kaytiebugs

Welcome! I couldn't do bypass either. I can't wait to be banded.

:thumbup::thumbup:

All banded people, people considering it, etc.

How much it will cost you depends. My insurance policy has a $2,000 maximum annual out of pocket.... so whether I stay overnight or not I'll be paying $2000. It really widely varies depending on your policy. I have a low pain tolerance, but I'll have my hubby and my mom there taking care of me plus some pain killers. Most people don't stay the night unless they are traveling (IE Mexico or out of state) or have some concerning health problem.

From what I understand, the only post op prescription they give is liquid vicodin or some other liquid painkiller. Those are pretty cheap. That, and liquid tylenol which is cheap.

Evaluations can vary a lot from doc to doc. A lot of people just have a quick little Q&A, I had a 3 hour psychiatric evaluation followed by a 1 hour interview with the psych.

I would like to do some sort of mental exercises... self exploration... something... to help mentally prepare myself for post op life. Does anyone have any good resources? books (not really books about the surgery, something that is more directed at helping mentally prepare for everything)? Web sites? I'm just afraid of the things that might happen to me mentally post op.

Are you supposed to take showers post op? Or bathe in the tub? Or can you do either? I've never had surgery so I'm not sure how that works. If you are only supposed to do one of the two, when can you do both again? And what about washing your hair? I have lots of hair. Does reaching to wash it hurt? Will I need hubby to help?

I've seen some youtube videos where the person went in for their first fill and the doc said there was some fluid in the band already. How does this happen? What is the fluid? Body fluids? How often does this happen?

I'm trying SO hard to quit caffeine. I haven't had any since Sunday evening. I don't know if I can do it. Quitting smoking was easier than this! I am SO FRIGGIN TIRED I can't stand it. I did the whole weaning thing for like 2 weeks. I have too much stuff to do to be this tired!! I quit smoking, I quit caffiene, I'm quitting eating crap food, but I don't know if I can keep this caffiene quitting thing up. My daughters birthday party is in less than 2 weeks and I have a TON of stuff to do to prepare... but I can't get anything done because all I want to do is go to bed! WHAT'S A GIRL TO DO?!?!? I don't think I can do this right now. The psych said I needed to quit ONE MONTH before surgery. Is the doc going to test me for caffeine?! So many docs don't make you quit. My docs reasoning is because it's an appetite stimulant. The mayo clinic website says it may act as an appetite suppressant. Help....

I've been reading about PB and stuff. It seems to be similar (but way worse) to some of the experiences I've had after eating like taco bell or something equally terrible. It's like my mouth produces a ton of saliva, I get a stribg pain between my breasts, and I feel like I can't eat, sometimes even after only the first bite or two. This happened today when I was eating a bean burrito and it reminded me of PB/sliming. Is this a downscale version of what it's like?

I'm kinda scared of losing my hair. I hadn't heard any mention of it until recently. I had no idea this was a side effect. I'd like to see how many people have experienced it and to what degree. Is there a way to prevent it? supplements for hair/skin/nails?

1) Perfect motto. 2) Me too. I'm still going to abide by 99% of the rules, but I know I'm probably going to drink alcohol here and there before 1 year out. I agree that it's very important to follow the rules, but some things you've just got to make the occasional allowance for... like eating bad- you're less likely to totally go overboard if you plan ahead for a little bad stuff here and there. I don't want to fool myself into saying I'm not going to have a single alcoholic drink for a year. Hello?! I'm 24! So I've already committed myself to only drinking on like my birthday, new years, DH's birthday, once or twice on vacation, etc.... as opposed to the current regime- every bulldogs game, 3 out of 4 saturday nights per month, social events, etc. I'm not an alcoholic, but DH and I are definately very much social drinkers lol.

I've read some very clever tips and tricks throughout the forums. What are some of your clever tips and tricks you've picked up along your lap band journey?

Lets hear 'em! Here's my fave smoothie recipe... this makes enough for 2 big glasses. I'm pre op so it'll probably be enough for about 3 servings post op. I just put the leftovers in the fridge, and whenever I'm ready to eat the rest I just throw in an ice cube or two and reblend it until the ice is well blended. 1/2 small bag of frozen strawberries (or about 16 fresh or frozen strawberries) 2 scoops of Protein powder 1c skim milk (or sometimes I substitute 1 little container of lite & fit yogurt and only use 1/2c of milk, but you'll need to add a few ice cubes if you do it this way, otherwise it'll be too thick) 1 banana ~If you used fresh strawberries you'll want to add a handfull of ice cubes. It's a little high in calories, but they are all good calories... and it's hard to get in enough calories post op from what I understand, so this shouldn't hurt a thing.

Flintstones it is then lol

I'm not too confident that my insurance will approve me for plastics/TT. So I'm going to have to pick which ones I want sooner than later. If you had to pick which cosmetic surgeries you wanted done, what would it be? I know I'll need a TT and want a boob job (wanted one forever). What else do some lap band post ops need? Arms? Thighs? Lipo (if so, where)? Or facial cosmetics like a face lift, botox, work on the chin waddle, etc? What would you want to have done first?

The Psych that did my eval is recommending to me and my doc that I see the dietician monthly and keep a food journal for her to check. I was planning on doing a food journal anyway. Anyone else somewhat required to see the dietician or nutritionist regularly post op?

I'm reading up on supplements. My doc highly recommends Bariatric Advantage supplements. They have one specifically designed for lap band patients. Just curious - is it worth paying out the wazoo for these Vitamins? I read in another thread that lots of people used Centrum and flintstones vitamins.

I'm trying to find a Protein powder that 1) Doesn't taste like total crap 2) Doesn't cost a fortune 3) Has at least 30g protein/7 carbs or less per serving. Thus far the only thing I can find costs like $40 for 3lbs. Umm... no. I know there must be a better option. For the two day clear liquid diet, I guess I couldn't use a chocolate whey Protein Powder mixed with skim milk, right? My doc has some kind of clear Protein Drink I could use for the clear liquid part, but I'd rather not because it's expensive from what I recall. And could I just double the serving of some other protein powder, so long as the carb content didn't increase too much? I'm going to the dietician next week but every dietician says something different. PS- I'm sure this has been posted a zillion times. I honestly tried to find something online but can't and I can't dedicate two hours to searching various online stores, searching the forum, etc just to answer one tired question lol.

My surgeon will not operate on a smoker. I quit in July and I'm so glad I did. I feel so much better. Honestly, the only reason I quit was for surgery. I won't start back though. It was hard for about 2 weeks, and I still had cravings for an additional 2 weeks (the kind that you get just because you're used to smoking at that time... like as soon as you leave work or right after a meal... not so much a craving, just a little reminder that says 'hey, isn't it smoke time?'). Since I quit, I feel much better in general. Plus I'll have less risk of complications from anesthesia and my body will recover much faster.

So do you think the fact that I've been overweight for about 5 years and obese for about 3 makes the outlook better? Or worse?

I'm 242 pounds. I'm 24 years old. I want to lose about 100 pounds. I'm wondering if I'll have much excess skin? Weight is a big consideration. I forgot to ask my doc, but a lot of people say that because of my age, my skin is more likely to shrink on its own. Obviously I won't ever have washboard abs without a TT, but I'm okay with a little jiggle.... I've just been watching RNY youtube vlogs and they have a lot of excess skin.... but they started at a weight much higher than mine. Anyone around my age post op and close to goal want to offer their experience?

I'm pre-op but when I attempted weight loss a couple of years ago I did my pictures like this and I really liked them. I had my hubby take them. I faced the camera with my arms out, turned to the side with my arms down, and faced away from the camrea. I did side by side pictures as I progressed and would use paint or photoshop to add in little arrows and stuff at things that had decreased. These were like 3 years and 57 pounds ago... I wish I was this size now. I lost, but of course gained it all back and then some.

I shop at the maidenform outlet and usually get three bras for $25, plus I get discount % off/$ off when you spend $__ coupons in the mail. I love it. So all of my bras are not only cheap, but they're friggin awesome!