n2animals

I'm into week 3 of being banded and I don't feel like I have the band. I don't get my first fill until 6 weeks post op. I haven't had any trouble with the band except I started having a lot of acid reflux/ heartburn which I never had before. I tried Malox, didn't help, now Prilosec and finally relief. Other than that, I can eat anything withou trouble ( I cheated with a couple of bites that's how I know). I have lost 12lbs since the surgery. I don't measure any portions, I am not extremely hungry, I eat less than previously, but not as little as when you get a fill. Does anyone else feel this way? I know I can tolerate regular food, but I am trying to stick to protocol and follow the diet. I just wish my doctor would do fills at 4 weeks! He did say he will put 4-5cc in on the first fill. I heard a lot of people complaining cause their doctor would only do 1-2cc at a time.

I had it happen on Sunday. For me it was very painful, like a sharp pain in my back. I had to rock, walk around, and then my husband patted me on the back several times till it finally went away. It was my first bite of dinner, needless to say I didnt eat the rest of my meal. Went with a shake instead.

I had a problem the getting the protein in at first, the shakes were not appealing. I ended up buying the Costco vanilla ready to drink ( it has 30g of protein), I blend some strawberries, bananas, blueberries with a Lillie non fat milk, then I pour the two together, tastes delicious! I don't blend the protein shake wi the fruit directly as I have found it gets too frothy and makes me feel gassy and bloated.

I feel you. I am in my 2nd week post op, I'm feel hungrier at times and feel like I should be drinking/eating less. I have cheated a little. I'm afraid I'm not going to lose any weight till I get my first fill which isn't till 6 weeks post op. is this normal?

I like EAS as well, but I recently tried Oh Yeah protein shakes and they are by far the BEST tasting shakes I have tried. The bananas n cream was really good as well as the chocolate. The chocolate was a little sweet so I added some skim milk to it. It comes in 14oz and has a 32g of protein and 3G of sugar. In the store it cost almost $4 a bottle. I just found it on amazon and the case of 12 breaks down to $2.60ea. I definitely recommend trying this one. Today I took the bananas n cream rtd shake and blended it with the Costco frozen fruit mix (strawberries, mango, pineapple, papaya), it was so good.

You look great!

I also had a hernia repair and went back to work after 5 days off.

It does vary by individual. I just had my surgery done this past Thursday evening (1/26). I was planning on returning to work on Monday, but still felt pretty tired towards the afternoon. I returned to work today. I am also in sales, but I am working from the office for the next day or two and taking it slow. I feel fine, some pain here and there. The main thing for me is the lack of energy towards the afternoon. I think it has to do with the reduced calories. I would definately do more telemarketing when you return and slowly go back into cold calling the offices.

I had surgery on 1/26. The worst part is the gas pains and shoulder pains. They are starting to ease up. I have no appetite at all. I have mostly just been drinking Water. I have had several episodes of nausea and dry heaving. The medication for nausea and the liquid pain killers are both soo sweet, I hate taking them. I am allowed clear broths and Protein shakes. the Protein Shakes taste extremely sweet too. Is this normal? I have to mix them with milk to take away some of the sweetness, but then I double the amount I need to drink for the protein. Any suggestions? I also keep having a weird feeling in my esophagus when I lay down, I don't know if it is heartburn, or what. It's not painful, just uncomfortable. Did anyone else have this?

Thank god, I believe the gas pains are over. I tried a heating pad and it made it even more excruciating. I finally got at least 60g of protein in today. It has taken all day. I have been mixing half the protein shake with half skim milk and then blending it with a frozen banana. It's not to sweet and is filling.

I just got my approval from Cigna on my first try! I am so excited, I can't wait to meet with the surgeon and set the date.

That's great news! You need to check with your particular insurance plan to see if they require a 6 month diet, I don't believe so if your bmi is over 40, but best to double check.

The language was very clear on mine as well that it was not covered, but again, after checking deeper, it was covered and that exclusion was apparently wrong information. I understand how you feel. I was thinking before the ony way for me was to self pay and I definately couldnt afford it. Good luck to you!

No problem, whatever it takes to get answers. Let me tell you a little bit about my process, maybe you may have to dig deeper. I started thinking about lapband surgery a little over a year ago. I was on my companies Cigna ***. I was prepared to switch to our PPO when open enrollment came around so that I could start this process. I looked at our companys plan and exclusions and right there it stated that they do not cover any type of weight loss surgery even if you have health related issues. I was so heart broken. I still asked a company to look up my information and was told "yes" it was covered. I asked them if they were sure and read the exclusion I had on my plans forms, they then told me "no" then it is not covered. Bummed again. So then I checked my husbands insurance, they covered the surgery...yippee! The downside was that I needed to wait over 4 months before I could get on his insurance during open enrollment. So I waited. I was very impatient, started seeing some different doctors for opinons for when I could do the procedure. As it came closer to switching, I decided to check with Cigna directly and I was told it was covered under *** & PPO. To get further clarification, I emailed our HR coordinator who was in charge of the coverage, she told me yes, indeed the surgery was covered and emailed me a copy of the coverage which laid out all the requirements I must complete to be approved. I was so elated, I decided to still switch to PPO since it was open enrollment already and I just felt it might be easier than ***. I had lapband VIP call and verify coverage. They were told i was not covered that it was excluded. I told them yes it is covered and emailed the copy of the policy with the requirements. They called back and found out it was covered, but only with an in-network provider (which lapband vip wasnt). They worked with an in-network provider so then they would approve that. Had I known all this in the begining, I would have been banded by now. It took alot of research, time, and persistance. I am not saying that it will work out for everyone in the end, but dont take the first "no its exlude" as bible. Keep digging and make sure that is the case. My plan specifically said it was exculed, but turns out that was wrong or old information. Good luck to you and everyone else out there on this journey. Sorry this was so long winded.

I just met the surgeon yesterday and I am scheduled to have my lap band surgery on January 26th!!! I am so excited, I cant wait. I keep thinking of all the things I need to do to prepare for after the surgery. I am happy that I dont have to do a liquid diet prior to surgery. Right now I am making a list of things I want to eat before I cant anymore, sushi and steak & lobster are on the top of the list. Can anyone recommend a good pre-mixed canned Protein shake?

Congratulations on your surgery date! No, he is not requiring me to do a liquid diet prior, that is why I want to eat all the good stuff before I cant and start fresh with a healthier diet!

Congratualtions to you to! Thanks for the reccomendation, I want to try several and see what I like best.

They go by your initial weigh-in prior to the diet. I was worried about that to. They do tell you "unofficially" to try not to lose to much weight during that 6 months. I fell just below 35BMI on my final weigh in but was approved. The 6 months supervised diet was really nothing. I received a call monthly asking me how I was doing on my diet, did I make any changes to the foods I was eating, was I excersing, did I remember to chew my food slowly, etc. I never actually saw a dietician. They would also asked me what I weighed every month. I would love to tell you not to worry, but that is all I did till I received my approval. Again, just make sure you have all your ducks in a row prior to submitting! Good luck to you!

My appointment with the surgeon is scheduled for January 11th. I am so excited and hope I can schedule the surgery date at that time!

Yes, I had to do the 6 month supervised diet, but it really did go by quick. They actually are not hard to get approval from if you have everything they require. I was very nervous that I would get denied. I was just at a 35BMI and was diagnosed with sleep apnea. I thought because I was on a lower side it would be tougher for me. I read all of their requirements over and over. I made sure I had fulfilled them all prior to submission. I was required to be at least 35BMI with 1 co-morbidity (check), 6 month supervised diet (check), psych. Analysis (check), and have a letter from a doctor other than the lap band doctor stating I was a candidate for the surgery (check). The letter took me the longest to get as I waited till the last minute. They submitted to my insurance on 12/13, and I got the approval call and letter from cigna yesterday stating that I was approved. I thought it was pretty quick with all the holidays to get the approval. Again, just make sure you have everything prior to submitting, they are quick to deny if you don't submit everything together, at least that is whAt I heard. Good luck to you!

I just found out I was finally approved by Cigna for my lap band. I need to meet with e doctor and then I will get a date for the surgery. I am so excited and can't wait. I am having the surgery at Cedar Sinai with Dr. Samuel Kashani. Has anyone used him before? The doctor was just changed due to insurance coverage so I don't know much about him.

I finally finished my 6 month supervised diet and my information was submitted to Cigna last Tuesday. They requested additional information from the provider yesterday. Hoping to hear something by the end of the week. I am hoping for an approval for Christmas!!!

Hello all you bandsters, I have a question for you. After you have surgery, can you take medication while on your liquid diet? I have a Thyroid condition and my doctor will allow me to get the surgery, however, she is requiring that I take beta blockers a week before and after the surgery to be safe. Can I do this???

Thanks everyone for all your responses. I just needed clarification since my endocrinologist was unsure. She has given me the green light to have the surgery. I am finished with my 6 month supervised diet at the end of this month and then they will submit everything to the insurance. I am crossing my fingers to get approved the first time!

I just had my sleep study done Friday night. It will be a week until I get the final results, but the preliminary results from the technician is that I don't have sleep apnea. I am so upset because without a diagnosis, my insurance will not cover the lap band. I really believed I had it. I had a lot of the classic symptoms. I am looking to buy a house in the next several months so I can't pay for the surgery out of pocket. I need to wait till after I close escrow to finance the surgery. How much does the procedure cost if financed? What financing company did you use?