RestlessMonkey

I too am tricare standard and got approved in under 24 hours. I feel for the tricare prime people who have to struggle so much! Call your surgeon for the surgery date; it's set by him, not tricare.

Call your doc and ask. Since it's the weekend coming up you don't want to be in misery for several days...and you can dehydrate really quickly.

Do what YOUR doctor says. This place is great but the "evidence" isn't scientific, just anecdotal. What's right for someone here isn't necessarily right for you. The realize band is placed differently ... and is HELD in place differently. I don't think it's stitched in but rather clamped into place (not sure....not a doc! just read a lot) if so, digesting real food won't give you the issues others face, Please, trust YOUR doctor and do what he says, bottom line. :tt2:

Why not call the airline and ask them for guidance? Or get a direct flight.

Unless you're somewhere where the docs work on Saturday...why not call tomorrow and just ask what they recommend? (our doc told us if we didn't go to CALL HIM and ask...not just take "whatever") Your doc may not be so finicky but just in case? I know you think there isn't much to go, but something should be happening down there, believe me, even if it's just liquid. I was clear liquids (not even protein) post op and prior to that I'd been having shakes and 3 oz Fish each day is all....(and fish has no fiber in it! LOL) and I still went, which is normal. You don't want a problem so safest to just call tomorrow and find out what they recommend. Better safe than sorry, right? :tt2:

I do remember being in surgery...the first time I was shocked and interested because it looked nothing like what I expected (from TV)....that curiousity is part of what led me to nursing school. So you may remember a little then, or not, but either way it'll be over with and you'll do fine.

Don't feel badly about no preop diet...I was on one for over 5 weeks and you don't get used to being hungry! :biggrin: Post op is hard, regardless. But we bandsters make it through!

I don't have a gall bladder and don't have those issues. I have to say if your surgeon can't find anything, odds are we all won't be able to help you either. I'm sorry you're hurting; other than keeping a food/activity diary and trying to see what may cause it, (could be life stressors) I can't be much help either. Just will say from what little I know about the gall bladder (am not a doc) I don't see how having it removed could cause you such anguish. Sounds like trapped gas....have you asked your internist about that?

If you haven't already seen your surgeon, please call tomorrow and let them know you haven't had a bowel movement since 1/15. 8 days is a long time to not go, even with the austere post op diet so many of us are on. Your surgeon may want you to take something, or may not be concerned at all, but we were told we should go within 3-4 days. Since I had diarrhea it wasn't an issue for me, but they asked about it even at my 6 day post op appt .... it's a potential problem, especially if you are taking opiod pain killers.

Have you ever been anesthetized? For me, it's pretty much no big deal. The big difference, to me, between anesthesia and sleep is that with sleep I "wake up" with a sense that time has passed, but with anesthesia I don't. When I "come to" I always (well, have had 3 surgeries so for those times) look for a clock (most recovery rooms have one) to orient myself to what time it is. That always seems to center me. Anesthesia itself is very modern. They are easily able to take us down and bring us back up quickly. I'm sure it depends on the patient and the expertise of the anesthesiologist, but I always expect to wake up alert and oriented and that happens to me. Twice I had a mild sore throat afterward for a few days (due to the tube they insert, once you're out, to keep your airway patent...and 99% of the time it's removed before you wake all the way back up) but otherwise, nothing. Some have some nausea, but I never have. It IS scary any time one has surgery. But laparoscopic is non-invasive, your surgeon and his team are pros at doing it (and pros at the special needs of bariatric patients) and you won't have to be out very long so don't run as many risks as for other more invasive surgeries! Hang in there!

My surgeon's NP told me the diarrhea was a side effect of the anesthesia and it would go away in a week to 10 days (and it did) The gas will also improve as you heal. Some use Gax X but I didn't...Sometimes I'd curl up on my left side and draw my knees up to my chest and that would help me pass it. The gas really does get better over time. You might always burp a little more than you used to, but it's not so bad.

What Kiz said.

I MAY be wrong (it happens way more than I'd like LOL) but I'm thinking if it gave you a rash (you just said "funny skin reaction" so I'm guessing rash) it was probably something topical like a new lotion, cosmetic, soap, etc. (not always, but often). However if it was more like flushing or hives, then that definitely could be something you ingested. Are you allergic to anything in the powder? If it did give you hives/flushing etc, be careful....any more, allergies are nothing to play around with.

I have 4.5 cc in a 14 cc band (3 fills) and can still eat any bread if I make sure I chew it well. While my surgeon wants us to eat "protein first", he wants his patients to be able to eat a balanced diet. Grains and pasta are a part of that "balance", so to me bread isn't a dirty word in lap band world.

I think, now that you know your insurance will cover, your next step should be to go to a "live" seminar, given by a surgeon (one your insurance will cover). That will answer a lot of questions for you, and bring up a lot more. And might I suggest taking someone else with you...perhaps a parent since you're still 17, but if not that, then another person to be an "objective observer" for you? It's just smart, when it's such a large decision, to have two people listening and so on. Plus, since you are a little young per protocol, taking a parent or "guardian" might help you with your surgeon. Please realize I don't mean to imply you can't decide for yourself....(some 17 year olds can, some 50 year olds shouldn't LOL) but just that it's a lot to absorb, so another can help. Plus it's easier to have people be "on board" with the surgery once they understand it! Good luck! :biggrin:

Kgloverii...that was one AWESOME addiction. It staggers the mind. You probably have enough extra money each year to have a good vacation! :biggrin: Way to go!

OK LOL at NINNER... and I think it depends (as does everything in life) on many things...WHY you overate, what it "meant" to you, and where else you can get that "thing, whatever it was". Depending on why you overate, you may not substitue anything. I guess if we were taught that excessive exercise is taboo, more of us would so be there!

Be sure and check with your surgeon...some of these items are "no no" for some docs. Motrin, for example, is an NSAID and I was told to avoid it post op for a while. Also be careful with the heating pad; if you have heat soluble sutures overusing a heating pad can feasibly dissolve them a little early. (odd but true) My doc didn't approve pudding, crystal light, or even Protein for the first week. Use the list as a guide (as I'm totally sure the OP intended) but clear it with your surgeon or his staff and don't go against your doc's orders! It's really not bad. I just needed my lip balm and some Water and broth the first few days (LOL) and my bra felt really good to me; got the girls up off my chest and my sutures! Good luck!

The worry isn't really stretching your pouch during the "post op diet" phase (you don't really have much of one; until restriction happens, the belt is fairly loose around the neck of your stomach, for most of us) but eating early can cause problems with the band healing in place. The post op diet is prescribed for a reason...so best to check with your surgeon.

If you're still supposed to be on liquids or mushies you might want to check with your surgeon.

I hope you feel a LOT better really fast! That WL is great but not if you're in misery all the time. You'll still lose a lot but be able to enjoy life, too! Keep us posted!

It doesn't do that to me at all, but it may bother you for whatever reason! I'd be more prone to think that it was the heat in the coffee, however, since it didn't bother you before your second fill. Liquid (hot or cold, caffeinated or not) should go through fine, as long as it isn't carbonated. If it doesn't, you're too tight. Maybe over the weekend you were more relaxed or something.

the only tip I can give you or ANYONE getting the band is make sure you have your aftercare lined up....fills, who to call if you have a band-related emergency or health issue, etc. Before I got the band I was so focused on GETTING it, I didn't really think about afterward. Now I realize the aftercare is as important as the band itself. Many surgeons are VERY reluctant to take on patients that another surgeon has operated on. Line someone up locally or, if you plan to fly back for fills, find out what to do if you have the (very rare, but it happens) band type emergency. Good luck!

Can't you contact Capital One and ask? They'd be the best source...

Just read the nutritional info on the labels...it lists carbs. Regular salad dressing is mostly FAT so it's ok on a low carb diet (like atkins) but not really OK at all on a low fat/low carb diet (like one to shrink your liver)