TXNurse77

Total cost of all preliminary tests, labs, x-rays, etc was $9,900 and included unlimited office visits for the first year for seeing the surgeon just for a follow-up, fills, or anything d/t complications.

I applied to CC for a $10,000 line of credit. So I had to be very careful to pay a little ahead before my first pymt was due because the interest would have put me over the limit.

Okay so, as of today I owe $9,831.83 and my minimum payment due is $235.00 (second pymt). I paid extra on the first payment. I sent in $300.

Anyhow, the Regular APR is 26.99%, however I signed up for a fixed pymt reduced APR of 14.90%. But they have an even sweeter deal if you can afford it - 0% interest if paid in full in 6, 12, and 18 months.

So, really if you have to finance it through CC for 60 months you really want to try your best to make extra payments to help lower your OOP costs. If I paid just the monthly payment my band would end up costing $13, 957.00 over 60 months.

I thought this bit of info would be helpful to anyone who was looking around for a way to finance their band. Everyone's needs and budgets will be different. Good luck, and if you want it bad enough you will find a way to get it in time.

There's a big fat nasty bottle of Bariatric Advantage "Wild Berry" presently sitting on our microwave with maybe 20-30 missing. NASTY stuff! I did get to sample the Lemon though, after complaining about them to my Surgeon. I do like the Lemon. Wish this stuff wasn't $40/bottle.

Oh My Goodness! Bahaha.

Yes, please do a little landscaping down there. Just get in the habit of doing it often and you will find it so much easier to maintain. You never know when someone will see you.

Every catheter I put in and someone is grown out like jungle vines...my mind screams.

Everytime I see pubes coming out of the sides of someone's panties looking like spider legs...my mind screams.

Everytime I palpate or listen to someone's abdomen and their pubes are growing upward of their abdomen and I have to be very careful my stethoscope doesn't land on them...my mind screams.

LOL! I'm not typical medical staff who just ignores things. I'm a bit on the OCD side and notice everything, making mental notes all the way!

I am 4 weeks post-op today and had pictures taken of myself this morning (I also did the night before surgery) and WOW!! I don't feel like I had lost all that much weight or slimmed down that much, but seeing the pictures put me in a GREAT mood!! I would highly suggest everyone do the same to actually see the progress being made. :-)

You look amazing!! Congrats!!! :Banane23:

81 lbs!! CONGRATS!!!!:party:

Oh yeah, I cheated. I only did the Pre-Op diet for 8 days. I had 2 Beefy 5 layer burritos from Taco Bell one day. 2 Days before surgery I made some homeade Dos Equis beer battered onion rings and they were huge, ate about 5 of them. The DAY BEFORE, lol..I had a chicken breast from chicken Express minus the skin and a big chocolate chip cookie.

My Surgeon showed me a picture of my liver and said he was pleased at how well I did on my pre-op. Hahaa.

I honestly believe they put us on the diet knowing we may cheat some that even if we are compliant 75% of that time we're still by far better off than doing nothing at all.

Everyone is different on how fast the Gas leaves their body so I would not be surprised if you still have some lurking around. Walking, staying hydrated, and doing range of motion exercises with your arms and shoulders (windmills and rolling your shoulders) really is the best way to get rid of gas pains.

I will tell you about my issue I had this past week. I was on my 4th day post op and was so uncomfortable. I kept blaming it on gas pains and I was having bad pains in my ribs upon breathing in/out. I called my Dr's office just to let them know what was going on and they asked me to come in so they could look at the band under the x-ray and possibly get an unfill. The saline the Surgeon put in when testing my band was 1 cc and there was air in there also. All of that got removed. I kid you not, I felt instant relief in my stomach and all of my muscle tightness went away. The nurse said I was WAY TOO TIGHT. I still have the rib pains just not as bad and I was told I would need a rib adjustment for that. So, I just try to tell everyone now to use their instinct on whether it is true gas pain or they believe it may be something else. It doesn't hurt to call the Dr. to find out.

I'm 9 days post-op and it does get more tolerable and better each and every day. Hang in there!

Oh yes. The band manufacturer says its not their fault I have "defective" band, they are not paying for it

That's ridiculous...

What has your Surgeon said about this?

It's pretty normal when you blend the shake. Try stirring it with a spoon in the bullet to break up the air bubbles.

I did that and within a minute the bubbles came back.

I'm using a magic bullet and have noticed I'm getting about 2" of air floating above the shake. I used 1 scoop of Jay Robb, 1/2 cup canned sliced peaches, 1 cup 1% milk, and 4 ice cubes. I have to keep the bullet pulsating for 20-30 seconds minimum to puree the peaches since I'm only 8 days post-op.

What am I doing wrong or is there a fix to this besides putting it in the fridge and waiting for the air to dissipate?

Never in my life did i think that this whole Lap Band thing would be so bad........ it sucks! i have never been in so much pain and discomfort, but i am trying to find the positive in this but it is just so hard. i hope it works as well as they say today is 6/8/11 and it has only been 7 days since my surgery and i still have the worst GAS pain ever. in the back of my mind i kind of wish i would have never got this done......PLEASE HELP! anyone with tips or advice please let me know because i need help all i want to do is cry.

I am also 7 days post-op and it has been rough for me. I also have cried, screamed, and yelled that if I knew it was going to be like this I sure wouldn't have had it done and I could have found something else to spend our $10k on.

But... When I calm myself down and think about it with a clear head. I realize I haven't bounced back as quickly as people told me I would. I have healed little by little each day. I haven't been able to get my Protein shakes in and all the other things my Dr wants me to do. I have been lucky to get in 16 oz of Water and a little bit of full liquids of some sort. Take it one day at a time. We will get there. I will be your support since I know how you feel. The gas hurts like a sob, we're tired of being in pain, and all we want is some freakin normalcy back in our lives. And how will we get that? CLAIM IT. Even if it's one thing. Yesterday I layed claim to the fact that nothing else may get done but I was going to sit down at the table and have dinner with my husband and then get a shower. That was all that got done by me all day yesterday and that is OKAY!

So for the gas pains, maybe starting out with a warm shower tomorrow morning, gentle stretching techniques (like windmills) with your arms, use your incentive spirometer, walking a little bit further than you did today, and roll your shoulders back and forth. Little steps and we'll eventually get to where we need to be.

This is like a really bad sunburn. We're miserable while we have it but once we start to get better little by little each day and the burning stops we forget about the level of the pain we were in at the beginning of the burn.

I was banded 6.2.11 and I'm looking for a buddy that was recently banded as well with 100 lbs or more to lose also. Would prefer to find a buddy in Fort Worth, but all in DFW welcome!

I thought you had to wait six weeks post opp for your first fill. I am so ready for mine. I am three weeks post surgey and still haven't had a fill.

I didn't think there was anything in my band but apparently there was. The nurse said they put some saline in during operation to check the band and some gets left behind for whatever reason.

Anyhow, I feel great today and no rib pain thus far today so maybe I won't have to go for a rib adjustment on Thursday.

I am 13 days out from surgery. I had my first follow up with my doctor today. He suggested I get a fill in the next week or two. I'm glad because I do not feel any restriction and I am often hungry.

What should I expect? Does the fill hurt? I hate needles. I understand I have to drink that crap and have another xray. How does it feel after fill when you eat?

I am only able to tell you what the needle part feels like since I had an unfill today. I'm a nurse, I hate needles. But I don't mind giving injections to other people. Ha! I had a lot of anxiety today over finding out that my nurse wanted me to come in stat for an unfill (complications). I had to sit on the table for a minute and have me a little pow wow session before proceeding on. I felt no pain. I did feel pressure but it was not bad at all. I really laid there thinking this was a walk in the park. My nurse kept apologizing, saying that this was going to be very tender feeling (so close to sore incisions) but it wouldn't be like this for my next fill. I assured her she wasn't hurting me at all.

Hopefully your fill will be the same for you and you get the restriction you need. Good Luck!

Just made it home from the Dr's office and the nurse unfilled my band completely which resulted in taking out 1 cc of saline and the rest was air. She said I was way too tight. This helped a lot, however I am still having pleuralsy type pain in my left ribs. I am to go back on Thursday afternoon for my Dr. to make a rib adjustment. We'll see how that goes. I also got a steroid shot today in my right arm. While my husband and I was there another couple came in for the same thing. My husband recognized this couple, the gentleman was banded right after me that morning. He went the day after surgery and had 1/2 cc removed and back today with complaints for the rest to be removed.

Thank you both for your input. I think now it's just time to rest myself again.

I haven't been able to breathe well since awakening from surgery. I feel like I have BAD pleuralsy upon breathing in and out. I started getting a tight feeling in my upper chest above my breasts today and my throat feels a little tighter. I've put this off on gas pains. I feel dizzy and unstable when I try to balance myself today.

I just called my Dr's nurse and she asked when I could be there to remove any amount of saline that the Dr. put in because it sounded like I had swollen up more than they had expected?? I'm freaking out and beginning to question if this was the right choice for me. This is so discouraging and I'm in tears over this.

I really need any positive thoughts, prayers, and vibes right now, please.

Hi MissMary,

I'm 3 days post-op and I can feel an uncomfortable feeling around my liver also. All of my other pains and symptoms have dulled besides the pain I am feeling in my liver area. In fact upon breathing in and out it feels as if a few of my ribs have been removed. I have been "guarding" that area too when I'm walking and getting ready to lay down flat until I can get still in the bed.

I'm not sure what your Dr. recommended regarding sex, but mine was 3-4 weeks or as tolerated. I see you are at a 3 1/2 week mark already. Maybe call your Dr's office in the morning to express your concern about this and to make sure it is normal.

Hang in there and speedy healing!

I'm from the South where we take pride in what we cook. The bigger the feast the better! That was my old way of thinking before getting the band. I love food. I love preparing food for others. Today (3 days post op) I made my husband and our neighbors a pan of Peanut Butterscotch chocolate Rice Krispies. Preparing that dessert made me feel good inside. I didn't taste any of it but I know it will put smiles on the recipients faces.

Food comforts my emotions, especially down home southern cooking. When I'm upset or had a bad day it was nothing for me to go to Chick-Fil-A and get a sandwich, fries, and a sweet tea on top of eating my regular Breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I did a lot of fast food dining. Food made me feel whole again when something just wasn't right.

Congrats! Hope you get to feeling better soon.

I'm day 3 post-op and the worst of it for me is the gas pains and staying hydrated.

I was banded yesterday and the surgery went very well. I got to see a picture of my liver and my Dr complimented on how well I did on my pre-op diet. Well, I didn't do that great but still I made a lot of progress.

Some not so smart choices I made during Pre-Op phase.

Only did the diet for 8 days total.

I drank a chocolate Peanut Butter banana smoothie almost daily.

I had Wendy's LARGE chili at least 4-5 times

I had 2 - 5 layer beefy burritos from Taco Bell 2 days after I started.

The Day before surgery I had a bag of animal crackers, a chicken breast from chicken Express with all skin removed.

I'm not proud at all for doing this but reflecting back over this makes me strive harder to do better.

I'm not telling anyone to go eat what they want. I just got dang lucky and I'm sure I could have lost more weight had I followed the diet - 2 Protein shakes daily, either a bowl of Soup or cottage cheese.

I have 3 incisions - 1/2" cut below my breasts in the middle of my chest, a 2 1/2 - 3" incision on the left side abdomen, and directly across from that one another 1/2" cut.

I was banded yesterday morning and I have this awful pain close to the surgical sites that every time I breathe in short breaths it feels like bad pleuralsy. My should is a dull ache to my fingertips and the pain wraps around my back and chest. Very uncomfortable. I've been walking since yesterday to get the gas to movie and the liquid pain killer isn't touching these aches and pains I have.

Can someone tell me what they did to alleviate the pain?

I pursued lap band surgery almost 2 years ago. Jumped through all the hoops, and then 2 weeks before I thought I would be having surgery, insurance sent a letter denying me. Instead of appealing the decision, I let it drop, thinking I could do the weight loss on my own. I have regretted it ever since. I wish I would have appealed it and argued with them til the end. My insurance company stopped covering weight loss surgery as of April 1st, so there is no hope for me to have financial assistance from them now. My only option is to pay out of pocket. Maybe re-fi the house, borrow against the 401K, I don't know. I don't even know what costs estimates are for the surgery. Can people give me a general ideas of costs? I realize it will vary by state but it will give me an idea of what I could be looking at.

Average cost of the Lapband is $9900 in the United States. Some places that are just starting up are offering it for $8900 as an introductory offer. Some people are going to Mexico to have the surgery done and then having their fills done State side. I do not know how much that costs since that was not an option for me. There are plenty of people in the forums talking about it though.

Care Credit is what I am using because we lost our employee health insurance when my husband lost his job this past December. You will get an instant decision online when you apply.

The surgery center I am using next week participates in a 0% interest program with Care Credit if you pay off the balance in 18 months. The plan for doing that is pay the monthly payments, work any overtime I can, and use our 2011 federal tax return to pay this off in that amount of time. We will put ourselves on a more strict budget and our annual vacations will be put on hold for this 18 mo. period. HTH with ideas.

I can't give you any advice since my surgery isn't until next week.

I can tell you that you may want to ask your Dr about changing your Phenergan order from a suppository to a rub on gel that absorbs through your skin. Yes, this is slightly more expensive and will need to be done at a pharmacy that compounds but you don't have to deal with healing from your surgery on top of unecessary routes of meds when there is an easier way.

Hope you get to feeling better soon! Hang in there and Congrats!!