claire0823

If you're self pay, can you use Lapband surgery as a tax write off?

I just wanted to update everyone. My boyfriend took my x-ray of my pouch in to his doctor today. The doctor was horrified. My pouch is extremely stretched and a fill should have never been done by my doctor (which is why the fill did nothing!). So now I paid $250 to this doctor for a fill when he should have been taking out the Fluid. Apparently he doesn't know what a stretched pouch looks like. Now I have to pay an additional $250 to have all the fluid removed, plus start over from scratch with fills! I'm stuck in a rut. I switched from my original surgeon because he was an ass and doesn't believe in the lapband and was also 8 hours away from where I currently live. Again, that doctor wouldn't listen to me when I said something was wrong in July 2009. So I switched to the ONLY doctor within a 5 hour radius of where I live who has turned out to be incompetent. I guess I'm going to have to finally bite the bullet and fly to my boyfriend's doctor. I'm just praying this can be fixed with time and patience and not surgery! :confused:

I've lost 70 pounds and I'm in a size 16 (was a size 22/24 at Lane Bryant before). I can't seem to get rid of my fat clothes either! I have them all packed in a flat tub underneath my bed, but I can't bring myself to give them away either! I, like you, am scared I will gain the weight back like all the other times. My boyfriend (who was banded in June '09 and has lost 121lbs) says I need to throw the clothes out so I won't LET myself get fat again. But the scale hasn't moved in 4 months (which I must admit, I haven't been trying much to help it move, I HAVE to get back on the bandwagon!). But with the scale not moving, I can't get rid of the clothes!!!!! I'd love to hear anyone's insight as well.

That is why I'm concerned. 1.5CC is a pretty big fill. That brought me up to 7.75CCs. I feel like I should have way more restriction than I have now.

I'm VERY concerned! I had a fill on Tuesday of 1.5CC in my band that already had 6.25CC in it for a total of 7.75CC. It's only a 10CC band. My weight loss had completely stopped for four months which is why i got the fill. I was able to eat way more than 4oz also. I switched back to regular food today and the band doesn't seem to be any tighter than it was before the fill. I'm worried that I've stretched my pouch which is why things don't feel any different with this fill. Can anyone offer some insight please?

I'm VERY concerned! I had a fill on Tuesday of 1.5CC in my band that already had 6.25CC in it for a total of 7.75CC. It's only a 10CC band. My weight loss had completely stopped for four months which is why i got the fill. I was able to eat way more than 4oz also. I switched back to regular food today and the band doesn't seem to be any tighter than it was before the fill. I'm worried that I've stretched my pouch which is why things don't feel any different with this fill. Can anyone offer some insight please?

Budlight was my drink of choice before the band (I was in college!), but like many others, I feel very full after having one and hate the feeling. When I do drink, I've switched to diet sprite and crown royal or cherry vodka sours. There's pretty much no limit to how many you can drink of either of these. I can tolerate soft drink carbonation fine, just not beer carbonation. I was used to drinking on an empty stomach before the band so I don't seem to get any drunker now with the band. However, I usually try to stick to only 3-4 drinks because the next day is hell. My band gets extremely tight the following day and it makes it nearly impossible to eat anything which is why I very seldom drink anymore. However, my boyfriend who is banded can drink a 12 pack of miller light and be fine the next day! That's a TON of empty calories so he definitely doesn't do that often. It just affects everyone differently.

Scout, thank you for your concern and replying. The pain from my side has finally subsided. I walked and walked last night trying to "work" the air out and it helped. I still have pain in my shoulder but seeing as how I also have a back spasm today, I'm guessing they are related. Whenever something feels strange after eating, I automatically think its the band and freak out even after a year of being banded! Thanks again for your concern.

So on Saturday night, I ate some very mushy squash casserole which I'm sure went straight through my band because I was extremely hungry so then I ate the grilled chicken, cheese, and refried beans off some nachos for protein. Nothing got stuck but after I ate I was VERY full and I didn't eat more than 4-6 oz. I started having weird pressure pains on my left side under my rib cage and in my shoulder. Sometimes if I overeat, I get this pain but it goes away pretty quickly. As of today, its still here. I've tried Maalox because it sorta feels like gas/air pockets but nothing has helped. I still feel really full and can't eat much. Has anyone ever had this happen or have any suggestions? I live 8 hours away from my doctor and they are not helpful AT ALL when it comes to problems which is why I am hoping someone can offer some insight.

Thank you SO MUCH for that post Jachut. I was EXTREMELY worried that I had stretched my pouch/band because i have no problems eating toasted bread, rice, and pasta. I find the whole grain pasta and rice more difficult to eat than white rice and white pasta due to consistency (although i still try to stick to the whole grain) I was still worried that the fact that I can get either down most of the time meant i stretched my band. I also feel more satiety and stay that way longer when i eat whole grain bread/pasta than if i just have protein. Thank you thank you thank you!

Thank you for replying. I was thinking exactly the same thing you posted! I know there are bandsters who prefer low carb because the weight comes off quicker but I just gain it back once I eat something with "bad carbs". I guess I need to just a smaller amount of starchy carbs like Pasta so then when it swells, it won't stretch the pouch.

Hey everyone. I was just wondering what ya'll know about carbs and stretching the pouch. My doctor never said to do a low carb diet, but at the same time, he didn't say to eat Pasta and potatoes for every meal. He said to focus on lower calories. I havent had any problems getting down toasted bread or angel hair pasta so I like to splurge on that every now and then. However, my boyfriend is one month post op and his doctor said to avoid carbs because they stretch the pouch. He is supposed to do a low carb, low fat diet and not worry so much about calories. I'm somewhat concerned that I might be on the road to stretching my pouch due to the carb intake. Any insight as to which one we should be following will be greatly appreciated!

I finally got my surgery date of December 30th and I'm on the pre-op liquid diet. THey said I can have sugar free Jello (no red or orange), slim fast/protein shakes, and a small chicken breast at night if I need it. Did anyone eat the sugar free jello pudding for this stage? IF anyone could offer some insight as to what they did, I'd greatly appreciate it!

Congratulations on getting banded and feeling great! I hope I'm as lucky as you! I'm getting banded on December 30th and I'm slightly freaking out!! I know this is what I want, but I'm just a little worried about the whole thing. I'm doing the pre-op liquid diet right now. They said I can have Jello, slim fast shakes/protein shakes, and if i need it, a small chicken breast in the evening. WHat did you do for your liquid diet? They said I cant have red or orange jello which is the only flavors I like! Did you eat any of the sugar free Jello puddings? What was surgery like? Do you have 5 incisions?

I am SOOO excited! All of the pre-op dieting and insurance hoops were worth it! I got the call at 8:10 this morning that Aetna approved me for Lapband surgery!! I'm supposed to get the call to schedule the surgery sometime this week. I am ecstatic!!!!

So..I gave spaghetti squash chicken spaghetti a whirl and it was amazing!!! I think it has a few more carbs than i would have liked, but it was sooo yummy!!! Cut the spaghetti squash in half lengthwise and remove seeds. Spray lighly with olive oil spray and salt and pepper. Bake on foil covered cookie sheet at 350 degrees for an hour to an hour and 15 minutes. Bake until outside is soft. (I've tried cooking the spaghetti squash in the microwave, but it is much tastier when done in the oven.) Meanwhile, boil 4 large chicken breasts with celery until chicken is tender and tears apart easily. Discard celery. (You might chop it up and leave it in, I'm just not a fan of it!) Saute mushrooms and onion in olive oil spray. Combine shredded chicken, mushrooms, onion, 1 can 98% fat free cream of chicken Soup, the smaller velveeta cheese block, and heat until cheese is melted. If mixture is really thick, add some of the chicken broth from the boiled chicken. Fork out the spaghetti squash where it comes out in strands. I squeezed the spaghetti squash strands out so it wouldn't make things soupy. Combine spaghetti squash with previous mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-20 minutes. Enjoy! If anyone tries this, let me know how it turns out!

This sounds sooo delish! I can't wait to try it! Thanks for sharing!

Hi Heidi! I have not been banded yet, but I am doing a low carb/high Protein pre-surgery diet. The original diet I was on for pre-surgery diet is making me GAIN weight so I JUST switched to low carb. I think the most efficient way to start is to go zero carbs for a week and then slowly introduce them back. But get ready for some major headaches with stopping carbs cold turkey! This time, I just dove right in and still eat a few carbs/day. I've lost 5 lbs in only TWO days! After the first week, I will begin to allow myself 56 carbs/day but I know after being banded, it's bound to be a LOT less than that. I remember reading a post where a bandster ate 20-25 carbs/day. One recipe i absolutely LOVE is a smothered chicken breast: grill chicken breast until done. while it is grilling, i pan fried two slices of bacon, drained most of the grease but left VERY little to saute mushrooms and peppers in. Once those were sauted, I added just a tiny bit of A1 steak sauce to the mushrooms and peppers. I topped the chicken breast with the bacon, then the mixture, then a slice of provolone cheese and it was absolutely amazing! But beware, its VERY filling! I hope this helps!

Hello! I love all the recipes that have been posted about the spaghetti squash. i was thinking of doing chicken spaghetti with spaghetti squash. Has anyone tried to do that? And if you have, what did you do? Thanks!!

Hi! I'm Claire, 23, and I'm over in Lubbock. I'm trying to find some Texas band buddies as well since I haven't come across anyone from Lubbock. I'm finishing my 3rd and final pre-surgery diet program month! Then I get to play the insurance approval waiting game. Ugh! Oh...and after last night's big win...WRECK 'EM TECH!! :cool2:

Thank you all soo much. It has been an extremely rough week. I fell off the bandwagon today but after reading your posts, i am ready to get back on. I do love myself more than food. I just have to work a lot harder at not eating emotionally and this week's emotional roller coaster was the hardest. I'm trying to train myself to go to the gym instead of eating comfort foods, but its harder than i thought. Any suggestions there??

All of these NSV are inspiring! Its all things I keep wishing and hoping for. Congrats to all of you! After lots of conflicting feelings, I know I am doing the right thing by deciding to get banded. Almost one month pre-op down. Two more to go!

I'm with Michelle, I can't wait til I can be a naughty nurse or sexy cop!

I am definitely ready to embrace a new lifestyle and way of eating. I was hating the fact that my insurance company requires a 3 month diet program, but I am beginning to see that it is the best thing for me. In just a few weeks I have already adjusted my eating patterns into much smaller portions and healthier, balanced meals and can't wait to get banded! After reading through forums and blogs on this site, it has given me newfound confidence in banding and I have decided to stick with my original plan for doing Lapband over bypass. Thanks to all of you for your input!

Hello all, I am currently at around 292lbs and am debating about whether to get the Lapband surgery or to go with gastric bypass. I would really like to lose around 130-140 lbs. Do ya'll think it is possible to do that with Lapband in one to two years? Any one who is living proof or has suggestions, please share your story!