RestlessMonkey

A BIG drawback to having surgery done "away from home"....whether in another country or another county...is finding aftercare. Once you get the band you'll see that fills and follow up are as important, if not moreso, than the band, and MANY surgeons will not take on a patient who was operated on by someone else. That is a big problem we read about on here quite frequently, so if you do decide to go to Mexico (and there is a forum on that...just click on Home and then scroll down) make sure you either plan to go back frequently for fills, etc, or find someone locally who will take you on as a patient.

It probably wasn't the altitude of the plane ride, but the dehydration. Flying is VERY dehydrating...

If you're preop call your doc and ask if you can chew sugar free gum. Post op I think the gum will be off limits; and it's important that you really stick to your post op diet to the letter (healing, sutures can be pulled internally etc) SO Hang in there! ask about the gum. You can get through it.

I didn't have any liquid in my band post op (many of us don't). It's tough but you follow the liquid diet and get through it. It's only for a few weeks; just hang in there.

I take all my pills easily, including 2 potassium pills that are HUGE. It's no big deal. But then, my surgeon is one who expects his patients to have a normal life, able to eat anything, but small small portions. So far, so good! :tongue_smilie:

knrpick...if your doc didn't clear you for watermelon, DONT eat it! Its very very high in carbs/sugar.

June 2? What's your diet like? If you were banded JULY 2 I'd say yes it's common (especially if you aren't taking an opiod pain killer)...but June...would depend on your diet.

Maybe the band isn't for you? From reading your other posts you've really changed your mind a lot about it, there's nothing wrong with that. It isn't for everyone. Wish there WAS something that worked for all of us but there isn't. The preop diet is hard, the post op to me was even more so because I already HAD the band (no carrot to motivate me!) but post op is vital too, or you can have a slip. The band is work; preop and post op are maybe the most severe but it's just a tool. I don't mean to be snooty either; I'm just a little worried about you because this seems to have been a pretty emotional decision (which is great!) but there's a lot of nuts and bolts things about the band that need to be considered too.

I didn't do meditrim, but I did have a simlar diet. I cheated. They couldn't place the band because my liver was too big. It is amazing how that can motivate a person, the shame, the misery.... so I promised PROMISED my doc I would do exactly as he said if he'd give me another chance. He did, I did, and I got the band just fine. Let me be a horrible warning...just hang in there. It's only for a short time (2 weeks is NOTHING! most of us can do anything for 2 weeks!) and you'll be through it. Post op you'll have liquids for a while too, but that is to let you heal. So stick to it. We did it; I know you can too!

I'd recheck my source if I were you...I don't think that's exactly correct; it's a little high. What I've read and been told is that 3 years out people with the lap band lose 35-55% OF their excess; so that if you needed to lose 100 pounds you'd be down 35-55 pounds at 3 years out. Not 1 year. HOWEVER..that's an AVERAGE. Individual results vary.

That would depend totally on what your insurance requires. Many policies differ about what they require before they'll pay for the lap band procedure.

Hang in there! All docs seem to have different post op diets; I've read of some where the patient is on liquids for 4 weeks (or more) and NO cream type soups! It is HARD...no kidding, but stick with it. Your doc knows what works best for his/her patients, and you are almost through it now. You'll make it!

Yes yes...Like my friend HH said...you don't need to feel guilty. We all have food issues or wouldn't be getting the band and if your doc makes you feel ashamed, well, the shame is his. It's just that eating before you're healed is a major cause of slips and since you have an odd pain, it's safest for you to make sure it didn't happen! (they are RARE but they do happen) So get checked out then hang in there; it's a short time to suffer but so worth it! :tongue_smilie:

Yes...as long as you each follow your doc's orders you'll be fine. I didn't have to watch volume either and could get buckets down (that's not uncommon any more; old bands were smaller/tighter and caused some people early restriction but now more and more they are sized and once initial operative swelling goes down, one doesn't feel ANY restriction) Now is the time for healing so you guys take it slow, follow doc's orders, and you are both doing great!

If it says 4oz an hour, then that would mean 4 oz of ANY clear liquid. And ask tomorrow if you can have more than 4 oz an hour. And here's a link to a ticker tutor: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f5/ticker-tutorial-pictures-41782/

It says "clear liquids, jello (sugar free) and broth" where does it tell you amounts/times?

What exactly do your directions say? I could have clear liquids for week 1 (no protein shakes) and I wasn't limited on any of them, but each doc seems to have his/her own post op guidelines.

Average WL with the band is 1-2 pounds a week.

Tell your doc...and tell him/her what you "cheated a couple of times" with, and when post op. You may or may not have caused a slip...or it may be healing. let your doc decide, ok? I do not mean to scare you ok? Just check with your doc and find out that things are ok

There are reasons to be "denied" that relate to insurance, and then reasons to be denied that are medical. I'll share with you a saying my granny used to say "Don't borrow trouble". Which means, don't worry about it unless you need to. No, most people do NOT get denied for "outrageous" reasons. If you meet your insurance criterion and do not have a disease you didn't disclose, why would you be denied? No surgeon will deny you "on a whim".

Call the doc who prescribed your BC pills and ask him. That's your safest bet.

If you've got 15K to waste, I could use it. Why on earth would you NOT use insurance if you could? I don't quite understand....

Why have you asked "everyone you work with" who has a band, but NOT your doctor? Please call him/her ASAP!

MissBS...you know I'd take you AND your firstborn in a heartbeat! :smile2:

easy on/off shoes (not slippers, because people tend to drag those) to walk in. You should be walking quite a bit. And if you wear contacts, even if they are the ones designed for overnight wear, they won't let you wear them in the OR. AND...your cell phone