Cocoabean

Before adding anything to your pre-op diet, be sure it is Ok with YOUR surgeon. Different docs have different rules. Yours might even allow you something different if you don't like what you have. Mine sold HMR in his office but I had a bunch of Medi-fast stuff, so he said I could use that. I had to do it for two weeks. Medi-fast includes a "lean and green" meal, so I got to eat something every day. I lost 8 lbs, I think, during the two weeks.

If it were me, I'd not want to risk it. The point if the pre-op is to shrink the liver, like a previous poster said. Alcohol goes through the liver. It also lowers inhibitions and might make you more tempted to eat that evening and really blow the pre-op diet. Some surgeons don't require a pre-op diet, but yours does. Mine did, too. Mine also said if he got inside and my liver was not in shape for the surgery, he'd either have to do it open (huge incision and recovery) or would close me up and no band that day. That's my opinion, take it for what it's worth and have a Happy Birthday.

I take full-sized multi-vitamins with no problem. It depends on your fill level. Can you open the capsules and mix them in something?

You'll see this all over LBT, but the post-op phases are for healing, not so much weight loss. Your weight-loss will slow down as you move to a full diet, as it it should. A pound a day is too fast for lap band losses. 1-2 pounds per week is what we can expect according to the manufacturer. This is a restrictive procedure only. Creating a deficit of 3500 calories per day is really not likely long term. I suggest concentrating on healing. Then work on habits that will stay with you for the long run to help you keep the weight off in the years to come.

If you cannot get water down comfortably by just sipping, call your doctor. Many surgeons put a little bit of fill in at the time of surgery. This can sometimes be too much. An unfill of that can do wonders. But getting dehydrated is dangerous.

I believe thyroid cancer is just in a nodule (growth) in an otherwise working gland, but can sometimes spread to the lymph nodes and other tissues. The good news is that papillary cancer is highly treatable. I did not have cancer but did have a nodule that was over producing thyroid hormone. I had radioactive iodine treatment (which you may well have after surgery--it was not a big deal) and now have minimal thyroid activity without medication. I take a thyroid supplement daily, and otherwise live a normal life. You may be able to work with your endocrinologist to adjust your dosage to maximize your metabolism. I have worked with mine, he keeps me on the higher end of normal as that is where I feel the best. But remember, the higher your thyroid hormone levels run, the hungrier you feel. So, before I had treatment when my levels were running high-I ate to keep up with it and was one of the lucky few who could gain weight while in a hyperthyroid state. That was all before my banding--even before I considered WLS. I wish you all the best in your cancer treatment. I hope you are through surgery and speeding on to recovery before you know it!

I have beer from time to time. I find it easier to drink than soda. It will sometimes give me the hiccups. Which is terribly embarrassing. Sipping one beer and HICCUP! Oh well. I just recently went to one of my surgeon's support groups (surgeon was not there). A patient going through screening says his nutritionist is now saying alcohol is ok 1 year post-op. I cannot remember what he told me this late in the game.

And when I posted 3/4 pound...I mean 3 quarters of a pound. 0.75 pounds. Not 3 to 4. Just for clarification.

My losses averaged 3/4 pound per week. Some weeks I lost more, some less, some none, some gained. It sucked as I was going through it, but as I looked at my ticker factory graph, it went down, down, down on the whole. It gets amazingly frustrating to not see the scale move as fast as we feel it should for as hard as we are working! But remember, right after surgery and for a few weeks, you were on an extreme diet. As you start to eat, that goes away and the fact that banding is purely restrictive begins to show. Just keep doing good things, the losses will come.

At one of my presurgery classes, they pointed out that many will not reach a normal BMI. Often it is due to the extra skin. 20 lbs of slin hanging around can throw off a BMI calculation. They just wanted us to be aware that for some it is an unreachable goal, but does not detract from your success.

Check with your insurance and see if they will cover an emergency situation with your band, not routine stuff. Or go to your primary doc for the cough and see of he can order tests to check the cough that can also check on the band at the same time.

My take on it is to add it in to the three broth meals. The broth is like Water, it just goes through the band. Are you limited on how much water you can have? When i was on clears, I could have as much as I wanted.

Grider, just guessing, but I'd think the 30% would be billed, they have no idea how much of what things they will use until after the surgery is over. At least, that's the way my pea brain sees it.

Grider, sorry I misunderstood your question. I have bcbs *** so cannot answer specifically, but my hospital co-pay was due when I did my pre-admission stuff a few days before surgey. They would not proceed without payment. That was my experience, you might be able to work something out in advance. Melinda, look at the brochure link I posted, it speaks of a second surgery. Insurance companies will pay for band removal if medically necessary. I am not sure about paying for a new band. Sorry I am of little help on that question.

Bananas don't work well for me either. Tomato skins can be tough to eat, also. Take each bite slowly. If you get ANY pain, stop and be sure all is well before proceeding. I do fine with iceburg lettuce. Remove the strings from celery.

You mean 2012? www.opm.gov/insure http://www.opm.gov/i...ures/71-005.pdf is a link to their brochure. Basic: Preferred: $150 copayment per performing surgeon Note: If you receive the services of a co-surgeon, you pay a second $150 copayment for those services. No additional copayment applies to the services of assistant surgeons. Note: You pay 30% of the Plan allowance for agents, drugs, and/or supplies administered or obtained in connection with your care. (See page 128 for more information about "agents.") Participating/Non-participating: You pay all charges Note: Prior Gastric restrictive procedures, gastric malabsorptive procedures, and combination restrictive and malabsorptive procedures to treat morbid obesity – a condition in which an individual has a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 40 or more, or an individual with a BMI of 35 or more with one or more co-morbidities; eligible members must be age 18 or over Note: Benefits for the surgical treatment of morbid obesity are subject to the requirements listed on page 54. Preferred: 15% of the Plan allowance Participating: 35% of the Plan allowance Non-participating: 35% of the Plan allowance, plus any difference between our allowance and the billed amount Note: You may request prior approval and receive specific benefit information in advance for surgeries to be performed by Non-participating physicians when the charge for the surgery will be $5,000 or more. See page 17 for more information. Preferred: $150 copayment per performing surgeon Note: If you receive the services of a co-surgeon, you pay a second $150 copayment for those services. No additional copayment applies to the services of assistant surgeons. Note: You pay 30% of the Plan allowance for agents, drugs, and/or supplies administered or obtained in connection with your care. (See page 128 for more information about "agents.") Participating/Non-participating: You pay all charges Note: Prior approval is required for outpatient surgery for morbid obesity. For more information about prior approval, please refer to page 15. • Benefits for the surgical treatment of morbid obesity, performed on an inpatient or outpatient basis, are subject to the pre-surgical requirements listed below. The member must meet all requirements. - Diagnosis of morbid obesity (as defined on page 53) for a period of 2 years prior to surgery - Participation in a medically supervised weight loss program, including nutritional counseling, for at least 3 months prior to the date of surgery. (Note: Benefits are not available for commercial weight loss programs; see page 35 for our coverage of nutritional counseling services.) - Pre-operative nutritional assessment and nutritional counseling about pre- and post-operative nutrition, eating, and exercise - Evidence that attempts at weight loss in the 1 year period prior to surgery have been ineffective - Psychological clearance of the member’s ability to understand and adhere to the pre- and post-operative program, based on a psychological assessment performed by a licensed professional mental health practitioner (see page 86 for our payment levels for mental health services) - Member has not smoked in the 6 months prior to surgery - Member has not been treated for substance abuse for 1 year prior to surgery and there is no evidence of substance abuse during the 1-year period prior to surgery

Carbonation sometimes gives me the hiccups on the first sip. Sometimes not. For soda, to me, it just isn't worth it. Now, for a beer from time to time, I'll risk it!

It depends on what you put in the salad. If it is really fibrous, it can be hard to get down. Otherwise, I don't have problems with salad. Chicken breast on top is a no go for me.

There is no question to me. Your band is far from tight. You are gaining weight. Why would you not want to see your doctor for a fill? Use your band for what it is intended. I am almost 4 years out. I recently gained 5 pounds. I went a got a teensie fill. I've lost the 5 pounds.

I get a similar pain sometimes. I do think it is gas. I've mentioned it to my surgeon, he seemed unconcerned. But of course, your pain could be different. You should get it checked by your doctor if it persists.

My question is: If you lose 9 lbs, is the surgery off? Do you have 3 weeks to lose 10 lbs? Or do you have to lose 10 lbs before he will do the surgery? Or do you have 3 weeks to follow the pre-op and he'd -like- you to lose 10 lbs, but any loss is good? Setting 'x' amount of pounds to lose in 'x' amount of time is recipe for failure in my book. Being blunt is one thing, being a jerk is another.

The sleeve was not a choice when I made my decision, but I think it would still hold. Cutting away 80% of my stomach is very scary to me. I just spoke with my surgeon about the sleeve. His feeling is that it is still too new. But someone has to provide the long term results. Even though the requirements for the various procedures are the same (except the duodinal switch), I feel that at my lower starting BMI and co-morbidities, lacking diabetes, that banding was my best choice. And I've done very well with it.

The way my surgeon explained it in my educational seminar. Bypass patients metabolize alcohol differently and will feel the effects much faster. Band patients do not. He does not like his bariatric patients to consume alcohol because of the calories that have no nutritional value. My opinion is next: As far as ruining your liver, yeah, alcohol is hard on it, but so is tylenol. Was that a general statement about alcohol's effect on everyone or bariatric patients in general?

You could have a band slip. Call your surgeon to be evaluated.

For me, I can sip while I eat..but if I take a big chug of something, chances are it is going to start the sequence for a stuck event. My surgeon said it would be OK to have a few oz of liquid at meal time. I have found over the past few years that it is just more comfortable to not consume liquids with my meals. It happened over time as my restriction increased. I just noticed that my drink glass was sitting there full for the entire meal. Many of the changes we think are going to be so difficult to make, really aren't. They just happen due to a few negative reactions from the band. That feedback teaches you what you need to do, BELIEVE ME. I did not do a sleep study or pulmonary testing. Apnea was not a concern for me.