RestlessMonkey

The nurse practitioner at my surgeon's office (where I called about the gum) made me feel good today. I mentioned to her that I had gotten so hungry and couldn't "trick" myself by saying wait a few days and THEN you can eat...and she said this to me " It will be a while, but eventually the odds are that you will be able to eat everything you do now. The difference is you will need to chew it well, and you will be full with a lot less. Some people have things they can't ever eat, but some people have absolutely NO problems. Hang in there"

Hope that helps you too with the "never eat again" feeling. I know I read this board and on the one hand it is helpful but on the other, every problem or "slime incident" or some such I think I will have...when what my NP said is more truthful. I may have one or 2 things I can't tolerate any more but then again, I may not.

So keep your chin up! OH and if the doc gives you a preop diet, follow it!

I think I just misremembered your screen name. Sorry!

and lord yes people are overeating like crazy...just search for it.

I'm not because of not shrinking my liver properly the 1st time ....so this time it's all Protein Shakes and lean fish for me. oh, and Water. and sugar free gum.

Sorry I got your name wrong, veriteri88! it's the hunger, I swear.....

Veriti88 good luck! I did call and ask and the NP at my surgeon's office said sugar free gum was ok. I have lost quite a bit of weight so SURELY my liver is shrinking. I sure understand about excited and scared. I'm past all that and into grimly determined..

LOL at 2tired. I think you just summed it up.

Hi Maggie!

Thanks! My liver...my surgeon has me on an atkins-type very severe diet of 2-3 100 cal Protein shakes a day, 64 ounces of Water (at least) and a palm-sized piece of lean chicken turkey or fish, and some green veggies daily. That is it. no butter, no ketchup no breading no oil....you get my drift! I did go nutso and chew a piece of sugar free gum last night but "confessed" it today and they said that was ok! LOL

Tricare standard will cost more than prime depending on how much you use it! We don't pay anything. We get our generic drugs fairly cheap (most are $3 per scrip). We have a $150 deductible we meet (it's just my husband and me, and we each must meet that deductible) and then

Tricare compensates at 80% and we pay 20%. Tricare has a $3000 catastrophic cap so once we've paid 3k out of pocket, tricare reimburses the rest (in any year, of course) at 100%.

Years we had little/no medical issues, tricare standard was cheaper. This year, prime would be cheaper but, as I've said, we don't care for the network doctor's prime restricts us to locally. It's a personal decision of course!

I do feel lucky (for the 1st time!) to have tricare, though, after reading some of the horror stories people here have shared!

My doc's Nurse Practitioner today told me something that helped...she said "You should be able to eat just about anything you do now....it will take a while to heal, and you may have a food or two that bothers you, but you can have pretty much anything and will be satisifed/happy with a smaller portion". SO I remember that. I understand to be healthy I won't eat pizza weekly like I did, but....if at some point in the future I want pizza, odds are good I can eat it. I read all the issues people have and think I'm going to have ALL those issues, when in truth, we're all different. I may not be able to eat stringy red meat but may be able to eat bread, for example. This will help me be healthy and satisfied with less, but if I want an occasional splurge (like a birthday meal or some such) I can have it. That centers me and keeps me drinking the Water and following my preop diet. I don't need to say BYE to all my beloved foods, just see 'ya later, and less of you!

He did the surgery. He said he really really tried; but my liver was so thick he was afraid he'd lacerate it trying to get it out of the way! So I've been "through" it...and I know what all of it is like except actually having the band!

I came to in recovery dumb fat and happy! LOL and was told "we didn't place the band"...I burst into tears, as you can imagine. While truly deeply disappointed I was also mortified that I had not done what the surgeon told me to. I was so happy with my 10 pound weight loss....but the diet he has me on pulls fat from the liver first. (I've lost 27 now!)

So do what your doc says! I learned the hard way! He felt bad for me (bless him!) and is doing the surgery around my school schedule...I'm definitely doing my part this time!

I'm Tricare standard, like Roustabout. Honestly, it took Tricare 2 days to approve me and the hospital has an insurance coordinator who assembled and handled it all for me! I guess I'm lucky! My internist told me 7/3 to get surgery, 7/10 I went to seminar, and after preop diet and psych eval and nutrition consult and some preop tests, I was scheduled for 8/11. My liver was too fatty and I am rescheduled for 8/25. My insurance has been wonderful through all this.

We have the option of Tricare prime (we live in a large city) but don't care for most of the docs in that network.

I guess I'm really lucky!

I know how you guys feel but let me be a horrible warning. I was told to do a liquid/protein diet for 3 weeks prior to my surgery. 2-3 Protein Shakes a day, and for supper "palm size" portion of lean chicken, turkey or fish and some green veggies. 64 ounces (at least) of Water. That is IT. Nothing else. Well, I was hungry and wanted to say "goodbye" too. i dieted and managed to lose 10 pounds (started at 405) over that time.

Guess what? My Aug 11 surgery date came, and he could NOT place the band because my liver was too fatty! Talk about misery and mortification!

SO now I'm on another (almost) 3 weeks and I am following it TO THE LETTER. He rescheduled me for Aug 29th, and I'm hanginging there. No more "last meals" for me. I really feel your anguish. I sit here thinking "I may never have pizza/fried chicken/steak/warm fresh bread/you name it EVER again. I have to keep my eye on the prize and remember this is a choice I made for myself. So I am hanging tough. You guys on preop, be careful! It really hurts to wake up and know you didn't get banded.

You know, it amazes me that people think this is the "easy way" out of obesity. ???

TriCare "standard" For years Tricare didn't cover lap band. I'd called them again this year in Jan and again in April and was told "NO". Then my doc told me to have the surgery and my husband and I decided we'd just pay for it when I found out that now, Tricare DOES cover it! YAY

Since he's retired Army, I guess they are more aggressive about paying for this type of thing because the odds of us "changing" insurance is slim. They are going to have us for a long time, so the healthier we are, the cheaper it is on them long run.

I can do the "no gum" but not "no straw"...I have gum disease and just almost can't drink without one! We'll have to see how that goes, I guess.

I'm glad you got it all worked out!

Jennifer, he didn't give me an amount. I've lost, so far (since 7/25) from 405 to 378. I have 10 more days to go before my 8/29 surgery and expect I'll probably lose another 5-6. This diet is SO low calorie (500-700 a day) that you lose pretty fast. I'd lost 15 before my original 8/11 surgery and that wasn't enough....

I'm lucky my insurance doesn't require a lot of hoops...this has been fast for me. 7/3 my internist told me "Get the lap band" (Yay I've wanted it since it came out!) 7/10 the seminar, 7/25 the first meet with surgeon,

and then psych eval, diet consult, pre-op tests, and BOOM surgery 8/11.

It's been a whirlwind courtship except for the fatty liver thing!

But that sucker is BOUND to be shrinking now.

Yes thanks! and, um, ewwww!

LOL

I have to remember to chew chew chew...eat slow slow slow, pay attention...

and I know this will still happen to me. I hope I have a really quick learning curve, it sounds painful and actually a little scary!

Thanks! I rarely chew gum; that's one reason, I guess, that we have any on hand. I guess they don't want you to chew gum in case you swallow it? I just have to do this through the 28th and will make it but tonight for some reason just was starved. It's funny, for past diets I would "hang tough" at night by telling my self I could have Breakfast the next morning. Now...NOT! I will ask if there is anything I can add to expand the menu a little; I think most of his patients do NOT have to do it as long as I.

Thanks again for your answers!

Coolcrystal, I would ALMOST kill someone for string cheese and some nuts! LOL

BUT...I learned my shameful lesson. How sad that at age 53 I find myself alone at 11:42 PM on a Monday, Jonesing for a piece of sugar free gum! LOL

I think I'll go w/Long2befree and just chew it. One piece won't make my liver fatty; it's fat free......

Hi All! I know I can ask my doc about this and I will, but I wanted a concensus....

I'm doing a fairly long pre-op "atkinsesque" diet to shrink my fatty liver, consisting of 2-3 low carb shakes, lots of Water, and "palm sized" lean Protein (only fish turkey or chicken) and some low carb veggies.

What I was wondering is...I'm going NUTS! Do you think I could chew some sugar free gum, just to get rid of the ick taste in my mouth? Plus it gives me something to gnaw on besides my chair arm. I don't want to

blow it; and I CAN tough it out if I have to. Had I followed his rules properly at first I'd have been banded 8/11, so I don't want to cheat. Just wondering if, pre-op, sugar free gum is ok. What do you think?

You should ask your surgeon about this. Ours told us most people even out but if necessary to let him know and he'd tell us what to use. Using enemas isn't a good option long term. You can become reliant on them.

Call your docs office tomorrow and ask. You don't need to be embarassed; that's a basic function and you won't be the first to ask.

I read it. I also took most of it with a grain of salt, just like I do the ads on TV touting WLS as an easy fix. I've done my own research and that's enough for me.

No of course I don't know that. I do know, living on the border, people who have died of poor care in Mexico.

Wow I know people have surgery in Mexico but I'm one of those who prefers US Docs, so I can't help you there. I agree with your friends. Wait and save enough (or get a loan) so you can have it done locally. It's no more than the cost of a small car. If he's worth a trip to Mexico to have it done, he's worth a few more thousand.

ok, but why "PB"? I'm sure that stands for something.....

I agree with Delo...call the doctor and get a different antibiotic!