juliegeraci

3-4 weeks. Make sure you follow what your doctor recommends.

The only pain I had was at the port site. It was just a little uncomfortable. I did have some nauseau too. My doctor prescribed me an anti nauseau medication for that and I took it for a few weeks following surgery. Other than that, the surgery was very easy.

There are plenty of Bariatrics surgeons out there. Imagine feeling like this and then dealing with after care which is quite extensive. I would research another doctor.

Unfortunately acid reflux is a sign of being too tight with the band. Some people get it really bad at night, others through the day. There are only 2 ways to get rid of it. Medication followed by motified diet and a slight unfill. It is common.

I don't remember exactly but I think it was 2-3 months to get through the nutritionist, ekg, psych eval and bloodwork. I didn't have to have a sleep study.

From losing 100 lbs my PS wants to suck the fat out of my chin. I guess you need to wear a chin strap for at least a week afterwards as well. Has anyone seen good results with this? How long did the strap need to be worn?

Hi Kat, not sure exactly what to do at home. Any suggestions? The PS did say that I need a lot of pillows which I have. Other than that I do have soft diet things in the house ie. soup, yogurt. I was told by my surgeon that you do get more restriction when you have surgery so we'll see. I think I have gained about 7 lbs since my unfill. Just an FYI. Wait until the last minute to have an unfill. I did it 2 weeks early which was a big mistake. I was PBing alot but he took me down .5ccs. So I have a little restriction but not much. I am also hungry every 2-3 hours now. Julie

Hello Kittee, it sounds like you are ready for a PS consult. My goal is 185 and I weight in about 218 right now. So that puts me about 38 lbs from goal. My surgeon said I could easily lose the rest of my weight and it will not have any impact on the TT. Let me know what is happening.

Hi Everyone. Only 5 more days until my surgery. How is everyone else holding up?

Hi Becky, sorry I couldn't warn you but I didn't have pics taken at my appointment because my insurance will not cover it. Good luck on your journey. Its so exciting. Julie

Erin, glad you are on the boards. I'm sure your doctor will sort this out for you so you'll be on the losing side again soon. Best of luck. Julie

Nuali, I remember being new here almost 2 years ago. How exciting! Good luck with your surgeon's appointment. Welcome aboard.

A friend of mine had to deal with that. After about 12 weeks she is pain free and back to normal with good restriction. The doctor couldn't believe how big her esophogus was. Glad you are okay. Good luck with the fill.

Yes, I couldn't hold down solids. My doctor said that sometimes the stomach lining can thicken adding additional restriction. The only cure is a slight unfill. Glad you are okay.

It took me forever to get to my sweet spot. I had over 10 fills in 18 months. I finally hit my sweet spot 2 months ago but had to have a slight unfill for plastic surgery on Monday. I have since gained back 5-7 lbs which took me 2 months to lose. Go figure!

Thanks Fran. 6 more days! I had to buy Spanx today to wear over my thighs. I guess I need to have my thighs in something like a girdle or bycicle shorts for a few weeks. He wraps them when I have my surgery. I go back 2 days later to have the wrap removed then onto the girdle. I am concerned that I will not be able to get the girdle over my stomach though since I'll have a stomach girdle on too. Oh joy!

This is elective surgery so yes, there are insurance companies that will not cover it. If you really want the surgery you will make it happen. Mexico is an option. Wish I had more sympathy but this is coming from a person who spend almost $4k out of pocket my first 18 months on fills. If you want it bad enough you will make it happen. Good luck.

They totally did the right thing. Any type of abuse should be upheld in the court of law, not church.

Becky, good luck today. Keep us posted.

Thanks Mommi. I'm a little bit down today due to the fact I opted to have my unfill 10 days early. I have gained 5-7 lbs back. Funny how it takes me 8 weeks to lose 8lbs and only 10 days to gain it back! I do have stomach fat on my upper abdomen so I really hope they can get it all with the surgery. Did you have much of that? Where are your before and after photos? Julie

Hi Shelly, where do you live? Dr. Robert McKeen in San Jose at Southbay Bariatrics will take you. He is $200 a fill. Hope this helps. He is wonderful and does Mexican bandsters.

I was only a C cup and unfortunately I am now in a B and getting smaller on my left side. The padded bras are now caving in a bit. I am saving to have breast augmentation but it will take a little time to save the $10k they want. Good luck.

I had a massage the other day with out a problem at all. Sorry this happened to you. Julie

Hi Becky, there was a couple reasons why I went with the doctor I chose. First he was about $3k less than my other doctor. Second, he was Board Certified and teaches at Stanford. Third, when it comes to the thigh lift they typically cut down the entire thigh to your knee. He is using another method by just cutting at the top of my thigh and suturing up. I am so glad I will not have that scar that goes down the entire leg. It was quite expensive though. My TT is $11,500 and my thigh lift if $8600. So it is costing me a little over $20k for everything. I am currently in a tight 16. My goal is a 14/16 so this should put me there. My surgeon said that I have been a success at 75% weight loss. With 60% being the norm he is very happy with my progress. My goal weight now is 200. I am about 16-20 lbs from that now. My PS said that if I chose to lose another 25 lbs my stomach will be fine. He said he pulls it really tight, ouch!

Hi Becky, I had my PS unfill last week and have gained about 5-7 lbs unfortunately. That still puts me 35 lbs from goal though so I should be okay. I am starting to get nervous. Wish I didn't gain anything though. I was doing so well and lost another 8 lbs since my last fill 8 weeks ago. So 3.2 is where I need to be. I'm at 2.7 right now and can eat normal portions. From what I hear 5 lbs is about the norm. Julie