Enchanted

My doctor does fills during the surgery 4-5 cc. I still needed a fill at 5 weeks post-op, though.

That five hour drive is going to be a pain during the first year or more after your surgery. What happens if you need an emergency unfill? I suppose there's the hospital for that? Just be sure to have it all worked out before your surgery so you know what to expect.

After I had all of my testing done and the approval was in from the insurance company, my surgery was scheduled for about 2-3 weeks away. My doc doesn't schedule the surgery until you've lost nearly all of the weight required.

I think I'm more picky. I will only put the best foods, the best ingredient in my mouth (most days, anyway!). If I'm going to eat something, I make sure it's something that I absolutely love. We eat so little now, why do it on food that is just..meh.

I would definitely not rely on information here concerning your finances. Every employer's plans (even with the same insurance carrier) can be different. Not that the people who post here about their coverage aren't good intentioned - I'm sure they are.

Call your insurance company...ask them if LapBand weight loss surgery is a covered expense, what are the requirements for being covered, and what is the amount covered.

I only had one surprise -- the anesthesia group did not accept my insurance and I ended up having to pay the "out of network" expense - it was only $300 or so, but it was a surprise.

Oh, honey, you're fine. Two bites of pizza a few days before your surgery shouldn't hurt anything. (Do not even try that after your surgery, though!)

The purpose of the pre-op diet is to decrease the size of your liver. Two bites of pizza aren't going to mess that up.

xoxo

Since surgery, I never ever burp like a boy anymore. Instead, I have tiny little almost inaudible (almost) little burps while eating.

I take it as an indicator that I need to slow down and chew better - it sometimes helps.

That lump is a sign of being too tight, but since you don't have other symptoms of being too tight, you probably aren't.

Probably better to check with your doctor who will be able to do an exam and evaluate the entire situation?

Why did you have to have revision surgery?

Like you, I had no appetite after surgery. Count yourself among the fortunate because it's definitely not like that for everyone.

With your surgery just two days ago, some pain should be expected. Hang in there, it gets better. If it gets worse, you develop a fever, or you have other questions/problems, call your doc.

Congratulations on your surgery!

Seems like we all have some slider foods in common - pudding, ice cream, high caloric liquids. And then there are other junk foods that slide down for some people, but not others - soft cheeses, chips, cake, etc.

Interesting that the foods that are worst for us are mostly the ones that slide right down, hm?

All of these foods should be avoided. Not just because they won't fill you up, but also because they just aren't that healthy and one of our goals is to eat as healthy a diet as possible.

Also, I was told that I can have three meals + one healthy snack each day. I don't think most of us eat between meals, but instead rely on the band to keep us satisfied all day long.

When I feel stuck, it's in my chest / back.

When the band is too tight, I feel it in my throat.

Stuffed....I feel in my belly.

Satiety. That's a harder one. I think at first, I had to feel it in my mind - I'm really not hungry. This has been enough food. I'm done eating for now. But now, I my body can tell me when I've had enough food. Maybe that doesn't make sense? It's a fine line between, "I could eat more." and "I'm done." I could eat more is on the way to stuffed - not good.

Does that help?

That's plenty .. I would even say to start at 30-40 minutes and work your way up to 60-90 minutes.

Again, though, it probably depends on active you are right now. If you've been active, you'll be able to do more.

I sat around a bunch when I was heavier and there's no way I could have done 60 minutes of activity right after surgery.

xoxo

My response to people who say things like that is always the same, "Why would you say something like that?" And then look at them like they have three heads.

:smile:

I go off and on. If I'm having trouble getting my head back in the game, I'll go for a few weeks.

Like Jacqui, I prefer to do my own research and learn on my own, but it does help to sometimes be there in person for the free exchange of ideas in real time.

Good for you!!!

You're probably not tight enough yet. It took a long time for me to be able to feel much of a difference - and then suddenly there was a HUGE difference.

Stuck feels like something awful is happening. I think the best description I've seen recently is that it feels like a bite of food is trying to claw its way down. You will definitely know if you're stuck.

Satiety feels like you're not hungry and you don't know when you will be hungry again. Don't confuse satiety with stuffed. You don't want to get to that, "oh my god, I can't eat another bite" stage of things.

Restrictions feels like...the greatest thing in the world. You've eaten just a little and you're not hungry anymore. Today, for example, I went out for lunch, shared an appetizer with JeffyD and that was enough food for me. Ahhh....restriction.

You didn't ask, but after restriction comes Too Tight...too tight can feel like you have a lump in the back of your throat. It can keep you from drinking liquids and make you cough at night. It may also lead you to eat the wrong kinds of foods because those are the only things you can get down.

I hope this helps.

xoox

Drinking with meals doesn't change the amount of restriction you have - the band is as tight as the band is.

However, drinking with meals can push food through the band and make you feel hungrier sooner than you would if you do not drink with meals.

Not drinking with meals seems to be one of the things that we all have in common.

You don't need to apologize for so many threads. There aren't many people here your age having surgery and posting. The fact that you're here and asking questions is good.

My concern about your schedule is that it looks like you have about 2 hours of exercising planned when you're recovering from surgery. You're young, so you should recover quickly, but you still want to be careful not to do too much too soon. Have you talked with your doctor's office about your plan? It probably depends somewhat on how active you are now, too.

Once you're back in school, maybe you could get up a little earlier - take a walk and/or do some stretching? Or could you ride a bike to/from school instead of taking the bus? (I know that wouldn't be possible around where I live.) Then you could have some activity planned for the evening.

I know it seems like a race - to get to the finish line and reach your goal. For most people, it's more of a marathon. I just worry that you'll get hurt, or do too much and then feel defeated because you wouldn't be able to keep up with the challenging schedule you've set up for yourself. So..my gentle advice is that you take it a little easy on yourself and understand that it doesn't have to be "all or nothing."

xoxo

Nice!!!

Congratulations!!!

xoxo

I don't know if it's normal (call your doc), but I know that I was not drinking much those first few days after surgery. I was allowed to drink up to 1 ounce every 20 minutes. Doesn't sound like much, but I know I was not even doing that much.

If you're really doing this in your sleep, you need to talk with a doctor. Not only could you end up eating something that could be harmful to your stomach/band, but you could have an undiagnosed sleep disorder.

Once the swelling from surgery goes down and you're feeling more like yourself, hunger can return.

I was so lucky that this didn't happen to me and I was easily able to stay on the diet from my doctor.

Even though it's rough, I hope you'll do everything you can to stick with the diet. While the side effect of the diet is losing weight, its real purpose is to allow the stomach and surrounding tissue to heal.

Hang in there...it gets better. Really.

Glad she's feeling a little better.

xoxo

In things like this, I think it's a good idea to evaluate the risk versus the reward.

The risk is that you could irritate your freshly tightened stoma. If that happens, food could get stuck, you could vomit, and need to have the fill removed. There are other worse scenarios, but this is the most likely.

Worth it? Not for me. Being stuck is awful. Going for fills, unfills, and refills sucks even more.

I will second the soft cup bra. Or someone else posted that she wore a snug fitting tank.

I'll say again..it's interesting to me how different we all are!

The upper GI was nothing for me. Worst part was having to wait about ten minutes to be taken back for it - and even that's not too bad.

Sorry it sucked for you - the good news is, it's over and you probably won't have to do it again until after your surgery (and it's tiny drinks then!).