Astrasmom

Hi! I'm Vicky from New Orleans and I am just starting my LAP-BAND® adventure...

I had decided several years ago that I wanted to have LAP-BAND® surgery, but at that time my insurance did not cover it. Fast forward 3 years (after DH was laid off, going without insurance because COBRA was too expensive, being laid off myself and then both of us finally finding wonderful jobs)...a couple of weeks ago, we were watching TV and an ad for LAP-BAND® surgery came on where they were talking about a lot of insurance companies covering it. My DH looked at me and said, "Are you sure our insurance doesn't cover it?". My only answer is that I just assumed that it wasn't covered based on the research I had done with our previous insurance...but it got me thinking...

The next morning, I called my insurance company (United Health Care) and was told that they do cover 90% of the cost of the surgery as long as I meet some requirements (which I do) and I use a surgeon and hospital on their plan...no problem

After a lot of research, I have chosen Dr. William Richardson at Oschner Medical Center and have made arrangements to attend the Informational Seminar on July 27th. After I attend the seminar, I can schedule my first appointment.

I can't wait!!! :tt2:

Hi Vicky. I'm Dawn from NJ. Congratulations on the start of your journey. I wish you much success. Please keep us posted on your progress and if you have any questions please feel free to ask.

Hello All! My name is Tereasa and I will begin my LAP-BAND® Journey on July 20, 2010. I'm nervous, anxious, and excited all rolled into one. I'm 41 yrs old and have a multitude of health issues ie. high cholestrol, high bood pressure, Diabetes, Diabetic Neuropathy, and probably a few more things yet to be determined. In all seriousness, I feel like I have always been a bit heavier than most of my peers in High School. After the birth of my children, I found it extremely difficult to lose the weight. While I was pregnant with my youngest, I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes. That should have been my first clue! Now I'm scared for my life and have decided that it's time to take back control. After several years of research, I have chosen Dr. Faoud Hachem to be my surgeon. I start my clear liquid diet on 2 days and will continue this diet until the day prior to my surgery, and will resume for 1-2 weeks after the procedure. I have another appt. with Dr. Hachem on July 29, to see if I've lost the 10 lbs he wants me to lose before the surgery. I'm so scared that I'm gonna feel like I'm starving, and I'm even more scared for my family...that I might be a total crab. I will continue to check in and read the posts of everyone to keep me on track. You all give me hope!:tt2:

Hi Tereasa, I'm Dawn. Congratulations on the start of your journey. You are a couple of years younger than me but let me say that I was borderline everything, plus had sleep Apnea and open heart surgery for an aortic anuerysm and valve replacement in 2001. I will need to have the valve replaced again because I had a pigs valve put in, which unfortunately they don't last for a lifetime. I did this because I just didn't want to take blood thinner for the rest of my life. So next time I'm getting a mechanical and taking blood thinner because I honestly don't want to get it done again after that. Anyway needless to say I had my lapband on Oct. 23, 2009. I have successfully lost 102lbs, am no longer borderline anything and I no longer have sleep apnea. I just went 2 weeks ago to the cardiologist and he told me that my valve is functioning at 100% and that I have probably prolonged my surgery.

So my point, it's normal to be nervous and it's normal to ask yourself all of the questions that you are asking yourself. I can't say that you won't be starving because you will be. When you start the liquid diet you will be starving, tired and cranky. Once you have your surgery you probably won't be hungry for the first week. When the swelling goes down you will start getting hungry again. Some people feel relief after the first fill but to be honest with you, it takes about 3-5 fills before you start feeling satisfied.

Here's how you get by all of that. You have to make up your mind that you are going to do this. Go into it with the mind set that the lapband is a tool that will help you to reach your goal and keep the weight off. It's not a miracle cure it all. It will not take away your bad habits. I would suggest now trying to educate yourself on the difference between real hunger and head hunger. It will ultimately help you in the long run. As for your family, they will get by. You will be surprise how much your family kind of falls into your good habits after you get banded. My husband is actually losing weight because I am not eating as much and I am not eating all of the bad food that I used to eat.

Check out my blog. It might help to answer some of your questions. Right now is the best time for you to read up on everything. That way you will be aware of what is going on and how to deal with things as they arise.

In all honesty I only have 1 regret. And that is that I didn't get this done sooner. I couldn't be happier. I haven't been this weight since 1987. You will be so suprised at how your self esteem comes back once you start losing the weight and people start noticing you. I have completely lost a person on the outside but I have gained a person on the inside (my self esteem). You will too.

I wish you much luck on your journey. I would also suggest a local support group if you have one in your area as well as coming here. Please feel free to ask questions. And DO keep us posted on your progress.

YOU CAN DO IT!!!

I'm feeling hot and then cold, have an itchy throat with a dry cough, um shaking every now and then and some discomfort in my stomach

Just wondering how you are feeling today?

I recently completed my preevaluation for the LAP-BAND®. I was preapproved based on my BMI being 45. Yikes! Anyway I am just waiting on what my insurance says. My last appt was on July 13th. I went through True Results in Richardson and they informed me who my surgeon would be. His name is Dr. John Marsden and I read up on him. He seems to have a lot of expertise with the LAP-BAND® and I have seen good reviews on him so far. If anyone has been banded by Dr. Marsden, please share your experience with me. I am excited about the LAP-BAND® and decided to go this route after many failed attempts at dieting, exercise. I think you get to a point where you realize that you can't do it on your own and sometimes you just need a starting point. That's what I see the LAP-BAND® as a starting tool for me really get healthly, look good and feel better about myself overall. I will keep you all posted on my journey.

Sorry I also don't know anything about your surgeon but I wanted to also wish you good luck on your journey. Please keep us posted and if you have any questions along the way please ask.

Yeah 3 weeks and 3 days ago

Sounds kinda like you might have a little bug. Take your temp. If you spike a temp and definately if you have any discharge from your sites I would call your surgeons office before you go to the hospital. Sounds more like a bug to me rather then anything with the band. But I'm not a doctor so I can't really say. Keep an eye on it and try and drink plenty of fluids. If you can't swallow pills you can try some liquid tylenol or something.

I'm feeling hot and then cold, have an itchy throat with a dry cough, um shaking every now and then and some discomfort in my stomach

Did you have surgery recently?

Great achievement, hun. I`m also proud of you and you are inspirational to me already. I`ve put you down for 19lbs, exercise & inspirational. I hope the dreadful plateau passes soon. Thanks for joining.

Thanks so much. After 21 days I have finally lost another 2 lbs. So now I have 17lbs to go. I really would LOVE to get in Onederland. Only 3 lbs to go for that. I haven't been there since 1987. I think when I get on the scale and it says 199 I will literally pass out.

thanks for all of the great advice, i really appreciate it!

i told my mom and she was really happy for me in the sense that she thinks i would greatly benefit from having the LAP-BAND®. although I really appreciate her support, she will support me in anything i do because she feels guilty. (she hasn't been much of a mom to me, my father was killed in a car accident in october and she is already dating, knowing it hurts me) anyways i do not mean to sound mean when i talk about her but she would never tell me she doesn't agree with anything i want to do..

my aunt on the other hand...my dad's sister. her and i have always been very close and she has been more of a mom to me then my mother. she is very opinionated and i am really scared of what i should say or do if she does not approve of me doing this.

i am going to get the LAP-BAND® (if i am approved by my ins.) regardless of what she says. i just know without her support it will be difficult.

Glad to hear that you have some support and very sorry to hear about your dad.

As for your Aunt, I know it's easier when you have support but you have to remember that you are doing this for you, not for anyone else. Alot of times, as someone else stated, you might be suprised how much support you will get. I would also suggest a local support group if you have that available in your area, as well as here. It does help.

I feel your pain, I had in 8+ cc's and had to have a complete unfil about 2 months ago. Since then they have put back almost half of my Fluid, but i still do not have any restriction and yes i'm wanting to eat the house down. For me it is a serious struggle. I had managed to lose 70 albs in one year and now i've gained back 7 lbs. I go next week for another fill, so i'm really hoping they will put back atleast 1 more cc if not a little more. Good luck to you.

May I ask why you had to have a complete unfill? Sorry just curious.

I have no idea how much is in my band. What's weird is my restriction isn't much. But I have been awoken at 2-3 in the morning the past two nights to vomit. This is many many many hours after I last ate, and of course it is the "sliming". YUCK!

I wish I knew how much was in my band. I know I had 4cc to start with, and 4.2cc after the second fill. The lady who did my second fill didn't tell me and she seemed like she was in a hurry so I didn't ask.

Please tell me that I won't be a ravenous animal if they take some out. I just don't want to vomit twice a day anymore.

Lisa

My doctor doesn't tell me how much he puts in either. He feels that if you know how much fill you have in there, the closer you get to max. the more you might panic. So in a way I guess it's good to keep guessing.

As for the unfill. It sounds like you definately need some taken out. I felt the same way you did about getting some taken out. I thought I was going to start eating everything in site and gain weight back. It didn't happen that way though. I was also having night regurgitation and night coughing. Plus it was painful for food going down most of the time. So I called and had half taken out of what the doc put in for my last fill. He said we will be taking it slow from now on.

The point is that if you don't get an unfill when you are in the redzone, you can start gaining weight back, plus you are also not getting enough nutrients in your system which is also bad for you.

Good luck to you.

I had my pulmonary appt today. And he reccommended I go for a sleep study, I was really hoping I would not have to do one. I have a feeling I will have trouble sleeping there. He said my pharynx seemed narrow, so he was a little concerned. Also that if I did have sleep apnea it probably is very mild. Also went for a chest x-ray after the appointment, so I go that done too. In an hour I have my cardiac consult. I am getting there slowly.

I am kind of annoyed at myself, I forgot to go to the support meeting last Saturday and the next one was on Tuesday and I had to work, which means the next time they have it is in 2 weeks and I will probably go to the one on Saturday and Tuesday, because I have to go to three of them.

Sleep Apnea is really nothing to worry about. Even if you have to use a CPAP, you will be off of it in no time. I was on a CPAP for 5 years. I had a moderate case of Sleep Apnea. As of last month (7 months after my surgery) I no longer have sleep apnea. So if you do indeed have a mild case, chances are it won't take you that long to get rid of the sleep apnea. It's common in people who are over weight.

Good luck with your cardio and the rest of your tests. You will get there. :cool: I had to wait 6 months for my surgery. And I thought it was forever. But once the day go here I couldn't have been happier. The wait is well worth it. This is the time to ask as many questions as possible and read all that you can so you are prepared when your day arrives. Hang in there.

Hello everyone!

I was just banded on monday (July 12th) and I am experiencing some very sharp stabbing pains near a few of my incisions practically every time I move. I do know that with every surgery, pain is to be expected I was just wondering if anyone has any tips to sooth the pains in my stomach. I have been taking my prescribed pain medication but I feel like I need something else to calm the pains.

I am so excited to have finally begun my journey! I would just love it to be as comfortable as possible!

Thanks everyone!

You might want to try a heating pad. Sometimes that works for people. You might be experiencing some gas pains to. Try some Gas-X strips. Congratulations on your surgery and I hope that you feel better soon. Be sure to get up and walk as much as you can.

I plan on telling my family tonight. I really do not want to but I am going to have to because my mom is the subscriber on my insurance. I don't mind my family know I just don't want them to tell other people. Anyways I was wondering how I should tell them? I am only 20 so they still think I'm required to listen to them. (I live on my own, work full time and go to school fulltime)

I would simply say to them, "Although I really appreciate everything you do for me and I love you. I have made up my mind that I am getting the lapband procedure done. It's something that I need to do to live a healthy and productive life. I have tried all of the diets and they don't work for me. It would be great if I could have your support through this but if not I hope that somewhere down the line you can understand why I need to do this for me. Please do not try and change my mind because as I said this is something that I need to do for me in order to live longer."

By the way I admire you for getting it done at a young age. You have your entire life ahead of you. I wish you luck. And if you have already told your parents before this reaches you. Please let us know how it went.

What a great post.

I am proud to say that I was banded on Oct. 23, 2009. I have lost 100lbs since my surgery. I have 19lbs to go until the doctors goal which I am hoping to reach by my bandversary but if not that's ok because I have already passed the 50% weightloss in the first year that my doctor said they wanted to happen. I would like to lose a few more pounds after that. I plan to increase my exercise more. I've also been at a plateau for the last 4 weeks and haven't lost anything but the point is I haven't gained anything either. So I hope to get out of this rut soon. My big goal is to hopefully be an inspiration for others along the way.

Good luck to everyone. I hope that all your goals, dreams and hopes come true.

Yeah! Hurray! Finally after 9 months it is done. First couple days were really ouchy and I couldn't move and felt kinda useless sitting around while everyone else did things for me. So much better now after four days. I can get up and down and take care of my son. Can't pick him up as he is 32 lbs! He is kinda grumpy cause mama is kinda grumpy and he has always been my mirror on emotion. The food {or lack there of} is still murky. I had mashed sweet potato with yogurt and chicken gravy. It was the best thing I have eaten in almost three weeks. Okay...it was the only thing I have eaten in almost three weeks! Today I will try some different veggies and maybe some chicken. Really can't wait to start eating normal everyday foods.

Congratulations!! I wish you a speedy recovery. Please keep us posted on your progress.

I wanted to know everyone's experience with restriction. Before I was banded I thought that being restricted meant feeling full. Well, all I can say is that I experienced a rude awakening. To me, restriction is being able to eat so much and then feeling uncomfortable or slight pain or pressure telling me to stop eating. It doesn't feel anything like full and it's usually not the best feeling, but it does make me stop eating. What is everyone else's experience? I'd love to know.

Exact same feeling that you described. Restriction is also not chewing your food properly and getting stuck. That's when you know you have some restriction. Also as you said, being able to eat so much and the feeling slight pressure which lets you know that you are full. Sometimes this is followed by the soft signs of fullness. Mine happens to be hiccups. That's when I know that I am full.

Thank you very much!!! I am going to need all the support I can get..There are no support groups up in my area so I am using this website for support!!! :confused:

This is a wonderful site. Everyone is like family on here. Never hestitate to ask questions because someone will always be around to answer. And remember the only stupid question is the one never asked. :cursing:

Went to the doctor Friday and am down 92 pounds in 7 months. I am so excited and only about 30 pounds from goal and 8 pounds from 100 pounds..

Doesn't it feel wonderful when you lose that much weight in such a short period of time? I bet you are getting several compliments from people? I bet yourself esteem is much better now too? Congratulations on your weightloss. It only goes to prove what I keep saying, you get what you put into it. Anything is possible if you work hard and believe in yourself.

Hey everyone I am new to this site but I am very excited about getting the LAP-BAND® done...I got banded on June 28,2010 I went to my after surgery appt and had lost 22 pounds already...I won't lie the first week waas hard for me but I know that I am on the road to a new and healtier person....I have struggled with my weight since 1997 and it had only got worse after my mom died in 2008 so that is why I decided to get the band done and so far it has been the best thing I have ever done for myself!!! :confused:

Congratulations on your band. I wish you much success. And you have the right attitude. Also congratulations on your weightloss. Keep up the outstanding work. :cursing:

I am so lucky that I found my doctors office. They are wonderful.

The doctors are out-of-network but they only take in-network- fees. Meaning they don't back bill. They accept whatever my insurance gives them.

Also the longest that I've ever had to wait was 30 minutes. And the doctors themselves are so down to earth. I always look foward to going there.

So I got approved same day at first I thought I wouldn't get approved but bcbs came through and my surgery date is ..... July 15 i have like 4 days till my surgery omg:D

Wow that's awesome and congratulations. I wish you a very easy and speedy recovery. Please keep us posted. Be sure to get yourself some Gas-X strips and a heating pad.

I'm am really a computer dummy. Can anyone tell me how to post a pic from my Facebook photos to my profile? Thanks.:confused:

Find the picture on Facebook you like. Right click on the picture with your mouse and click "Save as". The pictures are usually saved to MY PICTURES on your computer. Then go to Lapbandtalk and at the top of the page go to USER CP. On the left hand side of the page you will see "Edit Profile Picture". Where it says add a picture click on the "BROWSE" button and find the picture in My pictures that you just downloaded from Facebook. Click on the picture and hit ok. Then at the bottom of the page click save. Your picture will then be displayed.

Hi! I have decided to take this journey to get off 130 some odd pounds. I've tried everything in the last 10 years. List of diets and programs that failed. I'm ready (or I think I am anyway) for the big guns. I have located doctors that I think I want to use and am going to a seminar this Thursday. I'm scared, nervous and excited all at the same time.

I have a few questions...What happens at these seminars? Do you make an appointment right there for a consult? Do they tell you about insurance options at that point? I don't know what to expect???

I'm like 98% sure my insurance will cover the procedure because my BMI is over 40...way over 40. I'm 5'2" and around 255 lbs. I've heard around town my insurance will pay for it if my BMI is over 40 and it's an "in-network" doctor. I'm ANXIOUS!!! Any advice is greatly appreciated!!

First congratulations on the start of your journey. I wish you much success.

1> When you attend the seminars they will explain to you the differences between the weightloss surgeries. Lapband, gastric, sleeve, etc. They will also explain each surgery. This is the best time to ask questions.

2> I was able to make the appointment at the seminar. All offices are different.

3> You probably won't know about insurance until your consult but my suggestion would be to call your insurance company directly and ask them if they cover weightloss surgery. Usually most insurance companies will cover WLS if your BMI is over 37 or you have other medical conditions. Unless of course your work has a clause that they don't cover WLS.

4> What to expect...A life changing experience. Go into this with the mind set that the Lapband is a tool. It's not a miracle cure all. It does take alot of work on your part, but the band will help you reach those goals easier then a conventional diet. The lapband is NOT a diet but a lifestyle change. Everything in moderation. I would also suggest attending a local support group if you have one in your area.

Good luck and if you have any further question please feel free to ask. Keep us posted.

I had surgery on a Friday and went back to work the following Monday. I was a little sore but it was an easy recovery. I'm a Instructional Assistant in a special education setting. So I move around alot.

My suggestion is listen to your body. You'll know when it's time to go back.

The first week I was tired. It took me a good 2 weeks to get totally back to normal. I walked as much as I could tolerate. You have to listen to your body. When it's ready to stop it will let you know. Don't push yourself to get back to the way you were right away. You need time to heal. After all you had major surgery.

As for your incision - keep an eye on it. If you just stretched it you should be fine. If you have an drainage from the site or develope a fever, call your surgeon immediately.

Do not progress onto other stages unless your doctor says that it's ok. You take the chance of stretching your pouch. This you do not want to happen. You are put on the stages for a reason. As I said, slow down and let your body heal. The first month is probably the hardest.

Oh and for the gas as someone else said. Gas-X strips are great as well as walking and a heating pad. Takes about 2 weeks to get it totally out of your system.

Good luck to you. And congratulations.