sman342

Smooth Move tea works well. If your constipation turns to diarrhea - don't panic. I thought I had C-diff (google it) from the surgery but it was just the Milk of Magnesia kicking in with a vengeance.

Getting Mirena tomorrow morning at 9:30AM!

The facility I go to doesn't do outpatient.

I had to select between the 2 on my pre-op paperwork. Dr said they were about the same but that Realize had a really good website (that they discontinued in June 2012) and its parent was Johnson & Johnson, an American company. For what its worth....

I have CIGNA too. Fine print says obesity surgery is not covered. Phone rep says not covered. Submitted it just for fun and they are saying I need 3 nutritional and a Dr. recommend. Had surgery before this was settled and don't know where we'll go with this. Whatever you do - just get it in writing because depending on where you reside - CIGNA has different provisions.

I apolgize if you already answered this but I couldn't find it in the thread....did you have the surgery in Mexico. Those prices look very reasonable.

Card? What card? please share.

wow. that looks great. I hear it hurts a lot and you must wear a girdle and no shower for a bit. What was your experience?

Karen - Congrats on the weight loss. Good luck with the surgery. $20K is alot of money but I had a friend give me this analogy to justify PS - you spend more on a car that you have for what, 8 years? But my nose/tummy/whatever, I will have for life. Thanks for sharing the pictures. BTW - my denied surgery is costing me $18K. Fun, fun!!!

I, too, noticed diarrhea with Protein shakes - but I believe its because of the milk. I'm not lactose INtolerant but milk does have a gastric effect on me. I love

I didn't tell anyone - only my spouse. Even my kids think I visited a friend overnight on surgery day. More than being "ashamed" that I had WLS, it's about how I feel being overweight to begin with. Some people are quite forthcoming with their weight, "Ugh, I gotta lose this gut." or "I love Biggest Loser" or "I just started a diet." I'm so self-conscious about my weight, I am never comfortable lamenting about it, as if it is a secret that I am fat. So when it came to surgery - I didn't tell anyone. Just not comfortable with people knowing. Now - that I am on WLS diet, I simply say I'm avoiding carbs, or refuse the food. No, thank you, I'm good. You don't owe an explanation to anyone.

Death isn't the only complication from band surgery, just the most serious one. Personally, I balanced that risk factor with my other co-morbidities - HBP. high cholesterol, sleep apnea, and the quality of life factors - knee problems, etc.

I've been pinned into rides too and wondered, "Geez, it can't be me. Plenty of folks bigger than me walking around this park...." not realizing that none of us fit. Size does matter.

No matter how this one plays out, your mom isn't going to change. So your decision is how you will react to this person in your life. Drawing the boundaries with your mom ("mom, you can't speak like that to Tucker.") would be a start. I know my folks still regard me as 14 years old but when it comes to my kids, that's when I assert myself as the adult that I am.

A great article on ths site, to put this in perspective is "what's so bad about Cheating?" http://www.lapbandtalk.com/page/index.html/_/healthy-living/whats-so-bad-about-cheating-on-the-post-op-r78 My favorite excerpt is " "While it’s true that surgeons’ eating instructions vary widely, you signed on with your surgeon, not your best friend’s. Presumably you chose your surgeon because you and/or your insurance company believe that he or she is well-qualified in laparascopic bariatric surgery. During your psych evaluation, you affirmed that you understand what the surgery involves and that you can and will follow instructions. You nodded when the shrink asked if you’re ready to make all the lifestyle changes needed for success. You nodded when the dietitian asked if you understood your pre- and post-op eating instructions. You scribbled your own name on a sheaf of release papers to indicate that you were informed about the risks involved and despite those risks, gave your surgeon permission to perform surgery on you. In addition to all of that, you spent weeks or months jumping through hoops to prove your need for bariatric surgery. Perhaps you suffered through a six-month pre-op diet. You had lots of medical tests and evaluations, most of them not much fun, because you were so eager to get your weight loss show on the road. You had surgery, suffered some degree of discomfort from your incisions and gas, and finally heaved a sigh of relief because all the struggles are over now. But then you discovered that there are still more struggles to survive because of that stupid post-op liquid diet."