girlie2shooz

yah i was feeling a bit apprehensive until the anesthesiologist said, "...here take a couple of deep breaths and then breathe normal......." g2s

hey we were banded the same day, good for you. why fight a losing battle? why shouldn't you be healthy and thin, why shouldn't you be the one to not have to fight so hard to lose the weight? why shouldn't you be given "a break?" yes it will take work but you deserve it and you are worth it, I know i am. is it easy, no, is it the magic potion, no, will it require us to be responsible in our weight loss, yes. incisions will heal and life will go on and we will reap the rewards of our efforts. change the mindset of punishing ourselves, and realize we deserve to have a healthy life and all the good stuff that goes along with that!! be happy, you made a great decision to take control of your life!! g2s

i was submitted to insurance on a thursday and i had approval and surgery scheduled the following thursday, BCBS Anthem - Nevada. I think you may be surprised with the response time. my coordinator told me the insurance company had up to 30 days but typically replied within 2 weeks. so i got a pretty quick turn around time. best wishes. g2s p.s my bmi was 34.5

wow tuesday, good for you!! i was banded this past wednesday 3/5. the liquids just are short term, and after the surgery i really haven't been hungry, ate because healing is my main goal right now. i would recommend making sure you have your pain meds and take them. it can be uncomfortable after surgery but nothing your meds can't handle. move as soon as you can and get rid of the gas they use for inflation. eat smart, don't cut corners and eat what you are SUPPOSED to eat. it is a short period in your life, you will be fine. long term is the goal and you will have an excellent tool to be healthy and happy. listen to your body and realize when you are full and leave the extra food behind. it is not a waste, it is what will make you healthy. i have felt better each day after surgery and am aware of what my body is telling me. i have had to slow down and listen and not be in a hurry. best wishes and a speedy recovery. g2s

greetings, i was banded 3/5/08. typically i spend about 3-4 ultra heavy days with my period. i started a week early and it was the day of my surgery, all i could think was what a pain in the ass. well i got out of surgery and whammo, i had stopped. a 1 day period!! i have heard the same thing as you, surgery recovery takes priority subconsciously. now if that would just continue thru menopause.............

i was banded 3/5 and felt like crap from being inflated, got home that afternoon and took my pain meds and have felt better each day. went to work today and worked 3/4 of the day and came home because my port was starting to bother me and i didn't want to drive while medicated. my inflation is deflating and i feel a lot better. as far as food i pureed some broccoli and added it to my broth, have gatorade 2, and water, oh yah some sf hot chocolate in the morning with a scoop of instant coffee. walking has helped immensley with the deflating process. i seriously questioned my sanity when i got out of recovery, but after getting home and taking the lortab i am soooooo glad i did this!! it will only get better so hang in there everyone! g2s

i feel great, sore around the port area but i am so glad i did it! th pain from teh gas has been the worst, but i am on the mend and feel great. thanks for the kind words and keep us posted on your surgery as well. did you find someone to do the fills for you? g2s

i took yesterday off and am back at work today, however i need to keep a low dose of pain meds in me. i will probabaly only work 3/4 of today as i am staring to feel the gas pain in my shoulder and back. my doc gave me suppositories for the nausea and they really help. hope you get some meds for the nausea cause that really sucks!

yes the lortab is liquid, but i can certainly understand what you are saying about the small surface area with the new pouch. if i have to resort to it i will make sure i take it with liquids to get it past my pouch for absorption. thanks for the advice. only one more day and it will be band day, woo hoo!! g2s

thank you i appreciate the response. i did just that, bought some liquid tylenol as well, i believe i will save the lortab for bedtime. thanks again for the input. g2s

congrats on making your choice for banding. there is a wealth of info here and so many personal experiences to draw from. GO ARMY, retired after 23 years!! again congrats on a healthy life choice. p.s. did tricare look at BMI or ht/wt? thanks g2s

nortone, good for you for taking control!! the band is a great tool to help us succeed. as you know it takes work and don't let others tell you different. you made a great choice and i know i have as well. i have bcbs anthem and am a 34.5 bmi and i was approved first round. i believe if you have a good patient advocate your insurance hoop is a lot easier to jump thru. i am 44 and have fought it all my life. run 2-3 miles 3xweek, eat healthy, but i eat too much. i am glad to have a tool that will work. i am excited for you, it really is a gift. good for you and keep us all posted. g2s

i took some of my lortab yesterday to see how i reacted with it prior to my surgery. well i got horribly sick to my stomach and faint. now here is the question, my doc also prescribed a suppository for naseau. is this to counter the effects of the lortab or just being naseous in general? anyone know? i can certainly ask my doc before surg date but i would kind of like to know now. any hep would be great. g2s:rolleyes3:

good morning everyone, what i know of myself, eating was a punishment for being fat if that doesn't sounds crazy i don't know what does. everyone has this inner ego and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. it just comes out in different venues. i am pretty normal (?) and when i get stressed i tend to eat and then eat more for not facing issues head on, so i am recognizing my eating issues, and taking control and not being LAZY. making meals when they need to be made instead of taking the easy approach and grazing. the band is a tool and will only work as well as i want it to work for me. but that is just me.

i am very fortunate to have the insurance that covered me, otherwise i would be SOL. yah same method of madness for me, no carbs slim out the fatty liver so i am doing the same, except this moring i put instant pudding mix in my protein shake instead of jello for flavoring and holy moly, i don't think i will be hungrey the rest of the day! mental note on that one......g2s

well you got it planned out so that is half the battle, good for you. what kind of eating options do you have before surgery? i have heard that banding in MX includes a lot of luxuries that we dont' have here so maybe an even trade. how long have you had a surg date?g2s

I am in reno and being banded in reno, so i don't know if that really helps. i am 1 week away from surgery, countdown starts today. i have been on the preop shake dealio for a week now it it aint so bad. i am aware of a few co workers who have had their procedure in mexico and they all seem to be doing well, the only negative thing i have heard is getting a doc for fills after the procedure. hope that helps. g2s

oh FF that is way to funny!! hahahahah G2S

i think he MAY HAVE had help. if he didn't then good for him. i might be able to spend 8 hours a day in the gym, and have someone prepare my meals for me too if I had a bazillion dollar contract. yah then it would be easy to keep it off but that aint reality for me. still all that money could take you to some pretty good restaurants, tee hee. who really knows but that is a good question that i have thought about as well. It is all about the band helping me succeed and I am glad for that! Woo Hoo g2s

March 5th for me and i can hardly wait. i will be so glad to have a tool that really helps and get the monkey off my back. i eat very healthy, too much, but healthy. i enjoy running and being outside so teh band is just what i need to help me lose the fat i have fought my whole adult life. I am just wiggling and wish it were 3/5 tomorrow. congrats to all of the march bandits!! woo hoo, heres to all of us.....****raises protein shake in glass*** Salud!!

well that is a lot of protein powder. try using milk and sf jello and make a shake, or add to cream soups as you have done already. you can add it to apple sauce after you are banded and add to sauces you may use later in your regular food phases. right now i think you may be limited to the milk because of pre op. i ad mine to milk and use sf jello flavors and sf pudding. i am on pre op and will be until 3/5/08. then it will be again after surgery, however my surgeon does allow anything that can be poured from a spoon so that is a very good thing, i need to have some other flavors in my daily routine. oh yah yogurt may be a good thing to add it to as well. keep us posted on yoru creativity. good vibes g2s

Good Morning! Try contacting your employers health insurance to find out exactly what and how they cover the procedure. Then talk to your HR person and find out when open enrollment occurs. also, make sure your emplyers insurance will accept a previous 6 month weightloss program for their coverage. and as far as the man in your life, sometimes others judge what they don't understand. he may not understand but he should support you. g2s

thank you GG, i have fought this monkey all my life (44 y/o)as you said and tried it all. i do enjoy running so i got the exercise down, and I do eat pretty well (just too much) so I agree the band is the tool i need. however as i listed in my last post, there is tubing length to be factored in and after 6 months the fills are gonna cost me $200.00. i am very satisfied with everything so far, but i can see where the fills are a golden goose. so thanks for the info, the office there appears to be pretty supportive in regard to success. g2s

i thought the same thing and i will be banded in march. from what i gather from others daily food logs, that they have so graciously posted, protein drinks still play a pretty big role in teh daily food intake. as we get thru the phases i believe typical days become semi routine with certain staples every day. that is my plan anyway......one day at a time and that is all we can do. g2s

okay so is the nurse aggressive inn her fills? the reason I ask is because there is a distance of tubing that also needs to be filled before the fill actually hits the band. i am seeing him pre op this thursday so i can ask but was just curious before hand? are you pleased with yoru results? g2s