FLORIDAYS

Hi I am also in Tampa . To answer your questions...you have to get insurance approval as well as the drs approval to make sure you are a good candidate for surgery. Tests like a mental health eval, blood work, cardio work up and anything else your dr deems necessary for surgery. Also the insurance company if covered may require a advance diet. That said on this site if you see waiting for approval the odds are someone is waiting for insurance approval There is a port placed in the wall of your abdomen in addition to the band. The dr gives you fills through the port via a needle filled with saline. No surgery is required and considering ou will need an average of 6-8 fills over the first 2 years that's a good thing. Hope this helps.

I see from your updated post you went to the dr. I hope you will now find relief.

If you are having chest pains I would call 911.... It may be nothing but Better safe than sorry

That works too. My dr told me never to take anything bigger than a size of an aspirin. But I even cut those up. like u I know how bad it feels. Glad you are doing better

I have Aetna and it wasn't covered. I know people who have different Aetna plans ho were covered. I think it depends on the plan..

Note to self....buy a pill cutter at drug store for $5. Cut said pill into quarters...problem solved.

I could be wrong but I believe what you are feeling is your port not your band. The band is on the stomach which is above the waist and would be impossible to feel through your liver I would think Chck ith your dr just to be sure.

Soups are tricky. The broth passes thru the pouch and ac like a slider food. For me they fill me up but don't hold me for more than about 3 hours. bit I love them and eat them often so I try to have a fruit for a snack. To get a good idea make sure you measure the veggies to know how much you are eating. Count the calories then see what the calories are in the broth.... Then you will know if you can eat more broth.

I haven't figured a way to cook for 1.5 people.... And for the past year my daughter and 18 month old granddaughter have been living with us... So i now cook for 3/4 which is most likely what i cooked for before. But I can honestly say my bill stayed about the same. If I was single I would be saving a bundle. What has gone down is eating out. When it just the two of us hubby eats like he did but I get an appetizer or something of the child's menu and no alcohol for me or sodas so our eating out bills have decreased dramatically. Also I used to spend at least $50 a week on lunches and that has dropped dramatically to basically nothing. However once in a while I will go out with coworkers for a treat but my bill is usually under 5$ depending on where we go.

If you stick to the liquids and do what the doctor says you should see it go down in a week or so.... It's normal.

Congrats on taking the first step. Being banded isn't the easy way out and you will no doubt hear that it is from a lot of uninformed people. I say ignore that type of information. When banded You must follow lots of rules with regard to eating, portion control and food selection if you want to be successfull however it can offer a long term solution if you work with our band instead of fighting it. Best wishes as you make your decisions.

At home I used baby utensils in the beginning to get used to small bites. At restaurants I didn't but I made sure to make myself eat properly. I thought it was a wonderful idea!!! Two year later I will still grab a baby fork or spoon occasionally with Pasta or a slider food liked mashed potatoes. Nothing wrong with it

After day 5 I was just dandy... Headaches gone, hunger not even too bad...it's like my body got used to the nutrition I was feeding it and adapted. It was hard of course just the fact of not eating but every day I would step on the scale and it was a smaller number than the day before so I was a happy camper.

That is the truth. Being in the green zone just means you cannot eat as much of it. Our heads didnt get banded... our stomachs did. Nothing except willpower will stop your hands from putting M&Ms in your mouth.

Sounds like you are doing great ....congratulations .lF you eat proportionally you shouldn't worry about getting into old habits.... that's the beauty of the band! As for what your friends think or say remember most people don't have a clue about weight-loss surgery. Unless they are obese they can't understand what you are thinking and feeling as much as they might want to try. That said what they're saying is surface stuff it really has no bearing on you you and your Journey. Unfortunately in this society everybody is focused on looking like a supermodel or reality star... so their comments are in line with that way of thinking I wouldn't worry about it too much Best wishes for a successful journey

I am maintaining so am not as strict as I was during the losing stage.... So I ate proportionally and didn't lose and didn't gain. I love my band!

I am sure they can...it's just a pain.... But on a side note my tummy is still flat and my boobs look like they were photoshopped....LOL

Thanks very much... At least my incissions look amazing

My day started out typical...until I left work for a 1045 a dr appointment. My plastic surgeon has been concerned about the bleeding from my belly button that started almost 2 weeks after my tummy tuck.....but stopped since I saw him Monday. For precaution he wanted to check me out anyway. Last night I thought I was in the clear...no bleeding, minimal swelling... But I went anyway because I am a firm believer in following drs orders. And this morning there was a small amount of blood and swelling above the incision line. Immediately the dr noticed the swelling and decided to make 3 tiny incisions, pack them with gauze and let me drain for 24 hrs. Once he did that.... He said that would redirect the belly button bleed but my body has a mind of its own because it didn't work. After another 15 minutes of push and trying to figure out where is drainage was coming from he decided to send me accross the street to the hospital for an ultrasound so he could see exactly where they pockets of blood were. Keep in mind this drainage isn't too unusual...it's not life threatening... its just messy and inconvenient. But the fact it didn't stop once he made the cuts concerned him. So he called the radiologist ...you know the one doctor who you never meet but sends you a bill for reading your radiology reports.....LOL Anyway they saw me right away...which was a little concerning to me ....but comforting too. I hop on the table and the tech starts to do the ultrasound and finds two dark spots on either side of the belly button...not under the muscle....just under the skin. I also saw my port which looked pretty!!! The tech called in the dr who assured me he just spoke to my plastic surgeon and he was going to aspirate them.....or try too. Basically that means to take a needle and stick it in the dark spot and try to suck it out. The dr called the spots blood clots or hematomas. After i heard the blood clot word I asked him how concerned I should be. He said they were not in arteries or veins so not life threatening. He said they are not unusual and they would eventually be absorbed by the body but they would just as soon get rid if them. He brought out a 5" needle and plunged into the larger clot. Nothing. It was so think he couldn't suck it out. He said he needed a bigger needle. I equated that to JAWS...we are going to need a bigger boat! The larger needle didn't help....he got about an Inch up the needle and it stopped. Too thick. He did get a little to send to the lab to rule out anything funky but he decided to move to the smaller one. That one came out lick a dee split. One down..one left.... The radiologist called my PS and told him what's was up and they decided to let me go and let the drains do their thing tonight and I go back in the morning to clean the drainage and decide what to do with the remaining clot. I was uncomfortable but had to go back to work to clean up stuff which I left...considering I was gone 4 hrs and only prepared for one!! I was walking a little funny but finished out my day and drove home. My PS called me on the way home to see how I was doing... And to tell me what he and the RAD discussed... So tonight I am lying in bed...resting and being really mad at my body for keeping this old blood as a souvenir from my surgery....

For a for all three procedures done at the same time it was about 15k. My dr wasn't the cheapest but I believe based on the results one of the best. I didn't feel like this was the time to skimp on quality. I wanted the best.

It sounds like you did not get any support so my first suggestion would be to find a doctor who will help you start over without surgery. Then you need to realize that in order to lose weight you must eat a reduced amount of calories so hopefully the new Dr will offer you a solid food plan for you to follow. Please get the help you need... its a shame to waste your band.

Congratulations!!!How long do you have to be on this diet? Will a preop diet be different?

MY band is tight in the morning too... I think its common. I was doing a shake in the morning... but then the Dr suggested I drink a hot beverage and then have my breakfast at my desk about 10a to avoid the shake so I started doing that about 4-5 months ago and actually that is working ok. Its may not for everyone of course which is why I always suggest checking with the Dr.

I agree with your concept but essentially a lot of people are obese because they are lazy and choose fast and convenience foods over preparing healthy alternatives which can be just as cost effective. I was the queen of convenience....and paid the price for it. Now I manage my time and food budget more effectivly and actually spend less.

I found I lost consistant and very well at 1000. My dr started me off at 1500 and that wasnt working so we altered it. I would discuss it with him first because your activity level plays a big part in it.