Lori Voss Green

If I am still feeling icky tomorrow, I'll be calling the doctor. Hopefully I wake up tomorrow feeling better!

I think mine is mostly due to the amount of swelling I still have. The incision for the port has been pretty sore for me as well. I've been reading on here about some people going back to work pretty fast....each person is different obviously. How is your pain right now?

I have AND work for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois. You'll want to ask first off if your policy covers the surgery. If it does, you'll need to know what criteria needs to be met to be approved. I'd also ask if you have to use certain doctors/facilities. Check for any pre-existing waiting periods as well. I would just call the customer service # and let them know you are interested in learning what your benefits are for the surgery, what you have to do to get approved, etc.

Anytime! I hope you are able to get the answers you need!

It all depends on your policy. Some people have a pre-existing waiting period on their policy, some don't. It's up to the group (who you have the insurance through...employer for example) to decide if there is a waiting period. I would definitely just call the customer service # on your insurance card and ask what your benefits are for bariatric surgery....as well as if there is any kind of waiting period.

Not having any kind of back pain or urination problems. Just sorta blah all over.

I actually work for an insurance company. I would suggest starting there...call them to see if your policy covers the lap band surgery. If it does, find out what their pre-approval criteria is. Once you have that information, then look for a doctor who is in network with your insurance and go for a consult.

My doc had me on a 2 week preop diet. For me it was a protein shake for breakfast, 100 calorie snack, protein shake for lunch, 300-350 calorie/20-25 carb dinner, then another 100 calorie snack. The main focus was to shrink the liver, but also to get used to not eating as much. I lost 12 lbs in that 2 weeks.

As I posted on another thread, I went back to work today but it was short lived. Lots of pain from just sitting at my desk, so I am off the rest of the week. However, this afternoon I have just felt.......well........not good. I ache all over, nauseous (but not from eating), chilled, bit of a fever. I'm not sure if this is surgery related or me just coming down with something. Another thing, I have had hiccups all afternoon as well. Random, small hiccups. Does this sound surgery related to anyone?

I gave up pop during my preop diet. I was terrified because I get migraines when I go without caffeine. I found Crystal Light Energy that has caffeine in it, and I put that in my water. However, now that I've had surgery, that doesn't even taste good. So far I haven't felt the craving for pop and haven't had caffeine withdraw headaches. I am too chicken to even TRY carbonation now that I have the band. I don't want to mess anything up, and I also don't want to get a taste of it and get addicted again.

Thank you all for the support! I guess I just didn't expect the pain that I've had with this surgery. Tracy.....so how did you like Dr. Rohrscheib? So far everyone there has been super helpful and great to me.

I am about an hour from Champaign, in Hoopeston. You?

Tonyann.....thank you! I just feel like a wimp, especially hearing of other people going back to more physical jobs quickly.

Thanks! I just feel like such a wimp right now. In the last year I have broken an ankle, been hospitalized with 2 blood clots, had a hysterectomy, and now the lap band. I sorta thought I could bounce back from this surgery quickly with no problems. I guess I overestimated myself.

Man, I must be a baby! LOL All I was doing was sitting and the pain was just horrible. The incision for the port just looks nasty to me, but the nurse assured me it's "normal." She said there is an awful lot of swelling still. How long did everyone else have excessive swelling?

Oh, I do not blame you at all! I work there & I was impatient, calling constantly to check on it! I was actually approved in May but couldn't take the time off for surgery until August, so I knew there was no rush on my approval, yet I was checking in all the time until I got the word that it's a go. After all this is OUR health we're talking about.

It has been 8 days since surgery. Today was to be my 1st day back to work. I work for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois....sitting at a desk for 10 hours talking on the phone. I figured how hard would it be to go back and sit all day? Harder than I thought apparently. I had to sit in the break room while waiting for OCC Health to approve my return to work. I was there about an hour & the pain in my stomach/incision area was horrendous. I started shaking & broke out in a cold sweat, and I felt horribly nauseous. I ended up calling the nurse while I was waiting. She said it's more than likely due to all of the swelling that I still have, and sitting in an upright position puts pressure on it, which causes in the increased pain and symptoms associated with it. They went ahead and extended my FMLA through the end of the week. Hopefully by Monday the swelling will have decreased and the pain will be gone. Right now I am laying in bed with an ice pack on the incision. Not sure if I tried going back to work too soon....or I am just the world's biggest baby.

Mine is my 16 yr old daughter, Ashlyn. I want to be here to see her graduate from high school. I want to see her graduate from college. I want to see her follow her dream of being an English teacher in South Korea. I want to see her get married and have children. I want to see her enjoy her life. :wub:

I work at BCBS of IL and all of the BCBS companies are different. It sucks that you are having such a hard time getting approved. I don't know about the other companies, but BCBS of IL no longer requires the 6 months of nutrition/Weight Watchers/etc. I am seeing an increase in members getting approved and getting approved quickly. I hope your BCBS gets on the ball for you and you are able to get approved quickly. It's definitely frustrating to have someone/something keeping you from your goal. Good luck!

Thanks, Tricia! The shakes and the soups just get old so fast.

Same here......while I was very worried that surgery would be put off, the idea that I might have something wrong with my heart had me terrified. It was also a wake up call......because had there been something wrong, I am sure the cause would have been my weight.

It has been one week since I had surgery. I was nervous about going to the follow up appointment. I've been feeling pretty depressed and just not very positive the last few days. This appointment was exactly what I needed! They took the tape off and the incisions are all looking good. The huge incisions for the port looks nasty to me, but apparently to them it looks good, so we'll go with that. I am down 16 lbs in the last 3 weeks. There is still a lot of swelling around the port, and it's still really sore. The best part of the appointment was being told I can move on to soft/pureed foods!! Part of the depression I think was just getting so sick of soups and liquids. Of course I can't go all out, but potatoes and cottage cheese are like Heaven to me right now! I was so happy to get to eat a banana, it's crazy how happy it made me. I go back in 5 weeks for my first fill. She told me not to worry if I come back then and am only down a couple of pounds, since there is still a lot of healing to do. I don't think I'll be happy if that happens though. I realize it takes time, but I hope to see more than 2 lbs in the next 5 weeks!

I am one week post op, and it came down to me finding out the day before if I was having surgery. My EKG came back showing signs of a possible recent heart attack. I was floored, and terrified as well. I had nothing happen to indicate to me that I could have had a heart attack. The results came in on Thursday the 2nd, and I was scheduled for surgery Tuesday the 7th. My primary doctor was great and got me in with the cardiologist the very next day, which was Friday. I had to wait all weekend not knowing if I had a heart problem and if my surgery was cancelled. I was on the phone calling the doctor first thing Monday morning. The Echo that they did came back perfect, not a thing wrong. They said 9 times out of 10 when an EKG shows something like that, it is due to a misplaced lead. It is definitely a scary thing, but I am so glad everything came back ok for you!

Thank you! You all are seriously awesome! I do not know anyone personally who has had this done, so I have felt pretty alone in this. It's nice to know I'm not!