adagray

I am no expert, but I think if your medical insurance is covering your weightloss surgery (meaning it is 'medically necessary'), then that would qualify you for disability benefits as well. And, because your job includes heavy lifting, they would have to either give you more disability time OR temporarily put you in a position that would not include lifting (or any other physical restrictions). If you are self-pay because your medical insurance does not consider the surgery to be 'medically necessary' for you (because of lower BMI and/or no comorbidities), then I would think you are on your own as far as time off afterwards. You would probably have to use your vacation time and/or sick time if your employer allows it.

So, after your first fill, did you actually feel restriction (like you didn't need a fill) two weeks out from it? I guess the safe thing to do would be to schedule it and then just cancel it if I don't need it. I am just curious if it is more likely that I would want it that soon or not. I hear so many people on here complain that they got a fill and have no restriction just a few days later. But, I'm not sure if that is just because those with a complaint are more vocal or if that is really the norm of how things go w/the fills. My surgeon's office used to automatically schedule the fills one month apart, but then they found that some patients like them closer together and some farther apart so now it is up to the patient to decide and schedule for themselves.

For once in my life, I feel a great deal of peace about everything. I was banded on 12/17 and whatever I can achieve w/this band, will be just fine. It doesn't matter how long it takes as long as I keep moving in the right direction. Hence, there is no need for New Years' Resolutions. I will continue to strive towards moderation while being kind to myself as much as possible through this journey. :wink: One of the psychologists at my surgeon's office said that we never have to be 'dieters' again. This has been and will be one of my biggest challenges... to give up the 'dieting' and 'all or nothing' mentality that has only been a detriment to me throughout my life. One of the buzzwords I used to hate... 'lifestyle' is something I am ready to embrace now that I have this tool that makes it possible for this 'lifestyle' to not include constant hunger. :biggrin: I have to admit that a part of me is sooooooo curious to see where I end up at the end of this year. But, I won't pressure myself to end up at any particular spot by the end of the year. I will do the best I can and my body will do what its gonna do. And, I will enjoy the journey. :biggrin: I wish you all Peace & Happiness in this New Year. :biggrin:

For once in my life, I feel a great deal of peace about everything. I was banded on 12/17 and whatever I can achieve w/this band, will be just fine. It doesn't matter how long it takes as long as I keep moving in the right direction. Hence, there is no need for New Years' Resolutions. I will continue to strive towards moderation while being kind to myself as much as possible through this journey. :smile: One of the psychologists at my surgeon's office said that we never have to be 'dieters' again. This has been and will be one of my biggest challenges... to give up the 'dieting' and 'all or nothing' mentality that has only been a detriment to me throughout my life. One of the buzzwords I used to hate... 'lifestyle' is something I am ready to embrace now that I have this tool that makes it possible for this 'lifestyle' to not include constant hunger. I have to admit that a part of me is sooooooo curious to see where I end up at the end of this year. But, I won't pressure myself to end up at any particular spot by the end of the year. I will do the best I can and my body will do what its gonna do. And, I will enjoy the journey. :smile2: I wish you all Peace & Happiness in this New Year. :eek:

I get my first fill on 1/22 (5 weeks after surgery). After this fill, its my choice as to when I want to schedule additional fills (as long as they are not closer than 2 weeks apart). My surgeon's office is pretty busy, though, so do you think I should go ahead and schedule the second fill (for 2 weeks out) when I am there to get my first fill? It seems like most people loosen up within the first 1-2 weeks after a fill and need more than one fill. So, I would think this would be a safe bet that I would want another fill sooner rather than later. But, I'd love some opinions from people who have actually had more than one fill. Would you have wanted your additional fills that close together or do you think its better to give your body more time to adjust between fills.

I use the highest weight I saw on my scale because I had many ups and downs since my consultation (mostly ups). I was denied by insurance twice so it was a long process and I gained. I think my consultation weight was 236, but my highest ended up being 249 and my surgery weight was 242.

I've told all of my friends and family, but I did not post it on my Facebook for every old acquaintance and coworker to see. I think there are pros/cons to telling and there's no right or wrong to it. If you tell, you do take a risk that you will not receive the reaction or support that you would like. On the upside, you might get some wonderful support. So far, all of my friends and family have been incredibly supportive. I stopped telling acquaintances, though, because too often I'd hear some WLS horror story or it just took too much effort to answer their questions. Now, the one thing I will NEVER do is tell anyone I lost the weight w/just diet & exercise (when the time comes that people notice). I just could not do that because I can't stand to perpetuate the myth that I could do this without surgical intervention. I want to be part of the education of others about obesity and not ever say anything that would undermine or hurt another obese person. And, so even if the person asking me how I lost the weight is skinny, I would still tell them about lapband because if I told them diet & exercise, then they may have a friend or loved one who is obese and think that they just need to push them to diet & exercise. I could never take the chance that my lie might cause more heartbreak and struggle for someone else struggling w/obesity. I do not judge others that do not want to tell, though. It is a very personal decision. We all do what we can.

I haven't put through a claim, but I know my surgeon will help you submit for one week disability for lapband. I think this is pretty standard. You might have trouble getting six weeks approved unless you have other issues/complications beyond the normal recovery period. I know for my pregnancy disability, my doctor had to submit additional info to prove that I needed to be off work earlier than 2 weeks prior to my scheduled c/s. I got it approved, but she had to submit additional info that my blood pressure was too high.

:eek:Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaa... I'm on a plateau!!!! :biggrin: Just kidding!!! I think this is just a sign that its time to stop weighing so often. I lost 10 pounds real quick after my surgery 2 weeks ago, but I knew it was not gonna continue like that through the whole month until my first fill. My swelling is gone and I don't have much restriction. I guess this what they call 'Bandster Hell', but I refuse to see it that way. My surgeon told me my only job this month is to heal... and to NOT worry about the weightloss. Smart woman! :biggrin: I have started my walking program as of two days ago. The first day, I walked one time for half an hour, but was too tired to walk a second time in the evening. Yesterday, I walked for a half hour two times (once the the AM and once in the evening). I know if I keep this up and use a little willpower about the food, I can still lose maybe a pound a week (hopefully - like a normal diet) until my first fill on 1/22. But, I guess its time to stop weighing every other day. Maybe I should make Thursday my weigh-in day. Only three more Thursdays before my first fill!!! :biggrin:

:eek:Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaa... I'm on a plateau!!!! :eek: Just kidding!!! I think this is just a sign that its time to stop weighing so often. I lost 10 pounds real quick after my surgery 2 weeks ago, but I knew it was not gonna continue like that through the whole month until my first fill. My swelling is gone and I don't have much restriction. I guess this what they call 'Bandster Hell', but I refuse to see it that way. My surgeon told me my only job this month is to heal... and to NOT worry about the weightloss. Smart woman! I have started my walking program as of two days ago. The first day, I walked one time for half an hour, but was too tired to walk a second time in the evening. Yesterday, I walked for a half hour two times (once the the AM and once in the evening). I know if I keep this up and use a little willpower about the food, I can still lose maybe a pound a week (hopefully - like a normal diet) until my first fill on 1/22. But, I guess its time to stop weighing every other day. Maybe I should make Thursday my weigh-in day. Only three more Thursdays before my first fill!!! :smile2:

Hey, I'm an IT geek too. Or, I should say I used to be... worked in IT for Hewlett Packard for 14 years. I'm a SAHM now. It is our nature to analyze things right up until the end. I say go ahead and schedule the surgery. You can always still cancel it or postpone it indefinitely if you haven't decided by your surgery date. I know for me there were two big things that made me confident that WLS had to be my next step (and hopefully final step) in trying to achieve a healthy weight. First of all, I had already taken off large amounts of weight on Weight Watchers and other programs. And, despite being one of the only people in the room who kept coming back, I could not ever reach a goal within the 'healthy' range and ultimately could not maintain what I had lost. On my last stint w/WW, I went for 2.5 years and lost 50 pounds. I felt like I really gave it my all this last go-around and if it didn't work then, it would never work. Second, the statistics I read that only 3% of people who become obese are actually able to take it off and keep it off using only diet and exercise long-term. The fact that our bodies are even capable of becomming this big seems to be predictive that we can't take it off or keep it off without WLS. I know that was a hard pill for me to swallow when I read that. I always thought 'mind over matter' and I could achieve anything if I wanted it enough. Oh well, so I got this band inside of me now. Its pretty new. Just got it 2 weeks ago. Really, the surgery and recovery was not that big of a deal. I don't have any real restriction right now as others would describe on this board, but I have a little and it is pretty cool. I am not as hungry as I used to be and I am satisfied on much less food and for longer. One thing I have thought of and you might consider is that if you do get the band, you do not have to have it adjusted soooo tight like some people here on the boards. There is really no need to PB and slime and all that junk. Mine is empty and my portions are still about half of what they used to be. Don't get me wrong, I will definitely get a fill. But, if I am losing at a rate that makes me happy after my first fill, then I won't be running to get another fill just so I can feel something get stuck. Anyway, I am rambling, but wish you all the best.

The Lortab really helped knock me out so I could sleep well. Even when my pain was pretty much gone, I kept taking it just at night to help me get to sleep and stay asleep. Now its all gone, but my doc has given me the OK to go back to taking all meds I used to take before including Benadryl (which I use to help me fall asleep sometimes). It does the trick for me and it is OTC.

I had an x-ray done a few hours after surgery to make sure the placement of the band was good before I was allowed to drink any liquids. Until they checked the x-ray, I was only allowed ice chips.

I was told not to chew gum cause it can get stuck if you accidently swallow it. Maybe it wouldn't get stuck now because I am newly banded and don't have any significant restriction, but I don't normally chew gum anyway so its not a big deal to me. The reason I don't normally chew gum is it makes me hungry.

You did great! Hey, even if you had gained, it was only a 4 day splurge. But, you lost! Awesome!!!

Great post! I am only about 2 weeks out and feel these same challenges you talk about here. For me, moderation is the biggest challenge of all. I am great at all or nothing. Today, I agonized about two cookies. I wanted them, but debated and debated on if I 'should' have them. If I was on WW, I would calculate the points and then starve myself for the rest of the day. Or, eat some low point crap that wouldn't really satisfy me. I decided to have the two cookies. :->

Its very common to 'gain' in the hospital due to the IV fluids and swelling. I'm surprised more surgeons don't warn their patients about this. Of course, it is just retained fluid weight so you can expect to lose that (plus some real weight) within about a week of getting home. Just drink drink drink your water. The more you drink, the less water you retain. Your body will let it go as soon as it sees it has an endless supply coming in.

Thanks so much for all the great ideas! I had never seen baked eggs before. I love my eggs over easy, but w/no toast, potatoes, or rice to soak of the yolk, I didn't see how I'd make them work for me. Baking the eggs on a bed of spinach is a great idea. Also, I had forgotten that I can eat turkey bacon and really any of the b-fast meats that are made out of turkey, chicken, or soy. And, a crab omelette, rocotta, greek yogurt, etc... Mmmmmmmmmm!!! Thanks again!

I am looking for some new ideas for Breakfast. I'm not allowed any starch or red meat at this point, but any other Protein (chicken, fish, cheese, eggs, cottage cheese, yogurt), cooked vegies, and fruit are OK. Oh, and I'm not supposed to have shakes or anything that would be considered a 'slider' food. My favorite breakfast so far has been cottage cheese w/smoked salmon. I've been eating it every day. But, I'm sure I'll get bored of it eventually so need to start trying some other things for b-fast.

Its been awhile since I posted. Its been busy, busy, busy w/my parents visiting from Hawaii. I have become totally addicted to the scale cause my weight just keeps goind down! :thumbdown: I have forced myself to cut back to weighing every other day, though, instead of every day. But, it is such a novelty to me to see my weight drop so quickly like this. I NEVER would lose more than 1-2 pounds per week on Weight Watchers and there would be many many weeks where I would lose nothing or even gain. And, WW was soooooo hard. So far, this has been pretty easy. I'm just satisfied on so much less. Genius! Now, over the course of my parents' visit, I have taken some liberties on my food which are not recommended by my dietition. I am allowed almost every kind of food right now, but am supposed to avoid starch, red meat, wine, and dessert. The truth is I've had a little bit of all those things. Not as an uncontrolled cheat, but w/the conscious decision that I am trying to rid myself of the 'all-or-nothing' thinking or 'dieting' thinking which has always been to my detriment. So, last night when we went for Mexican, I did eat a few tortilla chips, but did not shovel them into my mouth the whole time we were waiting for our food. And, I ate one fish taco that was on a small corn tortilla (saved the other one to take home). The other day for lunch, my mom and I split one serving of bolognese over polenta (and it was a fancy place, so half a serving was really small) and I had two spoonfuls of creme brulee. Sorry if I am making your mouth water. :crying: But, I'm happy that this type of moderation actually works w/the band. I always wanted to moderate my intake before, but I was so damn hungry I couldn't stop at half a serving or a couple bites. :drool: I do realize I'm in sort of a honeymoon period right now, though. My next challenge is to start my regular exercise program as soon as my parents leave (tomorrow morning). We've been doing active things... like yesterday we went to the Desert Botanical Gardens and walked A LOT! But, I know that once they leave, I've got to get a regular routine going because my normal daily activity is not nearly enough to keep my metabolism going good. You all might think I'm crazy, but I'm planning on making it my goal to exercise TWICE per day. Nothing strenuous, but do two walking sessions of at least 30 minutes... one in the AM hours and one on my treadmill while watching TV after my kids go to sleep (around 8:30). Having been on A LOT of diets before, I know my metabolism really responds to this. Its how I've broken through plateaus before. And, now that I'm a SAHM w/one kid in school and one kid in preschool, I really don't have any excuse for NOT putting more effort into exercise. For once in my life, I've got the time!!! :thumbup:

Its been awhile since I posted. Its been busy, busy, busy w/my parents visiting from Hawaii. I have become totally addicted to the scale cause my weight just keeps goind down! :present: I have forced myself to cut back to weighing every other day, though, instead of every day. But, it is such a novelty to me to see my weight drop so quickly like this. I NEVER would lose more than 1-2 pounds per week on Weight Watchers and there would be many many weeks where I would lose nothing or even gain. And, WW was soooooo hard. So far, this has been pretty easy. I'm just satisfied on so much less. Genius! Now, over the course of my parents' visit, I have taken some liberties on my food which are not recommended by my dietition. I am allowed almost every kind of food right now, but am supposed to avoid starch, red meat, wine, and dessert. The truth is I've had a little bit of all those things. Not as an uncontrolled cheat, but w/the conscious decision that I am trying to rid myself of the 'all-or-nothing' thinking or 'dieting' thinking which has always been to my detriment. So, last night when we went for Mexican, I did eat a few tortilla chips, but did not shovel them into my mouth the whole time we were waiting for our food. And, I ate one fish taco that was on a small corn tortilla (saved the other one to take home). The other day for lunch, my mom and I split one serving of bolognese over polenta (and it was a fancy place, so half a serving was really small) and I had two spoonfuls of creme brulee. Sorry if I am making your mouth water. :drool: But, I'm happy that this type of moderation actually works w/the band. I always wanted to moderate my intake before, but I was so damn hungry I couldn't stop at half a serving or a couple bites. :Dancing_wub: I do realize I'm in sort of a honeymoon period right now, though. My next challenge is to start my regular exercise program as soon as my parents leave (tomorrow morning). We've been doing active things... like yesterday we went to the Desert Botanical Gardens and walked A LOT! But, I know that once they leave, I've got to get a regular routine going because my normal daily activity is not nearly enough to keep my metabolism going good. You all might think I'm crazy, but I'm planning on making it my goal to exercise TWICE per day. Nothing strenuous, but do two walking sessions of at least 30 minutes... one in the AM hours and one on my treadmill while watching TV after my kids go to sleep (around 8:30). Having been on A LOT of diets before, I know my metabolism really responds to this. Its how I've broken through plateaus before. And, now that I'm a SAHM w/one kid in school and one kid in preschool, I really don't have any excuse for NOT putting more effort into exercise. For once in my life, I've got the time!!! :bye:

"If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion." -The Dalai Lama

I would pass. If you get something w/a cough or that could make your tummy queasy, you will be miserable. I got a little dry cough about 5 days post-op and it hurt soooo bad every time I coughed. Luckily, I got over it fast taking extra vitamins and cough syrup.

I was allowed to eat almost anything 4 days post-op. The only exclusions are red meat and starches for the first month. I can have any other Proteins, fruits, and vegies (cooked only - no salad yet). And, I'm told to avoid juices, alcohol, and other 'slider' type foods that go right through the band and contain calories. So, I ate cottage cheese, deli meat, cheese, chicken, and broccoli all on my 4th day post-op without problem... chewing a lot, of course. My theory on why different docs take it slower is that it takes a lot of teaching and working w/a patient to have them fully understand how to eat properly w/the band. I had six months of working w/a nutritionist to learn new habits that will work w/the band. Of course, this counted as my 'diet' required by insurance, but it really was not traditional dieting at all. It was more psychological training and focused on forming habits that are specific to the band. My surgeon also required a 5 hour pre-op class, 3 hour post-op class, attendance of at least one support meeting, etc. to make sure the rules were not just explained once, but repeated over and over so there is no confusion about anything or any chance that we could forget what we are supposed to do. I think a lot of surgeons just cannot commit this much to education so they just have you take it slow instead. If you think about it, its a lot easier to just tell your patients to drink shakes and blend stuff up than to actually teach them how to eat. And, if you aren't actually eating, you won't ever get anything stuck so you'll never have a problem eating and you won't ever need to call your surgeon's office either.

I was banded about the same time as you, but I was allowed to start eating real food at 4 days post-op so that may make a difference. I feel like I'm running at about 80% right now. I have learned that the more I pick stuff up off the ground or stoop and reach, then the faster I get tired (and my port site starts to ache). So, I've been either asking my kids or husband to do as much of this stuff for me as possible or if I see something on the floor, I just leave it. LOL Anything I can do at waist level standing up does not wear me out as fast. So, I ask my husband to get the clothes out of the dryer and bring them to me, then I fold them, then I ask him to put them away. If I need a roll of paper towels from under the sink, I ask one of my kids to crawl down there to get it for me. I've been making them dustbuster under their own chairs now too and have them get me tupperware when I need it too because it is on the lowest shelf in my kitchen. OK, but another thing that makes a big difference to me is just taking breaks when I need them (force yourself to sit down and recharge throughout the day) and force yourself to go to bed early and get a full night's sleep (8+ hours). My hardest days were the days when I shortchanged my sleep. I think sleep is the time when your body heals the most.