Jodi_620

Just wanted to add that although you will still be able to tolerate spicy foods, if your doctors rules are the same as mine you aren't supposed to drink during meals and will have to wait 30-60 minutes to have a drink...I didn't think that through when I had some spicy Kung Pao chicken. :cursing:

I am sorry you took my post so badly. My statement "I think most doctors tell you to quit smoking" was in response to her question "Does the surgeon recommend you quit smoking?" I didn't say nor did I mean to say "All doctors tell you to quit, but you shouldn't listen. " I know smoking is bad for you, surgery or not and I am sure that as a smoker, dolly_lala understands this too. I was not trying to downplay the affects of smoking, only telling my story. I KNOW that some surgeons will not do surgery if you don't quit and I said so in my post. I don't know about bleeding to death due to smoking, I was not told about this but with the anesthesia it can cause decreased carbon dioxide and breathing problems during surgery as well as increased infections and pulmonary complications after.

My surgeon tells me not to eat until I am full but rather until I am satisfied. As soon as I am satisfied I should stop eating and wait until I feel hungry again to eat. I have had a few occasions where I had that bloated, too full feeling but for the most part, I try to eat just enough where I am no longer hungry yet stay satiated for at least three or four hours. I measure my food so that I know what that amount is. On soft foods, I was eating 1/2 cup at a time when I went from soft foods to solids I started at 1/2 cup and slowly moved up and am currently at about 1 1/2 to 2 cups of food. I will have my first fill on Thursday which will hopfully help me reduce that a bit. I try to eat the Protein first, then then the veggies followed by the carbs if needed. I try to eat more dense foods that fill me up and keep me full longer--fibrous meats and veggies satisfy me more as opposed to soft easy to swallow foods that pass through my pouch quickly and leave me hungry much sooner. I only get stuck from eating wrong or eating the wrong things, not from eating too much.

I think most doctors tell you to quit smoking, as a former smoker I don't recall ever seeing a doctor that didn't tell me that I needed to quit. My surgeon did not threaten to withhold surgery until I quit but I have read here that some surgeons do. I smoked right up until the night before surgery. I didn't have any complications with anesthesia. I also had hiatal hernia repair and due to the side affects of that, I was unable to smoke for three or four days after surgery, with the side affects of hernia surgery and the vicodin, I didn't even want a cigarette and didn't even realize until day three that I hadn't had one cigarette. I realized that I was lucky enough to make it through the chemical addiction without even suffering nicotene withdrawal and told myself that I would be a fool to go back, It has been 45 days and I am almost to the point where I don't even give cigarettes a thought.

I take a multi and calcium with vitamin D (Caltrate plus D). I am to have 60-70G of protein a day eating three meals with protein, then supplementing protein in between meals (protein supplements like shakes and bullets are not to be used to replace a meal.)

My doctor recommended a childs sippy cup...I didn't need it so I am not sure how well it works.

lunch is hard for me now too because I don't eat bread and bread is just so darn convenient...I am trying to stay very low carb so I haven't even tried to see if I can tolerate it yet. My favorite lunch is salad with meat and a little cheese or boiled egg. Salads are healthy, filling and versatile...you can switch up with different meats, veggies and dressings so you won't get bored. I also like those Starkist Tuna Creations, I keep them at my desk for a convenient Protein meal.

GDC DID mention health issues, she said she has PCOS and would like to get it under control. That is a real health problem and it is not just related to infertility. And I think that most of us would be lying if we said that the decision to get the lap band had nothing to do with looks. And many of us with PCOS get a double whammy when it comes to appearance. Not only do we get the fat but most get the excess hair (body, facial) and/or acne and/or thinning hair and/or skin tags...losing weight can help in those areas too.

You have absolutely no reason to be embarassed. My surgeon told me that I probably would gain back a few pounds between the liquid post-op stage and my first few fills, he said most of his patients do. I had some restriction for a couple weeks after the diet but I have lost that restriction a few days ago and with two weeks to go before my first fill, I will probably gain back a few pounds myself. You ARE NOT a failure you have done fantastic so far and the only way you will succeed is to go in and get your fill.

Wow, that's great Julie! I had my surgery 32 days ago. I lost 13 pounds pre-op, 9 pounds post-op and the scale has not moved since I went on solids (I am happy just to not gain in this stage!). I get my first fill on July 17th...

Julie, I truly do wish you luck, I know how hard it is. I still can't believe that I have made it this far...I've never made it past 1 or 2 days prior to this. My trigger points were after meals and in the evening when all of my work was done. It got easier every day and I rarely even give it a thought now...except when something really stressful happens or when I see/smell it but even that is getting so much easier. I am so very proud of myself and that keeps me going...you will be too. I've slowly noticed the benefits of quitting--my lungs are already amazingly clearer which makes the air seem so much more refreshing, I got rid of the phlegmy feeling in my throat, my hair smells better, I sleep better, I don't have to plan everything around getting cigarettes and smoking them and I am saving money. Good Luck...and if you need support, I'm here for you, just PM me.

Yes, like every other doctor a smoker sees, my surgeon told me that I need to quit but he never threatened to withhold the surgery. I smoked right up until 9:00 PM the night before surgery, the rules are no eating drinking or smoking after midnight and I adhered to them. I had no anethesia problems. I also had hernia repair which caused extra pain and breathing issues...And no, the breathing problems I am talking about were not from smoking--my lungs felt fine but I just didn't have the strength in my diaphragm to pull in very much air it was confirmed that this was due to the hiatal hernia repair. This problem lasted about four days and honestly I didn't even think about a cigarette for the first three days post-op(which is was truly amazing for me), between recovering from lap band surgery and handling the hiatal hernia repair issues...I just suddenly realized on day 3 that I hadn't had a cigarette since before surgery. On day 5 I could have physically smoked and certainly considered it but I realized that if you can quit for 3 days (something I have NEVER been able to do before) then you have kicked the chemical addiction and just have the habit part to kick. I decided that I had never made it this far and I would be a fool to back step at that point. I am happy to say that after 20 years of smoking between 1/2 to 1 pack a day, I have been nicotene free for one month and three Days!

For four weeks post-op (during liquids and mushies stages), my doctor's rule was the same as Wishin4's-10/60. Now that I am on solids it is 10 before and 30 after.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! :thumbup: AND CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Sorry but no, you are not understanding what I am saying. I am not talking about intestinal gas, I am talking about actual air that was pumped into your abdominal cavity during surgery. This air is not in your organs (stomach, intestines) it is in your abdominal cavity. After surgery the air migrates up to your left shoulder and causes shoulder pain. Yes, we do get intestinal gas after surgery but we also get shoulder pain from the air that was pumped in to our abdominal cavity, two different types of gas.

I went to the seminar first then went to my consult which was $370 out of pocket. I didn't even discuss surgery with my PCP prior to going forward (although I did mention it to my Endocrinologist who was all for it). While I was in consult with the surgeon the coordinator was calling the insurance company and getting specifics on coverage, she handled the whole approval process. The only involvement my PCP had was doing bloodwork, EKG and submitting a Surgical Release Letter to the surgeon all of this was done after I had already been approved through insurance. If I remember correctly the $370 consult fee covered the insurance approval process among other things.

I am surprised that everyone is not told about this by their surgeon, you are the second person to bring it up today. I know I was warned repeatedly prior to surgery. When you get laproscopic surgery, they fill your abdominal cavity with gas/air, this opens up the cavity and separates the organs to make surgery possible. Often some of that air is left behind and for some reason always settles as pain in the left shoulder. Eventually your body will absorb the excess air and the pain will go away.

Leslie, Here is another cute one, thought you might enjoy it :thumbup::

That is true aivey. My sister has PCOS too and she is not overweight. Weight is not a cause, it is a symptom of which not everyone has.

You have shoulder pain after surgery because the surgeon fills your abdominal cavity with air to make surgery easier, it opens your abdominal area and makes makes room to access your organs. Often some of that air stays in after the surgery. The result is pain in your left shoulder. Eventually your body should absorb all of this air but the timing is different for everyone.

WooHoo!:smile2:

By flip I assume you mean the port. You will know if your port flipped when you go to get a fill; they will not be able to access it. It happens because it wasn't stitched down enough or a stitch came loose. By slip, that would be the band. You would get acid reflux, nasea and/or vomiting. The band can slip if it wasn't placed correctly, if you don't follow your post-op diet properly while healing, if you consistently overeat or vomit too much. Good Luck!

They need to get your thyroid levels under control or you will probably not be able to lose weight even with the lap band. The insurance may not approve you if you have uncontrolled thyroid disease.

Isn't that frustrating? With the last endocrinologist I saw, I was going along fine for about six months when I started losing my hair in clumps, my skin was flaking, I had zero energy, no concentration, memory issues and worst of all horrible anxiety as well as all of the other clear signs of thyroid issues. I went to see the "endo" and he said that my blood levels were normal and I would just have to accept these side affects of thyroid disease because I would have them for life. I found a new endo right away, he adjusted my Synthroid dosage and I felt wonderful in a week or two. My mother is experiencing the same thing, she has every symptom of thyroid disease and her doctors keep saying she is borderline but within normal range. I keep trying to convince her to find someone else but that is not easy where she lives. A good Endocrinologist will know that there is no one "normal range" for everyone. They should work with you to find your own normal range that keeps your symptoms at bay while not throwing you into HYPERthyroidism.

Yeah, I didn't know I had a hernia until I had the pre-op tests for lap band surgery, they found it during the barium swallow. Prior to that I had occasional heartburn for a year or so but nothing alarming. The radiologist called it a slight hernia and my surgeon wasn't convinced that there was even a hernia there until the actual surgery. I didn't know for sure that I had hernia surgery until a day after when I noticed the breathing problem, I got scared and called the on call surgeon who explained that my breathing problems and burping pain were due to the hernia surgery. Cigna should have set guidelines for weight loss surgery as long as you are within those guidelines, whether on lower end of the scale or not, they should cover it. I just made it with a 41 and no co-morbities. l would call them and find out what their requirements are. Like I said, it is typically BMI of 35-40 with co-morbities or above 40 without. Give them the code for surgery (CPT 43770), ask them what their requirements are and you could even ask them to send you a copy of their policy for surgical treatment of morbid obesity. That way, if they deny you unfairly you will be armed with the facts to fight it.