val144

So, then is it simply mind over matter....?

I plan on reading thru all the comments when i have more time, but i wonder since its been awhile, how you feel now....did u get the band out or still have it, did it seem to get better or worse over time????

I still havent had any answers on this, I was going to switch doctors and the one I was going to switch to requires a payment of 250 dollars, if you are a medicaid patient, I was never given a reason for this, but, I was told I had to pay that even to get a consult with him. I asked what if I come for a consult, pay the 250, and change my mind, do I get a refund, I was given dead silence on the other end of the phone, and they couldnt tell me if medicaid will pay for a removal, even though they have done a couple of band removals. The only other info I got was mixed, my surgeons office told me that medicaid will only pay for a couple of fills, while the other doctors office told me they will pay only for the first year, no matter how many you have, and after the first year, you have to pay and its 150 per fill.

They postponed me, my surgery, I mean, due to my un resolved irregular heartbeat, my doc thinks its medicine related, i dont know, but I go for more tests on Aug 31 and for my follow up with the surgeon on Sept 7, if all is clear, he will put me back on his schedule.

have you had your band, i wasnt sure??

Today, on top of everything else I have been dealing with, i.e, postponing surgery so I can have another heart test done. and the fact that I have already done nearly 2 weeks on the pre-op diet, I go to my doctor, because, i felt so sick and my back was hurting so bad...I find out I have a UTI, so Bactrim for the next week. I went to my old heart docs and picked up my test reports from my last echo and stress, I can only make out that there is an arrymthmia present and further testing may be necessary. He had very clearly made sure to put on there he wanted to do a heart cath, but no reason was listed. This could very well be why they approved me. But I called and spoke to my surgeons nurse and he told me to go have the new heart doctor look me over and decide if I need more tests or if I am good to go. This will be August 31, and I go back to my surgeon on Sept 7, if I am good to go then I am hoping for a new date of Sept 15. I lost 6 lbs since I was in her office on Aug 17. If I could stick to the pre-op diet for a few more months I might lose enough I wouldnt need the surgery, lol.

I am six days away from surgery and this morning I get a phone call from the doctors office I had originally hoped to do my surgery. Here is the back story, About a year ago, I attended a seminar of a relatively new surgeon, and I really liked him and hoped to get an appt with him, however, I was told he didnt currently accept my insurance, which is medicaid. So, I began looking for another doctor and found one in a town about 45 miles away. I have gone thru the process of getting my approval and am only days away from surgery, but have been struggling with the decision to have the surgery and if I should take a little more time, get some counseling on my decision, make sure I am both physically and mentally ready. I have recently had a recurrance of an electrical problem with my heart that causes my heart to take longer intervals between beats, it feels like a rise and fall and while I was approved for the surgery, my Cardiologist didnt want to approve me until I had further tests, now, I had been going back and forth the last week about should I have the heart tests and put off the band a while longer until I find out if this recurrance of this heart blip is anything I should worry about or not. So, this morning the doctors office I had gone to to begin with calls and says he is now accepting new patients and I am on his call back list and am I still interested. My heart jumped and I was so excited, then I rememebered, wait, shew, I am already getting ready to have the surgery, I had been asking for a sign and praying and asking friends to pray for me to make the right choice and now I have to wonder, is this a sign? Is this a way for me to take a little more time and really give it some thought, or do I just go ahead and get it done???

I am a medicaid patient and I am here to ask if anyone else is and what your experience has been AFTER surgery? I have a very good friend who had surgery in early 2010, her surgeon left less than a year later. She was referred to a hospital over 60 miles away and even though there were 2 other doctors closer, she was told they wouldnt see her unless she would pay for each visit and each fill would cost her $150 or more, according....She has been 8 months now without a doctor, and this is all because medicaid wouldnt pay for her to go to the closer doctors, now she could go to the one farther away, but so far has chosen not to. But even if she did, she was told that medicaid will only pay for a certain amount of fills. My doctor also told me she had one patient who had to have his band removed after a couple of years and medicaid wouldnt pay for that surgery, without alot of effort and jumping thru hoops, it took the man months to get medicaid to agree that it was a life saving surgery. I am concerned that if any of these things should happen to me after my band, I will be in the same boat. So, does anyone else have medicaid and have you had any problems, Please share.

I am right there with u, I have exactly 6 days until my surgery and I am doing my Protein shakes, but the diet they gave me includes yogurt, canned fruit, bananas and broth. cottage cheese, pop and fudgescicles...so i am not totally starving. but it sucks watching my honey eat manicotti and chicken breasts, which i cooked for him, cause i figure i have to get used to the smell of good food around that i cant have. i have been struggling with my choice to have the surgery and questioning if i should wait awhile longer and get my heart blip checked out or not, and get some psychological counseling first, well last year i had gone to a seminar and the doctor i really wanted to do my surgery wasnt taking my insuracne at that time, but this morning of all times, they call me and tell me i am on his list of call backs and hes taking my insurance now and am i still interested. i am more confused than ever now.

i dont like the term banded....it is too close to branded for me, does anyone else feel like that? like you are labeled, like you had to resort to some intervention to lose weight or get healthy???? i know that is nonsense, cause if you had to have any other type of surgery no one would label you, but with the band, you are a bander, or banded, i just get weirded out by it.

OK, so unless I read this wrong, TUESDAY IS TODAY??? OR NEXT TUESDAY?? I am scheduled for surgery Tuesday, August 30th, and I have been having the same quesitons, I have postponed the surgery once, due to my dog having to have 2 surgeries during that time and I really wanted to be able to take care of him, and also, my Honey had just gone back to work from summer vacation and he needed to give advance notice that he needed to take several days off work. So, they pushed it back 6 weeks, and that is nearly up, and I am freaking out today and have been for a week now and have been struggling with the pre-op diet and sick as ever with worry and stress and asking myself can I, should I, what if I regret it. I hope you will post an update, no one will judge you harshly if you chose to back out or postpone, At least I wont. Please keep me updated, as I am having the same doubts. I go back and forth back and forth, I will, I wont, I will postpone, I will cancel altogether, No, I can do it, No I cant!!!! So, you are not alone.

I am scheduled for surgery on August 30th. I am a medicaid patient, and here is my question for anyone out there who might have an answer. It took me a very long time to get approved, and my insurance approval is good for 6 months, from June 2011 to Dec. 2011, and I was told that medicaid will pay for fills. However, I was told by another medicaid patient that there were restrictions on how many fills they would pay for, and that in the event you wanted the band removed, they would not pay for it, unless you have proof your health is at risk. Does anyone know if this is true.

my surgeon told me he does it the morning after, the xray that is, that i will stay in the hospital the night of my surgery and if my xray goes good and everything goes as it should, i will go home the next afternoon, if not, i will stay another night. where i have pretty bad blood pressure problems, he says it might be necessary to keep me 2 nights.

I have had several surgeries, including gallbladder removal, artroscopic knee surgery, and a lump removal, non cancerous, so I am aware of the tube, and the sore throat afterward, mine didnt last all that long. But then again, I was able to drink all I wanted. I am more curious about the xray after surgery, to check the band, did you have to drink some type of barium or something for that???

"I coudnt take it any longer, Lord I was crazed, when the feeling came upon me like a tidal wave"...So, I had instant oatmeal and toast!!! with butter

I began the 2 week pre-op diet on Sunday, August 14, by the 18th, I had added some chunky soup and I talked to my doctor, who herself is a 2 year lap bander, she told me it was fine to add some more solid food. I had made it 4 days on broth, yogurt, protein drinks and popscicles. She told me I could add some boiled eggs, raw veggies and fruit and she said she even ate tuna right up til a few days before her own surgery. AND SHES A DOCTOR? so, I assume it was ok. I went ahead and ate sparing amounts of tuna, eggs and tomatoes. and turkey. But today, I have gone back to the all pre-op strict diet.

Ok, but what happens to the band? does it just stay right there? I have heard it can errode or even grow down into the stomach??

I spoke to a friend last night, who had her surgery in Feb. 2010, She told me, she hasnt seen a doctor...(since her surgeon left town), in 8 months. She hasnt had any fills in her band. I know about 2 months ago, she was trying to find a new doctor to take her. I dont know what reason she has for not finding a new one, I know she has insurance. Is this soon enough for her to stop getting fills? How long do fills usually continue? She had alot more weight to lose, she didnt give me a reason and I didnt delve, thinking if she wanted to discuss it more, she would have. But, does there come a time when you just stop getting fills? and what happens to the band when you do???

I am feeling a little better today. I have had my Protein drink and banana. My stomach is rumbly tumbly already this morning, dont know what is up with that. But, I feel less stressed. I guess reading others stories and talking to a few made me feel some better. I still have some doubts about it. And I am sure in the next 9 days, I will flip flop back and forth a dozen more times. I have to take the family stress element out of it, I have to set my foot down and make it known this is about me and my life and my decisions and not a time for them to come bringing their neverending petty squabbles. I feel achy all over, my lower back is really hurting, I am hoping it is just from the extra walking yesterday. But I am not all freaked out today. Of course it is really early. Determined, add me, I tried to add you but for some reason it wouldnt go.

I am freaking out as well. I am scheduled for surgery for August 30th, was supposed to have already had it July 15, but had to postpone, because of all things, my dog got very sick and had to have 2 surgeries himself and I just couldnt be stressing about all of this at the same time. I wish every day of my life I had never told anyone, friends or family!!! My mother and father want to come to the hospital the day of my surgery and this is creating even more stress and aggrevation. Because they are both very negative people who make everything about them. Can I just tell them not to come???? I really dont want them there in the waiting area where I will be. I will just get even more stressed. But in all honesty, I am seriously re-considering this decision. I had started my 2 week pre-op diet on Sunday 14th, and by Thursday 18th, I had given in and had some chunky chicken Soup and a few crackers, and it has all been down hill from there, I have drank soda and eaten lunchables and even had some Peanut Butter candy today!!!! How can I be serious about this and expect success to come my way if I am sabotaging my own pre-op diet already??? I am depressed and having heart palpitations and knowing I will fail. I just dont know if I can do this!!!! I hate pain, I hate the idea of needles, I hate the idea of my family being a part of any of this and I hate knowing I will have to drink and not eat and crush meds up to swallow and other than losing some weight, I cant see anything postive about any of this.

Glad to hear you have so far had a positive experience, I am scheduled for august 30th and getting very scared and wondering if I am making the right decision.

Thanks for the replies, after I spoke to the friend today, I realized she said she was put on blood thinners after her surgery. For other reasons, she was only given a blood thinner before her surgery, as many are. I spoke to several friends about this and they all said they werent put on blood thinners post surgery. Only during the surgery itself. I guess I misread, or misunderstood, or jumped ahead of myself. The reality is hitting me I suppose that I am only 12 days from my date, and maybe I am getting a little freaked out. Trying to stick to the pre-op diet, my doctor told me yesterday to ease up a little, I was pretty much living on broth, yogurt, and bananas and Protein drinks for the last 4 days, she told me I can have some eggs and tuna and green veggies as long as I dont have starchy carby foods, or sugary drinks...for the next 4 or 5 days, then i need to go back on the stricter diet. I think my brain was misfunctioning from malnutrition, just kidding.

I was already given approval for my band, my surgery date is august 30, and yesterday, i received a copy of my echo and stress, etc, and the report from my cardiologist from back in May, and it was all good. The report and the ekg nor echo showed any signs of abnormalities or any reason to do further testing. I fear this particular cardiologist saw a patient who really wanted his consent and thought he could use the situation to do unnecessary tests, as he did a relative of mine the same way and she went ahead with the test, using another doctor and was told, everything looked good, no problems. Maybe, just maybe from time to time you run into a doctor who has their own agenda. But thanks for the response, I had another ekg yesterday and no problems were found.