june09bandit

Hi friery! I don't know about the diarrhea. Did your doc give you a post op diet? That's one of the big things I've learned from this site - every doctor has different guidance. He's the only one who knows what's best for you. Good luck and congrats on being banded!

Thank you - Magic bullet is on the list already. Will it handle ice at all?

This may be somewhere else, but I can't find it. I'm going out today to try to buy the things I'll need for the pre and post op diets. What's the best tasting Protein powder you've found and where do you get it? And please share your favorite recipe! Thank you so much for saving me from taste-tests gone wrong!

I don't have a port yet, but that's exactly where mine will be located. According to the doc, it makes sleeping a lot easier - especially if you are a side sleeper. I asked specifically about the bra, and he said he's never had any complaints due to bra on port. I'm glad my doc is not the only one! Like you, I was getting concerned.

And now I have a surgery date - June 2!!! I can't wait!

I finally got the call from the surgeon's office. The insurance DID approve the surgery. Now I have the pre-op appointment scheduled for tomorrow! I guess it's easy to see I'm very impatient. I'm so happy!:thumbup:

I'm so happy for you!!! It sounds like it's already making a huge difference in your life. Can't ask for much more than that! Congrats and consider this a new birthday!

Congratulations! I hope you have your AC ready to run, or you're going to be terribly uncomfortable when you get home. Supposed to go over 100 today in Phoenix I think. Just a sign of how "hot" you'll be soon!

I don't have any recommendations for you, but your post looked so lonely.....:crying:

I'm nowhere near NC, but I wanted to welcome you to the board. I'm at the front end of the process as well. I think I got my approval last week. I'll make all the phone calls again today to see if the doc's office is ready to make the pre-op appt. It took about a month to get the insurance approval, but I bugged the crap out of everyone (politely of course) so that no one would let my papers wait too long. I gathered all my medical records myself and took them to the first appt with the surgeon. I self-payed for the psychologist so that I wouldn't have to wait. I'm happy I used the psychologist the surgeon recommended since she knew EXACTLY what the insurance company would be looking for. Good luck in your journey and feel free to keep asking questions. With all the people on this board, these is always someone with first hand experience for most any topic!

If your ticker is updated, and you're at 200 even, your body is resisting onederland. :crying: FORCE IT TO GO THERE!!! I bet as soon as you cross that threshold, it will start melting away again. My body (or brain) does the same thing. I can't remember the last time I was under 200 - probably about 5th grade. Good luck, and keep pushing!

Loose skin or not, you're going to feel better after you lose the weight. I didn't realize what carrying this weight was doing to all the load bearing joints. My knees are shot - yours will be too eventually if you don't lighten the load. Are you doing this for health or only for looks? You have to do what's right for you.

Cathy, Thank you for that explanation - I think I understand. It will be a learning experience all the way around. For the original poster, I'm sorry for asking questions on your thread, but it was sort of related. I'm so grateful to all those who are sharing their real experiences with those us that are still trying to get banded.

I keep seeing the posts refer to the belching - is it controlled belching, or midsentence-no matter who you're talking to - outloud belches? This could be a problem at work.

How do you know when you're full to the band? Make enough mistakes and figure it out the hard way? Or is there a subtle signal to watch for? Thank you all for sharing your experiences!

I like the way you put that.. made me

You don't necessarily "need" to have it, I just wanted to speed things up as much as possible. I guess I'm just horribly impatient. Once I decided that this was right for me, I didn't want any extra delays. Good luck!

Looks like you've done an amazing job so far! I'm sure your doc will be pleased. Keep up the good work!

Hi Missy! I was super nervous for that first appt as well. Little did I know, the surgeon's office staff was awesome. They must realize how stressed we are. I've never been around as many kind people trying to help me relax. You'll be fine, and oh so relieved after that appointment. My lesson learned - I should have asked them what all documentation they needed from my PCP. I took 5 years of medical records with me, but they also needed a letter of medical necessity from my PCP. Waiting on this letter added a few days. I also recommend going to whatever psychologist they recommend. That person will already know exactly how to write up the letter for your insurance to help sway the odds in your favor! Good luck and keep us posted!

I know a lot of people who get what they want/need every time they express that they don't have the money. I don't agree with it, but it's a conditioned response that starts in their childhood. If they want it, they express their desire and someone usually takes care of it for them. Last time I needed a root canal, I realized that I was the only one in the room not receiving public assistance. Paying for that root canal was going to be painful for my checking account, the rest had no worries. :tt1:

Thank you for your replies. We all have more in common than we ever realize. I was just starting to look into the synivisc injections. Maybe I'll reconsider based on this new information. I injured my knee in Jan 08 when one my horses (the goober that he is) tripped and fell and the two of together landed on my knee - this represents about 1500 pounds. My knee didn't take it very well. It's been hurting almost all the time since then. Do either of you have your dates yet? Thanks again for the support! I needed it!

Hi all! I've been reading all ya'lls words of wisdom, and I've learned a lot. I figured it was time to introduce myself and give some background. I screwed up my knee last year, and it's not much better after one surgery. The ortho keeps telling me it's arthritis and it won't get any better. I'm only 44. The only thing that will help me (until eventual knee replacement) is to lose weight. I found myself angry with the ortho, so I scheduled an appt with my PCP to get referred to another ortho. I had to wait a few days to get in with PCP, but while I was waiting, I did some soul searching and decided that I should try to lose weight first. Sounds good until you know that I can't exercise much because of the knee. So my weight just kept going up. I decided to discuss lap band with my PCP (3/2). He agreed that it was worth a shot and gave me a referral to a bariatric surgeon. Got in to see the surgeon a couple of weeks later (3/19). He looked at my stats - declared that I'm not heavy enough - BMI was not 40. Dammit. Lucky for me I took my insurance papers with me (along with 5 years of medical records), so I showed him insurance allows for BMI of 35 with co-morbity (knee is comorbidity). He didn't think it was going to work, but he was willing to try. He told me the rest of the requirements and sent me on my way. He billed insurance for over $900 for this 5 minute consult. Scheduled myself to see the psychologist the following week (3/23). She agreed that I was ideal candidate, so I checked off another block. Now I just needed the letter of medical necessity from PCP. I called them, they whipped out a letter and sent it to the bariatric guy. Now they have everything they need to submit it (4/6). I had been in constant contact with insurance company (Heath Net) and knew they processed stuff quickly. I called the doc's office to find out submittal date. ARGH - they don't submit to the insurance company, they submit to another company that prepares the submittal (4/13)(with a 6-8 week lead time). Depressed now, because knee hurts and walking is getting harder every day - and now they expect me to wait another 6 weeks?:sad:. Eat more, gain more weight, knee hurts worse. You get the picture. I was totally deflated inside. Today, the doc's office calls me and tells me that the third party company has made the submittal to insurance. Right away, I called insurance and she said she has an authorization with an admit date of 5/13. Now to me, this felt like at least a year's wait. Now that I'm typing it, I realize it was less than one month from consult to approval. Now I have to get that admit date changed, hopefully sooner. I leave for Mexico on 5/16 and I'm sure it's a bad idea to leave the country 3 days after surgery. That's my story up till now! Hopefully I can move to the post-op forum soon! Good luck to you all in your journey!

Such lovely writing skills. Congrats on the weight loss, the confidence will come.

Hi Barb:seeya: I've decided not to tell my family - of course, since they are 1600 miles away, there really isn't a need. They may surprise you and be supportive since you are actually looking for a solution. Good luck!

Congrats on your fresh start! I'm envious, but wish you well!