cattoy71

Yay snorkel, we were banded on the same day!!! I've been battling the flu which is just nooo fun. Are you finding you are having some difficulty getting to sleep at night?

I've never had in hospital surgery before and was a little surprised to find out that my particular surgeon has a strict no driving for 14 days post surgery policy. I could not even imagine how some people drive themselves to and from outpatient surgery! Please try to find some support if you go thro with this. You will be pretty uncomfortable and could feel pretty naseaus post surgery, and there is absolutely no way I could have driven myself home.

:smile2: Omg I love my doctor so much! I was going to interview at least 2 doctors, but decided that there was no one else to meet after meeting Dr. John Feng of Crystal Springs Surgical Center in San Mateo, CA. My first meeting lasted over 2 hours and he explained soooo much to me in detail. My husband totally got along with him after meeting at the hospital on the day of surgery and get this.......he calls back within a matter of hours. I know he's very busy these days as everyone seems to want to get banded or get other bariatric surgery before the holidays, but he actually calls to check in and see if you just want to chat.....seriously, who does that?! :tt1: Last night I suddenly felt like I was coming down with the pukey feeling you get when you have the flu and I paged him worried that it might be too soon for me to throw up since I was banded only a few weeks ago. He called me back and talked me thro it, and altho I still feel sick, I'm not as worried about throwing up if it happens. Anyone else have any great stories about Dr. Feng? Please feel free to share them here :tt1:

I used my insurance to get my surgery clearance with my crappy Primary Care Doctor. I financed the hospital fees thro Capital One Insurance (3.99%). On top of the bloodword (there's a lot and insurance covered it all) and ekg which was done at my primary care doctor's office, I only had to do my psych clearance and I was able to get that done for no extra cost from the therapist I see on a regular basis. The difference in cost, is most likely due to which hospital you have your surgery.....some cost $7200, mine happened to cost $9500 but I think it's because it's a smallish hospital in Redwood City and it's really pretty close to where I live. Dr. Feng is pretty strict with the post-surgery driving....he requests you not drive your self around for a full 14 days so the sutures can heal really well. Let me know if you have any other questions.....it was all pretty quick for me once I made up my mind. My initital with him was on 9/16/08 and my surgery was 10/13/08.

I was self pay and I can already tell that opting for the 5 year service was the best choice for me. The care and service I get from both Dr. Feng and Shellie in San Mateo is far superior to that my crappy primary care physician :cursing: I ended up paying the surgeron's fees upfront and getting awesome 3.99 APR financing for anesthesia and hospital fees...mine came to 17k total. Good luck on your decision

I weigh myself at least once a day after I get up in the morning. Sometimes I will do it later in the day, but dang it can sure fluctuate!

targa, sorry I'm not filled yet so I can't talk from experience. did you try searching the fill specific threads in the forum to see what others have posted in the past? one thing for sure is that there seems to be waaaay too many sizes of bands so things seem to be totally variable. I personally have a 10cc, and am not scheduled for a fill until the 24th of november, but at this point, I'm not even sure if I will need one then....I still seem pretty tight from my initial surgery.

ya, I'm curious as to why you would have it removed? is it because you want it gone, or because of a complication?

I purchased a case of protica Protein bullets and had to throw them away because of the awful taste :biggrin: Hopefully you can find some that are tolerable.

Congrats again Jorja, you are on your way!! I was (ahem) supposed to do a 2 week pre-op liquid diet, but could only handle one week of the constant Protein shakes. I guess I did alright because I lost 5 pounds and my doctor said my liver was great looking and not-fatty (yay for a non fatty liver)! So far I've lost a total of 14 pounds (includes that 5 pounds), and I've only been banded since the 13th of October!:biggrin: Make sure to ask your doctor about actagall (to prevent gallstones) if you still have your gallbladder. Something like 30% of bandsters develop gallstones from the rapid weight loss, but you can decrease that likelihood to under 3% with the 2x day medication.

Hang in there, you are going to do great! I never had much fear and that's probably due to the fact that my dad is an anesthesiologist. I did NOT like surgery, and I woke up hours after in slight pain, but mostly very nauseous. If I ever had to do it again, and knowing what I know now, I probably would ask the doctor's to put like 4 anti-nauseau Patches on me hoping that would do the trick, lol. You might also want to stay away from reading most if not all of the complications threads on the forums....I found that looking at them before I made my surgery decision was helpful, but not a good idea once I made my mind up. Let me know if you ever want to chat about your fears.

So I was talking to my mom (on the phone long distance) the other day and she and my dad both agree that I sound like my old self. Weird to think that this little surgery can make that much of a difference in my mood. It's like, before surgery, not so happy, but after surgery, apparently happy enough that others notice through the phone. Anyone else have this experience?

Ya, I'm kinda curious as to how he was able to manually flip it over....didn't it hurt? Are you still sore? I don't know much about port-flipping since I was just banded, but isn't your port surgically sutured inside your body so this doesn't happen?

I had my surgery on 10/13/08 and my doctor was very thorough in telling me that I would have to take acctagall (prescription) for at least 30 days post-op. Apparently around 30% or more of bandsters develop gallstones due to the rapid weight loss, but you can decrease this risk to only about 3% by taking the medication 2x day right after surgery. After going under anesthesia once for this surgery, there is no way I want to have to go under again.....especially if there is something I can do to prevent it. I'm sorry if more doctor's don't tell their patients about this little pill that can do so much to bring your gallstone chance to almost nothing.

Hi Nibblet and welcome to the forum! I'm younger then you, but are pretty similiar with our height and weight. I was always around 125 with a nice, curvy body until about 1 year after I got married. I also paid out of pocket because even if my insurance did cover bariatric surgery, I would not have qualified. My BMI was 37 but I didn't have any recorded co-factors except for slightly elevated blood pressure and cholesterol. I felt and continue to feel completely comfortable and confident with my surgeon, Dr. John Feng. His office manager is wonderful, and he is beyond personable. After my surgery we played phone tag until he was able to personally reach me, and he continues to check in on me, even if it is JUST to talk....I mean, who does that anymore, right? My confidence and trust with him has made this pretty scary situation totally fine for me. It also helps that I chose to go for his 5 year instead of 1 year aftercare surgery package. It's been one of the best decisions for me, and I've already lost a total of 14 pounds (and my surgery was less then 3 weeks ago).

Bikini, I totally understand how you feel with the Vitamins. I've found Trader Joe's calcium citrate with Vitamin D vitamins are really easy to swallow. You take them 3x/day with meals and they are pretty cheap too :w00t: I like the slice of life multi vitamins...they are chewable gummy vitamins that taste like real gummy bears :w00t: BariatricEating.com - BE, Inc. The number one bariatric website for Protein, vitamins, and success. has a great supply of liquid vitamins that are actually pretty good tasting too. Good luck and let us know what you end up choosing.

Hey Jen, Ahhh try to hang in there....it's likely you won't even have your first fill until around 6 or more weeks after surgery. I am somewhat hungry, and had the surgery maybe a week or so before you. My diet right after my surgery was pretty limited...here's a sample: -Sugar free jello and pudding -Sugar free popsicles and skinny cow fudge pops -Worldwide pre-made protein shakes -Instant grits / instant polenta -tons of crystal light -pre-made refrigerated mashed potatoes -noodle soups I had a few "mushy" cheats here and there too, but I've really been trying to stick to the doctor's orders. It's hard, but please try to stick it out....it will be worth it in the end. If the huger gets too unmanageable, call your surgeon's office and see what they might recommend.

Woot, go go girl! I loooooove my band and actually love my surgeon more I hope you have nothing but the best experience with your surgery. Be strong and get excited to meet your new self.

I totally agree with you (original poster), and wondered how the heck I was going to survive taking those chalky chewables for the rest of my life. My current combination is slice of life multi Vitamins and b12 with Vitamin d (these are expensive, but sooooooooooooo yummy)..you eat 2 of them a day, and I swear they are as good as gummy bears. For calcium citrate I found some that you swallow 3x day from Trader Joe's. They are kind of large, but totally manageable, and hecka cheap. It's so much trial and error until you find a combination that works. You can also check out the vitamin selection from BariatricEating.com - BE, Inc. The number one bariatric website for Protein, vitamins, and success. for other liquid varieties.

Hi Heather! I was just banded 2 weeks ago and I totally feel your pain. Instead of 2 weeks on just liquids, I only did 7 full days, and my surgery went off without a hitch and I was able to lose 5 pounds. The pre-op is difficult and I often wondered how so many people can handle work in addition to house stuff prior to the surgery. I spent a lot of time reading and preparing for the surgery in addition to taking many cat naps. You might be able to get by with 48 hours of pure liquid, but should get that ok'd by your surgeon first. I've read stories of people who proceed as scheduled with surgery, go under, only to be re-schedueled due to a fatty liver.....believe me, after going under, I would have never ever returned for a future surgery...I was so nauseus it was unbelievable. Keep your head up, and know that you are in great company with so many of us who could barely get through the pre-op diet.

Hi everyone, I live in the south bay and loooove my surgeon, Dr. John Feng! Has anyone been to any of his monthly support groups? I was banded 2 weeks ago and I think I missed the last south bay 08 group, but will likely drive to the Peninsula for the Nov and Dec 08 groups.

I paid out of pocket and couldn't believe how much the hospital fees were! They totalled $9500 and then my surgeon's fees for 5 years came to $7500. I decided to pay the surgeon's fees up front, and then finance the hospital part....I got a great APR of 3.99% through capital one. I honestly think of it as a way of investing in my future and my husband was very supportive once my mind was made up. On another quick note, I had my first post op today and have lost 13 pounds since 10/6/08, and have absolutely zero regrets. Good luck with your decision.

Hi Mark, Congrats on the surgery! My absolute favorite place to online shop for supplies is BariatricEating.com - BE, Inc. The number one bariatric website for Protein, Vitamins, and success.. The woman had bariatric surgery years ago, is a self-proclaimed foodie, wrote a book, and now only sells the absolute best tasting food for people who have had or going to have bariatric surgery. It's a great site and there is also a support chat site right online. Good luck!

Protein shakes are awful, no doubt about it. Bariatric Advantage is supposed to be good for you, but the taste is pretty gross. My favorite right now is Worldwide frosty chocolate pre-made shakes that come in a 11oz can at Trader Joe's or Vitamin Shoppe. :tt2:One of the bestest resources is BariatricEating.com - BE, Inc. The number one bariatric website for protein, Vitamins, and success. ! This site was made and is kept by a foodie who had bariatric surgery years ago, and looooves great tasting food. She has tried all of the shakes and only stocks good tasting ones. I just placed an order for some from achieveone and labrada. I wish I had found these before I spent almost $200 on bariatric advantage :thumbup: Good luck!

First, I am so sorry to hear the difficulty you are having with your family. It is not completely uncommon....many people resist change and are used to us the way we have become. I can totally relate in some ways.....I was always the largest of my 3 sisters and that is when I was 5'4 and 125 pounds! Over the years, I put on almost 100 (gasp) pounds and dreaded any kind of family gatherings even though my mom has been sick for several years. I always felt different and putting on all that weight made things so much more worse. My middle sister is a mom of 3, around 5' and under 90 pounds, and my oldest sister is about 5'3 and 120 pounds. If you click on my icon and look at my pictures, you can kinda see that I actually don't look all that big and was somewhat unsure about getting the surgery. I am sooooo happy I decided to do it!!! I lost my closest friend recently and was soooo unsure about doing the surgery without his support, but I know that I will be much more sociable when I lose some weight and can more easily get around. You definately need support to go through with this, and it's entireably possible that the rest of your family will get on board once you've made your final decision. Good luck, and I'm around if you want to chat.