Kathy1991

Talk to the surgeon. That's ridiculous. Ks

Hi, I was banded on August 27th. I feel great. The stinky part is that I got a bad cold and I whenever I cough "OUCH"!! I go back tomorrow to have my incision site checked. I am STILL on liquids and tomorrow I will advance to mushies. Who knew that applesauce would sound so wonderful!!! Glad you are doing well!! Hope my weight loss is as good as yours! Kathy S.

Hi there, I didn't have BCBS, I had Cigna but my original dates were similar to yours I hate to tell you this, they would not accept them. I had to go for the entire 6 consecutive months. I have faith you can get through those months w/ grace and move to the next phase. Best of luck. Ks

Hi, I was banded on the 27th. I had all your symptoms. The large scar was 'hot' to the touch and I had bruises that were large and also a few popped up after surgery. I am now almost 2 weeks post op and none of my symptoms are still there except the large scar is tender. I still have bruises. You might want to just pop by the doctors office and say "hey, was wondering if someone could take a look at these REAL QUICK". Call first to see if when your doctor is in the office. I hope you get better fast! Kathy S.

Hi there, Your offer for help comesat a perfect time for me. I was banded Aug. 27th. Did you have feelings of panic after you were banded? I woke up last night in a dead panic about what I had done. I finally got myself calmed down. But I had to take more pain medication (because I am in still a bit of pain). I got calm after that. I'm a little better today. Ever feel that way? ks

Hi, Don't you dare be embarrassed. I'm thrilled for you. This change in pain meds seems to have been the trick for me. I'm yelling at my family again, a sign they say surely means I am getting better! :smile:) I do feel much better tonight! I'm so happy for you. Talk to you later. Ks

Hi, Duke was fine. They have been going through a major transition and I think it's about to get alot better. Today I started on liquid 'Lortab'. It's so much better than the oxycodeine because it makes me less sleepy and I can move more. I met w/ Dr. Enochs. He was very good as well. It just so happened everything w/ Duke fell into place right before everything fell into place w/ Dr. Enochs. I would have happily gone through him as well. Duke has a great support system after lapband and I am encouraged about that. I'm still sore this evening, but I don't think it's as bad....in a more positive vein, I feel better. :smile:) Hope you are doing good. I thought your surgery w/ Dr. Moran was the 28th. I must be missing something. I hope everyone else here is doing well. Drop by w/ a note if you get a change. Ks

Hi, so how are you? I am SO sore. I don't know how folks do this. I am so impressed w/ people that come out of the hospital with no pain. My surgery was on Wednesday. I have been on constant pain meds. I am following all the directions. The doctor said if I don't have decreased pain by tomorrow they may want me to come back in and be evaluated. I hope you did better than this. The good news, I am finally able to walk more and have finally gotten on this blog. Talk to you soon. Kathy S.

Hi, when is your surgery again? Are you having it at REX? Mine is tomorrow at Duke. YIKES. I'm excited. Kathy

Hi all, After you had your surgery and were home safe and sound, what type of pain medication did your doctor give you? My surgery is scheduled for Aug. 27 (Yippee!!) and I am trying to make sure I have all of my ducks in a row. I am assuming that the prescription is written as a liquid form? Also, is there a place on this forum that gives recommendations for things I should have at home post surgery (I have heard a heating pad, etc). Thank you all so much! ks :teeth_smile:

Hi, I'm from Cary, NC. My band date is Aug. 27th. I'm nervous and excited. I think 40lb is alot and that you are doing great.... Ks

Hi Shelly, I have cigna. I was about the same as you when I found out I had to have the 6 month diet thing. I started seeing a 'behavior management' doctor so that I could start preparing myself for surgery and before I knew it, my 6 months was up. I have been working at getting approved and getting a surgery date since LAST June. I got all my requirements in, my surgeon scheduled a date for Aug. 27th, and then Cigna said I was missing a note of intent from my PCP saying that he thought I should have surgery. They also didn't have the 6 month history, but my PCP just hadn't faxed it. Also, the surgeon I went to decided to do a gallbladder scan and then I needed my gallbladder out (gall stones). It's been a nightmare. My PCP finally faxed the letter of intent and Cigna is re-evaluating my case and I am still scheduled for surgery the 27th, but Cigna hasn't said I am definately approved yet. It's been one heck of a ride. I am supposed to call Cigna back tomorrow and then if they don't have the approval yet, I am supposed to call next week. If it all pans out, it's only 20 days until surgery. My knees just became weak. I wish you the very best. I know how disappointed you must be that you can't get your approval sooner. Everyone says the 6 months goes fast and yet, nothing we say will make you feel better. I totally sympathize. Take care, Kathy S.

Hi all, I'm Kathy, I have 2 children, a daughter, 12, going into the 7th grade and a son, 10, going into 5th grade. My husband and I have been married for 17 years this Aug. 17th. I have been heavy off and on since my late teens. After I got married, I gained a bunch of weight and had 2 c-sections and just haven't lost it all. I've been working on getting approved for the band for over a year. I have a date of Aug. 27th for my surgery. I'm excited and scared. I also started a blog a month or more ago. Carolina Girl It is so helpful to jot all this stuff down. Thanks for starting this thread. Kathy S.

Hi Lisa! You know, I actually don't think it took me that long to get rid of it. I remember there being more of a chalky stool (sorry, but it's true ya'll). I did good ok though. What really surprised me was the gallbladder scan. I had zero symptoms and yet I had stones. Dang it! The gallbladder surgery was fine but it was amazing how much pain I had the day after. A little less the day after that and then less and less. Almost 2 weeks later, I feel really good! Do you have a surgery date? Ks

Hi, I started last August and am just now getting to the point where they are submitting to insurance. Do you know if your insurance company requires you to have a 6 month pre-op diet supervised by a physician or have you already done that? I have Cigna and they require the 6 month pre-op. I also had to have a ton of testing done. Including, but not limited to, a barium swallow and gallbladder ultrascan. The ultrascan showed some gallstones and I had to have my gallbladder removed 2 weeks ago this Wed. I am fine from that surgery. I will have surgery either the end of Aug. or the beginning of Sept. I wish you all the luck. If you are self pay, you may not have to go through all of these things. Ks

Hi Nancy, I just read this. I am so sorry about your husband and even though my own husband is healthy, I can understand that you are so stressed. I so feel for you. I pray that you get the information you need to get the process started for lapband. I'm getting closer. By the way, I'm in Cary, NC. :thumbup:) Have a good night. Kathy S.

Hi all, well....after a year, all of my paperwork is finally in and I am on the last leg of my journey toward LapBand. At this point, my doctors off has submitted to insurance with the confidence (so they said) that all is well and I should be scheduled the end of Aug. or the beginning of Sept. It has been a very long year. I started out with Duke University's Bariatric program and they just failed me and so many other miserably. I have switched to another doctor in private practice and I am so much more confident with him. I had to have my gallbladder out last Wednesday and am recovering from that. I feel good. This doctor does a routine scan of all lapband patients gallbladder. Good thing, I had several stones. I have started a blog and would be happy to share if there are any of you that might want to see it. You can go to the beginning of the blog to see the process. It's been over a year now since I started this whole thing. I am amazed at how long it's taken and how much progress I have made as a person. Thanks for letting me vent. I'll send out an update w/ my surgery date as soon as I can. Kathy S.

Oh wow, I never thought about just being able to see you yourself pee again! That's a good one! For me, it's crossing my legs without one falling off the other. Sitting in church with my husband and NOT wondering if anyone noticed that I wore the same outfit last week because I am running out of clothes and don't want to buy more. I have had all the tests. You'll do fine. Some of them are time consuming, but if you get them done all in one day, that's fantastic! Best of luck!

hi there, how is she doing? I had to have an ultrasound on my gallbladder today for my pre-band stuff. I have to tell you, the way they were talking and had a 3rd person come in and look at the x-rays. They kept saying 'are you SURE you are not having any pain! :teeth_smile:) So, the doctor will read my official know. Just wanted to see how your wife is doing? I hope she is doing better!! Sincerley, K.S.

Hi, I am not sure, but I think you need to be so many lbs. over weight and your BMI has to be so much before most insurances will cover. For example, if you are 40+BMI, then your insurance may well cover. If you are 35 to 40 BMI and have a co-morbidity, then your insurance may well cover. I am certain my doc mentioned that sleep apnea isn't a 'co-morbidity'. You might want to check that out. For me, I have a BMI of 37 and I have high BP, high cholesterol (both co-morbidities) and am border line diabetic (a co-morbidity). Either way, I hope you find your answers and can get help! Take care!

Did you do a barium swallow? I had one done a few months ago and they found mine that way. Ks

Hi there, Gee, I think a bunch of us have gone through this. You and I are at about the same stage. I just finished my 6 months of pre-op. They faxed ALL my clinical stuff to the surgeon's office, etc. When I first started considering the LB, my hubby and a good friend went w/ me to the info session. I told a very few select number of folks. But....one of them, whom I think I have been supportive of in terms of weight, was not on board. I was so disappointed. I did not mention it again. Not really worth it. Bottom line, I think you are gonna get some duds. The hardest part is when it's your family. That's when it hurts the most. I hope the best for you! If you are like me, you'll be down some and up some. Take care. Ks

Hello! How long are you in the doctors office for a fill? I have no idea. Thanks! Ks

Hi there, I am from Cary, NC. I am in the pre-stages of the band too. This is my 5th month of my 'pre-band' diet. So, very excited to be done with that and then insurance. Best of luck to you!!!

HI, You need to decide if you want this lapband. I say this because I feel the exact same way. I am getting closer to my date. I am scared. Is this just another way for me to be in denial of my weight issue? Remember when you told people you were on a diet and then someone would say 'hey, you've lost weight' and, for me at least, I would say, ok, that's enough, people are seeing it, time for the double cheeseburger. It's just sabotage. I mentioned to my doctor about my eating habits when I first started this journey. I said I was 'afraid'. He said, 'don't be, because the band won't allow you to eat the same way again'. I know it's scary. That's just the only way I know to put it. But if you even THINK you can do this after you get banded, then maybe that's a big part of your decision. I'm scared, but I'm going to try to do this with my most positive attitude. You need some supportive friends to talk this through with. I see a 'behavioral specialist' I talk to her about all my 'stuff'. She's helpful. Let us know. Ks