kiz

This was discussed at the seminars I attended. They said that many insurance companies would accept weight records from places like Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, etc. I didn't have WLS insurance, so I don't know the details.

In my opinion, you need to follow your doctor's instructions to the letter or close to it. Not every doctor requires one, some are much more strict than others, but hopefully you picked a doctor that you trust, so this is an area that I don't believe you have a lot of leeway.

Mica, I have no words of wisdom, but I do want to offer you my prayers. I'm very sorry you're having these complications, and I hope your antibiotics clear up the infection and that you have no further problems.

Congratulations, Mariposita. You're off to such a great start. I chose the Realize Band for many of the reasons you did, and so far I couldn't be happier. I'm sure I would have done just as well with the Lap Band, but I liked the way the size, shape, and the attachment hooks on the port of the Realize Band. The fill area of the Realize Band was also softer, which, for me, was important. I'm glad the online support has been helpful for you. I have to admit I haven't used it yet, but I've heard that it's a great site, and very useful in keeping track of meals and weight loss. Since I've heard so many people praise the online support, I'm going to register this weekend. I'm also sure I would have been just as happy with the Lap Band. My doctor is in the top of his field in the Richmond, VA area for gastric banding, has placed hundreds of bands, and his office is a Bariatric Center of Excellence. His reputation is top notch. When discussing to the two bands, he said the choice was mine, because his patients have the same success with both brands of bands.

I'm sorry you're experiencing so much port pain. I was able to baby myself a lot. My kids are pretty much grown, and I'm a SAHM, so I could get a lot of rest and lounge in sweats. I think being able to veg really helped the healing process. I'm very glad you talked to the medical staff in your doc's office, but if you feel like your pain is incapacitating, I would ask to be seen. I'm sure 99.9% of the time it's normal, but don't let that make you feel like you should take a chance. Lulu mentioned she ended up having a hernia, so there is an outside chance you might have a secondary condition. I would rate the pain I had the week after surgery as tender. Once, during the first week, when I stupidly forgot that I had just had surgery, I tried to move a heavy recliner. I had a very strong burning sensation around the port. Scared me, I can tell you, but it went away pretty quickly. Please let us know how you're doing. I hope your pain lessons very soon.

After reading some posts from people who had their port at their bra line and how uncomfortable it was for them, I asked my doctor if he could tell me where he was going to put mine. It's right where he said he was going to put it, and it seems to be in a great location. It's left of center about an inch or two below my rib cage. It's a low profile port, and after the initial tenderness that wore off in about a month, (the first night, I woke up laying on my left side, so it really wasn't too painful), I don't even know it's there. I can only find it by how the nurse told me to locate it. Laying on my back, I put my left hand behind my neck, and raise up slightly. With my right hand, I can feel the port. It must be a pretty typical location. So far, with my fills, it's been one stick, and they're right in the port. No fuss, no pain.

Hi Debbie. I'm so sorry to hear about your cold, but come hell or high Water, I'd get that fill after all you've gone through. Your doc must be a little more strict about fills, I just need to cut out the solids two hours prior, but I can still have liquids. If you're allowed, can you take a liquid med? Also, can you have nasal spray? I just got over a terrible cold, and I also used the ZiCam nasal swabs. I swear by those. Good luck, and if you spew a little barium, try to miss the person holding the needle! You do want to keep on their good side. :yikes:

You just need to go to your subscribed threads, check the box beside the thread you want to delete, and go to the bottom of the page, go to the pull down, and highlight "delete subscription" and hit enter. Or, even easier, you can unsubscribe to a thread by going to "Thread Tools" at the top of the thread, and pull down the options and click on "unsubscribe from this thread". You can also subscribe to a thread without posting to it from the "Thread Tools" button.

That's great news. Good luck with your consult!

I've always been a shedder, but, thankfully, I have very thick hair. After surgeries I've had a couple of surgeries in the past and after childbirth, I experienced heavy shedding. I started loosing a great deal of hair, especially in the shower, at about six weeks out from surgery. I would estimate it a wad about the size of a nickel to a quarter on a daily basis. I also have to clean the bathroom floor after styling my hair. I'm a little over four months out now, and I noticed just this week, that my hair loss is pretty much back to normal, and it basically happened overnight. I keep asking my hair stylist if my hair is appearing to thin, and she has reassured me that my hair is still thick. It must be growing in as fast as it's falling out is my only explanation, because I've lost a ton of it.

You're actually doing a great job with your weight loss. Be aware that if you have less to loose, often times, your weight loss will be a little slower. Also, some banders have had a six month insurance required diet, and some doctors require a very strict pre-band diet. Those numbers may be included in some of the totals.

I've been LOL at all of your stories. When I came out of anesthesia, my first concern should have been my lap band, but my first question was how my liver looked. I was obviously obsessed with my liver shrinking diet.

Hi Deborah, and welcome to LBT. Good luck with your insurance, and I hope you get a favorable outcome this time around.

My fills have been a piece of cake. They always get it on the first try, and I feel absolutely no pain, or at most a little twinge. I don't get any numbing, but when I had shots for numbing for a mole removal, they actually did hurt. The only pain I ever have is if they put a bandage over the spot, then ouch, pulling it off later hurts. Mostly, they skip the bandage though, because I haven't had any bleeding from the procedure.

If anyone is battling a peanut butter addiction or is feeling hungry between meals, this is definitely the thread to read. lol

I had restriction following surgery for about two weeks, which was from swelling, and I didn't get hungry at all during the liquid diet and mushie phase. I was able to drink pretty normally though, and still can. The initial swelling slowly subsided, but I really didn't go through "bandsters hell" where I was starving between meals. I was getting hungry, but it wasn't as bad as some people seem to experience.

LOL, Donna! Gee, if we could only read between the lines of rockbandster's posts, I wonder what we'd find.

Thanks for your comment about my quote, singingintherain. You're lucky you have insurance that will cover the surgery. However, I'm very happy with my band, so I'll have to say it was money well spent. Good luck on finding just the right doctor.

I don't know the answer to your question about adhesive, but I do want to warn you that my son scratched a bump on his arm, and a week later he had a big square rash, and it was a staph infection. It has cleared up well with the prescription topical ointment his doctor gave him, but you may want to call your doctor just to be sure.

I was self-pay, and a night in the hospital would have cost me about an extra $5,000, so needless to say, I kept my $5,000 and went home the same day. Had I had any complications, I would have had to have stayed. It seemed that all the patients with insurance stayed the night. For me, going home was absolutely the best decision, regardless the money saved. I'm a very compliant patient, so I drank my fluids, wore my stockings, walked as directed, used my incentive spirometer religiously, etc. In one of my pre-band meetings, a nurse said that recovering at home is the best, due to one being able to rest more comfortably, and because of the potential infections one can get in a hospital setting. This is barring any complications.

LOL..No problem.

The "search" button is on line just below the before and after pictures, third from the end. There's also a "search this thread" feature just above the first post in a thread.

This thread will get you through the mushie stage. You'll find lots of great ideas and recipes. http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f82/mushies-stage-recipes-17637/

Welcome to LBT, jojo. The first thing I did was to go to the weight loss surgery seminars and investigate gastric banding on the Internet. That's how I found this site. Do you have any questions in particular that you want to ask?

Hi msd, and welcome to LBT. I'm sorry that you're frustrated though. Have you had a fill yet? Don't expect a miracle with your first fill, but it will help. Are you measuring your food? ("I think my portion size is a fair amount not as much as before the band.") I think measuring is very important, especially at first. You probably are eating less than you were pre-band, but unless you're measuring, you can trick yourself into believing you're eating a lot less than you really are. Also, what kind of foods are you eating? You may be eating foods that aren't conducive to weight loss. Are you getting any exercise besides the walking you're doing with your job. The walking is good, of course, but are you getting your heart rate up at all and do you feel like you're getting a work out? I'm not really asking you these questions for your answer, but those are the things I'd be asking myself. I'm not going to be a super fast looser either, but I'm making healthy food choices and exercising, and in the long run, I'll get to my goal in a healthy manner.