Dave_NW

I asked my PCM for a referral, and she willingly gave it, since she knew how hard I'd tried to lose weight before this. By the time my surgeon asked Tricare to approve me for surgery, my BMI was barely 40. I had high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and arthritis in weight-bearing joints. It was only three working days between the submission of the request and the approval. Tricare is VERY easy, if you meet their minimums. Depending on your stats, you may qualify for surgery just based on your BMI and weight. Good luck! Dave

Jon, I don't know you from before, but I can tell you're a smart guy who got tired of the effort it takes to work the band. And that's okay. Everyone needs a break. You've had plenty of time to enjoy your holiday break, and do all those things you know you weren't supposed to do. But you know what? The New Year has rolled around, and you're still not at your goal. Remember what you felt like when you were new to this? Nothing was going to stop you. Remember that?Time to get back on track, and make this year YOUR year to finish what you started. Are you willing to spend the rest of your life as a failure at this? I didn't think so. So put down the beer, get your ass off the couch, and get back to the gym! People like you are supposed to inspire people like me. There are too few successful guys here. Get on it! (How's that? Ass-kicked enough? ) Dave

As others have said, if you're only being banded, a week or two is probably enough. In my case, I had a hiatal hernia and a ventral hernia repaired while I was being banded, so I ended up with more incisions and internal stitches than many get. I took three weeks off work, and then worked on a light-duty status for another three weeks after going back. It was probably about enough time for me. I've been fine, and had zero complications because I took it slow. Now, seven weeks after surgery, I feel better than I have in years. Good luck! Dave

Congratulations on achieving what you've been seeking. But I have a question: I've always been told eating too few calories puts your body into "starvation mode" where it hangs onto every ounce, and weight loss slows or stops. Similarly, eating too many calories causes the body to gain weight. So after five days of eating less, are you seeing a weight change? Dave

Congrats! I love it when things like that happen. My own unexpected NSV: I have the clothing I wear to work hanging in a separate section of my closet. This morning without turning on the light I grabbed a pair of Dockers cords off the hangar and pulled them on. They fit snug, not tight, but they definitely fit. Then I realized they were a pair I'd purchased online a few months ago before being banded, "in anticipation" of the day I'd need smaller pants. Kind of cool to wear them before I expected to. Dave

As we've discussed here before, every doctor seems to have his/her own twist on what should and shouldn't be eaten. My NUT says any bite should be no larger than a dime, but then it should be chewed about 20-30 times to decrease it to its smallest possible size, and least consistency. Now I don't follow that religiously, but find if I take a smallish bite of something dense and chew the dickens out of it, just about everything goes down easily. The only thing that I've ever had come close to getting stuck was a piece of steak. I was surprised it would give me issues, because I was so careful. chicken, pork chops, and shredded meats have been no problem at all, but so far I've only tried that one bite of steak. Everyone seems to have a different experience with this, and definitely a separate journey. Dave

Jamey, hang in there. It does get easier! The first several days after surgery are the worst. I can't encourage you enough to get up and move frequently, sip Water like a leaky faucet, and take your meds. Before you know it the pain will subside, the stomach swelling around your band will go down, and you'll begin to feel much better. We've all been there. Rather than sleep in a recliner, I got one of those wedge pillows for my bed. Propped upright against the headboard with a few pillows in front of it made sleeping very comfortable. I was able to lay back and just relax, without putting too much strain on anything. I had band surgery, a hiatal hernia repair, AND a ventral hernia repair all at the same time. I was a wreck. Within a couple of weeks I felt more normal, and now, six weeks after surgery I feel like a new man. Combined with the better nutrition and steady exercise, I'm feeling better than I have in years. Stay focused, and you'll come through this. Best, Dave

Keep in mind too that if your calorie intake is too low, your body thinks you're starving it, so it holds onto everything - including the pounds. Journal everything you eat so you have a clue of what goes in, and then boost your Protein and calories a bit by adding a Protein shake or whatever, and see if it doesn't make a difference. Reducing carbs also helps, because increased carb consumption can slow or even stop your weight loss. Good luck! Dave

Oh yeah, I can totally relate! Congratulations to all of us! I haven't been able to buy clothes in a normal store in years. If it weren't for Casual Male XL and the JC Penney Big & Tall mail order website, I doubt I'd be able to find anything new to wear. But the selection was always so limited, and fabric patterms so outrageously ugly, I just about gave up. So now, just fifty+ pounds into my journey, I am thrilled to be able to buy clothes that fit "off the rack" in regular stores. I actually found a 2XL jacket at costco a few weeks ago that fit perfectly. Wow! And I had to buy smaller shirts for work because the 3XL sized polo shirts I used to wear were hanging nearly to my knees. Amazing how losng a bunch of excess waistline inches changes how your clothes fit. Dave

I was banded last month, and had my first fill two days ago. The PA at the surgeon's office who did the fill is quite experienced. We talked about what she was going to do, and how she was going to do it. My port is located front and center on my upper left stomach area, so is easy to find. She showed me how she puts her index finger on one side of the port, her ring finger on the other side of the port to frame it, and the nail of her middle finger right over the center of the port. Because the needle is curved, she kind of rolls the tip forward, toward the center of her nail, which she moves at the last second, and pokes the needle tip down into the center of the port. She sprayed an aerosol anaesthetic on the skin above the port first, so I didn't feel anything. Once in the port, she withdrew the saline in the band, to confirm how much was in it. The surgeon said he put in three CCs during placement, but it turned out to be 3.2 CCs. She verified it was clear (no sign of contamination or anything), so she put it back in the band, then added two more CCs beyond that. So now I have 5.2 CCs in my 14 CC band. It was all over within a minute or two. They had me sit in the waiting room for about 20 minutes, and drink a half glass of Water, to make sure there were no complications. There were none, and they sent me on my way. They asked me to go on liquids for two days, then mushes for two more, then solids as normal after that. My next fill is in four weeks. All in all, it was kind of a non-event. I don't feel any different after going through it. So I think you'll be fine. Good luck! Dave

Part of the problem with an anonymous forum like this is that nobody can see your body language, or hear your tone of voice. All the reader sees are your typed words. Posts can easily be interpreted as being more negative than intended, and after a reply or two, the original intention can easily get swept aside. Tempers flare, and people get angry. Even more interesting to me is when Person One posts a topic, Person Two posts an inappropriate reply, and then Person Three wades into the fray, hijacking the thread and taking jabs at everyone else for real or perceived slights and insults. Before long the entire thread degenerates into a hate-fest, and poor Person One never does get an answer to their initial question. But as others have alluded in this thread, there are ways to reply to a thread and express a dissenting opinion without resorting to insults and muckraking. If the dissenting opinion is offered respectfully, logically, and with the intention to properly express to the other person why the opposing opinion is valid, I think the initial poster will accept that post, even if it's not what they want to hear. Even in dissention you can be supportive and encouraging. The posts I seriously dislike is when someone posts hateful speech toward someone else, leaving absolutely no doubt what they intended, and when taken to task by later replies, they backpeddle and say they were only joking. Yeah, right. Without being able to see body language and hear tone of voice, the onus is on that person to contain the post in humor quotes or smilies, whatever necessary, so readers will get the point. But it's inherently wrong to jump someone's case about something, then try to dodge the return fire by saying they were just kidding. That's chickensh*t. If you mean what you say, stand up for your opinion. If you can't do that, then maybe you don't need to say anything at all. And finally, as my Mother always taught me: "Always tell the truth. That way you don't have to remember what you said. " My opinion. And I'm sticking with it. LOL! Dave

Amazon is selling a gastric bypass "kit" to anyone who wants to buy it. This is freaking outrageous! http://www.komonews.com/news/health/114013264.html Dave

CJ, you're doing great, and you're well on your way. Excellent! Nothing feels as good as seeing the weight go away. I'm only a month or so ahead of you, but I can totally relate to how you feel. Be aware that as you add in solid foods your weight loss will slow down, and then it becomes a balance of nutrition in vs. calories out. You'll be more involved in the process at that point. Keep up the good work, and stay in touch. There aren't enough guys on this forum. We need to stick together. Dave

I first noticed I'd lost weight because my face looked thinner within a couple of weeks after surgery, and my double chin is gone. But the kicker came when I was dressing for my first workday back, after three weeks off to recover from surgery. I fastened my pants and they about fell to the floor. I put on my favorite belt, only to discover I needed to punch a new hole in it, inches smaller than the previous hole. I went clothes shopping, and bought shirts all a size smaller than the size I wore previously (2XL instead of 3XL), and now i'm finding some of those may be a tad too big. If I'm actually nearly down to just an XL shirt size, that'll be smaller than I've been in about ten years. OMFG! Dave

LOL! Oh, it wasn't my taste buds - they were working just right. Everyone at the table who had the same wine agreed it was awful. So at least that part of my system reacted normally. I'm actually looking forward to being able to enjoy a glass of wine with friends. Having never been able to do it, and living with someone who really loves a good glass of wine, I figure it'll be a bonding thing later on. For years I've bought fancy-schmancy bottles of wine as birthday and Christmas gifts - even bought a high-falutin' wine refrigerator one year. Now I'll finally be able to join in the process. I hope... They didn't talk about anything specific to my hiatal hernia, other than to say I had one that needed repairing. They brought in a specialist surgeon for my banding surgery so he could repair that one, as well as repair the ventral hernia I also had. I figured as long as they were under the hood, they may as well do a full tune up. Where most bandsters end up with five or six incision sites, I have thirteen. Yikes! My stomach looks like I got hit with buckshot. My first fill is later today. I'm down 51 pounds so far, and I'm excited as hell about the way things are going. Does it show? Dave

I didn't reply to your original inquiry, mainly because I think what one person does is that person's business, no one else's. I hope the wine you enjoyed was all you wanted it to be. And good for you for standing your ground. I did want to point out something that's new for me since surgery: I was never able to drink wine. I'm one of those people who has that immediate reaction to drinking a sip of wine, where I could feel it burn as it slid down my throat, and by the time it hit my stomach, it had turned to acid. I'd have huge reflux issues from the wine, to the point that drinking wine just was something I didn't expect I'd ever do. Not that I'm much of a drinker anyway, but it always bugged me that whenever we'd go out with friends, or someone would crack open a bottle of wine at a dinner party, I had to sit out, because it made me ill to drink any. Well, fast forward to my surgery last month. The surgeon did an Endoscopy a few weeks prior to surgery, and he discovered I had a hiatal hernia. They put me on Prilosec OTC till surgery, and they repaired the hiatal hernia while putting in the band. I've had ZERO reflux or indigestion issues since surgery. As I've experimented with eating after surgery, absolutely nothing I've eaten has given me any kind of acid stomach, reflux, or whatever. It's like that switch is turned off. So then, (the point of ths long tale), last night we went to the after-the-holidays Holiday Party for my spouse's work. Big fancy catered dInner and entertainment thing for several hundred people - your basic fancy, dress-up affair. I ate smart, and was fine that way, but when asked what I wanted to drink, I was a bit perplexed. I knew I didn't want anything caffeinated or carbonated, I didn't want to have any kind of mixed drink, and about all that was left to me was a glass of wine. I figured "What the heck?" and ordered a glass of white wine to have on the table. I already had a glass of Water, just in case. The wine went down without so much as a burp. No reflux, no acid stomach, and I was able to enjoy it enough to realize it was terrible wine, and I quit after about three sips. (Nasty stuff!) But the victory was mine - I can apparently now drink wine, which is a backhanded NSV of ever there was one. LOL! Dave

When I was banded, they put a velcro-closure support band around my midsection after surgery. I found wearing that helped when I was walking, because nothing pulled, and gravity was held at bay. You might try getting something like that if they didn't give you one. I wore mine till it started to irritate me along the edges from it being too large after the swelling went down. Good luck! Dave

Jackie, that's great news. Congratulations! Living where you do and being a skier, it'd be difficult to not feel comfortable on the slopes because of your weight. I hope you have a great time, and next trip you'll get a full day lift ticket instead. Have a blast! Dave

I hadn't intended to tell everyone at work, but after being off three weeks and coming back many pounds lighter, everyone kept asking me what I did because the change was so dramatic. If I mentioned I had surgery, they all got concerned (I work at a hospital, so it's built in, I think.) So I finally started telling anyone who asked. I figure word will get out anyway (did I mention I work at a hospital? People gossip like CRAZY!) so I decided to come out to anyone who was interested. The only person who has said anything negative to me was a nurse at the hospital where I had my surgery. (That isn't where I work.) If anyone else has a negative attitude, they haven't expressed it to me. And if they don't like it, who the hell cares? It's MY life, and MY health, not theirs. One positive side effect: Several people who could benefit from WLS have asked me for more in-depth information about it. So maybe by being honest I can help others to help themselves. I believe in paying it forward. Dave

This is too dang funny. I read the thread title and clicked into it to post how I thought the OP meant TJ MAXX, but I see the rest of you beat me to it! Great (twisted) minds think alike! Dave

Good going, Fred! I'm right behind you. Banded December 6th, and down 49 pounds so far. More than a third of the way to my goal. Keep up the great work! Dave

Others have already expressed how outrageous it is for them to say things like that to you. So maybe the next time one of them says something like that, look at them with a dreamy expression in your eye, and say, "Gosh, I have so many choices, now that I'm losing all this weight. I'm having a really hard time figuring out what I'll be wearing at your FUNERAL!" Not nice, but hey - fair is fair. And they started it... Dave, shaking his head...

I've been having issues trying to get my Calcium additives in daily, because the chewable tablets I have are SO unpleasant. I need to eat four of these daily to meet the dosage, and it's rare that I manage to chew all of them without feeling like I'm eating chalk. So yesterday I was at costco, and found their Kirkland brand calcium chews in a bag of 180 count, on sale for about $10.00. That alone was reason enough to give them a try, but then to find they each have 500mg(?) of calcium per chew, they're chocolate, and best of all: They taste like Tootsie Rolls! Three a day will fill the need, and they are much easier to eat than those chalky tablets I bought. Awesome!!! Dave

Let me offer my congratulations as well. Those numbers are awesome! You've given all of us a goal to shoot for. Dave

I think the question you need to answer is how badly you want to lose weight. If you have a substantial amount of weight to lose, and you don't want to have to work at it as much, then maybe the sleeve is right for you. You may also want to look at vertical sleeve plication, a different kind of sleeve surgery that doesn't remove that large portion of the stomach. (As I understand it. I may be mistaken.) RNY is out, because it's one of the most radical surgeries. The thing about banding that appealed most to me is that it's reversible, if there are complications. So even if I'm one of those who never has a problem, I'll be fine. If I'm one of those who DOES develop problems at some point, the band can be removed, and I can go back to my (mostly) pre-surgery condition. Only you can decide what you want to do, and how you're going to do it. There are plenty of self-pay people here, and there are plenty of very experienced surgeons in Mexico who will do the surgery for just a few thousand dollars. You do have options. Good luck! Dave