, and I'm down 72 pounds so far. I'm working my band as hard as I can, and it's working exactly as advertised. I've had three fills, and I'm currently at 8cc in a 14cc band. I'm heading in on Thursday for a small fill, and I think I'll be right at my sweet spot. Good luck to everyone as our journey continues! Dave

Let me wish all of you great success with your surgeries! You're ready, you've worked hard to get to this point, and now it's time!! Good luck! The best advice I can offer is to remember what you've been told about getting up and moving as much as you can. Walking helps a great deal to reduce or eliminate the gas pain after surgery. Gas-X strips are excellent helpers. Sip liquids till you think your eyeballs will float. If you feel the urge to cough, do it - there may be Fluid buildup in your lungs from the surgery anesthetic. The sooner you get rid of the excess fluid, the better you'll feel. The postop pain goes away fairly quickly, and you'll be moving ahead to the next phases in no time. Remember that the first weeks after surgery are about healing, not weight loss. So don't panic if your scale doesn't move like you want it to. That'll come later. Everyone on this Forum is here for you, and many of us have been where you are. Don't hesitate to ask for assistance. See you on the other side of the recovery room, where we'll make room on the Bandster's Bench for you to sit beside us. Good luck! Dave

It sounds like you're in a great place to move forward with the band. The pitfall many run into is seeing a rapid weight loss during the liquid diet phase right after surgery, but as they start onto solid foods, the weight loss slows or even stops. They want to continue that sort of loss trend, but it takes planning and work to get onto that track. Over time, as there are fills and the person's body adjusts to a new way of eating, weight loss picks up again. It's all about managing diet, exercise, sleep, and making the most of what the band allows your body to do. If you're already working out with a trainer, you're on the right road, and probably won't have the kind of peaks and valleys a lot of new bandsters go through. In the first few weeks right after surgery you'll want to focus on healing from the surgery itself. Working out should not be high on your list. Plenty of time for that after you're healed up. I wasn't exercising before banding. It hurt too much, and I was too busy planning my next overeating splurge. I'd create opportunities to overeat (like take-out pizza three times a week or more, and there are only two of us in my household...) After the initial rush of weight loss, I began to feel better, and started back at the gym. Now I've made that my daily routine - after work I go to the gym before heading home. I get my workout in, and THEN I give thought to what I'll eat for dinner. food has taken a secondary place in my life, and I'm okay with that. One thing you may want to check out, which I can highly recommend, is the armband made by Bodymedia. They make several versions, including the Bodybugg worn by contestants on The Biggest Loser. It takes the guesswork out of where you are for the day, in terms of calories burned, calories eaten, amount of exercise, and even how well you're sleeping. I rely heavily on mine to keep track of the day for me, so I can focus on my work. It's an excellent tool. And since you're working with a trainer, you may find it especially helpful. Dave

I appreciate your frustration. It would be awful to go through all these steps and then have things stop cold like that. As I'm sure you know, banding isn't an instant solution - it's a process, and you have to work the band to get the best results. You had your surgery three days before I started monitoring my weight through my surgeon's office. I was banded in December, and yes, the band is definitely working for me. I feel better than I have in years, and as of this morning's weigh in, I am at a weight I haven't seen in over ten years. I'm very pleased. Having said that, it's also important to point out that I've also worked my butt off to get here. It wasn't automatic, and I had to pay close attention to what I was eating, when I was eating it, and how much exercise I was doing. Once I sorted things out, things have gone very well for me. But it took planning and foresight to stay on top of things. I didn't strictly follow my surgeon's plan (or more properly, the nutritionist - I've only seen my surgeon a couple of times in passing since my surgery.) The nutritionist set some caloric levels that just didn't work for me. I wasn't losing anything much till I figured out that I needed to eat more calories. After adopting a kind of modified South Beach eating plan (higher Protein, lower glycemic carbs, and eating small meals every 3 to 4 hours), the weight started to drop off. I'm not hungry, I can eat most anything I want (within reason), and my weight loss is now fairly consistent. I'd suggest you schedule a visit to your surgeon and talk about where you are, and what it will take to get back on track. You most likely need a fill or two to get some restriction, and some assistance getting your eating under control. The beauty of the band is it can be pretty forgiving - if you start working it right, it'll start working right for you. Best of luck, and let's see those numbers start moving! Dave

Hi Renee. Welcome to the Forums. You're in the right place, and there are many here who have similar stories as yours. You'll meet a lot of great folks here who are very interested in helping others make the most of their journey. You've come a very long way, and now it's time to turn the corner and take the next steps. Take things slow and steady, do your homework, and educate yourself as much as possible about how the band works, and how weight loss works. Learn your food triggers and the kind of risky behavior to avoid. It'll help you quite a bit. You'll hear time and again that "the band is just a tool," and to be the most successful, you'll want to know how that tool works. Those who seem to have the most trouble are those who don't take the time to learn what to expect - so they develop unrealistic expectations, and suffer needless disappointment. I'm a retired Navy guy who used to be active like crazy. I was "that guy" everyone always talked about. But over time, due to the stresses of my post-Navy job (I'm in IT for a hospital) the weight started stacking up. Arthritis set in due to the damage done to my knee joints from twenty years of pounding up and down ladders and walking on steel decks aboard ships, and I slowed down. The slower I got, the more I gained. Finally, I decided to call a halt to the downward spiral. I'd look in the mirror and see a fat guy staring back at me, but on the inside I was the fit athlete I'd always been. I knew I had to find "that guy" again. The band has been an amazing tool for me. I'm about halfway to my goal after just six months, and less than four months after being banded. I'm back in the gym 4 or 5 days a week, and the weight loss has been pretty dramatic. I've completely emptied my closet of my fat clothes, and replaced them with things that fit right, because "that guy" doesn't need those big sizes anymore. It's amazing. Best of all is that as the weight comes off, so do the extra years that stacked up on me. I feel better, younger, healthier than I have in many years, and I'm absolutely delighted. I keep thinking I'm going to wake up and find it's all been a dream. Then I'm reminded of how hard I've worked to get to where I am, and how much further I need to go. As I've said many times, my ONLY regret about being banded is that I didn't do it years ago. But I think if I had been banded before I was truly ready to tackle it head on, I don't think I'd have had the success I've enjoyed so far. For me, it was the right decision at the right time. I wish you the very best of luck on your journey. Good luck! Dave

If you were just banded on the 1st, you're still getting over your surgery. It'll take several days till you're ready to move forward with things. First things first: Gas pains will dissipate faster if you move around. Walking really helps. Taking Gas-X strips also does wonders. Sip Water and other fluids - don't try to drink it like you used to. Sip. And don't use a straw - it makes you swallow air. You may have some resiudual Fluid in your lungs from the anaesthetic used during surgery. If you feel the urge to cough, do it - the more you can get "under" the cough and make it a good one, the faster you'll expel any phlegm buildup. And once you can beathe more deeply, the more you'll be able to relax. And that will also help you feel better. As for nutrition, do the best you can. It'll take several days till your appetitie begins to come back, and then you can meet it halfway with whatever your nutritionist has advised you to eat. Don't get overly anxious if you can't drink everything right away. It takes time for your system to adjust to having the band in place. As you go along, things will get easier. This is a process, not an instant fix, and it really does work. Honest. Hang in there, and good luck! Dave

I have Tricare Prime, and they were very straightforward to deal with. My surgeon's office says Tricare is one of the easiest insurance carriers to deal with (I had my surgery approval within three days of it being submitted) but you need to be sure to step through each hoop they require you to do. If you follow the steps, it goes easily. I can't speak to how your type of Tricare works exactly, but this link leads to a location on their website that describes each program, and coverages. You may find the answers you're after there: http://www.tricare.mil/mybenefit/ProfileFilter.do;jsessionid=NYwZSRGB7yGPJLJDhpkwSgnvZQgg2qGJtRphHbBhbY2WgCy6K6nL!-1731520843?puri=%2Fhome%2Foverview%2FPlans%2FReserveSelect Good luck! Dave

Fred, I think it's unlikely you have stretched your pouch. Unless you're eating too much at a time, or eating too fast, the foods you eat are moving through your pouch within a minute or two. If you are eating slowly and chewing right, things should be moving easily. At only 5cc's in a 14cc band, it's unlikely you have restriction yet, so liquids would also move fairly quickly. Going on liquids wouldn't hurt you, and may help kick-start your weight loss again. You can also do the "five day pouch test" if you're unsure whether you've stretched things. Basically, it's two days on liquids, one day soft foods, one day firm foods, and one day normal food. You can repeat as needed. This is from the website for it: "How often should I do the 5 Day Pouch Test? The 5 Day Pouch Test should be done if you are feeling out of control with your eating, if you have fallen into a slider-carb eating pattern, if you are at a weight loss plateau or have gained weight. It can also be done simply for cleansing and appreciating our weight loss surgery tool. Many patients have successfully done the Five Day Pouch Test and followed the five days by repeating days 4 and 5 over and over. Other patients have elected to include extra days of liquids in their plan. It is perfectly OK to adjust the plan to your specific needs. Patients who do not desire the liquid phase have reported success by doing 3 days of day 3 followed by days 4 and 5." Dave

Ellen, congratulations on your decision. I'm not a woman, and I'm "only" 57, but I am another WA resident, up north of Seattle. I have a coworker who was banded at UW about 18 months ago, and he's had nothing but good things to say about them. It was his success with the band that showed me I might have success too. My insurance led me to Swedish Hospital in Seattle for my surgery, and I'm very pleased. It's been a similarly positive experience for me. Good luck in your journey, and welcome to the forums. There are some amazing people here who are extremely helpful. Every question seems to get a great cross-section of answers, so don't hesitate to ask whatever is on your mind. Dave

Freddy, I know the feelings you're going through. You can definitely reach your goals, but you need to make them as realistic as possible. It's easy to get sidetracked. I set mini-goals of five or ten pounds at a time, and have a mini-celebration when I reach them. It makes it easier to find happiness in an ongoing effort, while still working toward my larger goals. My strongest bit of advice (and the thing that's most helping me win this battle) is to buy a Bodymedia armband. They make several versions, including the Bodybugg, the armband worn by the contestants on The Biggest Loser. This gadget tracks your daily calories burned, steps taken, exercise levels, lets you log your calories eaten, and even records your sleep patterns. By logging your day through their website, and syncing the armband to it, you can see on your computer screen where you stand for the day. If you need more activity, you can go do it. If you eat more calories than you should, you will maintain or gain weight. If you have a caloric deficit each day, after a 3500 calorie deficit you will have lost one pound. It's SO easy, and works so well, I can't say enough good things about it. You can track trends in your weight loss or eating patterns, and get a firm handle on how your weight loss is going. Over time, you can adjust what you're doing to get the best results. Best of all is you can tailor your goals to your current situation. By realistically establishing your activity levels, it will tell you the kind of calories you need to eat daily to maintain your weight, or how much deficit you need daily to lose weight to meet your ultimate goal. I have mine set up to lose 2 pounds a week, which is quite easy for me to manage. The website shows me a graph of my progress based on what I'm doing, and I should reach my goal by Christmas. So far, I'm just a tad ahead of schedule. It's a fantastic tool, and works well with my lifestyle. If you're interested in buying one, do some online searching for the best price. Awhile back Best Buy had them on sale for $30 off. If you get one and need some help, send me a PM. I'll be glad to help you out. Good luck! Dave

It's most likely a coding issue, where the surgeon's insurance coordinator and billing people sent the claim under the wrong billing code. Take it back to them and ask them to straighten it out. If you had approval beforehand, (and you should have some documented proof of that), they should be able to make it right. Good luck! Dave

For me, it's about what I'm eating, and how fast I'm eating it. If I take bites that are larger than they probably should be, don't chew it thoroughly, and/or eat too fast, just about anything gets sort of stuck. I feel the pressure, then put down my fork and wait till I feel the item move through the band. If I force things, it hurts a lot. Patience when eating is the ongoing skill I have to manage to stay comfortable. I've only had one sliming incident (salsa and chips at a Mexican restaurant - ate too fast, didn't chew enough, things got stuck, and I joined the ranks of those who have been slimed... Surprised me a lot, even though I knew what was happening.) I don't want to go back there again, so I'm much more careful. When I slow down and eat properly, I find I can eat anything. If it's a dense Protein like chicken or steak, after about 3-4 ounces, I'm feeling quite full. I went to Olive Garden the other night with friends, and I ordered the "Steak Toscano" with steamed vegetables instead of potatoes. The 12 ounce steak made three meals for me. Worked well, but the trick was taking very small bites. I use the relative size of a dime as the visual queue. Small bites, chew thoroughly, and take my time. It's working for me. Good luck! Dave

I'm much the same way. But once they've got you all hooked up, and you're not looking at yourself, you really don't feel things much. And nothing hurts, so it's not that big of a deal. The trick will be to get yourself tired enough that you can get to sleep at a reasonable hour. Stay away from caffeine and such so you aren't too alert too late. Good luck! Dave