Zannie

I agree, but I paid the hospital at the hospital itself, and sent the anesthesia people a check directly, too. And my surgeon got his fee at my last pre-op visit. All separate fees. Frankly, the hospital portion (11K) seems the most outlandish of it – since an overnight stay is optional, but you don’t get a prorated fee or anything if you chose to have the surgery done outpatient. (I chose to stay overnight, rather than drive to the hospital again the next day for the x-ray my surgeon requires before moving you off clear liquids & onto creamy liquids. Plus, I was receiving Lovenox injections post-op preventatively for blood clots & the hospital bill covered all meds while inpatient.) Either way…it’s expensive here in VA compared to some of the other self-pay signatures I’ve seen. But a good surgeon & a clinic close to home for fills were very important factors to me, so… Money well spent, I hope!

That's everything from Day One -- except the cost of these blasted protein shakes & a gym membership (which if I joined the one near my clinic, I'd get a 2 month free trial & a WLS discount -- but 45min is too far from home to go for a gym!) $......30 for the initial WLS-readiness computer assessment on 12/27/06 $....160 for the psychological evaluation by the staff psychiatrist ............. Note: could have chosen my own psychiatrist, but ............. A) I didn’t have one, and ............. I thought seeing somebody who knows WLS was the .................. wise choice since I had no INS-imposed restrictions) $ ......60 for co-pays at a therapist the staff shrink recommended ............. to address my ‘guilt & hostility’ that she thought might ............. hinder my progress if I didn’t face them head on ............. – optional, but I figured I should do everything I ................ can to make this tool as effective as possible! $11,000 for the hospital (Sentara Careplex - Hampton, VA) $ ....750 for anesthesia $ .5,500 for the surgeon, including a “program fee” which covers ..............- all fills/unfills for 1 year, with floro under x-ray ..............- unlimited visits with the staff nutritionist for 6-months post-op _____________________________________ $17,500 total for LapBand surgery on 2/15/07 :faint: Having witnessed my research on WLS for 5 or 6 years (with an insurance exclusion policy), and after much deliberation amongst themselves…my parents generously offered to pay for the procedure. And I tearfully accepted. (Thanks, Mom & Dad!)

Looks like a handful of you have your band date coming up very soon! I was plenty nervous before my surgery on the 15th, but all is well now (11 days out). Remember, you researched this decision & your surgeon, it's not just some whim or yet another fad diet. And you're making the choice for better health...go for it! See ya in Bandland soon -- Good luck & Godspeed!

Karlee, I was banded on the 15th & had problems with this too. And I didn't even have a urinary catheter while under! It was as if my body forgot how to go! This sensation lasted for about 3 or 4 days post-op, though it did get better every day. I now (10 days post-op) have no problems with peeing, thankfully! Hang in there...

Brave woman, you are! I was banded on the 15th & am still in the protein shakes/jell-o stage. (Hopefully I'll be advanced to mushies on the 28th at my 2-week check up.) My dad's birthday is on March 10th & we usually get the local family together for a meal of some sort. Just tonight my mom was asking if I'd be up for eating out or would I rather her do brunch so eggs would be on hand... I picked brunch at their house, because I can't imagine eating out yet! I think I'll reserve that for the real food stage, which ought to start on the 1st of April for me. Good for you!

The BMI 50+ board has been quiet for the last few days, so I just wanted to pop in & say HI! :wave: How’s everybody doing? Anybody else newly banded, like me? :update: I’m a week post-op as of Thursday, and hanging in there. I’ve still got pain at the largest of my incisions, and at the port itself. They are next to each other so the right side of my abdomen is pretty achy – just called in for a Vicodin refill. I was optimistic that the pain would be gone by now, but it just isn’t at those 2 of my 5 incisions. Oh well. My 4-year-old just gave me a hug and…OUCH! I’m having trouble finding enough hours in the day to sip down 64oz of fluid! But aside from that 2nd night post-op, I haven’t had any nausea or vomiting. I’m sticking to protein shakes (24oz totaling 90-95g protein depending the powder I use) during the day, and then water, 1 tiny bowl of creamed soup broth, and some of a SF pudding cup to round out my evening hours (when DH heads to the pantry). The protein shakes were making me insane , but I finally hit on adding General Foods International Coffee powder to them and now things are dandy! (Using the sugar free decaf variety, it’s only an additional 30 calories, 2.5g fat, and 2g carbs per 2-scoops of protein powder. The regular decaf version adds 60 cal, 2g fat and 9g of sugar.) They come in coffee flavors (that I love mixed with the chocolate protein) vanilla cream (which goes nicely with the fruit protein powder), and Chai Latte. I’ve been walking on our treadmill everyday, and am up to 25 mins now. My surgeon wants us walking a minimum of 30 mins a day, so I’m almost there. I’ve never been into any sort of exercise, but I get on the treadmill when the family is eating dinner, so as not to be tempted! It is working well for now. :-) Once I’ve progressed to the mushie stage, I’ll join them again for dinner & will have to figure out a new place to fit in my workout! I started at 320/BMI 58. My home scale says I lost 7 pounds in the 1st 7 days:clap:, but I'm not sure how accurate it is! My goal was 20lb off with liquids to bring me to 300 before mushies, and at a pound a day I'll fall short. Still, DOWN is encouraging (even if I wish it were more)! So, that’s my lengthy update… :typing:

So I threw up last night. I’m 2 days out from surgery & I’ve only consumed the prescribed protein shakes, water, and ice chips. It was bedtime & I needed to take my asthma pill (small & square). I sipped it down with small slurps from a bathroom dixie cup of water. And within 5 minutes I was throwing up. Everything was clear at my post-op x-ray and I didn’t have any problems holding liquids down the day of the surgery or the following day prior to bedtime. I was worried that the 2 larger, oval Vicodin pills would back up the works, but they didn’t. Interestingly, the pill itself didn’t seem to come back up. I doubt that it dissolved that quickly, so it must’ve been in the lower stomach already -- and stayed there. I knew I was gonna puke, I could tell well in advance, but I couldn’t stop it. Up came the water, swirled with chocolate protein shake congealed globules from 2 hours before. Ugh. I went right to bed afterward. This morning I’ve sipped down 1-scoop of shake in 6 oz of milk, and am working on a 2nd serving of the same now. I have very little energy, and no appetite at all, but no nausea so far (knock on wood). I’ve always been a gulper, so I am using toddler sippy cup for my shakes today. And I’m nervous about vomiting again! I hope I haven’t dislodged my band, or screwed anything up inside.

:boy_hug:Louise:girl_hug: I am only 2 days out, but I already know these shakes are gonna get old quick. Two a day - egad! I got a Isopure variety pack that has 5 different flavors in individual packets (45g protein each) from GNC (less $$ online at Drugstore.com, BTW). I hope that variety will be the key. GNC also sells what looks like a kool-aid in a glass bottle by the Isopure people -- it has 40g of protein. These were expensive, but again, I have high hopes for variety to see me through these 1st two weeks! Keep focused on the big picture, and set yourself a little goal for each day you can pat your own back for (water, walking, etc) -- that's the advice I've been given. And remember we're all here with you, your fellow Februray Bandsters! :hug: I know you can do it!!

My surgery was at 8:30am on the 15th, and I came home (to my parent’s house) at 4pm on the 16th. I haven’t much energy right now:tired , but I wanted to touch base before too much time went by. My starting weight is 320lbs, with a BMI of 58.5. The procedure went well, and I felt really good yesterday except for some very strong pain at the actual port site. Bending over to do ‘anything’ is still so painful at the port! I was up & walking around very well by 6:30pm. I even went to the Lap-Band support group that happened to meet last night at the hospital. I crawled into bed at 11pm feeling so encouraged, despite the port pain. This morning at 3am, however, I woke up to pee & felt flu-ish (as if every muscle ached). I could hardly move my legs & chalked it up to sleeping the hospital bed. By 7am, when the nurse woke me to check my vitals, I couldn’t even left my head off the pillow. :sick And I had a slight fever (100.6), too. But my surgeon checked me out & said that flu-like symptoms were often a side effect of anesthesia. I feel like I’ve been hit by a Mac truck, but so be it. I left the hospital with my hubby at 1pm, dropped of my Vicoden Rx, and browsed through a discount store next to the pharmacy while waiting on the prescription. After that we came back to my folks’, I hugged on my babies (who were none the worse for my absence ) and took a nap. Now I’m off for my dinner of a protein shake. That is my main diet for the next 2 weeks. My clinic recommends 16-24 oz daily of protein shake made with skim milk, supplemented by plenty of water, broth, Jell-O, pudding & yogurt for the 1st 2 weeks. Such fun! Well, my shake is gonna separate if I don’t get to it soon, so...

I haven’t much energy right now, but I wanted to touch base before too much time went by. My surgery was at 8:30am on the 15<SUP>th</SUP>, and I came home (to my parent’s house) at 4pm on the 16<SUP>th</SUP>. The procedure went well, and I felt really good yesterday except for some very strong pain at the actual port site. Bending over to do ‘anything’ is so painful at the port! I was up & walking around very well by 6:30pm. I even went to the Lap-Band support group that happened to meet last night at the hospital. I crawled into bed at 11pm feeling so encouraged, despite the port pain. This morning at 3am, however, I woke up to pee & felt flu-ish (as if every muscle ached). I could hardly move my legs & chalked it up to sleeping the hospital bed. By 7am, when the nurse woke me to check my vitals, I couldn’t even left my head off the pillow. :sick And I had a slight fever (100.6), too. But my surgeon checked me out & said that flu-like symptoms were often a side effect of anesthesia. I feel like I’ve been hit by a Mac truck, but so be it. I left the hospital with my hubby at 1pm, dropped of my Vicoden Rx, and browsed through a discount store next to the pharmacy while waiting on the prescription. After that we came back to my folks’, I hugged on my babies (who were none the worse for my absence :-P) and took a nap. Now I’m off for my dinner of a protein shake. That is my main diet for the next 2 weeks. My clinic recommends 16-24 oz daily of protein shake made with skim milk, supplemented by plenty of water, and broth, Jell-O, pudding & yogurt for the 1<SUP>st</SUP> 2 weeks. Such fun! Well, my shake is gonna separate if I don’t get to it soon, so... Good luck to all of you, too!

Laurisa -- congrats & good luck to you! My surgery is Thursday. I noticed that yours was done in Lincoln. My dad's Air Force, and we were stationed at Offutt twice. I met my hubby in Jr.High back in Bellevue, and my in-laws are still there. We live in Williamsburg, VA now, but the Nebraska on your post caught my eye. [14K vs 17.5K self-pay here -- shoulda gone back, eh?] Just wanted to say Hi & wish you well in your recovery... :wave:

Thanks for the support – it’s good to know I’m not the only one nervous about the knife! My last pre-op visit was on Monday & I feel much more relaxed now. I really like my surgeon and that helps, too. I’m sure I’ll be a wreck again by 8:30 on Thursday morning, but until then I am really trying to stay focused on the positive!

I’ll be banded on the 15<SUP>th</SUP> by Dr. Terracina of Newport News, VA. I don’t know why I didn’t think to look for others with February surgery dates before this, but I’m glad to find y’all now… Frankly, I’m freaking out about the surgery itself (or rather risks of the actual operation / recovery). Anybody else who’s never had general anesthesia & fretting as the date draws near? I'm not having second thoughts about Lap-Band, but this is a major case of butterflies about going under the knife! :nervous

Hey y’all… It’s been a while since I’ve posted (I’m a lurker by nature on the web), but the big day is almost here. :rose: My surgery is on Feb 15th with Dr. Terracina in Newport News, VA. I’ve had all my pre-op testing & attended (with my DH) a 3-½ hour post-op education class this week. The last ‘thing’ on my To Do list is a visit with my surgeon on Monday, preceded by a nutrition class at their clinic. My husband, who supports my choice for Lap-Band, is freaking out that I might not survive having this surgery, and it would seem that his angst is contagious. I am getting nervous now…really nervous. :fear: I’ve never had general anesthesia, but both my mother & my little boy have had trouble waking up after being under. So there’s the whole ‘anesthesia-related death’ issue to fret about. But more than that, my father just 2 weeks ago suffered from his 3rd pulmonary embolism (recovering well) – and though I’ve never had a clot myself, it is confirmed that I inherited his blood clotting genes (Factor V Leiden). I feel like…if I can just survive the operation & the post-op period, then everything will be fine. I know that life with the Band will be a drastic change, but I am on board for change. This is all about CHANGE, right? I'm all for that. What I’m not okay with is death in the mean time! :nervous Ahhh! :doh: Okay – so you’ve been here, or somewhere close to where I am today. And I just need(ed) to vent to someone who knows the risks, too. I sure don’t want to add my own “what if” fears onto those my hubby is already carrying about the actual surgery! Thanks for listening to me rant & ramble! :blah: We can all laugh at me a few months from now -- fretting about an operation, after the post-op clotting risk is past!

Dawn! :wow2: Wouldn’t we all like to have your success!?! Are you up for imparting advice? What worked? What did not work? What kind of exercise is it that you are doing? What were you eating in the early months? Now that I have my date (Feb 15th :high5:), I am trying to set myself up for success at home by shopping for the ‘good things’ now & eliminating from the pantry my weaknesses (yeasty carbs) & other ‘bad things’ before hand. I’d love to know the things to stock up on so I don’t have to go shopping much that 1st month. (My doctor’s office is a bit vague in their details.) What specifically worked for you, someone with such success? You are a real inspiration! :clap2: Keep up the great work!:cheer2:

Hi! I’m 32 & an unbanded stay-at-home mother of 2 with a BMI of 57.6, which means I have 179 pounds to loose (Ha!) before I’d be a healthy BMI. I’ve lurked this board for quite a while now, knowing I could not afford to self-pay & accepting that my insurance has an exclusion policy for WLS. But I’ve just been given a wonderful Christmas present by my parents & grandmother!!! They’re going to pay for the LapBand!!!! :clap2: I am in such shock… Anyhow! Now that this is reality rather than a pipe dream (as it has been for 5 years!), I will ask the burning question: What do y'all eat NOW?!? I’m not so worried about the early post-op time because that is when the doc & other support will be guiding me through this huge change. Those of you who are successful, what does an average day of food look like in the 6-months post-op range if you were to keep a food journal? And what about in the year+ post-op stage? I keep hearing it’s an egg-worth of food per-meal in the early-filled stage. But what does that MEAN on a plate? :girl_hug: And at some point down the line it becomes a cup of food…when is that, what is that? :xena_banana: :girl_hug: Will it always be Protein powder shakes for Mommy or do healthy choices from average foods that I will continue to fix for my family become an option at some point? I can’t imagine eating ‘regular foods’ further down the line when the weight is nearly & then finally off. I can’t picture eating out, for example. And what did you EAT for Thanksgiving…?:hungry: I cannot believe this is really going to happen!! I’ve been to 4 informational seminars & lurk around a handful of Lap-Band sites, always knowing I was a big fraud because this wasn’t an option financially. And now…:wow2: I just need to call for an appointment to get the ball rolling! Wish me luck!

I heard someone once refer to the phenomenon of ‘hanging abdominal pannus’ as a Donelap or as having Donelap Disease (as in, my belly done lap over my belt), which I found hysterical & use now myself. :laugh Several years ago I saw reference to ‘the apron’ (as in apron of fat) from an actual WLS doctor, which I thought was far less funny, but equally appropriate.:rolleyes

Hi there! Just wanted to check in after Christmas & see how everyone managed through the holidays… Thanks so much for all the feedback & encouragment. There are so many inspiring stories among you. You’ve all really helped to allay my food fears! :nervous Last night, my DH & I attended the ‘seminar’ for the clinic I’ll be using. I’d taken my mom to one by this group back in April, but they want you to have seen their schpeel within 6-months before arranging for the psych evaluation. And since my hubby hadn’t met this doc yet, we spent our wedding anniversary at the Weight Loss Surgery Center of Hampton Roads! I learned nothing new in the presentation except that a new Lap-Band design will go into use this April. My psych eval is on Jan 3rd. I was told that mid-to-late February would be the timeframe for surgery, since I’m self-pay & assuming no issues arise. So here we go...wish me luck! :bananapartyhat:

Congrats, Denise! To be able to shop from ‘regular’ stores again – what a Christmas gift to yourself! And with 50 pounds down, you deserve it! WAHOO! Remember to give DH a pat on the back for having more faith in your efforts than you did, and encouraging you toward something that made you feel so great! Way to go! :high5:

Hi! I’m 32 & an unbanded stay-at-home mother of 2 with a BMI of 57.6, which means I have 179 pounds to loose (Ha!) before I’d be a healthy BMI. I’ve lurked this board for quite a while now, knowing I could not afford to self-pay & accepting that my insurance has an exclusion policy for WLS. But I’ve just been given a wonderful Christmas present by my parents & grandmother!!! They’re going to pay for the LapBand!!!! :clap2: I am in such shock… Anyhow! Now that this is reality rather than a pipe dream (as it has been for 5 years!), I will ask the burning question: What do y'all eat NOW?!? I’m not so worried about the early post-op time because that is when the doc & other support will be guiding me through this huge change. Those of you who are successful, what does an average day of food look like in the 6-months post-op range if you were to keep a food journal? And what about in the year+ post-op stage? I keep hearing it’s an egg-worth of food per-meal in the early-filled stage. But what does that MEAN on a plate? :girl_hug: And at some point down the line it becomes a cup of food…when is that, what is that? :xena_banana: :girl_hug: Will it always be Protein powder shakes for Mommy or do healthy choices from average foods that I will continue to fix for my family become an option at some point? I can’t imagine eating ‘regular foods’ further down the line when the weight is nearly & then finally off. I can’t picture eating out, for example. And what did you EAT for Thanksgiving…?:hungry: I cannot believe this is really going to happen!! I’ve been to 4 informational seminars & lurk around a handful of Lap-Band sites, always knowing I was a big fraud because this wasn’t an option financially. And now…:wow2: I just need to call for an appointment to get the ball rolling! Wish me luck!

Hi! I posted twice when I first joined this group, but have lurked via the e-mailed compiling of posts since then… To reintroduce myself, I’m 32 & have a BMI of 55.8 at 5’2” / 305 lbs, and have been chunky since getting my period in 5th grade. I’ve been researching this procedure for about 6 years. My dh’s employer (the county we live in) will NOT buy into the morbid obesity rider offered by our health insurance. I stay at home with our 2 kids (dd-1 & ds-3), living on a tight “County pay” budget, and self-pay would tap out our entire savings – which I am reluctant to do, for obvious reasons. That’s my story. I’m writing again today because I’ve really been torn lately about going forward because of the self-pay, but I am starting to feel that desperate. My real fear is that the surgery won’t work for me because I am not a “classic” overeater in the 1st place. My problem is two fold, 1) I’m not an exerciser & never have been; 2) I have real no sense of hunger, or fullness. Are/were any of you like me? What was your success after Banding? I will literally not eat or drink a thing all day until dinner with the family, and not feel the least bit hungry at all. Then, once the meal starts, I have no sensation of fullness either -- unless I’ve eaten too much. :hungry: By too much, I don’t mean going back for seconds; I just “clean my plate” which often contains “American” serving sizes, not the proper “portion control” servings I know I should be eating. I eat what my husband (185lbs@5’8”) eats. I eat less than what my best friend (skinny!) eats. I don’t “closet eat” though we do have junk foods in the house, which I am here with all day, every day. I’ve had several ‘family practice’ doctors tell me that yo-yo dieting since 12 years old, combined with routinely skipping meals has killed my metabolism. That my body thinks it’s in a constant state of starvation & reserves every calorie I consume. Yada, yada, yada. Do I sound familiar to any of you? Or am I the obesity anomaly I feel like?? When I read the postings, here & on other boards, I am not finding “myself” among the posts! Will this surgery even work for me, for a person with a ‘starvation metabolism’…? I have not asked a surgeon this, despite having attended 3 LabBand presentations with different clinics in our area. The seminars just don’t seem like the place, but to get in for a one-one-one consultation is always quite a production with applications etc. & come at a hefty fee. Okay…babbling :blabla: , I’m sorry. But I felt like it would help if I thoroughly explained my situation. I appreciate your feedback! Thanks, Suzanne

First off, I am new to this board as of today. I am at the “seriously considering LapBand but have no insurance coverage for it” stage. But I’ve done a lot of thinking on why I don’t just tap out our savings & have this done. Aside from being too practical for that, fear of being thin does play a role, though I have never told anyone. I was always the chubby girl, with mostly skinny friends. So it is not as if I’ve always thought that “if I were thin, life would be so great” because my skinny friends had their issues, too. But I know I’m afraid to be at a healthy weight...and I think I even know why! For me, my fat has always acted as a buffer when things didn’t go well; a handy excuse to avoid harsher realities. I can blame (and have) any and all rejection (professional, personal, romantic) on my being fat. If I were to suddenly be thin...and still face rejection (which is part of life, after all), well, it would be ME and not the F-A-T for the 1st time in my memory. I know it’s sad but I’m much happier with the illusion that someone is not liking me because I’m fat, rather than not liking me for me! Who will I be when I’m not the funny, fat girl anymore? And will I like me, let alone the rest of the world? Plus, I started dating my husband when I was 16 & a size 12/14 in high school. Now, 16 years and 2 children later, I am a size 30/32. And lets just say our sex life ain’t what it used to be. If that is because we’ve been together since the dawn of time, so be it. It’s good when we get to it, but we just don’t. Shucks and all, but it happens. Now, if I were to get Banded and slowly become a thinner person, while our love life also improved...well, then I know I'd forever question if he really found me attractive at all as I am now (315 lbs). Which he says he does & should, if he does truly love me. (I mean, he certainly doesn’t have the body he once did, nor the hair, if truth be told. But I love him completely, and want him now just as much as I did then.) Of course, our love life might improve simply because I’d be feeling more comfortable with my body again etc & that would reflect in many areas of my life, yada yada. But I know I would always wonder if one day I just became too fat to be attractive to my own husband – that despite all we’ve been through his love is conditional, after all. And that scares me senseless.:paranoid What a way to introduce myself to the group, eh? And I thought I’d just lurk while waiting for a giant bag of money to land on the front lawn so I can afford this procedure. Well, thanks for listening to me ramble on.:nervous ______________ Suzanne