ParrotheadCathy

I was self-pay for surgery and when my one year of post-op runs out I have to pay for future fills. My doctor charges $125 for a fill visit. Have you talked to your existing doctor about what they charge for self-pay on fills? Were a certain number of fills included in the price of your surgery? Does Fill Centers USA have an office you can get to?

Since nobody else mentioned this, I will. I did this for my health! I was taking 3 diabetes medicines (including one that carries a black box warning), 3 blood pressure medications, a cholesterol medication AND an anti-depressant. And my doctor was threatening me with a fourth diabetes medication. ENOUGH ALREADY!!! When I talked to him about this surgery, he said I was an ideal candidate and that all my health problems were obesity related. So I did it! He stopped all my medications for 30 days starting on the day of surgery. When I went to see him one month post-op, he did the standard blood work. My blood pressure was almost normal. My blood glucose (hba1c) was acceptable and my cholesterol was okay too. So he didn't put me back on my meds! Told me to come back in 2 months. Numbers improved, so he told me no meds and come see him in 2 months. A couple of weeks ago, I went back. My numbers were all great. No meds and I go back in 3 months. THIS is what I did it for. Yeah, it's nice to be down 5 dress sizes, I won't lie to you. But I'm the healthiest I've been in quite a few years, no hand full of pills every morning, and I can't tell you how much better I feel. Everything else from this point on is just the cherry on top, so to speak! I'm down to what I weighed right after I had my baby 38 years ago so anything I lose from here on is to look better, dress cuter and stay away from the fat lady stores. I'm sort of half and half ... I buy some stuff in the fat lady stores and some stuff not. I won't lie, that makes me very happy but the health part is why I'm here.

Sounds like it has truly slipped. I've read where this has happened to others and their docs did a complete unfill and put them on a liquid diet for a couple of weeks, transitioning to mushy food for a couple of weeks. In some cases, the band moves back to where it should be. Not always, though. In those cases, the band has to be removed and after a waiting period you can have another one placed. I know my surgeon actually stitches the band into place. He told me this is to prevent slippage. I've had not problems so I can't compare experience to what I was told. I think you should probably bite the bullet and go to your doc for a fluroscope to definitely know what's happened. You certainly can't continue on the path you're on now, vomiting so often. It's not good for you AT ALL. True vomiting upsets your electrolyte balance, and the stomach acid that comes up can erode your esophagus and even the enamel on your teeth. Let us know what the doc says and how you're doing!

Susan's right on the money. Some insurance policies require a 3 or 6 month supervised diet. You can call your insurance company yourself to verify that you actually do have that. In fact, I recommend that. I heard at my doctor's office that some insurance policies have now dropped the supervised diet requirement so you might be affected by that change and the doctor's office is assuming it's still in effect. Definitely worth checking on!

I just got back from the beach a couple of days ago. It was an annual parrot head event in St. Augustine that included a big cookout on Saturday. They had sweet tea and diet soda so I actually took a diet coke. Opened it, took a sip. GROSS!!! It's been since early January that I've tasted a diet coke and that just didn't taste good to me anymore. So I poured it out and after my meal, I went out to the car and got a bottle of water out of my cooler. I didn't give up caffeine completely. In the morning, I make a vitamin concoction that starts with an effervescent vitamin tablet that is vaguely orange flavored, just not enough to mask the vitamin taste. So I checked out all the varieties of Crystal Light. There is a line called "Focus" and a flavor in that selection called "Natural Citrus Splash". Tastes good, and strong enough to mask the vitamin taste. I started adding a tablespoon of Benefiber. Then, one day, I was reading the Crystal Light package and, guess what? "Focus" products have 80 mg of caffeine in the packet (a packet is 2 servings, in case you never noticed). So, I'm still getting some caffeine in the AM and that's not really a bad thing for me.

I'm not trying to burst your bubble but ... I have the "regular" port. I cannot feel it at all even though I've lost 70 pounds. I can feel and see a bit of scar tissue under the incision and no port could prevent that so don't assume that just having a "low profile" port will insure nothing can be seen or felt.

Well, the first fill is seldom going to get you to your sweet spot....it's like the first step. As you get fills, you should find that you can go longer after eating before feeling hungry again, with the goal of being able to go 4 hours without hunger. I'm at 6cc in a 10cc band and I sure didn't get all that at once. It took 5 fills (and an unfill). I'm at my sweet spot now but I had to exercise a little patience in the mean time.

Hi, CC!! Welcome. Your surgery date will be here so soon. Time has just flown for me from the day I had my initial consultation until right now! There are a lot of people here with answers to questions, and even questions of their own that will make you think.

Banded Mom....Maybe my experience will help. When I got my band, there was .6cc left in after the doctor tested it to make sure there were no leaks. At my 4 week office visit, they gave me a fill of 4ccs. Sounded good since I was getting really hungry. Drank a glass of Water, headed to work. By the time I got to my office, I couldn't swallow my own spit. I called and said I was on my way back. They took out 1cc. It was like a block of ice melted in my chest as they withdrew the 1cc. I was petrified to get filled back to that 4.6cc level. So much so that my next fill was was .5cc, taking me to 4.1. No problems. Hmmmmmmmm. A month after that, I got 1cc, taking me to 5.1. Guess what? No a problem at all. Did you have all your Fluid removed? At what level were you when you were too full? It's perfectly okay to "sneak up" on the level with a small fill, but by the same token, don't do yourself the disservice of not using your band to the fullest to get you through your evenings. You're obviously struggling with the night eating. Please understand that your band, if filled to your "sweet spot" or close to it shouldn't cause you a great deal of trouble. If you PB a lot, get stuck a lot, well you're too tight. That shouldn't require a complete unfill though. The removal of as little as .2cc can make all the difference in the world.

A quick call to your pharmacist will get answers as to what is available in liquid form. I haven't taken any meds since the say of surgery except for lysine (an amino acid supplement) before going to the beach and while I was there ... and I had no problem just swallowing the pills. I've heard others say they can swallow their meds one at a time with a little bit of time between pills and others who rather than crush them simply cut them into smaller pieces with a pill cutter.

Everybody is different, but I would have lost my everlovin' mind if I'd stayed home as long as some of you guys! I don't know how I'll ever tolerate retirement. I had surgery on Tuesday and was back at work on Friday with no ill effects.

Happy is so right! There are certain medications that can negate the effect of BCP. So, if you have been taking any medications since your last cycle, check with your pharmacist, who can tell you if there is any risk.

I used to make a cream of mushroom soup using cottage cheese pureed in the blender, with chicken broth and seasonings and then cut up cooked mushrooms into it and heat it through. I can't remember the proportions but you could play with it a little. And just add your cooked mushrooms to the mixture in the blender so that it meets the liquid requirement?

MsFab, that gas that just sort of moves around and causes pain is actually not gas in your digestive tract. It is gas that was pumped into your abdomen to give the surgeon more room to work in. Unfortunately, that gas has to be absorbed into your blood stream and then eliminated from your body. no medication will help it. The only thing that will help is to move around as much as possible. Walk, wave your arms in the air, and I even read one woman's comment on a forum that her doctor had told her to sit in a rocking chair when she sat and to rock. Putting a heating pad over the area where the gas seems to be hurting you helps some, too. Just don't put the heating pad over your incisions without clearing it with your doctor.

Mandie, you still don't say .... are you trying to do this under insurance or not? If yes, call your insurer and ask what their requirements are for coverage....is there a minimum BMI? Do you have to be at that BMI for a specific (and documented) period of time? Then you will know if you stand a chance of having this surgery covered by insurance. If you are already planning on being self-pay, you have a lot more freedom. Just do as Jodi says ... call surgeons in your area and ask if they will perform the surgery at your current BMI.

There are plenty of surgeons who will do "low BMI" surgeries. Not usually covered by insurance as most insurance has a "floor" or minimum BMI requirement. Be aware if you are considering gaining weight for insurance approval that many not only have a minimum BMI requirement but they may also require that you be at that BMI for a certain amount of time. A friend was denied coverage because while she was ath a BMI of 37 she had not been there for 18 months.

Food has a much smaller place to go into and the band keeps it from moving in fast .... so there's a little bit of a "traffic jam" that you feel as pressure in your esophagus. The moe full your little pouch gets, the more pressure you feel in your esophagus.

Giselle, there are lots of things you can do to help keep yourself focused. #1, and many, many of us swear by this, TRACK EVERY BITE. There are several online choices you can use or you can just buy a little notebook and write it all down. If you are completely honest with yourself, you will see that there are times of day and events, and even places where you get off track more than others. Then you can use the information to hold yourself more accountable. #2 Don't blame "him" BUT it never hurts to say, when he wants fast food, that you just can't eat "there". He may not even realize what you should and shouldn't be eating. Ask for an alternative. If you have no choice, keep a bottle of low fat viniagrette dressing in your purse (no lie, I have a girlfriend who carries her bottle of ranch dressing everywhere she goes because she only likes ranch and she only likes one brand) and order a salad with grilled chicken on it, tell them to hold the cheese and eat that. It's not as easy as a "#2 with a diet coke" but it's not that hard. #3 Find a support group. Ask your doctor's office if they have one. If not, I believe the surgical group True Results has an office in Richardson and I know they have a monthly support group (I go to True Results in Atlanta). #4 Exercise. No, it's not easy to consistently have exercise in your day. I get up an hour earlier than it takes to get up and go to work and I walk 4 miles (yes, in the dark) in my subdivision and the one that adjoins my subdivision. Oh, I would so much rather be in my bed that last hour but it wasn't working for me to consistently get exercise any other way. I'm working up to using intervals where I can run for a minute or two a few times along the way. #5 DON'T discount this: BELIEVE IN YOURSELF. Just because you've been off the wagon, so to speak doesn't mean you can't get back on track. Don't look at it week by week, or even day by day. This morning's exercise. A meal by the book. Drinking at least 64 oz of Water. Small pieces of a successful day..... Cathy

Clinique makes a product called Super Balm. No scent, color, etc. This is the best product I've ever used, hands down. $12 a tube but for me worth every penny. I drink TONS of water, more than the 64 oz. and I don't put a darned thing in it...but I still have very dry lips that peel and even split on occasion and it doesn't have to be cold weather. I'd tried everything and was in the department store and walked by the Clinique counter and simply asked the consultant if Clinique had anything. She put a sample squirt on my finger and I put it on my lips and felt instant improvement. I went back the next day and bought a tube.

I go when I can (sometimes, obviously, I have conflicts). I've found that the support groups cannot be replaced by this (and other) forums. There is usually a planned topic which is discussed in depth, then questions about the topic and other issues. I was surprised that I actually enjoyed the support group sessions I've gone to. I thought it would be ho-hum and that I wouldn't be able to get out of there fast enough.

So, call the dietician yourself....the squeeky wheel gets the attention. I bugged the living daylights out of the doctor that did my sleep study to get his report in on time to keep my scheduled surgery date.

Gastric bypass produces faster weight loss, as much as a pound per day in the beginning...and the result is a lot of loose skin. My surgeon told me that your skin going back to "before" depends on a great many things including your age, your physical condition (are you toning up) and that your skin continues to rebound for as much as a year after you stop losing weight. I'm nearly 59 and I have a little loose skin after 70 pounds. Not sure what it will be like in 64 more ..... There is a separate thread on this site regarding plastic surgery. You might get some answers there.

Well, I hate to say it but .... if the insurance company says you will owe 50%, then you should be prepared to pay that amount!

I've heard of some people having a fill of +/- 4cc done at surgery ... and more than a few of them had to have an unfill shortly thereafter because the fill combined with post-op swelling to be so tight they couldn't swallow liquids. Most docs wait 4-6 weeks to do the first fill. There may be a very small amount left in the band when the surgeon fully fills it and then drains in before placing it because he wants to make sure it isn't defective. Mine had .6cc in it after surgery. Some doctors are very conservative with fills, only offering 1cc or so at a time. Others are more aggressive (I got 4 cc for my first fill). Since you are so far from your doctor's office, I would suggest that you discuss the first fill on a cost effective basis...that 3-4 ccs as a first fill is better because of ther 10 hours of driving involved for you. I would consider hanging around the area where your doctor is located for a few hours after your first fill (heck, after any fill) just to make sure it doesn't get tighter after you leave the office. I'd hate for you to have to drive back to get an unfill because it suddenly got too tight.

The best (and really, only) way to know exactly what your insurance covers and at what percent is to call the customer service number on your insurance card and ASK. Even though your doctor's office will do all that, it's really in your best interests to call yourself and know absolutely! I know of one person who had called, was told her coverage etc. but someone in her doctor's office made a mistake and told her she wasn't covered at all. She knew otherwise, had a person's name that she'd talked to and was able to straighten it out the same day the doc's staff error came to light.