kdlee

Elizabeth- They're the 4th Monday of every month at 6pm. I would love to see you there! I was struggling for a little while, too. Dr. Kaplan is soooo conservative on the fills that it gets discouraging at times. Hang in there! It does get better. I had my 2nd fill this am under fluoro, because he couldn't access my port last week. I was so discouraged, but am feeling better now. It's been hard because up till now, I could eat anything I wanted and was hungry! Hopefully this fill will help! WVnascarfan- Good luck!!! You're lucky that your upper GI will be standing. When I had mine done after surgery, they weren't sure what they were doing and tried to make me lay on my abdomen!!! I refused and so they made me lay completely up on my sides, which hurt like crazy. They didn't have me stand at all. I complained about it and Jeannie got it all worked out. When my husband had his done in August, they had him stand and it didn't bother him at all. The worst part he said was the contrast he had to drink. WVU-fan - I will post it! I keep googling him everyday looking for it.

Jeannie runs the support group meetings. They are the 4th Monday of every month at 6pm in Jeannie's office. I went to the one in July and there were 3 people there, including myself. I missed the August one because that was the day of my husband's lapband but it was about psychological issues. I went to one this past Monday and it was a recipe exchange. There was only one other person there besides me and my husband. The next meeting is Oct 27th and is about plastic surgery. Dr. Tarrant will be there. I'm not sure why more people aren't going? Jeannie said that she was gonig to try to call all those who have been banded for the next meeting. She also said that Dr. Kaplan is starting up his own website, so be on the lookout for that!

I'm not Elizabeth, but I'll answer. :crying: My pain wasn't too bad. He sends you home with Percocet and Phenergan. I was a zombie the first week on those! It really only hurt when getting up from the bed to a chair, etc. I only took the meds the first week and I still have left overs. I took 2 weeks off work, but probably could have gotten by with 1 week. 3 days would have really been pushing it for me, but I've seen others on here do that. My husband was banded 8/25 and he took 1 week off and did ok.

Good luck! I am 3 months post-op today with Dr. Kaplan. Let me know if you have any questions. :redface:

Not all BCBS PPOs require the 6 month supervised diet. I have BCBS PPO and did not have to do the 6 month diet. You need to call the customer service number on your card and ask for them to send you in writing a copy of their policy on weight loss surgery, specifically gastric banding. That way, you'll know for sure. Each insurance policy is different, despite being the same insurance company. The coverage and specifics depend on what your employer bought into. Good luck!:crying:

What part of WV are you in? I had my psych eval done in Parkersburg and it took every bit of 4 hours, too. That's 4 wasted hours of my life that I'll never get back!

Don't worry too much about it. The psychologist that did my psych eval said that I had a border-line obsessive compulsive narcissistic personality disorder :tongue2:, which basically means he thought I lied and answered the questions the way I thought he would want me to. I will admit that I am OCD, but narcissistic...yeah, whatever...just finish my dang test, take my $800 and leave me alone!

I had the same issues when I quit prior to being banded. You just need to bite the bullet and do it. I was exhausted for an entire week. I was in bed every night by 7:30, 8pm. I took a nap on my lunch hour every day for a week. I have an hour drive to work also, and had the same issue of feeling like I was going to fall asleep. I kept cold water with me, as well as peppermints, which helped. That enitre week was bad, but by week 2 I felt back to normal. By week 3 I actually had so much more energy than when I was drinking caffeine. It was weird. I haven't had any caffeine now since March and I don't miss it. I won't lie and say it was easy. It was really hard for me. But, you can do it. It's just another hurdle!

Thanks everyone for the replies. I am getting more sore as the evening goes along! I feel like someone punched me in the abdomen. It will be interesting to see what fluoro tells!

Hello everyone. I have a couple of questions for you. I went in today for my 2nd fill. All was fine until the Dr. couldn't access my port. Let me start by saying that on my first fill, he hit it perfect on the first try. This time he dug around for what seemed like hours (may 20 minutes?!!!) and never could find the access for it. I could feel him bumping it and now I am terribly sore. My abdomen is not that big and I can actually palpate my port. He swears it isn't flipped. I go back in a couple of days to have it done in the radiology department in the hospital. My questions to everyone: 1.) Has anyone else had this happen to them? 2.) If yes, was your port flipped? 3.) Also, does anyone have to pay out of pocket for their fills under fluoro? My insurance doesn't cover fills, so I'm wondering how dang much this is going to cost me!!!:tt1:

My 3rd week after surgery I was having extreme left sided rib/shoulder pain. I didn't have gas pains after surgery. It didn't start until I went to mushies and went back to work. I think the increased activity combined with the increased food was the problem. I limited myself to 1/4-1/2 cup at a time about 5-6 times a day. Plus, I really took it easy at home and work. My port is on the right side of my abdomen, so I think it was all band related as the pain was on the left. It did go away after about 1 week and hasn't returned. I found that if I laid on my left side and wrapped my right arm over my stomach/band area and kind of squeezed when I laid down that it helped. I hope you start feeling better. I know how bad I felt when this was going on.:embaressed_smile:

I have a desk job, but I am up and down all day and walking. I took 2 weeks off and it seemed just right. I was sore and had a lot of shoulder pain the 3rd week after surgery (my first week back) but it wasn't too bad.

I have Anthem BCBS PPO and it took about 3 weeks to get my first notice back and it was denied because the Dr's office didn't send in all of the paperwork. After they resubmitted the correct paperwork, it took 3 days. I would say the hold up for you is that your BMI is less than 40 and it must go to physician review at the insurance company. This can take a while because they have so many cases to review. Just keep calling the insurance company everyday to check on it. That's what I did. Good luck!

Hi Jessica. I used to live in the Falls when I went to U of Akron. Welcome! This is a great place to come for support and to get your questions answered.

I have the same issue. I'm guessing it's from air trapped below the band in the lower portion of your stomach? I've had some huge burps when I bend over after I eat. Also, I find I burp much easier now too, especially if I do any type of physical activity immediately after eating. It doesn't matter if I eat one bite or 1/2 cup, it happens. I've only had one fill. I'm hoping this doesn't get worse!

I had to pay the balance up front to the hospital before my surgery. I think it was around $600. They wouldn't take payments after surgery. It all had to be paid pre-surgery. That was for the hospital part. I have since received bills from anesthesia.

Good job!!! It will be here before you know it!

My surgeon said no alcohol for one year after banding, period. Alcohol is a gastric irritant is the reason why. He is more conservative than other doctors, from what I've read on here. It would be best to check with your surgeon.

My surgeon just began his banding practice this March and I was banded in June. I had my doubts, like you, but decided to go with him because of location. I am very happy that I did. So far, everything has went well and he did a good job. He had extensive training and mentoring by one of the pioneering band surgeons, so that helped to ease my concerns. His bedside manner is great and so far, he has been very attentive to my concerns. Plus, he has been a surgeon for many years, so it is not like he is a new physician. Research your doctor online and try to locate some of her patients on here, if you can. Good luck in whatever you decide. :thumbup:

I have Anthem BC/BS PPO and was not required to do the 6 month diet. Dr. Kaplan does require you to go through 6 nutrionist visits with Lindsey, though. My seminar was March 15th and I was banded June 30th, so it's about a 3 month process. Brenda (At Jeannie's office) takes care of all the paperwork for you. I lost about 30 lbs during the pre-op 3 months by following Lindsey's diet plan (1200-1400 calories) and exercise. There wasn't a certain amount that I was supposed to lose.

Hello everyone. I'm from Belpre, right across from Parkersburg. Dr. Kaplan banded me June 30th and my husband August 25th. We're both doing well. If you have any questions, just let me know!

My Dr. says no drinking 30 minutes prior, during, or 30 minutes after. I have a hard time remembering to drink, because by the time I wait 30 minutes, I'm on to a new activity and I've forgotten about drinking water. I was used to drinking my fluids with meals and it's a daily struggle for me to get my water in!

I am able to eat anything that I want. I have not gotten stuck once, and I have some restriction. I have 3cc in a 10cc band. I am going to get another fill, because I don't feel that I am quite where I want to be. But, that said, I like to be able to eat whatever I want. I am losing 1-2 lbs a week, as planned. I am not too hungry between meals now, but I'm still eating more than I want to be at one setting. I do have to eat slowly and chew, chew, chew. If I eat too fast, it feels like a golf ball going down, but nothing stuck! I can eat bread, rice, fruit. I'm not a big meat eater, so I've only eaten tuna and chicken so far. I haven't tried steak or shrimp yet. I think that alot of the stories you hear about people having difficulty eating comes from getting too much of a fill too quick. My surgeon is very conservative and takes his time with fills. It does take more will power this way, but it's working. Good luck to you!!!

I had the last supper effect for 1 week before my pre-op diet and gained 4 lbs. I did my pre-op diet for 2 weeks before surgery. It was a protein shake for breakfast and lunch. Dinner was a 6oz piece of lean meat and veggies. I lost 15lbs those 2 weeks. You can do it. Just stick with it and don't cheat on your pre-op diet. Cheating will only slow your weight loss. As another poster said, you will still be able to eat normal foods after you're back on solids. I am 2 months post-op and can eat whatever I want. I just get full on alot smaller portions! Good luck to you! :cursing:

I would talk to your dr. about it. My surgeon said under no circumstances was I to stop the pill. I even took it the morning of surgery. Make sure you're using a back up method of birth control!