Papa-Bear

For the most part, I haven't run into much that just won't work. The only things I really can't seem to get down are bagels or regular sandwiches (panini press seems to be ok though). Even those I can have a couple of bites of if I really crave. Nothing that I now look at and say "I can never have that again." Overall, no complaints or regrets.

I have United as well, and my wife and I were approved very quickly. I do have apnea, so that may have been part of the consideration, but my wife does not. The only thing we needed was a weight history from my normal physician. I want to say it had to go back 3 years. One of the surgeons assistants had made the comment to me that United was the easiest to get approved. In talking with my surgeon they commented that for United, if it is coded as an overnight stay that it goes through quicker. Don't know if that is true, but it went through without issue. Also, I am in the DFW area. If you have not decided on a surgeon, I highly recommend Dr Cribbins out of Plano. Super nice guy and great staff. He also does some of his work in Plano Presby which is a spectacular hospital. Had to spend a week there last year on an unrelated issue. Nice place if you are staying the night. I see Lucy above recommended Hamm. He and Cribbins share an office and staff. Have heard great things about him as well. Hope this helps. Regards, Papa-Bear

Don't know if this is the same situation, but could be. For me, I checked and my surgeon and the hospital were covered. My statement showed I needed to pay for the "backup" surgeon (or whatever they want to call him), as he was not in network. I called to complain as I had no idea who would be in the room with my surgeon. They replied and said that they would re-process. Sometimes evidently, if one of the surgeons, or the Anesthesiologist submits there claim before the main surgeon, they may deny. They put it back through and I have not heard back from them since, so assume all is fine. I would say call them. Threaten them. If you called previously and they said it was fine, and likely your surgeon did the same, it is probably just a book keeping error (hopefully). Good luck, Papa-Bear

Hey Melissa, Do not know him. But if you want my 2 cents, if you can't get a call back now, it is likely that will not get better with time. If you have problems, or issues, it's not something you need to deal with. The first surgeon I had gone to had great recommendations, but the entire time I spoke with him, I felt like I was being rushed through. If you are getting a feeling that you are not getting good responses, you probably are not. Find another surgeon. Just my opinion, as I said, never heard of the guy. Regards, Papa Bear

For me, I could gulp down anything for a while. I only needed to slow down after a couple of fills and when I really started to feel the restriction. After that, it is quite painful to drink too much at one time. I would suggest you try to take small sips now and get used to it before the "negative reinforcement" begins. That's just my experience though.

For me it was pretty much a non-event. Went to sleep on the table, woke up in recovery and felt wide awake and ready to go. Wife had a little bit of pain and was a bit groggy, but still nothing really to complain about. Both of us had that On Q pain management thing, which may have made it easier, but to be honest I think it would be the same either way. If you get a bit freaked, ask to speak to the Anesthesiologist before the surgery. Mine called the night before to go over my medical history. Put me more at ease. Just think 98-99% of open heart surgery is successful. That is where they crack your chest open, re-wire your arteries to a machine, stop your heart, mess around in there for a while and then rewire your arteries again and start your heart back up. 99% success for that! This is like a billion times less complicated. Do your research on your surgeon and facility and you'll be fine. Good luck! Regards, Nick

I was banded on a Tuesday and my Dr said if I had not had one by end of Friday I should take some Milk of Magnesia. I think it is really common, so not much to worry about, but I would double check with your surgeon. I want to say the glue stayed on the incisions for about a week, but not sure exactly.

IT Service Manager in Dallas area.

In a way, I kind of did this both ways. I was initially supposed to go in for surgery in April 2007. I really did not want to tell anyone. I told my wife (as she was doing it as well), my parents, and a couple of very close friends, but no one else. Figured the same as you, nobody's business. Well,in my pre-op tests, they found a Softball sized tumor in my chest which needed to be removed. Needless to say, this put the whole Lap-band procedure on hold for a while. So, I needed to have a surgery to remove it, cracked open my chest, 6 week recovery time, etc,etc,etc... Anyways, the point of this rant is the thing that really amazed me is the incredible support I received from those same people I was trying to keep the Lap-Band secret from. Kind of felt silly that I wasn't willing to share this with them. So, when I did finally go in for Lap-Band surgery in December, I shared it with pretty much anyone who asked. Give people a chance, I think they can be really supportive. But that being said, you know your colleagues best, and you know your personality. I certainly understand both schools of thought, but have no regrets in sharing it. Hope this helps.

Hey there ThereForHer, Might be able to give a little guidance at least. My wife got banded about 6 weeks ago and I just got banded last week. But that being said, there was the period of time where she was on the liquid post op diet and I was not (things now reversed, but that's another story). Most important thing is to be really supportive of her. I tried to make sure not to bring any of her "problem foods" in the house. We both had a tendency to drink too much soda and we made sure not to even have any around. To be honest, for the first couple of weeks, I ate in a separate room with the kids most of the time. That changed once she got on solids again. Know that she will likely be tired and sore for around a week or so. As for the kids, I would recommend finding someone to watch them when you go for surgery if it's not a major inconvenience. Don't know that it happens to all, but my wife got kinda depressed about a week after the surgery for a few days. Have no magic bullet to stop it or deal with it, just be prepared for the possibility. Most of all let her know you are proud of her for making this decision and acting on it. Let her know you'll do whatever she needs you to in order for her to succeed. But hey, if you're the type of guy that would take time andgo looking on a site like this to find out how to be more supportive, I'd be willing to bet you'll do just fine. Best of luck to y'all. Merry Christmas.