carol285

LOL, yeah Marci, my doctor has you on mushies starting the day after surgery, then for the next month, with solids starting 4 weeks post op.

Frankly I am shocked your insurance paid a much as they did, that seems incredible to me! My surgeon billed around the $20K mark and received about 65% from insurance but I wasn't responsible for any of the difference.

I happen to totally agree with the above post but figured I may not know some particulars about your surgery LOL!!

I have never heard of 3 years of weigh ins & I have HIP/Emblem Health in New York. They did require 6 months of weigh in but it turned into only 4 months when they approved me. They did look at my medical history/files and clearly saw I was overweight my entire adult life so I don't know if that is what they mean for you.

I wouldn't panic as most doctors bill more then insurance companies pay without expecting full payment. Kind of the price for accepting insurance. Of course call doctor on Monday but try not to stress until then!

I had mine the morning after surgery before they discharged me from the hospital. The liquid tasted a bit foal after nothing except ice chips for 12-15 hours but not dreadful. Then test was quick and easy as described above. After mine they sent me back to my room to eat a bit of tuna salad & cranberry sauce then they promptly discharged me

I was in almost your exact position!!! I did 6 months post op no sweat, lost almost 65lbs, then life's complications got me off track. About 2 months prior to my surgery my husband had a massive heart attack followed by 3 heart surgeries & 10 days in a coma. Ironically he was the thin & healthy one! Oh & we also have a teenage son with Autism. Anyway, hubby went back to work but it became clear he needed to apply for medical retirement, which was a long stressful & financially draining thing so I had to get a full time job to supplement. Yes, all these are excuses I let get in my way but we wouldn't be in need of weight loss surgery if food wasn't our comfort of choice. Anyway for the next 9 months I was up/down 20lbs of what I had lost. I couldn't see the doc for 4 months because of insurance issues but in February all was straightened out with that & I decided enough wallowing had happened. I had long chat with doc & told him how much I could still physically eat & he agreed I needed an adjustment big time. That was on February 22, I went for a follow up yesterday & 12lbs are gone!! I am now up to losing 73.5lbs and yes I am bummed I wasted 9 months of weight loss time but the rational side of me says so what. After all I lived 40+ years as a fat person so if it takes me 3 years instead of 2 to become a healthy normal weight person so be it. The way I see it now is everyday is a new chance to get things right PS I agree your Doctor should be more nurturing. I don't mean lie to you that all is well but a little support goes a long way!

Let me say I completely respect peoples decision to keep the surgery a secret even though I don't get it myself. Of all the comments I am more intrigues me is Jess55 who stated she has hardly any fill & doesn't want any! I realize there is a very small percentage of Lap Band patients who never need a fill & I also realize there are Lap Band patients who take it to the opposite extreme and turn it into a strangulation device. However, I hope you know that you may in fact need fills along your journey and they are not something to be viewed negatively.

I drink the GNC Total Lean ready made shakes in vanilla. If I want chocolate I prefer EAS Carb Control ready made shakes that I buy in a case at BJ's. I find the ready made shake more tasty but they do cost a bit more of course. You will find everyone has different preferences so it may be trial & error for you.

I was banded October 25, 2010. I lost 60 lbs by the end of April 2011, then had 9 months of treading water due to my husband's health & his need to apply for a medical retirement from his job with NYC. Let me just say going from an active city employee to a retired one wrecks havoc with your finances & health insurance lol!! I have had to start working full time, also an adjustment with a disabled husband and a son with Autism BUT I realized I needed to continue my weight loss journey all the more now to get stronger/healthier for them. I have been back on track since returning to the doc & getting an adjustment on February 22. I have my next appt in on Wednesday & I am anticipating an approx 8lb loss!

You are doing a great job Zinhaa!! Don't let the silly hunk of metal aka the scale rock your world, like so many things in life it is unreliable LOL!! I see you are from LI, NY, I am from Queens but my doc is on LI. I used NY Bariatric Dr. Holover, who did you use?

You are doing a great job Zinhaa!! Don't let the silly hunk of metal aka the scale rock your world, like so many things in life it is unreliable LOL!! I see you are from LI, NY, I am from Queens but my doc is on LI. I used NY Bariatric Dr. Holover, who did you use?

I've discovered that every doctor has a different pre & post op diet plan, for instance I was on mushies from the day after surgery. As a matter of fact I was not allowed to leave the hospital the next day until they saw me eat some of my tuna salad & cranberry sauce. I did eat carbs post op but in the form of sugar free rice pudding

I have made NO secret of my weight loss surgery & I never intend to. It is only my opinion but if I treat it like a shameful secret that is what it will become. It has taken insurance companies years to start paying for this procedure and many still don't only feeding into the negative image of WLS! I was banded in October 2010 and am currently like 60% done my weight loss. I had some personal life struggles that slowed me down but I am now back on track and moving forward. I was concerned about the negative feedback and I certainly got some along the way but so the f%@k what, there will always be idiots in this world who know not what they are talking about. Let them enjoy their feelings of superiority while we enjoy the true superiority of defeating our weight issues with our new best friend the Lap Band lol!!!

I weigh myself daily but don't get frustrated by the normal ups & downs I see. Women's bodies fluctuate greatly in weight on a daily basis. I can go up/down 3lbs daily for no apparent reason, it just is what it is! If you find it discouraging you should stay away from the scale except at doctor visits, if following the rules progress will more likely to be seen then.

I have absolutely no problems drinking ice cold water morning noon or night so I think this is another example of us all being on the same journey but with a variety of routes! Good luck getting suggestions that work for you

YOU ROCK!!!!!!

Was that the episode with Dr Garber from the NY Bariatric Group on it? I used Dr Spencer Holover who is part of the practice. I had seen it when it aired and if I remember correctly the 2 women featured did seem to eat quite differently. One was much more the soft/mushie kind of foods but the other ate more normally, just small portions. I do think Dr Oz spoke favorably about the proceedure but did have professionals who were for & against for balance to the program.

I was banded 1 year ago this week and my fills have all been done in my doctors office, he did my initial fill himself but since then the PA does them. The doctor is always in the office so I can see him at any time if I feel the PA isn't sufficient but I like that I have developed a relationship with multiple office people. If I have learned anything from these forums it's that there are many many different practices when it comes to this lap band process.

December, I don't know if the band didn't work for you as much as it seems that the doctor didn't!! I have read many many posts here and while every insurance & every doctor has different requirements and protocols, it seems like you had none. For instance my surgeon & insurance required a pre-op with a nutritionist and psychologist & those visits were very informative. Also I was seen 1 week post op then every 4 weeks (or so if I had a conflict) for this past year, I was banded on 10/25/10. At every appointment the PA & I discuss what I eat, how much I eat, how hungry I a, how long I stay full/often I get hungry etc then decide if I need a fill/adjustment. It doesn't sound like your doctor required or did any of that. If you had no real follow up, am I reading that right? It is like you didn't even have the band.

I'm so glad to hear from others who are doing so well! Sure we all wish the weight came off overnight but I think we are all doing great. Any weight loss journey, surgery or not, will have it's ups and downs. Lets just have the downs (on the scale) win

Today is my 1 year anniversary of getting banded & you are both in for an amazing journey, congratulations to you both!!!!!!!!!

I have a very supportive husband who would gladly not bring any food I asked him not to into our home, he is also a recovering alcoholic (sober for 15yrs). Just as he never asked or expected me to never drink in front I him I never ask or expect him not to indulge in front of me. It sucks that we both have these addictions but the reality is that it is what it is & we both face it one day at a time. We find emotional support from each other, even if it is while he is having a cheeseburger & I am having a light beer lol!

What insurance do you have? If you don't mind me asking

Yes, he has Port Jeff too. Not sure if Holover is at the office too or not but worth an ask. I live in Queens so frankly all the offices are equally inconvienent lol!