ParrotheadCathy

I love my surgeon BUT my insurance excludes weight loss surgeries so I was out-of-pocket 100%. His office staff got a copy of my insurance card to verify that I was not covered. So 2 weeks before surgery, I paid $15,000 in advance. I did all my pre-op testing through my PCP, who sent me to in-network providers and my insurance covered all of that. Well, lo and behold, I two Explanations of Benefits from my insurance where the "central office" in Texas (not in my doctor's office in Georgia) filed two claims for a total of almost $1,000 -- after they'd been paid in advance in full by me! So after the first one, I called and demanded to talk to the person who did it. She said "oh, that was a mistake". But when it happened the second time, I called her back and told her that if she or anybody in their office filed another claim with my insurance that I would report them to the Georgia Insurance Commissioner for attempted fraud. Voila! no more claims, LOL. Bottom line, they will take what they can get. And to me, it sounds like your doctor is grabbing for all he can get. It is DEFINITELY WORTH switching. Get copies of all your records and high-tail it to another physician.

Well, for me, "reversibility" doesn't mean I can get to goal and have my band removed. Far from it, since my problem was never losing weight but keeping it off after I lost it. THAT'S what my band is for. However, if you have unforeseen health problems, gastric bypass is a done deal but they could remove your band if need be. That's reversibility to me. I've heard there are a couple of surgeons who are experimenting with reversing gastric bypass but I can't imagine it would be a simple or inexpensive procedure so for now, I do not consider it reversible. Truthfully, neither surgery is perfect. Neither surgery is foolproof. Neither surgery comes with a written guarantee, so to speak. It still comes down to YOU, YOUR DECISIONS and YOUR COMMITMENT.

You're definitely not crazy. Certain foods can increase mucous production (dairy and orange juice are examples). But the most likely offender is the time of year....allergies can cause post nasal drip (PND) and you may not even be aware that you have allergies because they can be quite mild....not every suffers terribly with allergies. Also, if you had a summer cold (like I did), it can take weeks for the PND to end (it took me more than a month after the cold was gone).

The needle is a huber needle. It has a bend in it close to the tip. The reason is that the port is self-sealing and the needle shape is to help support the self-sealing. I will admit that I don't have any needle issues so I was just fascinated and asked all about it, LOL.

Call them back and make sure you don't have to have a BMI of 40 for a specific amount of time. My girlfriend was told she was covered for surgery....but when her paperwork was submitted she was denied because her BMI had been 37 for only about 18 months. They're bad about not covering ALL the details.

Unforgettable nailed it. The reason you aren't supposed to eat solid food yet is that there is still a lot of healing going on. Solid food takes more effort by your stomach to break down before it moves into the intestines and all that churning and such can actually make your band slip. Believe me, we ALL know how hard it is to stick to the post-op diet once you start feeling pretty normal, but it's not to punish you -- it's to help you heal.

Becky, it may not be as simple as just eating yourself to a higher BMI. Your insurance may have a requirement that be at a minimum BMI or higher for a certain period of time. That happened to my friend. Her BMI was 37 and that was the minimum with her insurance company .... BUT they required that your BMI be 37 or higher for two years. Soooo before you go on a see-food diet (I see food, I eat it), check with your insurance company to see what their requirements are!

Nursee, you can always call your insurance company and ask for the names of surgeons in your area on their approved list. Then you can check any referral names against the list!

Okay, truth of the matter is that pretty much all these same feelings would have hit you in another day or two, so like your surgery they've just moved up a little. It will be here in no time at all. It's this HUGE step. Maybe you've never had surgery before (or at least not general anesthesia). These are all normal things to be nervous about. Do me a big favor?? This weekend, go out and do something fun. Go to a state park and enjoy the beauty. Go swimming. Go shopping (not something I enjoy but it may be a favorite pasttime for you). The main thing is to RELAX. We all had our moments pre-op and we all got through it. Would it help to know what my surgery day was like? I arrived at the surgery center and waited in the lobby for a little bit since they were running just a little behind. Then they took me back, had me undress and put on a surgical gown, some socks to keep my feet warm and gave me one of those paper hairnet things to put on before we went to the operating room. The nicest nurse on the planet came to put the EKG stuff on my chest and start the IV. She numbed my hand with a little lidocaine and then slid the IV needle in. She chatted with me about nothing in particular. Then the anesthesiologist came and introduced himself to me and asked if I had any questions. He was really nice, too. Then the really nice nurse came back and we walked to the operating room. I sat down on the operating table....surprise! it was heated! The operating room is cold (germ control) so that warm table felt good. I lay down with my left arm on a support (the arm with the IV). They gave me a warm blanket to snuggle in. The anesthesiologist came in and said "hi, again!" Then he said he would be giving me something to relax me .... and I remember absolutely nothing else at all until I woke up in recovery! Gee! All that worry for nothing. The really nice nurse came back and took the IV out and gave me a cup of Water. Asked me if I wanted to go ahead and get dressed. She went and got my brother-in-law who came in and sat down. Then she asked if I would like to try standing up...and I did, with no problem. So my brother-in-law went to get his truck and bring it to the door. And the really nice nurse walked me out to the truck. She hugged me and said she knew I'd do fine but to call my doctor if I had any questions about anything. And I slept the hour it took to drive home. All in all, it was very, very anti-climactic. And I'm sure that while you are nervous now, your experience will be similar enough that you too will wonder why you got so worked up, LOL.

Demand lidocaine! My doc offers it every time. It will at least numb the area so that you just have the little prick from the lidocaine and then nothing more.

Patience is an over-touted virtue. We all felt like we'd taken this absolutely HUGE step and we wanted gratification! But if you've read many posts here, you've heard the phrase "Bandster Hell" and that's exactly where you are. The good news is once you get that first fill, while you may not feel a whole lot of difference, it is the first step toward your "sweet spot" and you WILL get there. Like BamBam, I gained and lost in the first few weeks -- the same few pounds. But 5 months out, I've lost a total of 70 pounds so patience does pay off. But, like the t-shirt says, "Patience, he**!! I wanna go kill something!"

You can buy fat free half and half! I cook with it often.

Since you're just making the jump from mushy stuff, I'd suggest a steamed vegetable to go with that fish. Carrots, green beans, whatever suits you.

You're in the very beginning of being banded. Probably barely back on "real" food. This is a tough time under the best of circumstances. It does get better, though, I promise! But time and a good therapist will get you through the rough spot and once you start seeing the scale move and you start to physically feel better, the emotional boost of being able to say "I can do this. I AM doing this." will help too.

Reneek, I'm betting your boss knows EXACTLY what she's doing wrong and is suffering a lot of disappointment in herself right now. BUT you really cannot offer unsolicited advice. You have to keep your counsel to yourself, and one of two things will happen: Your boss will keep on the path she's on now OR she will come to her senses and get back on track. She may ask you at some point how you are staying motivated and on track, but unless she does, there's really nothing you can say that would be appreciated or wanted. It's sad and I know you hate this for her. It's kind of like before banding. You may have had a thin friend who wanted desperately to say something to you to try to push you in the right direction but kept his/her mouth shut because they knew that unless you were ready and asked for help, anything said would only cause problems.

I took a walk the day I had surgery .... down my driveway, to the end of the street, and back. The next day, I walked a little further. Walking as soon as you can get out the door will help with gas and get you back to your previous level quickly. Do what feels okay and don't push yourself beyond what you feel up to on any given day.

They work the same way. The differences aren't too great. The Realize port is shorter and attaches by crimping to the muscle while the Lap Band port it stitched into place. The Lap Band comes in 10cc and 14cc, while the Realize band comes only in 9cc. The surgeon would choose between the two Lap Bands based on anatomy. The Lap Band has sort of a scalloped shape so that not 100% of its surface comes into contact with your stomach. Supposed to help prevent erosion, though I've read absolutely no statistics about that. The Realize band is smooth. The Lap Band, when filled, maintains its round shape but the Realize Band inflates to create more of a triangle shaped opening. Don't know that it makes a difference. There is a comparison of the two products on this website. I think the link is on the main page.

I believe I am at my sweet spot with 6cc in a 10cc band. How does it feel? Not at all like I expected, that's for sure. I realize that it's not a feeling of STOP STOP STOP because that feeling is way past full. But most of us have had a successful career of eating past full. I try to eat 3 oz of Protein, some vegetables (raw and/or cooked), and a single serving of whole grain carbs. Then I just quit. I've discovered that what is important is that I do not feel hungry for 4 hours or so. That's where you need to be. Not where eating a reasonable amount makes you feel like you ate a foot long sub. I think I always subconsciously expected that "restriction" and "full" would feel like "no way could I eat more" but (at least for me) I'm discovering I was expecting something that wasn't going to happen. Can I eat more? You betcha! Have I? Oh yeah. And I very quickly go from the average meal to "oh my belly hurts". It's not worth it to be uncomfortable so I'm learning to quit when I'm ahead, LOL.

I confess. I don't have this problem but I am starting to get a few age spots here and there. Would laser resurfacing help? I've seen it done on TV related to fine wrinkles and uneven skin tone, etc. And I've thought about going to a dermatologist for a consultation. Anybody here done that?

Very, very common. It also goes away pretty quickly since it's only temporary. Don't sweat it!

"She said that I should just let them think I did it on my own." Oh, please! Like I waved a magic wand and you're skinny? OMG, you still have to make the right choices every day or the band is worthless. I personally didn't, and don't, care who knows I had this wonderful thing done! I've never heard one negative comment about making this choice. There is nothing shameful about having the surgery. It takes a brave person (okay, yeah, lots of us were just fed up, too) to decide to do something about this awful problem we all share. So you tell whomever you choose to tell! There will times when the scale isn't moving the way you want and a pat on the back for taking the giant step will make you feel so much better.

I'm 5-1/2 months out from surgery and I burb when I'm full, when I'm hungry, if I get stuck right after it moves ... you name it! It's embarassing. I thought when I gave up soda the little belches would be gone. I never imagined they'd be replaced by the incredibly deep, loud, ninja burps (ninja, as in sneak up on me)! I thought it was just me and wasn't going to say a word. What a relief to know I'm not alone!

That's a liquid, just as much as Water. There are restrictions on drinking before, during and after meals. Also, liquid doesn't stay in your pouch and therefore doesn't contribute to a full feeling for more than just the time it takes for it to pass on through the stoma. liquids at meals can make the food that you eat pass through the stoma more quickly than they would otherwise and can actually reduce the feeling of fullness and leave you hungry sooner than normal.

After my first couple of fills, I had no dietary restrictions at all. The last 2 specified liquids (not necessarily clear), which would allow protein shakes etc.

Isaviolinist ... you completely missed what I was saying. I got a "regular port" and so far i can't feel it BUT I have scar tissue that I can SEE and FEEL even though the port isn't an issue for me so far. So, what I was saying is that I hope it works out for you that you cannot detect the low profile port OR develop scar tissue that could totally negate the decision about which port!