lingling

Wow, i was going to post and ask what it costs - but I guess self pay in Mexico about $10K US. What does it cost to have it done in the US if it's not under insurance? What are these advertisements on the side of this page saying $6000 band, and $11,000 bypass? I am too scared to click! In NZ, we have public funded healthcare, but many of us have elective medical insurance to cover procedures in private hospitals or if we don't want to stay on a waiting list. This surgery is not covered by public system, nor is it completely covered by private insurance. I have an insurance policy who make a one off ex gratia payment of $4,500 towards the banding so long as I met the criteria which I did. However, the rest of the bill needed to be footed by myself. The total cost before I get my $4,500 back was $16,200 NZD. Which is a LOT of coin!!!:smile2:

Same here moonbeam, I told my boss I was having girly stuff done, and same as one other chick at work. Our company are BIG Drinkers and very social, so I am going to have a tough time, especially since my alcohol tolerance will be RUBBISH after this! I think we can get away with "smaller portions" or ordering the Soup so we can at least eat most of it!! if we do it under the guise of "being healthy, trying to eat 6 portions a day, and I am saying I have a personal trainer who works me to the core every morning before work - they'll never know!! muhuhuhahahahha!!:smile2:

Don't cheat guys, you make it 10000 times harder for yourselves! After day four or five the ketones start to break down and suppress hunger, every time you cheat you have to do those five days again, its torture! Eat everything they tell you to eat and if you have to cheat have non root vegetables, carrot, celery, tomatoes, cucumber, lettuce. I totally ate more than my fair share of salad and veges, and my Protein shakes. Stick at it, it is ONLY TWO WEEKS OF YOUR LIFE YOU CAN DO IT!!!!

Took my dressings off today - and replaced them with new ones. Ugh!!! The biggest cut is about 2 inches long!! I am sure they heal up really well though, I just disinfected them and put new dressings on - I think that if they are kept clean and dry there is less chance of scarring. When there is no seepage I will use Biooil. Should be sweet tho! I am impressed that there was no stitches!

Swiss, it might be the iodine from when they sanitise you and its trapped under the dressing. Otherwise yellow is a normal bruise stage - so long as they are not big and red it is fine. Mine are itching like crazy - they must be healing - but I will ring and check that it is okay today! ha ha. MommaD - RELAX!!! you are as bad as me. I am day 5 today and on day 3 I went supermarket shopping - and goodness me - did I regret it! As boring as it is - sit on the couch and watch TV, water the potplants outside, make yourself a cup of tea, watch more TV.... it will pay off!

You know what, this is something that gets my goat about people. Everyone's a bl00dy expert. The thin people don't understand why you'd want to "RESORT to such measures" and the people that are bigger than you are jealous and wish they could have it done - OR are justifying their weight by saying that it is so drastic. All of these comments are about THEM and their own baggage, not you. You are doing what is right for you in your own heart - and I salute that - and if they were real friends then they would too! Stay strong!! xx

Well cheating is not an option - or you may miss out on surgery! a) tell the truth :welldoneclap: tell him you are on a diet c) tell him you are not feeling well, go anyway and don't eat d) tell him you are not feeling well and cannot make it. e) tell him you have to catch up with someone else earlier for dinner and you cannot get out of it but you will come round for coffee later

Hahah why not!! Got plenty of lost time to make up for!

You definitely do not wake up skinny!! But I can tell you three days post op I am definitely a few pounds down!

I'm just happy i'll be able to get more men into bed!!

I wouldnt stress too much about what you are taking to the hospital. I packed WAY too much!! What I did use was - toothbrush - facecloth - facewash/toner mist to freshen up. - warm socks - laptop/ipod to watch movies/listen to music - flipflops so you dont have to bend over to put shoes on when you leave - cellphone and charger. :welldoneclap:

Hey Smilan! Yay! We did it!!!! Make sure you are sipping like 200ml of Fluid over 10minutes and tiny sips like ridiculously tiny ! Does the spitting happen after the drinking? My doctor said drink as much as I like but do it SLOWLY as its just like a sink - if you turn the tap on too fast it will overflow! Maybe that is what is happening? Day 3 for me today. Have been sleeping on my tummy for the last two days - and feels okay. Probably won't take much pain meds today either. Feeling tender around wound sites though and sore abs. I tried on the dress I have in my avatar this morning - and it fits perfectly - a little saggy if anything! SO AWESOME!@

My doc said that I can drink beer but I'd want to sip a pint over 1/2 an hour - YAWN! I will give it a go - but not until a FULL month post op, the biggest risk is mean to be slippage, so I don't want to risk it till after I am fully healed. I also was given 12 bottles of french champagne - approx $1,000 worth - those things are going down my throat come hell or high water!!!! ha aha

Yay MulderFamily - same here - no cheating I had lost 7kg which is 15lb and the doc said text book surgery went smooth as it could have!

It feels like someone turning a knife in your shoulder!! Not nice!

I am not sure about what is normal - but I have got five. The biggest is the one where the port is. They would not be bigger than an inch each and there are no stitches - just strips to hold them closed I don't know how bad they will scar as I have still got dressings on them, but I am going to use "bio-oil" LINK: Bio Oil - Uses to get rid of any scars. Better to have 20 scars and be healthy though, I say !

My last recorded weight was 130.4 at the surgeon's office on Wednesday. I will weigh again on Friday for you (its Friday night here now but I am full of liquid and bloated from surgery!)

Am feeling pretty crap. The gas from surgery has gone but the other kind of gas has hit hard! And it hurts SO much to burp! But otherwise it feels like I have a big balloon stuck down there. Is horrible. Painful at the moment as a friend came round and we had massive giggling fits - so I feel good in myself, but I think I am a bit anxious as it feels sore and I feel bloated and I am worried I have or will damage it by laughing, moving, lifting things, how I get up etc or if I drink my chocolate milk too fast. The only things I have managed to ingest today are 2 cup chocolate milk (low fat) 3 tablespoons of icecream 1/2 cup of pumpkin Soup How insane. No wonder these bands work!!! ha ha! Finding it hard to keep Water intake up as I really want the "taste" of food since I haven't had it for so long (with the pre op etc) so I want to drink things that taste nice and water fills me up too. How are the others going who are already banded? Good luck to 3rd of April Bunnies - super_chilli, tish76, vegas girl, watermelon_1, cajunmomma, TxMomof4 - you will be fine!!! The anesthetic is FUN!

Why's that Jersey?