ParrotheadCathy

I guess I am nervous about not knowing what to expect and if I will be sick, have hair loss, how many vitamens and supplements I will need to be on if any. Just the unknown. I definatley know I need and want to do this just not knowing what to expect after surgery. You shouldn't be sick. Some people do have a little nausea post-op but most docs write a prescription for pain and a prescriptio for nausea for you to have on hand for if you need them. I take a performance Vitamin every day (all the Bs, C, D, E, Calcium, Biotin, magnesium and zinc) and a lot of people actually buy the gummi-type Vitamins because they are chewable. Some do experience hair loss but most don't and significant hair loss is not common at all I don't think. I wonder if there are foods you can no longer eat. I know pop is one but that is no problem for me. Really you should be able to eat anything IN MODERATION. I do have problems with soft bread, but not always, and toasted ALWAYS goes down fine. I have no idea why, LOL. And, I didn't miss Diet Coke at all even though I thought I would. Is it hard to wait 30 min after you eat to drink something? I drink right up to the time of my meal and, really, don't usually have a problem with waiting for 30 minutes after.

Spend a little time on line reading menus from places you like to go. Look for things that will be reasonably easy to eat -- even a little bit toward the "slider" types of stuff. Pick a place, what you want to eat and plan a dinner out. A nice sit-down dinner. Order what you planned, which would be things that you eat without any problem. Once you have a dinner or two out without issue, then you should be fine because I really do think you're over-thinking it and getting yourself totally stressed out. I go out to dinner at least once a week. I've been to pretty much every kind of restaurant and know what foods work for me and what I can order at any given place. Broiled/grilled fish with mashed potatoes and and overcooked green vegetable is such a common menu combination and it all works for me. I don't eat any of the bread that is served with meals out because I never know when bread will be a problem for me. And, heck, I don't need the bread anyway. Check the appetizers closely at places you know serve large portions because you can get an acceptable portion for less money and I've found a heck of a lot of appetizer items that I would never have ordered otherwise to be really yummy. I was always guilty of ordering the big dinner and ignoring the appetizers. Good Luck

It's totally normal to be nervous, even if you've made up your mind this is absolutely the right thing for you. But let us know what questions you have and perhaps we can alleviate some of the nervousness just by letting you know what our experiences have been with those issues!

I am not making any suggestions or recommendations about counseling since you seem opposed to it BUT let me just say that even though my degree is in industrial and occupational pyschology, I had my share of the "other" side of it in college. Counseling is designed to do many things. One very important thing, regardless of the problem, is helping to identify the problem and to develop coping skills for that problem. So don't write off counseling for good .... a counselor who works with eating disorders could offer a lot of assistance. I WILL recommend journaling. Do it this way.... write down every bite you eat and WHEN you eat it/what you're doing. After a week or so, you may learn that there is a discernable pattern to your eating, that certain activities (or lack thereof) can trigger idle grazing/snacking. If you do find a pattern, you can change things around to not create the situation and reduce the bat eating habits.

It was clearly laid out for me at my first visit with my surgeon that pills MIGHT be a problem, especially if they are large. I have not taken any medications regularly since surgery, per my doctor's instructions. My Vitamin dissolves in a glass of Water, so that's no issue. I have taken Tylenol a couple of times and swallowed 2 at the same time without a problem. You just need to be aware that you could have a problem. If you do, some medicines can be crushed but you need to check with your pharmacist before doing that because some meds don't work the same if they've been crushed. Many meds are available in liquid. If you are pre-op when your doc gives you a prescription for pain meds post-op, ask for it to be for the liquid form JUST IN CASE. And when you fill that prescription, ask the pharmacist to flavor it and they can offer you quite a choice of flavors.

No, not for me. I know that I cannot eat as much and I have to eat slower and such but that's the EFFECT of the band and that's what you want. Do I walk around AWARE of the physical band? No, not at all.

Unless they can prove that it is stipulated in writing, I'm note sure they can enforce it. Go ahead and call the insurance commissioner's office and ask. IT NEVER HURTS TO ASK.

Kimo, solid food takes a different process to digest. Liquids simply pass on through the pouch and through the rest of your stomach sort of "at will". Any solid food requires your stomach to "churn" it....and that action can cause complications INCLUDING SLIPPAGE. Call your doctor's office, tell them about the bread, and ask for help with what you can have to help satisfy your hunger. I was on liquids for 10 days, mushies for 10 days, then added solid foods slowly. But while on liquids, I could have as much as I wanted when I wanted...double check that with your doc! Pudding, jello, broth, soup (puree the ones that have solids in them), yogurts, popsicles, frozen lemonade, make stock from scratch (it has a lot more flavor). If you need to know how, private message me and I'll pass it on. I've posted it on here so many times I'm just going to offer it if you want it.

And I have BCBS of Georgia and my policy has a written exclusion regarding ALL weight loss surgeries. Every employer negotiates their policy based on what they are willing to pay and getting the best coverage for the amount they are willing to spend. So, your policy requires the 6 month supervised diet. You don't HAVE to lose a significant amount of weight to be approved. Like the poster who said she lost a total of 5 pounds in the six months. During the six months, you can do all the pre-op testing they require (nutritional visit(s), psych evaluation and as you get closer to surgery, sleep study, upper GI, the blood work whatever. Then, at the end of the 6 months, your package is submitted with everything all ready to send in and surgery shouldn't be too much further in the future at that point. Yeah, I understand not wanting to wait but that's the way it is. Your alternative is to self-pay the whole cost and you can probably have surgery within 4-6 weeks. Your choice, but $$ is a big factor.

Haagen Das makes a chocolate sorbet ..... low fat, light on the calories. I'm gonna get some and see ....

You're fine....sounds like it irritated your esophagus. Not to mention the mental impact, LOL. Heck, my first PB the food shot out of my mouth like a cannon ball. Thank God I was alone when that happened! You should be fine to eat mushy food or whatever goes down comfortably. It will go away pretty quickly.

I had a period of a couple of months where I was too tight and didn't want to admit it to myself. During that time, my weight loss pretty much skidded to a halt, and I got stuck every time I ate, often more than once in a meal. I finally got just .2cc removed and I've gotten stuck just ONCE since then and it was all my fault for eating the one thing I know beyond a shadow of a doubt will cause me to get stuck....soft bread. I ate a bite of a biscuit and it nearly killed me, LOL.

Depends on your insurance company. They will likely have a threshold BMI that you must reach in order to be qualified for insurance coverage. The threshold also depends on if you have any comorbidities. The comorbidities they accept are diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and sleep apnea. Your insurance company will have it's own requirements of some, all or none of the following: sleep study to rule out sleep apnea, cardiac clearance, upper GI, chest X-ray, a visit or visits with a nutritionist, psychological evaluation, 6 month supervised diet, 5 year history of weight problems/ documentation of attempts to lose weight. I see you're going to the seminar today/tonight. The surgeon's staff should be familiar with the requirements of your insurance and will guide you BUT if you have any questions at all, be your own advocate and call your insurance company and ask them yourself.

People are reluctant to discuss weight loss. They are afraid that they will say the wrong thing.... like, what if you DIDN'T lose weight and they ask you how much? Or if they somehow make you think you look good now which might imply you looked really bad before.... Eventually, they will say something. You can even open the door for them, at least those you'd like to have acknowledge the loss so far....let them "catch" you pulling up your baggy pants or go out and buy something new that really shows off your loss!

That's la BMI of 43, which should be well over the threshold for coverage even without comorbidities.

I'm free to drink up until my meal. Just not during or for about 30 minutes or so after. Not drinking during or after makes complete sense to me, but when I heard some patients are told not to drink for a half hour (or even longer sometimes) before a meal, I got a big question mark over my head. It just doesn't compute.

Cold doesn't seem to bother me at all! I drink ice water all day long. Hot, on the other hand, helps relax my band in the early morning on those days I wake up feeling a little tight.

I'm in Conyers, too. I went with True Results/Dr. Chris Hart. My surgery was 2/10/09. I'll be glad to answer any questions, etc., perhaps meet if you'd like....

One thing that might help curb the out-of-pocket. My PCP was behind my choice 100%. So I found out from my surgeon's office what I had to have in the way of tests and my PCP made the referrals to providers under my insurance and got it covered by my insurance. Then I only paid my surgeon his fees.

Truthfully, you should be able to eat anything BUT (and that's a mighty big BUT) that doesn't mean you should. For example, you might be able to eat a foot long sandwich from Subway but that doesn't mean you should buy it and stuff it in! It's very tough to "get back on the wagon" but that's what you have to do. With this fill, why don't you go back to liquids only for 2-3 days and then mushies for a couple of days and then back to regular solids? That's what I'm supposed to do after each fill anyway. Then treat it like you're just post op and back on real food. Plan your meals, weigh/measure as an insurance policy that you aren't giving yourself an extra smidge here and there which could add up to gaining a pound a month or even more. WRITE DOWN everything you eat and when. I say when because you may see that there are certain times of day/circumstances when you eat more than you should or eat when you shouldn't eat at all. That could help you plan your day better and perhaps avoid the pitfall(s). Ditch the soda .... it may not stretch your pouch or it might BUT it's just not good for you. It's tough on your stomach, tough on your teeth and that's reason enough to not drink it. And, I have to say it: GET BACK INTO AN EXERCISE ROUTINE. Yeah, I know ALL the excuses because I've used them. But once I started getting up at 5:00 AM instead of 6:00 and walking/running 4 miles, it's become a habit such that even if it rains, I go out anyway and just get wet. How sick is that? LOL.

Sorry, I couldn't remember the website addy: www.carecredit.com Don't know the one for Capital One but I'm sure you could also Google "medical financing" or something similar.

Care Credit finances medical procedures. So does Capital One. I used Care Credit. Instant approval online at application. They tell you yes or no and how much they will approve you for.

It's hard until you get enoug fill to consider yourself at or near your sweet spot. Here are a few suggestions: 1. EAT Protein. Ditch any Protein shakes. Solid protein takes longer to digest than anything else you can put in your stomach so it will make you feel full longer. 2. If you get hungry in less than four hours, snack...BUT make that snack PROTEIN. Am I getting boring yet? LOL! Seriously, 1/2 cup low fat cottage cheese (that's somewhere around 12 grams of protein), a boiled egg, three or four steamed shrimp.....See #1 above as to why I'm saying snack on protein. 3. Drink your Water (eight 8 oz glasses a day is only a start for me). Drink it throughout the day. It will make your skin look healthier, help you feel a little full between meals and will make you less likely to miss it during and immediately after your meal if you drink it steadily. 4. Exercise. You don't have to go to the gym for 2 hours everyday, but pick an exercise habit you know you can stick with and DO IT. Nike had it right: Just Do It! Good luck! And keep us posted as to how you're doing.

It doesn't really hurt BUT most doctors will give you a shot of lidocaine first if you want it. Note here .... you still feel one shot no matter what. They know where the doc puts the port and they can feel it. I have a 10cc band. There was .6cc left in the band at surgery after they fully filled it to test it and then drained it. My first fill was 3cc on top of that. After my first two fills, it was "normal" diet. But now, I am on liquids for 24-48 hours after.

I was outpatient...and out taking a walk that afternoon.