Cocoabean

Has it been submitted to your insurance? Or are you self pay? Have you started the pre-op diet? Do you have to do one? From the time my insurance approval came in till my surgery date was a month. Pre-op diet was 2 weeks. Denise

Yes, that, but WAY thicker. I swear it could be used in nuclear science or on the space station. I am sure there are some wonderful applications for it somewhere! Your body manufactures it when food is stuck in the hopes to help facilitate the removal of the offending object. Since that object is blocking the route to your stomach, the mucous has no place to go but up. You cannot swallow it, so out the mouth it comes. Great, big boodles of the stuff. This continues on until you manage to get unstuck. It is quite the experience to behold. As a note, use a cloth towel. Paper towels are not abosorbent enough, and they are too rough on the skin. They work in a pinch, but cloth is much, much better! I tend to just hang out over the kitchen sink and let it pour down the drain. Quite lovely, let me tell you! Along with the faces I make while stuck....yeah, it's beauty in its purest form!! Denise

I really, really, really balked at giving up my glass of milk with my dinner. My surgeon said he had no problem with me having some, but that I might not have room for it. He also said he prefers that I don't drink my calories as they go right through. Solid foods will hold me longer. But poopy head that I am, I do still have a little bit with my dinner meal. Breakfast and lunch with no liquid, no problem. But old habits die hard. Dinner is my last eating session of the day, I don't eat after that, so even if it does cause my pouch to empty sooner, so be it. I look at it like this...this is my program to make work for me. I have to live with my band. Whether we are getting along nicely or arguing is up to me. I love, love, love my milk with dinner. I am not ready to part with it. I am also on a slight plateau right now..ok, big plateau, but I am ok with it and maintaining with ease. If I get serious about losing the rest, I may have to revisit the issue. Or revisit my surgeon for a fill. Or revisit my endocrinologist to get my thyroid checked as I have thyroid issues :tt1: Denise

That's too funny! I felt the same way. Yet, when I had my first episode, I was like, WTH?? What is this? This is the strangest thing ever!! OMG! I have never seen anything like this. Where IS all this goo coming from! I need more paper towels! Yikes! Oh man, make this stop! Oh crap! This is SLIME!!! Ok, then, never want to see THAT again. Yeah, well, I have seen it again, and again, and again.. And as the DH says, I can be taught, but I'll never learn! :tt1: Denise

1. Do you FEEL the LAP-BAND around your stomach? Does it feel tight or uncomfortable? Not at all, unless food is stuck, then I am oh so aware of it. But I don't feel the band itself. 2. I think giving up soda will be really hard. WHY must it be done? I still sip it from time to time, I like the taste. But it sometimes gives me hiccups. It has no nutritional value. I have also read that diet soda can trigger hunger, who wants that? 3. What is the purpose of the liquid diet pre-surgery? And post? Pre-op: To shrink the liver, and make the surgery easier on your body. Post-op: To aid in healing, your stomach does not need to work as hard. 4. Did your insurance company cover the procedure? How long did the pre-auth take? Did you have to do psych evals, etc? My insurance did cover it. With all the hoops needed, it took about 5-6 months. Yes, psych eval was required, a no biggie. 15 minute talk to show I knew what the procedure was and possible complications. He also wanted to be sure I understood it was not a quick fix or miracle cure. 5. The port - does it physically bother you? Can you see it initially, after losing, etc? My husband is kinda freaked out about it.... High waisted pants bother it. The scar is visible. If I got really thin, I expect the port would be visible, but not now. I understand that there is a low profile port that some people have installed. 6. Does getting a fill hurt? Or does it feel like getting a flu shot / giving blood? Not at all like giving blood. I get a numbing shot with a very small needle. After that, I feel a slight "pop" when the huber needle enters the port. It is nothing to be afraid of at all. 7. Do you have restrictions with taking pills? I.e. is Tylenol still effective, does it digest regularly, etc. Big pills sometimes go down a little sticky. Small pills no worries. Yes, they digest as usual. Food also digests as it used to. As a side note, my surgeon advised me to not use anti-inflamatory drugs on a regular basis. 8. What about drinking alcohol? Is it OK occassionally? I have no troubles with it. Even have beer sometimes, same issue as with soda, hiccups. But as the previous poster said, empty calories. Defeats the purpose of having the band, so I limit the amount. Thanks!! You are welcome! There is lots of info here, read and learn! Denise

YAY, Ellie!!! So, you CAN do the consult, just can't submit until the 3 months stuff is done? Way cool!! We wander far afield on this thread, but I hope we answered your questions!! Keep us posted!! Denise

JoJo...I am not exactly sure about the smoking, I believe it has to do with post-op healing. Jens--First off, how you feeling, doing OK after your fill? My hubby has had to work hard on the food police thing. Bless him. He also has never understood my battle, like your ex. If he is hungry, it was OK if I ate. If he is not, I should not be. Just like that! Pat answer, that is the way it should be, DANG IT! WHAT is your problem, woman! Sheesh. Funny story, as I was losing, when I got close to going below his weight, it really bothered him for some reason (I think it was to teach me about control). So he started cutting down on his food intake. The turkey started losing weight he didn't need to lose. Lost 7 lbs in two weeks! Dang. Made me so mad, I could spit! Anyway, I showed him and kept with it and got below him! Oh and for sad Karma..the fellow in my past that used to tell me to push away from the table and put down the fork. A smoker. Died of lung cancer in his mid-50s. Truly a shame. Denise

I am coming into this a bit late, but dang, what a crock!! How can an insurance company change their minds after the fact?!? And adding a second doctor while you are under? Wow. I am dumbfounded. I am hoping everything is working out. I am glad to read you are not accepting being victimized like that. In my case, I got a copy of the hospital bill. It was $43k. Wowser! But my copay was $100.00. I knew I didn't have to pay any of it, but would not have been surprised if they would have cashed a check had I mistakenly sent them one! I don't think they were even supposed to send me a copy of the bill. But they did. Best wishes as you continue to fight!! Denise

My advice, if this hasn't been resolved. Get copies and Fed-Ex them. You'll have tracking information that it WAS received by the insurance company. Denise

Darn it, JoJo, you beat me to the abdomen thing! :tt1: I did want to add about the smoking thing. My surgeon requires patients to quit pre-op. (I cannot remember for how long patient's had to be done before surgery, it did not apply to me) and does a blood test to be sure it is clear of the system. If the patient fails the blood test, the surgery is cancelled. Denise

Hi Ellie, I am not sure on the 10% question, but my argument and advice would be this: document your progress with your PCP and also the smoking thing. When you see the surgeon, be sure he knows where and when you started and that you have lost during the 3 months prior while working with your PCP and have quit smoking. I don't feel that they should require you to lose an additional 10%. I would appeal that request. If we could be that successful without the surgery, would we need it? What are your insurance requirements vs. your surgeon's requirements? Once you get in to see the surgeon a lot of these things will be answered. I had to fight to get a consult, including an appeal because I did not have a 6 months medically supervised diet. I won the appeal with weight watchers records and journals and did not have to wait 6 months. Once I got the consult, I just had to get the required testing and all was good. Also, do these surgeons offer any seminars? I went to a couple of them prior to choosing my surgeon. All of them included a question and answer period. These might give you a chance to ask a few questions prior to being able to have a consult. The more informed you are, the better armed you are! You could also call the surgeons' offices and ask a few questions. As to the gas question. They fill your abdomen. They do this to puff things up so they can move about in there and get the band under the liver and around the stomach. Sort of like pitching a tent. Fills, I am nearly 2 years post-op. My surgeon would not do a fill before 6 weeks out. I have now had 4--i think. And one slight unfill. I decide when I need one based on how much I can eat and how hungry I generally am. In the last year, I have had one fill and am now starting to toss around another. For me it is an internal debate. Hunger level vs. how much I can eat and how often I have trouble eating. Also, I gauge based on my DH's reaction when I mention it. If he strongly disagrees, I rethink the decision. If I get a nod of approval, then I figure perhaps I am eating more than I previously was. He has become a fair judge of my appetite, rather than the food police as he previously was! Best wishes in your journey!! Denise

I wish I had been told not to stock up on Protein shakes and powders. After my post-op period, I didn't need them much. My surgeon wants me to eat foods rather than drink them, for the satiety levels. I was thinking I'd be having Protein Shakes as part of my normal diet for the rest of my life. So there I was with a cupboard full of the stuff, and directions to not consume them regularly. I keep a few around for the after-stuck times when my stomach isn't feeling up to solids, and for after fills. I also wish I had been told that my feet would get smaller, my pants would get longer, and I'd need to get all my rings resized! Add to that, my fingers have lost so much fat, that the rings barely go over the knuckles, but just spin around and around once in place. Guess it's time to tell DH I need an eternity band so that diamonds are always showing!! :thumbup: Denise

Hi Scotty, Thanks for askin'! It is going well for me. I am a few lbs away from a normal BMI and about 14 or so over my own goal. I have been staying around this weight for a while now. But I am maintaining with ease, which is not something that has ever happened for me before. I am thankful for that. I have been tossing around getting another fill. But every time I think about it, I have a stuck episode that makes me decide against it. :smile2: I have a 10cc band with somewhere around 5cc in it. I lost count somewhere along the way. I thought I could rememeber, silly me! My blood pressure is normal, and I am off my meds for that. YAY!!! And my blood sugar is normal!! I was pre-diabetic before my surgery, another big YAY!! I am not working at it as hard as I could be, and I think my thyroid level is low -- I have a thyroid issue -- Last time I was checked I was low, my GP upped my dose enough to get me to the low side of normal. I have an appointment with a thyroid specialist, but not for a couple of months. I am hoping I can up my dose more and that will help kick start me and get my energy level up a bit. But I have to say that for me, getting this band is one of the best decisions I have made. I can do more and feel so much better than I did! Best wishes for a speedy recovery! Denise

Scotty D, Thanks for the update, I have been wondering how you were doing. Sorry to hear about the slippage, but very happy to hear they could fix it! Here's hoping your out of pocket isn't too, too much and you are all healed up and filled up to perfection soon! All the best, Denise

I thought you explained it better than I, however!

I have moments where I do just what PB sounds like, I burp productively, and unexpectedly. Not a huge amount. But sometimes a mouthful. It isn't always associated with sliming or being totally stuck on something. I just think an air bubble is coming and surprise! There is some food along with it. Or liquid or whatever just went down. My surgeon says he gets a kick out of his band patients' list of types of burps. Productive, juicy, slimy, bubbly, gurgling...and so on, so on, so forth... Denise

Hey Moma, Glad to help! As to the thyroid issue. Total bummer! Always nice to hear that "your test results show that it may or may not be cancer!" I went through the biopsy thing on my thyroid. No fun. My tumor was benign and just a mass of thyroid tissue that quits taking signals from the body to turn off and stop growing. I ended up being hyper-thyroid (too much hormone in my system) and was was treated with radiation to kill off the gland. Now I don't have enough and have to take a supplement everday. This treatment was not bad, feel free to PM me if you need/want info. I think that now I am a bit low on the thyroid levels again and my weight loss has stalled (plus I am near to my goal and I am not working as hard at it as I could be). I have an appointment in March to get it checked. If it is cancer, thyroid cancer is one of the easier ones to treat. I hope all goes well with that and with your fills!! Denise

Yeah, that'll be torture, but YOU are soooo worth it!! :smile2: Best wishes! Denise

Hi ElfiePoo... That is the point I was trying to make earlier about a larger person could expect higher losses. It is mostly mathmatics. The more you weigh, the more calories it takes to maintain that weight. So if a 400 lb person and a 200 lb person each eat a 1000 cal a day diet, the 400 lb person will lose much more weigh each week, all other things being equal. Simply because the daily deficit is higher. This is very simplified of course...But is the reason behind why I mentioned that Slpcat hadn't stated height and weight when mentioning the 8 lb loss in about 2 weeks time. The closer you are to a normal BMI the slower it comes off. Sucks, but is true. But means you are closer to a normal BMI! :smile2: Denise

Hi slpcat...hope I didn't sound like I was prying about your height and weight A larger person could expect higher losses. While we'd all love to drop 10 lbs a week, that is not always practical or healthy. When I'd get a fill, I'd often have a larger drop than normal, due to taking it easy on my stomach for a bit. So, the 4 lbs per week might not continue to be the rule. For what it is worth, and in my opinion, I'd stay where you are at for a bit and see how it goes. If the losses stall, then go back in. If you keep losing and maintain restriction then yeehaw! But, I am pretty conservative in my approach to fills, and so is my surgeon. I have been overfilled, and it is no fun at all. For me, 0.5cc made a HUGE difference. As a note, my restriction level comes and goes. This seems to be common among bandsters. One day I can eat just about anything, the next day, not so much. My surgeon says it is natural, and that the stomach moves around a bit within the confines of the band making it feel tighter or looser. Depending on where it is riding on any given day. Besh wishes in your decision! Denise

You have lost an average of 4 lbs per week. You don't list your height/weight. But that is pretty rapid loss. My surgeon said no more than 2 per week for me, based on my starting BMI. A meal holding you 3-4 hours is pretty good. It is a decision for you and your doctor, but I'd be pretty happy with what you are describing. In fact, that is about where I am! Denise

I don't remember the exact number of days required by my surgeon, as it did not apply to me. But he is one who tests the blood to be certain the smoker has quit and will cancel the surgery if the test is positive. Denise

It is totally normal. Your band has little to no restriction. Try to stick to your post-op instruction. I doubt muffins are on the list. If it is a moist muffin, you run the risk of getting stuck on it, which could be VERY painful this soon post-op. If you are ready for foods that are more solid, ask your doc if you can move on. Foods with Protein will hold you longer than things like muffins, and foods that are more solid, like eggs or oatmeal, will hold you longer than a Protein shake. Best wishes in your recovery, Denise

Oh, MrsMikey! I am so sorry about you having to take the predisone. Many members of my family have had to take it. I know what a horrid medication it is. But at the same time, it is a wonderful medication in that it has kept them alive and in my life. All of them gained weight while taking this medication. I understand what you are going through. It must have been terrible to be told you need to take again it to help your condition. I admit that I don't know much about your condition. But all I can do is encourage you to hang in there. The medicine is important for you to take. Most times it is the only option for the condtitions for which it is prescribed. I know it takes a toll physically and emotionally. But know that you have the band in place for when you can step down the dose and to help you lose the weight when you are feeling better. I don't believe that there is anything you can do to battle the predisone caused weight gain while on it. Other than focusing on the fact that it is helping you feel better and the hope that you can one day come off it. It sounds like you have maybe 6 months left on this round. You have made it a year and a half, you are nearly there! Do what you can to minimize the gain (I know, not much!). Welcome to lapbandtalk, we are here for support! Denise

Post-op "starvation" is very common. Know that you all are not alone!! Liquids pretty much just run right through the band. Think of it like a funnel. They just drain right down through. It would be hard to do any damage to your stomach. Once you are back on solids you will feel so much better. I was ready to eat the kitchen sink, my dog, the couch, anything I could get my hands on that wasn't moving faster than I was during that time--the dog got lucky! Also, note that a bit of weight gain prior to the first fill is not uncommon, as there is little to no restriction. It is like having a beautiful new car with an empty gas tank. You have to fill the tank to get performance out of it. Borrowing the metaphor from a poster back when I was first banded. Heal and feel better. Over time as you get fills and find the sweet spot you will find the appetite control and the weight will come off. Denise