Leena

I used Capital One for fiancing too. They were really quick about it as well. They pretty much just have to confirm fees with your Surgeon and know how the checks are to be written. For example mine were broken up as follows: hospital, anesthesia and surgeon fees for a total of $14,500. Hope this helps, Leena

I had a cathetar put in after the surgery, as I wasn't able to go on my own. I pushed but nothing came out. So the nurse put in a cathetar and an amazing 1000 cc came out. I did not need one for surgery, as I was in and out in under an hour, but afterwards I did. Honestly it didn't hurt at all. I was on a morphine pump at the time so that may explain it. I was still on it when it the catheter came out. So no pain there. Honestly I was on so much morphine I could have cared less if they did the actual lap band surgery to me then. I was sent home with oxicontin, which in my opinion was wayyy stronger than morphine. Just because the surgery is short doesn't mean you won't need a catheter. -Leena

I had my period during surgery and was told no tampon. I ended up with pantyhose type of underwear and a pad. Also no metal/jewelry. I also had a catheter put in after surgery, so had I had a piercing it would have been seen. There was a woman next to me during the OR check in phase who had to run to the bathroom to take some piece of jewelry out.

Focussing on what you haven't done yet isn't going to get you anywhere. There's no point whining because others have less to loose. If anything you should be happy that you're well on your way to goal. I have a long way to go, but I did it to myself (that's for sure). -Leena

A friend of mine ahs an awesome Health O Meter scale that measures body fat, weight and hydration. So I couldn't resist buying one for myself. I have a bit of a scale obsession (well I only own 3). Anyway it says I should have a hydration level of about 50%, mine was only 22%. I guess I need to drink more Water and that may be the reason that I'm not loosing as quickly as I could. Oh don't get me started on body fat I wanted to just chop some off, LOL. Has anyone been this dehydrated? I started some gatorade fitness water hoping to rehydrate. Thanks, Leena

Ok, let me wipe the drool off of my face. I am in love with your scale. Do you have someone to calibrate it? I had no idea you could buy an actual scale like they have in the doctor's office. That may have to be my next one. I can just see the expression on Dh's face though, it may just push him over the edge with a giant monsterous scale in our kitchen. As it is there are 3 lined up there right now. I can just see the big one next to those three, a happy family of scales, now just one more so everyone in our family ahs their own scale. Let me know how the scale works out for you. -Leena

Make- I love the idea of tattooing it on. I so badly want a one anyway, just haven't had the guts to do it. But after one very painful fill (bent numerous needles) I think I can handle the pain of it, LOL.

I'm 5'5" and received the 4cc band, go figure. At Banding I was 333.

I was still on Liquids 6 days post-op. Actually I had 2 weeks of liquids. I would call your doctor and ask, as I know most people have a week or more of liquids before doctors allow mushies.

I had a fill almost a week ago, 1 cc in a 4 cc band. Overall I think it's a good fill, as the scale has moved. But in the morning I feel really tight and have to slowly sip my protien shake. By 1pm I can eat lunch and end up staying full for the rest of the day. I really only have protien shakes after that along with water. Is it normal to be tight in the morning or do I need a slight unfill? Or should I just wait another week and see how I feel then. I'm scheduled for another fill the end of November, but I know if I feel anything like I do now I'm not going to need it. Thanks, Leena

Thanks gals. I figured it was normal. It lasted a bit longer today, so I just ate two egg whites with a spoonful of nonfat ricotta cheese. My doctor's office said I'll loosen up as I loose more weight. So I can't complain, atleast the weight is coming off and atleast I'm not PBing.

Mandi- My surgeon has patients stay under 1000 calories a day. What's a typical day of eating like for you? You may need to eliminate some of the calories. Also are you exercising? I'm almost a week post fill and started loosing again, but am only eating one solid meal and 2 protien shake liquid ones due to tightness.

But, something I decided a long time ago - Sometimes it's better to ask for forgiveness than it is to ask for permission! I know what you mean. I didn't tell my family prior to surgery, of course DH and the kids knew, but there's that fear of telling them. I let the cat out of the bag post-op while I was still on intense pain killers. My mother was surprisingly supportive but concerned that I ruined my body, LOL. It's not like I ruined it at all. My sister was insanely jealous and has made a point of it to completely pig out infront of me. Thankfully I could care less about it since I'm really not hungry much and get full so easily. She has expressed her opinion that she's very anti-surgery. She's probably about my size right now, works out but then eats more than she needs to inorder to actually loose weight (I don't even dare mention it). So for anyone esle out there as Nike says "Just Do It".

I had my first fill 5 days ago and still feel restriction. For my restriction seems to mean that I stay full longer. Pre-fill I would eat about 1/4 to 1/3 cup of food at a time and be hungry in 2 hours then drink lots of fluids to tame my hunger. Post-fill I'm really struggling to get in calories because I am just not hungry. So I'm sipping on a protien shakes all day and eating one meal. I don't feel as restricted as I did the first week post-op, but I've heard that I'll never feel that restricted again (thank god- as it was hard to even sip water). My band is 25% full, 1cc in a 4cc band.

I found that I lost week 1-3 post op and then stalled. Week 6 I got a fill and started loosing again. I think it also depends upon the size of your fill too. I had 1cc put in a 4cc band and am definately restricted.

Post-op I had to be trained to give myself shots of Lovenox. It was not fun at all. I recently had my first fill (my surgeon did it) and there is no way on earth I would ever consider doing it. It hurt and it took the surgeon time to find the port and get in. He kept on slipping off. There is no way I would do it. As Jaiode mentioned I think I would fall into trap #2, overfilling myself.

I had my first fill today and OUCH. My dr doesn't use a fluro to locate the port, just goes by feel. It took a bent needle, then he numbbed the area (thank you god). I asked him about numbing it before trying and he said it wouldn't hurt. I am not a needle person at all, and to get poked over and over again just sucked. So I ended up with a 1cc fill in my band. So I said that doesn't seem like a lot since I have a 10cc band that holds 10ccs. Well apparently the medical receptionist gave me the wrong card as the dr thinks I have a 4cc band. The coolest part was that I got to see a photo of my band in place, taken during the surgery. Pretty cool. At least now I know where the port is, thankfully I have a little freckle directly above it so I'll know for the next fill to be on 11/29. Let the weight loss begin again. -Leena

I say tell the truth. I went to my dr yesterday and ended up getting a fill. He asked how much I could eat and how much I have lost week by week. I definate weight loss the first 2 weeks and after that I had a few weeks with nothing or 1 pound. I did have a few days of being hungry but was able to control it. So the dr filled me. Not telling the truth can really hurt you in the end, so I say tell the truth and ask for a fill. The worst he can say is "No, come back in a few weeks". -Leena

Personally the band has been a huge help for me. I was not an unhealthy eater before, just had issues with the quantity of food that I was eating. With the band I am now forced to limit my quantity unless I want to be sick (trust me I hate hate hate puking and pbing). For me it's a great tool to know when to stop. And I don't even have a fill yet, am hoping for one soon though. I feel like it was probably the best $14,500 I ever spent. And I know I won't screw it up because let's face it you could buy a small car for that amount. So I don't want to throw away something the price of a car. -Leena

Last night I tried the crust of a panera roll and it didn't go well with me. I ended up PBing in the car on the way home. I will never even try bread again. It was by far the worst PBing experience I've had. -Leena

I like the hormel turkey pepperoni, but can only have a few slices (it gets a bit salty after a few). Regular pepperoni makes me PB immediately (very greasy). You may or may not be able to tollerate it. I have developed a love affair with roast beef though (very yummy). -Leena

Karen- I'll be joining you in repeating week one. I was exhausted today. I can't imagine how week 2 is going to make me feel.

I would say go for the homemade soup. My post-op diet had canned broth and my nutritionist said I could substitute with real homemade broth (less sodium and preservatives). Post-op I was also able to puree the chicken and carrots in the mushie stage.

Ok I have to laugh. I'm a little over a month out and DH was afraid to break me, LOL. We resumed "activities" recently and everything was fine. I did wait until I could sleep on my stomach though. I was given the medical "okay" at my 2 wk follow-up-it was included as "exercise" LOL. I would definately say wait until the gassy stage passes. -Leena

Ok, today I begin week 6 of post-op recovery. My surgeon said this is when I can start eating like I will for the rest of my life. I'm really at a loss for what to eat. I really liked the soft food stage and so for Breakfast ate 2 egg whites. I know my list has whole wheat/whole grain breads on it but I'm afraid of getting something stuck. I can also have fruits and veggies, but don't want to screw anything up. Ok maybe this is more psychological than anything else. But I tend to get really full with the soft foods. Do I really need to move on? Thanks, Leena