asheyrae

So today I had a meeting with my surgeon Dr. Lusco. He was so motivating and excellent at helping me sort through my concerns. I am now going to be on a 6 month waiting period that is required by my employer before insurance is allowed to cover my procedure. I am now going to go through 6 months of meeting with a dietitian and a nurse to allow them to decide if I'm ready or not. I have spent the last 2 years researching the Lap Band. I know I'm ready, and now I just have to get through this road block set in my way. I will do this.

Hi Ashey I'm in Shelbyville. What hospital and surgeon are you going to be using? I just went to baptist tonight for my seminar and stopped at the dr ofc to drop my paperwork off at Dr Oldham ofc

I have BCBS that's apparently Premera, though I thought it was anthem (long story) and my surgeon just sent in my docs for pre-approval this week. They say this company usually gets back in about two weeks. I also didn't have much in the way of prerequisites. Hoping it stays that way..

I have 4 pair of Docker type shorts. 2 of them require a belt now. If I don't use a belt, the weight of my keys, wallet and cell phone can cause my shorts to fall off too.

Funny topic, I went away for two weeks on vacation and brought my skinny shorts I owned. well bringing up the bags to our room my shorts ended down by my ankles. I have never needed a belt so now all my shorts fall off. I now have to shop for new shorts this week.

^5s One of my fav NSVs are phone calls from charities looking for old clothes. I used to never give up my old clothes as I thought there would come a day I might be able to wear them again. Now, it's, "sure, come on down, I'll put a bag on the porch". I have no problem giving away my old baggy shirts and pants(same ones I refused to give away 3 years ago). Never want to go back there again.

I had a pair of professional fitted slacks I have not worn in five years. No elastic whatsoever. They were tight even when I bought them. I tried them on a month ago and they were still tight at the waist. Today I tried them on and they are baggy!!!!! I'm wearing them but they kinda look like clown pants. Moral of the story is don't miss your clothing size window! Dig through that closet frequently. This made me very happy today. *clownish grin to go with my clown pants*

So today I had a meeting with my surgeon Dr. Lusco. He was so motivating and excellent at helping me sort through my concerns. I am now going to be on a 6 month waiting period that is required by my employer before insurance is allowed to cover my procedure. I am now going to go through 6 months of meeting with a dietitian and a nurse to allow them to decide if I'm ready or not. I have spent the last 2 years researching the Lap Band. I know I'm ready, and now I just have to get through this road block set in my way. I will do this.

@@asheyrae in the early days of your surgery your are going to be quite swollen internally and it will not be easy to eat and drink at the same time or directly after you start to eat those solid foods. So doctors will tell you not to do it, and it's good advice.
The old school of thought was that drinking after a meal or with your meal was pushing food out of the "pouch" through stoma and causing it to empty quicker and there for making the person hungry again sooner. With the advancement and studies of the band it was learned that food moves through the stoma in approximately 1 minute after a bite of food is consumed so a sip of Water or beverage after that bite is not going to have an effect on that bite since it would have already moved from the upper chamber above the band to the lower chamber below the band.
That said however you don't want to have food in your mouth, or just swallowed and chase that with the beverage. This can result in that pushing of food, and or "stacking" of food in the upper chamber of the stomach and esophagus and make you very uncomfortable or as others have said force the food back up and out. In the even that this does not happen it can also cause some distention in the upper chamber where it could depending on the amount of food and Fluid stacked in it expand and extend over the band again causing discomfort and further band complications.
So following the Dr.'s rule of thumb not to eat and drink together is a sound one especially in the early stages of banding. Eventually you will be able to sip Water with your meals, especially with the spicy ones and/or dry meats.Follow Dr.'s orders that's the main thing, and you will do great!!

@@asheyrae YES DEFINITELY! I also just don't put a cup of liquid in front of myself anymore because I found that I would go for the cup out of second nature!

I am still 6 months out from my surgery completing my insurance requirements, but I am using this time to get myself on track. When I talked with my surgeon he said that one of the biggest reasons people fail in his practice with the band is because they drink with their meals. I always drink several glasses of Water with my meals, but I want to change this habit. Has anyone else had issues with this and if so how did you overcome it?

So today I had a meeting with my surgeon Dr. Lusco. He was so motivating and excellent at helping me sort through my concerns. I am now going to be on a 6 month waiting period that is required by my employer before insurance is allowed to cover my procedure. I am now going to go through 6 months of meeting with a dietitian and a nurse to allow them to decide if I'm ready or not. I have spent the last 2 years researching the Lap Band. I know I'm ready, and now I just have to get through this road block set in my way. I will do this.

I was a eater/drinker... Eventually, you'll have no problem doing it. And that's because the first time you try it (eating & drinking with your band) you'll probably puke... It's not a happy experience. I know it seems like such a hard thing to do, even though there are ppl who still so it, but it's just a habit you'll learn to develop just like you developed your current one.
I used to gulp my cold Water specially during the summer months and I thought I was gonna have a hard time adjusting to sipping it... It's child's play. It's second nature. You'll do fine!

Hey again !
I was a HUGE liquid drinker during my meals. I would often have 4/5 cups of liquids during my meals. I just started going down slowly. I started drinking one glass of liquid less per week. This really did help me ! Maybe you can try this and see how it goes.
Lizz

Good luck! I am in the 4 month pre op medically supervised weight loss period as well. I should be done this month but aren't being banded until November probably because I have a pre planned vacation out of the country and am worried to be out of the country so close to my surgery date. Are you worried about getting approved? Are you on my fitness pal?

Congratulations!!! This is such an exciting time!! Your life is going to change!!

I used to think they looked surprised when I would ask if they had nutritional info. Now that I'm thinner, not as much.

Lately I've been getting this weird look from servers when I eat at restaurants and I start asking for healthy options, which they have available, it seems they don't understand how an overweight person wants to eat healthy. They can not imagine the struggles we go thru everyday. Then they will pass by the table thousands of times asking "is everything ok?" Is the food ok? Yes people I am eating slowly, i am chewing not swallowing my food. The face that I love is the one they put when I am not able to eat everything in my plate and i ask for a box. I am a regular at the neighborhood Olive Garden i use to order Soup and salad and i can easily used to eat 6 bowls of soup, now they are worry because I only eat one, they always give me one to go. I am loving this!

Hello I am new to this forum. My mom was banded on July 23, 2014. I am hoping to be banded in the future once I make some insurance changes. I plan to "diet" with her to help her stay focused. I use myfitnesspal but really haven't in a long time but need to get back on track and start over. Can I possibly add some of you as friends. Thanks in advance, you are a great group of people and hope to be traveling the banded road soon. My email address is emilees_mom2002@yahoo.com if you want to add me on mfp.

I agree. It is NOT NORMAL to PB. In my 8 months being banded I've NEVER had to PB even once. I've had a tight fill before that had to be unfilled.
Get yourself to your doctor as soon as possible. Until then, I recommend Soups and shakes. You can hurt yourself badly if you don't get this fixed! Take care of yourself and let us know what your doctor said.

@@asheyrae I started the process back in March, so I know how you feel! I thought it would never get here. Jumping through all the hoops from the insurance company was a pain, but you will be done before you know it. Thanks for the good wishes, and I look forward to hearing about your surgery being scheduled soon!

Thanks so much for your words of encouragement ladies! Any advice you can offer to the newbie? I am just soaking it all in. I have researched a lot over the last 2 years, but always looking for tips from those who have been where I am.
BTW.... Can anyone tell me how to tag other people in posts I make, or replies...?

ALL of us have different experiences with this. So rather than telling you that it's a magical thing that works wonders, I'm going to tell you what it DOES do for me. I'm only a few days post-op, but I am already seeing positive changes.
1) I'm learning the difference between being satisfied and over full. The difference is ... being satisfied means that I'm not HUNGRY, but my brain says "You can handle maybe one more sip." 99% of the time, if I take that one more sip, then 3 minutes later my stomach is screaming "You IDIOT! WHY did you do that? Now we want to PUKE!"
2) I'm thinking more about the things I'm putting in my body and making better choices. Sure, I could drink Koolaide, eat Jello, and nibble on thinned out mashed potatoes because I WANT them. However, deciding to drink Propel (same flavor as Koolaide but has Vitamins added), eating the prescribed Protein rich pudding, and sipping on cream of chicken Soup so that I get the right nutrients is a MUCH better choice.
3) I remind myself that I didn't go through the hassle, expense and PAIN of surgery just to screw it up over making the same bad decisions. The lap band is a tool that I wanted and needed .... so I'd better make use of it.
4) I have to remind myself that it IS a tool. Nothing more. It's like ... a jump rope, walking shoes, or weights. When used properly, it works. When ignored .... well .. nothing works when you ignore it.
5) No one said that this was going to be easy. HOLY COW! The Pre-op diet is enough to remind you of that. But I'm less than a week post-op, and I'm reminded of how easy it's NOT with every twist, turn, sip, and (oh dear God help me) burp. This is a LIFESTYLE change. Either you are in it for the long haul, or you are looking for a quick and easy fix. If you want the quick and easy, this is NOT it.
So yeah ... this is what I remind myself of every time I want to complain about any part of it. Also .. I'm doing this for ME. For my health. To feel comfortable in my own skin. Am I worth all that I'm dealing with and the choices I have to make? Hell yeah, I am.

Good luck!

It helps you coast on less food by dimming your hunger.
Watch these videos!! They explain SO much!!! Lap band 8 golden rules

My approval letter was in today's mail. My date is set: August 12. I start my pre-op diet tomorrow. I just realized how scared I am! Ant words f advice I am listening. Thanks!