RestlessMonkey

I drink Iced tea, cold Water, I eat leftovers directly from the refrigerator, no problems whatsoever. On the rare occasions that I have, say, a frozen cocktail, ice cream, a milkshake...no problems there either. Very cold (and very hot) liquids can cause esophageal spasms in some people. If it causes you pain, just avoid cold stuff, or hold it in your mouth a little longer so your body can warm it. It's no unlike, say, eating a popsicle or snow cone too fast when you were a kid and "freezing your throat". Usually it requires a quantity of the "offending item" ingested fairly quickly. Slowing down should help

Getting good restriction is important, and eating the right foods is also important. Why can't you get good restriction? Is something wrong with your band? you do know that as you lose, and sometimes just "over time" you lose restriction? It too me 7 fills and 1 unfill to get to my sweet spot. When did you give up? What are you eating?

Texas Tricare Standard 2 days

Since Medicaid is state run, you're safest to just call and ask. I know that it is in some states, because some here with medicaid are getting/have gotten the surgery. But you should call to find out.

Believe it or not a good percentage of people, when forced to do the 6 month diet, have success and decide that they "can", after all, do it on their own. Some insurance companies are notorious for the hoops they require their customers to jump through. Just do it; mark the time, consider its cheaper than paying for it out of pocket. You'll be 6 months older whether you do it or not; this way you also won't have 15-20k in debt.

I've heard of 4 (old style) 10, 10 and 14 (new AP S and AP L) from lap band, and 9 (old Realize) and 11 (new realize) but never 5 cc. From either Lap Band OR Realize. Until today, your post.

This is for life. I can't imagine never having certain foods. I just eat. I try to eat a wide variety. If sometimes that includes ice cream or a cookie or potato chips, so be it. Food is just food and the more I treat it like fuel instead of investing it with all the baggage and importance we usually give it, the better I do.

i agree, talk to you surgeon. Many of them want you to get an emergency unfill until it passes.

I didn't even know they made a 5 cc band. I've heard of 4, 9, 10 11 and 14 but not 5! :mad2:

Some people DO vomit more easily than others! But your worst case is to have to go back AND pay if you wait. If liquids don't go through well you're probably too tight. A very slight unfill probably won't put you back to "no restriction" but will lessen the chance of a slip because you PB etc too much. Just a guess here, and I don't blame you not wanting to take the time, but liquids have got to be able to go through easily, at least to my way of thinking. If they can't, then food REALLY won't be able to.

Respectfully, I would've asked "well, is it ONE week, or TWO" but that's just me. The Doc TOLD her at the post op appt she was only supposed to be on liquids one week, so apparently he had a grasp of the situation. When I was told "usually one week" I'd have called to clarify. I'm not saying the OP was wrong; understand! She did what she thought was right (and WOOT! for making it so long!) but communication flows 2 ways.

Although i would NEVER try to make myself vomit just to see if I vomited up anything (but then before the band in my 53 years i had vomited about a total of 4 times...I'm a one-way kind of girl) if I were as tight as you I'd go get .2 cc removed. Often a VERY slight unfill does the trick.

The patch releases VERY low levels of nicotine into your bloodstream. If your surgeon wants to test you, just tell him you're on the patch and will test positive because of it. I'm sure he can adjust the results accordingly.

My PCP sent me to a group that didn't accept my insurance so I wasted time. I didn't need a PCP referral, and if I'd just started with my insurance it would've gone faster. They require we go to only certain surgeons etc. So you can start with the docs but it may just delay you, like it did me.

Here's a ticker tutor that might help. I don't remember how I did mine. http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f5/ticker-tutorial-pictures-41782/

I don't know for sure but THINK it can take up to a week or two to clear. It depends on many things, including how much is "slipped a little bit" If you're going to be tested before then you're safest to just tell your surgeon.

That depends on many many factors including your insurance and it's requirements, you and your general overall health, your surgeon and how busy/booked his schedule is, and the facility he uses and how busy IT is. For me it was about a month. Some it takes as long as a year. The surgeon should address timing tomorrow at the seminar.

I left the same day, although my doc usually keeps his patients overnight. I felt great and like most, sleep better at home etc. Three nights is WAY WAY WAY too long unless you have a medical need; you won't sleep as well (hospitals are noisy, even overnight) and many of us would be bored to tears. I'd honestly agitate for a refund. That's assinine.

Counter pressure (like using a pillow to brace your torso) is often recommended post abdominal surgery, c-sections, etc because it helps brace the sutures and stabilize the area! So yes, that's a great idea, slpcat!

Free fills? Then GO GO GO! Seriously. You MIGHT have an issue that requires medical attention, but you might need medical attention even without the band. So call them and tell them to shake a leg!

It's normal for the port site to hurt the most/take the longest to heal; partly because your muscle is ticked off. The port is generally clamped (realize band) or sewn (lap band) into your abdominal wall and that takes a while to heal. Probably your laughing (which is GOOD for you!) just agitated it! Just take some tylenol. If it hurts worse or lingers, you can call your doc to be sure.

Start with your insurance. Find out if they cover the surgery and if so, what their prereqs are. Then (assuming insurance will cover) get a list of surgeons in your area who perform lap band and Weight loss surgeries. Call around, go to a seminar (or two, or more) Pick a surgeon you like...take it from there! Good luck!

Until/unless you are very restricted, fluids (like water) go through the band just fine. So no, you won't stretch your pouch drinking Water or non-carbonated beverages. I believe the "straw" issue is for swallowed air and not because you can drink too much at once. At least that is what I've always been told and heard. And yes you have to have a pattern of overeating to stretch out your pouch; the odds of that happening before you're restricted are REALLY slim because while you gave a band, it isn't tightened and so not restricting your stomach much. I'm just guessing but the doc thought the OP's pouch might be stretched and he was going to check her out; he thought that because of her sore throat? If you don't have issues and don't consistently overeat, or you aren't restricted yet, you don't need to worry overmuch about stretching your pouch. It is important to eat healthy, to not binge, to eat until "not hungry" rather than full, but for most of us there's a learning curve for this. Unless your doc fills you a good bit during surgery, you and your body have a little time (while the band heals into place) for you all to get used to each other. Then as you are restricted, eating properly becomes more important. Again, though, unless you chug liquid or are full and then drink a lot of liquid, the odds of a beverage, especially a non-carbonated one, stretching your pouch are very VERY slim. So drink up. The restriction on Fluid post op, I was told, was mostly for people who are swollen and for whom liquids may cause nausea, because to vomit too soon post op can be problematic before the band heals into place. NOT because you're going to stretch your pouch by drinking. Of course confirm with your doc but logically, again, liquids go through fine. You have to overeat in a pattern to stretch your pouch. And..sometimes bad things happen even if you follow all the rules, but we have to live with, not for, the band.

I was told average is 1-2 pounds a week. I was also told the shakes should be a meal replacement, not a supplement. Are you drinking them in addition to eating? If so, did your doc tell you to? It may be too much "nutrition", your body just waiting for that rather than pulling from it's own stores (fat) between meals.

If you scroll down in the forums you'll find "life after lap band" and "lap band complications"