kathystrick

Hello Everyone, I am Margo. I was banded on May 15 and i feel great. I have had no problems. I was expecting alot more pain. I had very little pain and went back to work on Monday May 19.:rolleyes2:

Hi Margo! Any tips for making recovery easier? How did you avoid all of that terrible gas pain everyone talks about?

Some people can take the most innocent, insignificant, well-intended statement and turn it into something offensive by their interpretation of it. It is really a shame our society has come to that point.

I WAS TOLD 2 WKS OF INSTANT Breakfast, BUT JUST FOR 2 MEALS, AND A REGULAR MEAL FOR ONE??? THAT WOULD BE TERRIBLE TO BE CLOSED BACK UP AND NOT BANDED...

The pre-op diet varies based on your doctor. Some require 2 weeks liquids only, some require 2 liquid meals and one "sensible meal" per day, and some, like mine, only require an Atkins type diet. The length of the diet varies as well. Be sure to get the clear picture from your doctor of what they require. Don't go by what others here are required to do.

Wow it's scary to think how that bandaid coulda blocked you up if you had swallowed the whole thing...

I was eating a salad at Denny's when I felt something strange in my mouth. Imagine my amazement when I spit out a small metal bolt! If I had really bit down on it I coulda broken a tooth. I called the waitress over and showed it to her and she said "Oh, THAT'S where it went!" Seems they had lost a bolt off their food prep table and couldn't find it.....

I would hope, at the VERY least, they paid for your food? :confused2:

I also made a doctor's appt. for Wed

What did the doctor say? Have you heard anything else from the company?

SF Jello is considered a clear liquid, so that would be right on.

Sorry you had a meltdown. It can be expected at this point though. Hopefully it will get better from here though. I have heard it said that the 3rd day is the worst.

Glad everything went well at the doctor's. The 2nd will be here before you know it!

Update...They caught the man who raped the girl. He is a Mexican in the country illegally. They arrested him yesterday and got DNA confirmation that it was definitely him today. He has been charged with rape, kidnapping, attempted murder, and a few other things I can't remember. Yippee!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers. I have to believe they really made a difference.

Yay for you!!!!!!!!!!! Congratulations!!!!! You will be joining the rest of us Jazzy Junes!

Congratulations! Glad you are doing so well and wish you continued success.

Welcome to LBT! Thanks for sharing your inspiring story.

Hi and welcome to LBT! Don't be disgusted for seeking surgery! Be glad that you ahve that alternative available to you. Your life will be so different if that's the way you decide to go. I can honsetly say I wish it had been an alternative for me when I was your age. I know things would have been so different for me over the past 9 years.

Good luck to you and your friend! If you both decide to do it, you will be such great support for each other! Let us know what you think after the smeinar.

Hi GO, I am from Huntsville and wish you all the luck. My Dr is John Groves in Albertville. I love him to death. He also has the band. I can't tell you about insurance because I am self pay. I did't feel like haseling with insuarnce so I used the money from my inheretence. Some people thought it was a bad idea to use it for that when I could have done the insurance, but I didn't trust something this big to them to maybe refuse me. But usually that is not the case. It was my own paranioa (sp). I was banded last week and don't regret anything. I have already started buying 2 size smaller clothes. Just a couple of things That way I have some when I get to that size!

Hi G4E! How are you feeling? What is your post-op diet like?

Welcome Bethany and Tara! This is a great place to find information and support as you start the process.

Tara, most surgeon's use a patient's weight from their first visit when they submit to insurance, so even if by some miracle you did manage to lose 65 pounds in 6 months, it shouldn't matter because they would go by your weight now.

Bethany, try to educate your DH as much as possible. Mine was also hesitant about the idea of me having WLS at first. I took him to my first surgeon's appointment with me and let him talk to the PA, ask his questions, and learn all he could. By the time we left, he was all on board with the idea. Of course, the thought of surgery in itself makes him uncomfortable for me, but he better understands the procedure and why I want it now.

Good luck to both of you! Let us know what those doctors say tomorrow!

Hi Shell. Welcome to LBT! Good luck on your journey!

It's only natural. Once you decide you want somehting so much, that fear of denial is going to be there until you actually see it about to happen. All you can do is know the insurance company's requirements, do everything you can to amke sure they are met, then cross your fingers and hope for the best.

I am definitely going to do a little browsing around on ebay before I look too hard locally. From what I understand, they sell out almost as soon as Walmart or anywhere else gets them in anyway, so if I find one priced that reasonably on ebay, I will probably go ahead and purchase it too.

Lucky you!!! Please do let us know how you like it!

DH mentioned the other day that he would like to buy a gaming system for himself. Of course, I caually said, "Yes, a Wii would be nice", with the idea of eventually buying this program twirling around in my head the entire time!

Congrats on getting your approval!!!

Thanks, Angel! Now I just have to make it until the 18th! Trying to keep my eye on the prize. How far along in the process are you?

Generally, from what I have read here, the surgeon uses your original weight at the time you first came in when they submit to the insurance company. I would check with your surgeon's office about their policy first, then decide how to handle my 6 month diet from there. It's funny, this same issue is being discussed on another thread here. I asked the ladies there just yesterday what they are doing about the food journals they are required to keep if they aren't really dieting because they fear going below that magic "40". The consensus are fudging. Good luck and please do stay in touch.

I assumed by your first post that you are pre-op, and am now assuming your wife is post-op. Is that right?

I would definitely give their whole program 2 thumbs up.

I'm there. I'm also a professional photographer and would to donate my time taking 'after' portraits. You just pay for the prints. Just schedule me a place to set up a 'portrait set' and in between speaking sessions and I'm in. Jeanie

How cool would THAT be???

Well that was cool that they were willing to work with you to accomodate your diet! And that the chef was willing to prepare an entirely separate meal for you was great! That wouldn't be the case in a lot of places.

Aw Linda and Ready! {{{{hugs}}}} I'm sorry this process is so stressful for you. When I started, the insurance coordinator at my surgeon's office told me my insurance was one of the hardest to get approval from. I almost walked out. I felt so defeated, like no one understood what it takes just to make the decision that surgery is what you need. DH wouldn't hear of it. He told me that if that was what I wanted, I was going to stick with it and see it through, no matter how many hurdles I had to jump for the insurance company. As it turned out, it wasn't nearly as bad as she said it would be and I have approval now. But even without the 6 month pre-op diet requirement, guess what? It still took 4 months to go through all of my pre-submittal stuff and get approval! There IS light at the end of the tunnel. Just be patient and hang in there. And remember, when it feels like it's getting to be too much, there are a lot of people here who have been through the same things and are willing to listen and lend you support. Good luck and keep us posted!

Since I'm so close on the minimum BMI - I had to be very careful not to lose much weight or it would put me below...Okay - and I admit...I had to cheat on my food diaries in prep for submission to my insurance. I even had one of my staff help me prepare them by putting down her meals cuz I wasn't very good at keeping up on them daily, weekly...monthly (I'm ashamed). Interestingly enough - when Doc's office was preparing to submit to Aetna I mentioned that I had to fill in some holes that I had missed on my food calendars and she told me that they simply do a summary when submitting. Who knows - I just got the call from the Insurance Advocate yesterday advising me that everything was in order and they submitted to Aetna...now I'm just waiting it out to see if I'm approved...and biting my nails to the quick! I have 3 left - they'll be bitten by the time the insurance responds I'm sure!

So you are just waiting on approval?? Woo hoo!!!:wink2: You will have it before you know it! The wait now won't be nearly as long as it has been. Keep us posted!

Just wanted to jump on here to say hi. I'm new to the boards and have just began my lap band journey. I had a consult with my PCM May 13th, received a referral which was authorized for 4 visits with Dr. Tribble @ Palmetto Regional and attended the seminar May 19th. My next scheduled appointment isn't until June 23rd :wink2: but I can't wait. I'm just super excited about finally being able to lose this weight and keep it off. If anyone out there has and experiences with Tricare, I'd love to hear from you!

Hi! I am using Dr. Tribble too! My surgery is June 18th. There are quite a few people here who are on Tricare. Check the Insurance and financing thread. Keep in touch and let me know how you are progressing. Good luck!