jillrn

Well Matt my dr basically said--the study was older and they were having some problems with slippage and that is basically resolved now due to a new approach -- he explained the approach but I am not going to try as it is long. He also said they study was somewhat slanted and actually I believe him b/c I found it on a insurance co web site! LOL (my first problem) and that insurance co does not pay for it. He said he has never had one slip or erode yet--but he does know of some erosions but in these cases he said the people were fine and losin weight and decided to keep the band! Hmmm sounds a little dangerous to me! He said some of the patients included in the study should not have been b/c they lumped a few different procedures together that dont coinside (sp?) anyway basically they arent comparing apples to apples or chocolate to chocolate which ever you prefer! =)

I had my first appt today, and it went well. Wow you can really tell this is a money maker for the surgeon as everyone is SO INCREDIBLEY NICE! LOL much nicer than usual! Well actually I know this surgeon and he is nice most of the time anyway. He is really going to try and help me get the surgery approved and said I should know in 2 weeks or so. This is going soooo fast! The nurse told me the psych eval was not covered by insurance and it is $495.00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh my goodness-- I need to get a degree in psych and charge $ 250.00 do a couple evals a couple days a week make some serious money!!! Anyway my surgeon said I didnt have to have one unless my insurance required it, so hopefully I wont have to but if they are going to pay for the rest then I guess I wont complain! I really think a psych eval is a big waste of time anyway-- even if one does have an issue one eval isnt going to take care of it. I really think instead a 12 step program or some kind of continous therapy is better. I got to ask all my questions and I showed him a few of the negative studies I have found and he was able to explain them to me.. I feel pretty good about it --now I just wait to hear from Anthem! Oh yea he said no fill for 8 weeks isnt that a little long??? He said one of his pt's is 6 mo out and no fill yet- I guess she is losing! He also said I would more than likely be a slow loser b/c I am very insulin resistant. He said this is where the ineffective gut of the gastric bypass helps-- but I still do not feel like I want to have GB! Jill

My surgeon said the biggest problem is trapped gas-- not being able to expell the gas normally can cause stomach distention and that can actually push up your organs and put pressure on the heart and cause cardiac arrythmias. Jill

My surgeon told me that you should not have soda b/c the carbonation can get trapped and the trapped gas can cause abdominal distention and that can cause cardiac arrythmias! I wouldnt take a chance, boy I am going to miss my diet coke

My surgeon did say in some people the band pressure itself sends some sorta signal to the brain that you are not hungry... and no one knows why it occurs or why it only occurs in some people. Consider yourself blessed and keep going! Jill

Quote from DeLarla "GB is good for fast weight loss, but it's not reversible and you have to take supplements the rest of your life since you don't absorb valuable nutrients. (**I've heard reversing a GB is very difficult and dangerous but I'm not sure if it is done.) " Actually it is technically reversible. The surg has to open you up though and reattach the areas cut. It is a major surg but it can technically be done. It is mostly done for people that have malnutrition issues.

yes it can technically be reversed, but it is a major operation, and the blood supply to the unused portion of the stomach is still intact. Otherwise you could get gangrene and you would definetely be very sick and have to have the dead stomach removed. Youre unused portion of the stomach still contains gastric secreations and is emptied into the bowel. Look at a diagram and this will make sense

Since your eating alot less food are you hungry? Is it true hunger? Bored hunger? Psychological hunger? Or are you just hungry and the restriction prevents you from eating?

I dont know if this will help anyone but I have a hand cranked baby food grinder than makes things very mealy in texture. Not quite puree, but almost grainy (hard to explain) I used it for my kids and they loved eating "regular" food, my dd would not eat baby food b/c of the texture, but she loved this. I think it would be better than a blender b/c it would not be liquidified, you would however have to add some sort of broth or something b/c it gets a little dry esp chicken. Jill

Well I have not been banded yet but I am hoping for Jan too! I have PCOS and IR I took Metformin for a long time, but I never lost any weight with it, now I am taking Avandia. I have actually gained a few pounds of water weight which my dr said is normal on it. I worry that it wont work for me either as very low calorie diets have not helped me either. (800 cal/day) but I have not been able to stay on them longer than 3-4 mo then I go off then back on etc. I never lose any weight though. I am sure I will be part of the slow loser club but I am praying that it helps me to lose some. I need to lose 100-110 pounds but I would be so happy to even loose 75 lbs! Good luck I will follow your progress! Jill

I turned in my paperwork to the surgeon on Monday and they told me to wait to hear from them probably in about a month or so! I was kinda disappointed on how long it would take. 2 days later the office calls me to make an appt to see him. I said "why?" She said are you no longer interested in the Lap Band? I said No I am very interested, does this mean my insurance approved me? SHe said that they verified coverage, but now we have to prove medical necessity anyone know how hard this is?? I have a BMI of 44, I am border line diabetic taking oral agents, I have PCOS, GERD, hypothryroidism, and problems with sore feet from my weight. I am hoping I can qualify. I have Anthem BCBS My appt is next Thurs I am so surprised this happened so fast! Jill

This is helpful and I understand it is a process- I really didnt think about that-- Mostly I am worried about breakfast! doesnt that sound funny-- I get really really sick of eggs! I always eat way to many carbs for breakfast-- cereal, toast with peanutbutter are some of my favorites. I will do slimfast in the morning or a protein bar sometime. Is this ok??? I think I can do protein shakes with fruit alot when I am sick of eggs but what else do you eat for breakfast?

I am not banded just getting started but my dr said to wait at least a year so I think your goal in fall is good. you will be well over a year. He said other than that there should be no problems. Jill

Hello- my name is Jill and I am thinking about the lap band as is my SIL and she told me about this site. I think it is great! I went for the informational seminiar the other day, and I am turning in my paperwork Monday to fight with my insurance company. Anyway I need to lose about 100 pounds and I have been unsuccessful on conventional low cal diets. I am quite insulin resistant but I am not a diabetic yet. I was on an 800 cal diet for quite a while and I didnt lose any weight with it. My endocrinologist said I would need to get my calories lower yet. ( my lack of loss was not due to the conservation theory- I was on it long enough to rule that out) I did however feel HORRIBLE on it-- constant hunger, headaches and low blood sugar. I am a little worried that I may feel the same way after the lap band. Has anyone experienced this? It never passed the 3 months I was at 800 cal. ( I went up to 1000 b/c I felt so much better on 1000) I dont want to live forever feeling that awful, and it makes me nervous that the lap band may cause this. Some other questions I have are: 1. What was your pre-op diet? 2. What was your post op diet? Liquids for how long? 3. When do you get a fill? 4. How much does it hold? 5. What happens if it slips? 6. How commons are slips? 7. How do you determine if you need a fill? 8. How do you determine if you need to unfill? 9. What happens if your port flips? the dr answered some of these questions at the seminiar but I want to hear it from the actual patients that have lived with this-- some how getting it from the skinny surgeon just isnt cutting it! LOL Thanks Jill

That reminds me of another question.... Anyone on here had a pregnancy with the lap band? Did your dr say what changes the uterus may displace the band?? Are you allowed to have a partial fill with pg as long as the baby is growing?