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Maybe a new thread could be set up warning that there are people on this site trying to drum up business so if you see something just be aware of that. As for the insurance run-around. I still don't believe most insurance carriers are trying to get out of paying for a surgery that is a contract benefit, but they have guidelines that they have established that they are following. Personally I think the problem is related to a disconnect between Customer Service-who relay's information to the members, and Medical Review who establishes the guidelines and is responsible for following those guidelines when they review cases. So here are some suggestions to go into checking on coverage with your eyes open: Know what your contract says-is obesity treatment and WLS a covered benefit? You should be able to find this information in your contract benefit booklet. When I'm asked I tell people to check the exclusions section first. If you do not see obesity treatment specifically listed as an exclusion then there is a good chance that it is covered. Next check the surgery section to see if you can find anything out. If you do not have a benefit booklet or after reviewing your benefit booklet you believe that WLS is covered then check with Customer Service to verify coverage, if pre-auth is required, and if so what is needed for pre-auth approval. Make sure you note the date and time of your phone call and the name of the person you're talking to (first name, last initial). They may also be able to provide you with a tracking number that is a reference to your phone call with them. If you find out WLS (in this case lap-band) is a covered benefit then you might consider checking on-line at your insurance carriers web site to see if they actually have their pre-auth criteria posted. My last suggestion is that if you are told you need to submit a pre-auth then you should make them tell you EXACTLY what they want. Don't just accept, "We need proof of a 6 month medically supervised diet where you either lost weight or didn't gain weight." If they tell you this say, "Who can supervise this program? My pcp, specialist, dietician? What information will I have to provide to prove that I have been on a medically supervised program?" Etc. If you get the impression that the Customer Service Rep that you're speaking to is wish-washy, not confident that s/he knows what s/he's talking about (hints to this would be putting you on hold while they check this out, saying they have to check with someone else, lack of confidence in their tone of voice) ask for this information to be sent to you IN WRITING!

That's what I would say to this. Before I accepted the fact that I was just notified about a 6 month delay I would talk to the supervisor and the supervisor's supervisor at my insurance company. I would even write a letter to the CEO of the medical insurance company (which actually is what I did) before I would accept this. I work for a medical insurance company, and I do not believe that it is the policy of insurance carriers to try to get you to give up so they don't have to pay for something. They have policy and procedure and if they didn't want to cover WLS they would just exclude obesity treatment (unless coverage is mandated in the state where they are located). Any reputable insurance company does not play the kind of games people think they do. I'm sure there are some out there that are willing to play these kind of games... but really I'd guess most don't. I'll get off my soapbox for now and just say that when you make a phone call to a medical insurance company they are probably somehow recording your call. Either with a tracking on their system, or an actual voice recording... and often times both. In speaking to the supervisor I would reference prior phone calls where you were never informed of the 6 month medically supervised diet and that you would be near the end of this now had you been informed in the beginning. I would start the medically supervised diet, but would continue to fight this until it became clear I couldn't win (or you complete the 6 months)... and I would make them be REALLY clear about what they want you to provide as part of the pre-auth submission. I consulted with a case manager while I was going through the pre-auth process and she told me that I needed to have a monthly office visit where I am weighed and it is discussed what I am eating, all tracked in chart notes by date. Mine also required a 5 year weight history showing that I was at least 100 lbs overweight that entire time, but that is something that my doctor did at all my regular office visits and physicals. They'll also require a psych evaluation, and if for some crazy reason the insurance company doesn't require this then the surgeon should. Best of luck to you!

Pillows are also good for people with animals that jump up on them unexpectedly. I asked my friend on the way home from the hospital how I was going to keep the cats from jumping up on my belly while I was sleeping and she suggested putting a pillow over my stomach. Excellent suggestion! I have 3 cats so every time I sat down for the first several days after surgery I would put the pillow over my stomach. I figured this saved me a lot of grief... and kept my cats from being thrown across the room (j/k). Also, some people say don't waste your money on liquid Tylenol. I bought it, and I have used it... it's bright red and called rapid rush I think. It doesn't taste too good... but it works faster then a pill does for pain relief. It's no worse then any other medicated syrup and I always just have the Water ready after I swallow the med. One other thing that I got from the list that I didn't use.... Gatorade. But my husband was happy to take care of these for me. I kept myself well hydrated by always having a Special K Protein water by my side (I bought the powder version to add to water and saved myself some money). I used broth every day for the first few days--got sick of sweet. But I didn't go overboard when I purchased these. I also agree that a heating pad is a good investment, so if you don't already have one it's not a bad purchase.... you just may not need it following surgery.

I also do not think that consuming more grams of Protein will make you feel more satisfied. It is a liquid and it is not filling. I also could not stand the smell of the Protein shakes, but I started preparing them in the magic bullet. Some of the things I've mixed are chocolate Protein powder with milk and a heaping spoonful of Peanut Butter and this actually did make me feel full. I have also done vanilla protein powder with milk, a banana and peanut butter. Since the powder is mixed in so well I cannot smell it like I could when I was preparing it with a spoon in a glass. Here are things that are on my stage one-liquids only-list: Light yogurt (I got the kind you drink) SF pudding or custard cream soups-strained cream of wheat (drinkable consistency) Fruit and Veg juices broth protein shakes fruit smoothies At this point I am into the mushy stage and that has been helpful, but yesterday was the first day that I have REALLY felt hungry since my surgery on the 3rd. I did manage to satisfy my hunger, mainly with yogurt and cottage cheese-which I just ate until I finally started to feel satisfied. The other night I pureed thin strips of beef prepared in the crock pot. Tasted fine if you can get beyond the look and texture. My 4 year old was pretty thrilled by it and ate a whole cupful... I was not so thrilled. But I did get it down and I felt satisfied afterward. I used quite a bit of the juices from the cooking process to puree it.

I would call the doctors office back and ask them if they can put more steri-strips on. I just had carpal tunnel surgery in June and my strips fell off right away causing extreme pain and a huge scar so when I had my lap band surgery I mentioned this to the nurse and she gave me a pkg of steri strips to take home with me. I used almost all of them before the incisions had all closed up. I have also been extremely itchy since the day after surgery. My friend said she had the same problem.

The difference in the doctors suggestions amazes me. The facility where I went, considered a "Center of Excellence", instructed me to have 1 week of liquids, nothing specified this should be Clear Liquids. 1 week of mushies. Start of week 3 begin to work in solid foods. The nutritionist told me that if I am just starving and absolutely cannot make it to the 3rd week for solids to just be sure to chew, chew, chew and when you think you've chewed enough chew some more. They gave me a pamphlet of suggestions for each stage. My doctor's office actually suggests against using Protein drinks beyond their liquid stage because they do not make you feel satisfied so you may consume more calories then you should. It's hard to believe these doctors can have such drastic differences, but that each person should be sure to follow their doctors orders. One thing that actually made me feel full on the liquid stage was adding a spoonful of Peanut Butter to a Protein shake. I couldn't finish it all.

I stayed in a hotel the evening of my surgery and the one thing I forgot was something to drink. I ended up paying $9.20 for a glass of milk, 2 cups of tea and a cup of coffee (for my friend) at the hotel restaurant. My friend was buying bottled Water for me so who the heck knows how much she ended up spending on that! You may not be planning a stay in a hotel, but you might want to consider some bottled water for the hospital... or bringing a gallon from home if you don't mind tap. I was very very thirsty after surgery and the water in the facility where I had surgery was AWFUL! One note... I asked the nurse if gas-x would help eliminate gas caused by the doctor using air during the surgery and I was told that it would not help because gas-x is only effective on gas created in the stomach/bowels (natural gas :-). I am not well endowed and was able to wear a bra home because the incision was below my bra line. I took the most comfortable clothes I could find and wore slippers. I would not recommend slippers, but instead would suggest slip on shoes because slippers (even the ones with a walking sole) do not protect well enough when it rains. Make sure you pick up your pain meds before the surgery, your doctor should give you a script for this so you can have them ready. I also bought liquid Tylenol.

What a variation in stories. Since all people are different, and the practices of each physician/facility is different-I just don't know that you're going to know what to expect until you're going through it. If you are a control freak you will at least want to know if they will give you a catheter or not, if there policy is to keep you over night or if they consider a day surgery, etc. I had my surgery last Thursday, Jan. 3rd. The only person that I personally knew who had lap band was a year before mine, and was done by a different physician. I figured that if it went that well for her then I would do at least that well. My friends experience (from my point of view): Her check in time (not the time the surgery started) was 10:30 am, and she was home before 3:00 that afternoon (she lives nearly an hour from the surgery center). She called me on her way home and she sounded so good that I was just floored. She healed well, and the only pain she ever described was from her bra rubbing on one of the incisions, and said that the incision for the port was very sore for a long time. She described a feeling of being hit by a bus the day following surgery. My experience was totally opposite of her. I have the most vague memory of coming out of the OR and throwing up. Going into the recovery area and thinking OMG!!!! I cannot believe how bad this hurts! The surface of my belly felt like it had been burned all over, and I was VERY aware that there was something wrapped around my stomach (my actual stomach) and it HURT! According to the friend I had with me, the surgery ended just after 11:00, but the first time I remember looking at the clock was in my room at about 1:00-I was quite surprised by how much time had gone by. I did not have any tubes in me, and was not connected to IV fluids when I woke up. I had the heating blanket on and the same stockings/huggers that others have mentioned. No catheter for me. I was in pain and slightly nauseated and was very afraid that they were going to try to get me to leave because I did not want to do anything but lay in that bed (I have to say I was totally horrified by the post that said when she came out of anesthesia she remembers hearing them say to bring the car around). I was very hot, but found this comforting for a while. And I was thirstier then I ever remember being in my life-which lasted for about 2 days after surgery. Somewhere in there they gave me pain meds, I have no memory of being given anti-nausea meds and I started to feel better. But my surgery ended just after 11am and I think it was about 4:00-5:00 that evening that I got out of the bed for the first time. Walked around with the nurse. Still hoping that I didn't have to leave. Got my fluids down. Went pee. Was discharged at 6:30 which I thought was perfect. I have been shocked by how quickly I have recovered since that first day... after the initial time in the hospital I have not had that hit by a bus feeling that my friend described on her second day. If I was recommending this surgery to someone I would tell them to plan for no less then a week off work. Yes, you could probably go back sooner, but you won't feel too great. Good luck to you!!!

I also stayed at a hotel the night of surgery, which was last week. My friend, who used to work as a home care assistant had ordered extra pillows for me. I doubled (or tripled-can't remember) the pillows on my right side and lay down on the pillows on my right side. I slept okay that first night... not great. The next two nights I slept in my recliner-and slept pretty well. By the 4th night out I slept in my bed, was comfortable, but had to alternate between my right side and my back throughout the night. You are definitely at the worst part of the recovery process (day 1) and if my experience is any indication then I'm sure you will be feeling better by tomorrow night.

I just saw this second part of your original question. I am now 9 days post op and am just now starting to lift, not carry, my 45 lb son-I have not carried him anywhere since surgery. But I hope for your sake that your briefcase doesn't weigh that much! If you don't have any complications following surgery, and you heal pretty quickly then I'd bet you'll feel up to working a week after your surgery. I went into surgery with the mind set that I heal quickly and I have a high pain tolerance. But the quick healing process still surprised me.

We do need a 4-6 day option up there. I have a job where I spend a lot of time sitting, and I am also set up to work from home and had been approved to work from home if I felt up to it even though I had scheduled a week off. I had my surgery on the morning of January 3rd. I honestly felt like I could have put in a few hours the following afternoon, which was a Friday-but I didn't. The next work day was Monday and I worked 5 hours and thought I would go back full time Tuesday (this week). Monday evening I went grocery shopping and on the way out of the store I realized that I had become sore and tired. My alarm went off Tuesday morning and I was exhausted so I didn't work that day. Wednesday was my last scheduled vacation day, but I worked 5 hours and felt fine Thursday when I went into the office to work a full day. I also worked a full day Friday and feel fine...(as you can see since I am posting at 1:25 in the morning). I will add that if it hadn't been an option for me to work from home I would have taken the full week off. I did feel like I needed this time to myself and not have to deal with the firing squad of questions I got on the day I returned to the office. Working from home also allowed me to roll out of bed at the last possible minute and go to work in my pj's. I don't think I would have been up to "getting ready for work" if I'd had to go into the office. I think this does vary by person, but this topic comes up a lot on this site and the general consensus seems to be (depending on the activity level of your job) that most people can return to work after 7-10 days.

Maybe there is already a thread out there that is for people to post favorite recipes, but I could not find it. I think having a thread specifically for recipes is a great idea. So here's my contribution. If you're looking for a 1c of this, 2T of that... that is not how I cook. But here is what I came up with. If you like enchilada's you might like this. Here are the ingrediants (please note that the only other time I have cooked with tofu it found a nice place in the garbage can): 1 pkg silken tofu Olive oil minced garlic chili powder small can of tomato paste chicken flavor boullion salt Water more chili powder garlic powder I started out with a small frying pan on medium heat, put in olive oil and minced garlic (the kind from the jar). After the garlic had a chance to flavor the the oil I added the tofu which I had cubed. After cooking a bit the tofu will start to fall apart so I broke it into smaller pieces with the spatula. Sprinkled tofu with chili powder. Stirred well. While the tofu was cooking: I put the can of tomato paste into the blender (magic bullet). Added 1/2 - 1 can of water. Started out with chicken bullion. Gave it a spin so these ingrediants were mixed. Added the tofu mixture. Gave it another spin until everything was well mixed and smooth. You will add water to create a smooth, but thick mixture. At this point you will sample and add spice to your own taste (chili powder, boullion, salt, garlic or garlic powder). Mix well after adding spices. I put this mixture in a small baking dish and mixed in some shredded cheese, covered with tin foil and baked it all together at 350 for about 30-60 min. Next time I make this I will not add the cheese because it did not melt as I expected it to and it left the otherwise smooth mixture with lumps in it and as far as I'm concerned no extra flavor. I got 3 meals out of this mixture. I will say that I just started throwing this all together and was pretty shocked by how good it tasted when it was all done. If someone had served this to me I would never have guessed that tofu was one of the main ingrediants. I have tried and failed at using tofu in the past and thought I'd give it one more shot since I'm trying to get some Protein in. If you try it I hope it works out as well for you as it did for me.

I did... I guess I just needed to open my eyes! Thanks!

If you like enchilada's you might like this. Here are the ingrediants (please note that the only other time I have cooked with tofu it found a nice place in the garbage can): 1 pkg silken tofu Olive oil minced garlic chili powder small can of tomato paste chicken flavor boullion salt Water more chili powder garlic powder I started out with a small frying pan on medium heat, put in olive oil and minced garlic (the kind from the jar). After the garlic had a chance to flavor the the oil I added the tofu which I had cubed. After cooking a bit the tofu will start to fall apart so I broke it into smaller pieces with the spatula. Sprinkled tofu with chili powder. Stirred well. While the tofu was cooking: I put the can of tomato paste into the blender (magic bullet). Added 1/2 - 1 can of water. Started out with chicken bullion. Gave it a spin so these ingrediants were mixed. Added the tofu mixture. Gave it another spin until everything was well mixed and smooth. You will add water to create a smooth, but thick mixture. At this point you will sample and add spice to your own taste (chili powder, boullion, salt, garlic or garlic powder). Mix well after adding spices. I put this mixture in a small baking dish and mixed in some shredded cheese, covered with tin foil and baked it all together at 350 for about 30-60 min. Next time I make this I will not add the cheese because it did not melt as I expected it to and it left the otherwise smooth mixture with lumps in it and as far as I'm concerned no extra flavor. I got 3 meals out of this mixture. I will say that I just started throwing this all together and was pretty shocked by how good it tasted when it was all done. If someone had served this to me I would never have guessed that tofu was one of the main ingrediants. I have tried and failed at using tofu in the past and thought I'd give it one more shot since I'm trying to get some Protein in. If you try it I hope it works out as well for you as it did for me.

I was banded on January 3rd, just a few days after you. Today is the first day that I have really felt hungry, and today is the first day that I've really eaten more then the 1/2 cup at a time they suggest. I don't know if it's really the case, but here's my theory.... the swelling has gone down and I am on the mend. I have been told that until you get your first fill it is likely you will not have any restriction. So if you were chew chew chewing like they told you too it's possible that the food passed quickly through the stoma leaving you feeling unsatisfied.

It's happening. That thing I do when the word DIET enters my mind. No matter how hard I try to convince myself that this is a lifestyle change. I want to eat everything in sight. Just at the point that I need to be trying the hardest to lose weight pre-surgery I have gained back 5 of the 10 lbs I had lost. No thanks to this wonderful holiday, and 4 family get togethers that were all food-fests. Now I'm trying my hardest to get motivated to put the brakes on the eating. Although my surgeon hasn't told me I have to do a liquid diet I feel I should. But I don't want to!!! And then I start to panic because post op I won't have a choice. I have read too many horrible stories on here about people that tried to take a small bite of something and it got stuck--yikes! My friend told me that fear is what's going to keep me from eating. Anyway, am I the only one feeling like this right now? My surgery is 1 week and 1 day away and this is the first time in months I have struggled like this.

Susan2008: Thanks! My pre-op was yesterday and now it's really becoming a reality! Good luck to you as well!

Munchkin392: Your Avatar gives the impression that you are a nurse. Did you know that statistics show that nearly everybody that is a nurse has at least one parent who is an alcoholic?

My BMI is in the upper 50's. My doctor did not tell me to do a pre-op diet. My surgery is scheduled for January 3rd and I had my pre-op appt today with the surgeon and the nutritionist. I specifically asked if I should be on a pre-op diet for these remaining days. I was told that was not necessary. I certainly don't think it would be a bad idea for you to reign it in a little if you are on a food fest right now. Any change you can make now will probably only be to your benefit at the time of surgery. You may be wondering if I have selected a reputable surgeon, and I can say that I have. He is the chief of bariatric surgery at Virginia Mason which is a Center of Excellence for bariatric surgery, he has been a surgeon since the early 80's, specializes in laparascopic surgery and has an excellent reputation at the clinic where he works. I commented to the nutritionist today that it's odd the drastic differences all the doctors have for pre & post-op diets.

Here's a thought.... why don't we start our own support group for addiction. Addiction is addiction, whether it's to food, drugs, working, shopping, watching TV, exercise (and yes this is the one I'm hoping to go to).... anything that a person does in excess to avoid feeling their emotions. My pastor does a support group for dealing with co-dependency and addictions. He says the average addict has 6-7 addictions that they can alternate between. He also says that most often when people decide to quit their addiction of choice without dealing with the issues related to their addiction that they will normally just "replace it with one that peeves people off less." Addiction is insanity. How many times I have thought to myself, "I can't believe I'm killing myself with food." Yet I can't seem to stop myself. Food is my addiction of choice, and I have had enough counseling to know the chances I will addiction jump are pretty good... that is why I have informed my former counselor that I may be needing some therapy over the course of the next few months. I plan to be very aware of what I'm doing, and I'm hoping for the best. So I ask you, have you acknowledged that there are issues related to your family of origin (aka... your childhood), that are causing you to avoid feeling? You're trying to fill yourself from the outside in, instead of the inside out. Have you ever noticed how many food addicts have relationships with drug addicts and alcoholics? Addicts attract each other.... How many of your closest friends came from dysfunctional families? I am not saying this to blame my actions on my parents because I believe that as an adult it is now my choice to improve my life and not pass on the mistakes of my parents to my own child. Sooo.... how does LBA sound (LabBand Anonymous)?

How long after surgery were you feeling up to cleaning house? Cooking dinner? The time after my surgery will be my last vacation for quite a while and I was hoping I would feel well enough to kind of putter around going through old stuff and tossing it out as needed.

Once upon a time I was 11 years old and had a single mother who dated. She ended up meeting the man she's married to now, 23 years later, just before I turned 12 years old. At the age of 11 I figured out what my mother was doing in the bedroom with the men she dated and it disgusted me. I absolutely hated everything about her having sex. It was not a moral issue for me. So maybe it really is your bf's 11 year old daughter that said something to her mother about it making her uncomfortable. Maybe your daughter is feeling the same way... or will be soon. One thing I will tell you is that I have never gotten the following comment out of my head that my mother said to me at the age of 11, "Once you have sex your body just needs it." YUCK!!!! The thought of her saying that to me still makes me cringe!!! So if you're going to talk about what adults do with a 10 or 11 year old-choose the words carefully. You stated here that your bf ex-wife seems to be a nice lady, and my personal opinion is that maybe you should give her the benefit of the doubt. This is her childs father, so there will probably always be a part of her that is curious about what is going on in his life. Not necessarily because she wants him back, but because she wants to know that her daughter is in a good situation when she's with her father and his friends. I will go on to say that as an ex girlfriend from a long term relationship there are times that I am still curious about what's going on in the life of my former bf. Not because I, in any way-shape-or form, want to be with him.... just curious. If there was someone that I could ask without sounding "curious-interested in re-establishing a relationship" I would, but there isn't so I don't. I think you hit the nail on the head when you said that you may just be over-reacting to what happened in your former relationship with an ex who clearly had some issue's. I wish you the best, but more importantly I wish the best for the children involved in this situation. Happy New Year!

I have been thinking about you and wondering how you are doing. Have things gotten better for you?

Is this wellness doctor submitting claims to your insurance company? If so, it could be that she's afraid to note these charges as "obesity/weight related" because if records are requested by your insurance company it may not be a coverable expense. That's the only thing I can think of.... About 10 years ago when I had a consultation with a surgeon for gastric bypass (which I did not go through with) I ordered chart notes from an orthopedist I had seen for back pain and she had the comment in reference to me, "her massive form". I wasn't there about weight issues, but back pain. I have never forgotten that reference in her notes. And I mention it here because it's a reference to the fact that if you are discussing your weight and general nutrition with this person you would definitely think that she would have that recorded in your chart notes.

I have also read on this site that if something hot doesn't work then to try pineapple juice. It is on my list of things to get for post op.