NWgirl

if you have been with your pcp for a long time, it would he good if they would write a letter saying it's beneficial. The insurance company is actually the one who reviews and decides if it's medically necessary. some insurances also require you go through a center of excellence. It's best to get as much information backing up your struggle with weight loss. I got a letter from my pediatric Dr who I saw from birth-20 (I am 23 now) showing growth chart and diet attempts. I also wrote up a list of diets i've done over the years. The more you provide the surgeon with, the more they send to insurance, and the more likely you are for approval.

the surgeon, when they verify coverage and when they submit for pre-authorization.

authorization means that the surgeon who will be performing the surgery submits for pre-authorization from the insurance company. The insurance company will then decide based on what is submitted if the surgery is medically necessary. some insurances require a 3 or 6 month supervised diet, so I would call back ans ask what the specific requirements are.

Oxycodone tablets.

For the first few stages (liquids, full liquids, mushies) it doesn't matter because those things go right through the band. When you get to normal foods, you will need to practice not drinking before or after.

You could even make your own mayo at home. I personally use Best Foods light mayo. To me, it still tastes right but isn't full of calories.

Yeah, I've been truly fortunate in that I was back to normal a couple days after surgery. Who did you go through? How has it been so far?

you could look into Fills Center USA for fills. It is seemingly uncommon for Dr's to want to take on any patient that is not their own, no matter where you got banded. I'm guessing it's due to the possibility that surgery could not be correct, etc and they don't want someone else's mistake. I read there is a guy in Colorado who does the surgery around the Mexico price. It may be easier to get the band from a U.S. Dr and then say you relocated.

I know some Dr's will... Specifically, B52's Dr told him he would do just that if the liver was not right. I have also heard they may open you open like in traditional surgery with some large single incision vs laproscopically if they feel they cannot operate safely. if you are cheating now, ask yourself why and start working on the emotional side of it. You will be doing full liquids after surgery for a week or two, and it is imperative that you not cheat then because of the stomach healing.

Hi there, I am in the Portland area and have been banded since March 20th. I'm not too far ahead of you

weeks 1-2: full liquids week 3: pureed week 4: mushies week 5-6: soft foods with slow reintroduction of normal foods. some Dr's vary greatly in diet. The above was mine for the first 6 weeks.

I would say set a timer every 15 minutes to prompt you to drink as you need to get that water in. As for the food, it will come.

looking back at my food logs, I only got a couple hundred calories the two days after surgery. On day 3, I was around 600. Are you unable to drink the volume or are you unable to get anything down?

The shoulder is gas pains. Only way to ease that is to walk a lot.

I had the same pre-op as you. I followed low fat for about two weeks, then the last week I chose on my own to do two protein shakes, two greek yogurts, and one protein bar a day til the day before surgery.

I tried the chocolate and vanilla jay robb and those definitely had an aftertaste that I couldn't stomach, almost like soapy residue. The dreamsicle is the only one that did not have it.

Jay Robb tropical dreamsicle powder is a nice treat. The other drink I did was the Premier nutrition pre-mixed chocolate from Costco. I know they have a vanilla too, but I personally thought it was bad.

Yeah, it's a pretty crappy situation. You need the meds to help out the brain, but then they screw up your body. It's been pretty hard on my bf because he was always a really skinny guy before the meds... Keep your head up. I'm sure you'll get there soon

the bathroom issue happened to me about day 4/5 and I was literally running to the bathroom for a day. It was almost like the my intestines were waking back up. It was not pleasant but passed fairly soon.

If you get a Ninja, go to Target. They have the 700 watt Ninja pulse on sale for the same price right now and it comes with three blender cups. I had originally purchased the Walmart 550 watt one too, and just happened to be in Target near the blenders right afterwards Also, make sure to get Protein drinks with enough protein. If you're doing Slimfast, get the low-carb kind. I personally recommend the Premier Nutrition chocolate pre-made shakes- they have 30g protein, low carb, low fat, 160 calories. I found if I got 80g+ protein per day I was not starving.

Good luck!

How exciting!

You could use sugar free syrups if you're wanting to have a different taste.

I would check out Trader Joes to see if they have a lower sodium tuna. I love to have tuna because it is so easy to prepare.

That's great! I was banded on 3/20 (no plication) and have been doing good. I did get my TOM two days ago, and cannot believe the crazy food thoughts/cravings going through my head right now. Cannot wait til it's over!!!