kagoscuba

I was banded 9/27 and my first fill is 10/15. The doctor has advised me I will probably not be able to tell any restriction for almost three weeks, as I'll have 3 days of clear liquids, 1 week of full liquids, and 1 week of mushies following the fill. Considering I won't have eaten a piece of "real" food from 9/25 until the middle of November, I can't wait to have the fill and at least have the opportunity to eat a small portion of "real" food.

I am on full liquids as well, and here is my typical day: Breakfast: 1 Cup of coffee 1 Dannon Fit and Light Yogurt 1 Viactiv Calcium Supplement 1 Centrum Multi-Vitamin 16 Ounces of Water mixed with Crystal light (after 30 minute wait) Lunch: 1 Myoplex Carb Sense shake 16 Ounces of water mixed with Crystal light (after 30 minute wait) Snack: 1 Jello sugar free pudding 1 Cup of Coffee Dinner: 1 Muscle Milk Pudding 16 Ounces of water mixed with Crystal light (after 30 minute wait) Snack: 1 Sugar Free Popsicle I am getting around 700 calories a day from this, and I don't feel hungry, as long as I spread the meals out correctly. I eat "dinner" at 5:00, as I'm preparing to leave for the day, and I work out as soon as I get home. That way the Crystal Light Snack is a wonderful post-workout relief, and I can chill out for awhile before eating the popsicle that takes care of any before bed munchies.

No problem at all. :eek:

I'm almost two weeks banded, and I've already noticed the following: 1. I feel "lighter" on my feet 2. There is a significant change to the way I look 3. My clothes fit better 4. I have not needed to take my hypertension medication 5. I have more energy 6. My snoring has improved (actually, my wife noticed that one...personally, I don't snore :eek: ) 7. Exercise is much easier. I was on the elliptical and doing crunches last night, only 11 dady s post-op. I thought that would not be possible, but the doctor gave the ok, and I felt good while exercising. My only two negative so far have been: 1. Most Protein drinks SUCK. 2. My golf swing has changed dramatically, since I can't tuck my elbow into my "spare tire" anymore. I'm going to have to learn how to play...again. Small price to pay though. All in all, I feel 100% healthier than I did two weeks ago, and I believe you will too.

What, the guys are chopped liver?

Sleep Apnea was one of my co-morbidities, which almost got me approved by my insurance carrier. They eventually weaseled out of paying by saying I did not have 5 years of written documentation saying I was overweight...thanks Horizon; I hope Hillary or Barack render you meaningless...anyway, I digress. Apnea did not delay me or cause any issues with surgery. I chose not to do teh CPAP, as there is no way I could sleep with the Darth Vadar mask on. I'll see if the apnea is still present, once I get to my target weight, before visting the mask option again.

I'm sure this has been posted somewhere before, but I found a great site for counting my daily calorie intake. It's hard to find a food that is not already listed. Even my dietician, who had not seen the site, loved it, as I can bring in printed reports of my daily meals, exercise, and Water for her. It is located at the following site: Calorie Counter - Free Online Diet Journal -Kurt Surgery Date: 9/27/2007 Post-Op Weight: 265 Current Weight: 242 Goal Weight: 180

After my first fill on the 15th of this month I will be: 3 days Clear Liquids 1 week full liquids 1 week soft/pureed foods Then I go to "normal" foods.

Kat gave me a good piece of advice to go to this thread to ask about fills in NJ. I was banded by Dr. Nusbaum 10 days ago, and I was remiss in asking about his fill policy before-hand. I am a self-pay, so how much the fills cost are of a big concern to me. I asked last Friday how much they'd be, and the nurse replied $900...then she must have seen my jaw bounce off the floor and quickly added, "oh, we "only" charge self-pays $200." Then she went on to mention the radiologist charges an additional $178 per fill visit. That puts the total charge to right around $400. Are there any other self-payers on this board from NJ who know a doctor who charges less? thanks!

If it wasn't already paid, that'd be an option. :car: I asked on Friday (first post-op visit) about the fill policy, and I was told the first two are "free." After that they are $900, with a caveat being self-pays "only" pay $200. Of course the $200 only covers my doctor's charge. There is an additional $178 the radiologist charges for the use of their facility. So, every fill for me will be approximately $400. Considering I live in NJ, I'm probably not going to find a huge range of prices.

Like a lot of people here, I was banded on a Thursday and went back to work the next Monday. I was lucky to never really have any pain to speak of, and by Monday is was down to nothing but occasional discomfort. I am now 11 days post-op, and I can barely even tell I had the surgery, other than the fact I am 19 pounds lighter! :car:

Today is day 10 of my Clear liquids diet, and I am 8 days post-op, and I am barely ever hungry. Is that because my body is feeding so much off of it's rather generous stored fat? Day 1 of the liquids was a real pain, but every day since has gotten progressively easier. Of course, I am a rule oriented person, so the mere fact I have a set of rules about eating may be able to trick my brain into thinking, "well you can't eat other things anyway, so don't worry about it." Anyone else have this experience? I keep on seeing these posts about how hungry people are, and I feel like a very odd duck in the pond! Pre-Surgery 265 Current 254 Goal 180

My doctor charges $6000 for his services, the hospital was $13000, and the anesthesiologist is another $3000, for a total of $22,000. That does not include after visits or the required nutritionist services at $110 every 6 weeks.

Does the Unjury totally dissolve, or does it thicken whatever it is mixed in?

My father always told me, "Son, if you are hungry enough, you'll eat anything that doesn't eat you first." I took this advice as gospel, as it made common sense. However, after 6 days on a liquid diet, I can honestly say it's false. I'm pretty darn hungry sometimes now, and I could not see me taking another sip of Isopure Protein drinks. I was planning on having the Grape Frost flavor as my "dinner" last night, and it was so vile I poured it out after about the tenth sip let me know it wasn't a trick: it did taste like crap. It was like drinking a chemical concoction. Whatever they used to sweeten the drink was horrible. I also would not care to ever taste another Jello cup as long as I live, once this phase is over. Pure whey "protein bullets" are also made by the devil. I was in the military and ate MRE's. A beef patty MRE is like a Ruth Chris filet mignon compared to the Pure Whey products. I think I am still psychologically scarred from the consistency of the liquid I swallowed. It was everything I would imagine pond scum to feel like.

I was rejected within two weeks by BCBS. I went ahead and did self-pay, and I'm resubmitting everything anyway. It never hurts to try!

I'm only 5 days post-op, but I feel good enough to get on an elliptical, without using the arms (just holding onto the fixed handles). I go to my doctor on Friday, and I'll see what he has to say. I'm just shocked by my energy level. Considering I'm averaging 300 calories a day on the liquid diet, I feel rejuvenated. Of course, if I had to stay on this diet for another couple of weeks, I might feel a lot different. I'm looking forward to protein shakes next week!

I was banded last Thursday, and I am scheduled to see my lap-band surgeon this Friday. On my discharge papers, there was a mandatory request I call another doctor, as well, for an appointment. I called, and the nice receptionist told me he is a Nutrition & Metabolism specialist. Well, that's just spiffy, but he is also not a part of my insurance plan (not that it might matter, since Horizon denied my claim for Lap Band), the initial visit is $175, and I would have to come back every 4-6 weeks at $110 a pop. This was not a cost I anticipated. I've already spent $19k (not including the still to come anesthesiologist fee) and am getting the suspicious feeling I am getting taken for a ride. Can't I just got to my PCP and he can run the blood tests to see if I am vitamin or metabolically defecient? I'll be sure to be asking similar questions to my surgeon on Friday.:eek:

What flavor Isopure did you try? I bought the Pure Whey 42g "bullets" last week and HATE THEM. They smell and taste nasty.

Just checking in to see if my "cheat" to make chicken broth taste palatable is ok. A little black pepper (less than a pinch) and a drop of Tabasco. It doesn't upset my stomach, and I've always been an eater of very spicy foods, so this barely ranks on the spice meter, but it certainly makes the broth a lot easier to take. Now if there was just something I could add to the nasty Jello cups. :eek:

I am 5 days post-op, and I have almost no pain. Gas pain in the shoulder lasted three days, and at times it really sucked. Pain immediately post-op was minimal, and I would say it never got above a 4 in a 1-10 scale. I sleep on my side or stomach now, the incisions look ok, and I'm barely hungry. The only time the urge to eat REALLY hits is when I see other people eating food I used to love. However, that is slowly abating as well. The only thing I truly want right now is a change in taste and texture of food, as the liquid diet is pretty limiting. All the medicines and drinks I have seem to either be cherry or berry in flavor, and it's not the good flavored items either. I haev always hated fake sugar items, and it's going to take a while to get used to teh nasty taste and after-taste they have. Splenda may be my long-term friend, but I dislike it in the short-term.

Everything so far is pretty good. I'm afraid to drink too quickly, so I'm having a hard time getting enough fluids down. I'm ending up sipping all day, instead of having "meal times." The surgery went very well. Surgery at 10:00 a.m out at 7 p.m. Small amount of pain. It feels like I did too many crunches or something similar. So far I'd put the highest amount of pain at 3 out of 10, with normal feelings a 1-2. The only negative experience was the nurse in recovery said, "You don't look big enough for this type of surgery, did you try dieting?" I said, "Nope, I just decided to get this done for fun." I think she got the point I was a tad upset. Other than that, all systems are go. BMI 39 Pre-surgery weight 265 with HBP and sleep Apnea

Well, I don't have any Grannie Panties to burn, but my band date is 9/27.

Getting banded 9/27 by Dr. Nusbaum in NJ. I'm excited and a little fearful of my life post food addiction. I've always been an eater to calm myself or to enjoy the moment more (chili during football games). I truly believe though that getting rid of the weight is more important than the foods I've enjoyed. I can't wait! Current Weight 260 Target Weight 175. BMI: 38 with HBP and diagnosed sleep Apnea

You've got to get a hold of yourself. Jealousy is a misguided and destructive problem of the self...not others. Jealous of people belonging to a fraternity??!! WGAF? Guess how many times that's come up in my job interviews? 0 Now, my certification as a Professional Project Manager and college education have come up a lot. I went to college, I did well, and I went after the top certification my career field offered. Granted, my college was far from Ivy League, but I still have a pretty nice job and the "toys" that come with it. By the way, the Infiniti G35x is a far nicer car than the BMW 330xi, and it is $10k cheaper. Stop being fascinated by labels and start worring about substance. Have that same confidence in every facet of your personal life, and the issues with the ladies may go away too. Sorry, if I sound like I'm hammering you; I just mean it as a pity party wake up call.