Search the Community

@@OKCPirate thank you! I was so excited bc I didn't have to pay anything out of pocket due to my deductible and max oop being met. I'm going to cross my fingers and say that if it doesn't go through, there was a reason for it. Then keep on trucking along for the next few months.

What are your symtoms or signs of hunger? I'm asking bc I'm 4 days post op and I'm always hungry too but I realize it's only head hunger like I'm hungry all the time bc I want food bc I want to eat things that I used to eat or like I used to eat... But at the same time I can only fit 1oz of water and I'm having full pains... If it's head hunger u have than that will take a while to subside bc you have to train ur body not to crave these things! Hope that all makes sense!

Hey all you sexy 6/30 bandsters!!!! I know you probably don't feel too sexy right now and neither do I, but one day soon. I am so sore today. Much more than yesterday. Kind of like when you start exercising and don't feel the pain until a day or two later. I am so hating this pain. I can't drink too much bc the bloat causes more pain and I think I may have overdone it with the walking to help get this gas out. I can sleep ok for about an hour or two, but that is it. I can't get comfortable bc I am a stomach sleeper. This is so hard, but I keep myself distracted with good thoughts of better days to come. I hope all of you are doing well. Sincerely, Stephanie

Hello there I am from BC and I am having my surgery tomorrow! I am a self-pay as well. There are two surgeons in Vancouver who currently preform the lapband surgery. It took four months from start to finish to get this far. I was tempted to travel south and get the surgery done in Washington state, as it would have gotten done sooner. However, I know that if something went seriously wrong and I needed medical help ASAP it would most likely be covered by our medical care in Canada. Downside- the band may not be recoverable if you needed serious surgery. When I was choosing between Canada and the US I called the clinic and talked to them about this very issue and they informed me that if there were problems that there would be out of pocket expenses, because I had no medical insurance. I did not want to go bankrupt, so I made my choice based solely on that fact alone. After the payment everything is covered because in Canada once the surgeon operates on you he must continue care without payment. That is why that insist on payment upfront. I would stayed in Canada because it is safer in the long run. Also if something goes wrong my doctor is closer.

The first time I had my period after banding, I was starving. This last time, I've been pretty ok. I am on new BC (nuva ring) and had very light bleeding so maybe that's it...

aubrie...my thoughts exactly regarding the punishment. i'm staying here, because i have to, but all respect is gone, and if another opportunity comes along, i will not hesitate, but i do not feel "up" to searching right now. (for a new job) i think i am going to wait for the fill afterall, it turns out that this fills is a lot tighter than i thought it was. i called today and talked with the lady at the front desk (all employees have been banded), and she said that i should just be eating bread at every meal, but that i really do not need a fill. well, what do you know, add bread, and i've got perfect restriction. 1/2 piece of pizza is all i could eat, and that adds up to only 100 calories and 10 grams of Protein. AWESOME. but i'm having to retrain myself per se to follow the rules. funny thing, my husband and i have not had an argument at all (not even the stupid kind) since our wedding, and loss.... but last night, we argued about whether or not i should have a fill..lol... apparantly i was just on the defensive side, because he would say get it, and then don't get it. i just worry about the fact that it is now may and i was banded in october and i have only lost 21 lbs. most of which was lost during the pregnancy because of morning sickness. oh..yeah..as far as a lawyer, i really do not think i have a legal leg to stand on, because my FMLA papers state that i am not guaranteed my position, but i am guaranteed my pay. the thing is this is like some kind of "probation" where i will be re-evaluated in 60 days..well..then what, they still can't fire me. so i think it is a bunch of bs that it is not a punishment, it is definately a punishment, for i guess deciding to have a natural miscarriage. i don't think they believed that it really took 2 1/2 weeks with true labor pains and horrible horrible other things. if i could go back, i would have had a d&c, but it just so happens i have a doc who doesn't believe in them, and strongly recommended not to have one. well, she has never miscarried herself (the doc), if she had, she probably would recommend one, the physical pain and duration only prolongs the emotional side of things. but..i'm medicated now, and i just sit in the corner scanning my files, for a very decent hourly pay (dummies are paying me WAY more than a scanner would typically make). then when i get home i'm not all stressed from my day at work, so i enjoy it. so yeah, they did me wrong, but they really did me a favor. i have a stress free job now with the same pay (minus my bonuses', which really hacks me off, that is is $600 missed as of right now). i now know that i really truly did hate my job. lol....

I am very new to this whole process-I live in KC, MO and so far had gone to Dr. Malley's orientation and had a consult with him. Now.....onto the insurance stage. I have BC/BS Federal insurance and wondering if I need a letter of all failed past attempts at weight loss and if so, can anyone giveme an example of that letter. Like any of us who have been trying to lose weight for the last 20 years-have it documented somewhere. I don'T. I did get a letter from my primary care stating medical necessity-but the surgical center seems to want more-HELP

I am about 8 weeks post op and have about .75 ccs in my 10cc band, I have lost about 18lbs all together and have been stuck at 212.5 for about a week and a half. I go for a second fill in about a week. In regards to you saying that you have had the willpower to eat right and change thus far and hope that you will continue to have willpower after the newness wears off. I am loosing steam and my willpower is fading. I do eat less than before and I have always been aware of the right type of food so I try to make the best choices possible but it is starting to get hard and I am frustrated that I have not lost any more weight. I need to kick the exercising into gear and count my calories but at this point I feel like I am back to the old "start a diet, do well for 4-6 weeks, loose motivation, back to old habits" cycle. I can eat anything and quite a bit of it to full me up. We are also struggling a bit financially right now so my grocery budget is has room for milk, bread and diapers and thats about it so I am eating whatever I can scrape together to make for the family. Ugggggh, I need something to pick me up. Anyways, I just wanted to comment on your concern with the motivation dying out bc I definately have experienced that. Best Wishes.

I have 2 questions that I'm looking for some information on. I was told that after the gastric sleeve you can't take an NSAIDs anymore? But when I do research some say u can just not every day, others say not at all, and some even say they were never told anything about it. I ask bc I'm having major back issues. I'm really inflamed all throughout my spine and they suggested taking an anti inflammatory but I didn't think I could so I looked into natural supplements and they say turmeric is really beneficial for inflammation so I was thinking of trying that but I'd really like input on taking, ibuprofen or aleve etc... My other question is about weight loss. I had the surgery out 29th of last year so I'm almost a year out and I've only lost 50lbs and I still Need to lose 40 more. I started noticing at about 6 months out I was able to eat more and more I wasn't getting the full feeling like I was the first couple of months like if I took one more bite I'd throw up but now it's not like that. I'm still controlling what I eat but the feeling I get when I knew I couldn't eat anymore really helped. And I'm not staying full for very long anymore. Any input on this would help. I need some insight on what else I can do to lose the 40lbs. I keep hitting plateaus and I'll go down 2-3lbs then up 2-3lbs does anyone else deal with this? And I'm still losing a lot of hair but that I knew could happen. Thank God I started with thick hair! Any opinions or thoughts would help! Thanks so much, Bridget

Maybe 4 business days. But from what I am seeing, I think BCBS of AZ (Fed group tho) is exemplary and may be the exception to the rule.

Not CG, but when you are eating so little you don't get as full. I was nervous in the beginning bc I was thinking I could eat alot but as you add thicker and more filling foods you should notice the restriction. I get chest pain if I eat more than about a cup. I am almost 5 weeks out.

Maybe 4 business days. But from what I am seeing, I think BCBS of AZ (Fed group tho) is exemplary and may be the exception to the rule.

Suziecat, thank you for posting that. One fear that almost kept me from the band was the fear of vomiting. I even had a medical person tell me that nausea and vomiting are pretty common. Part of my fear was fed when the first support group I went to in a nearby town was attended by a husband and wife who freely admitted vomiting daily. They were clearly cheating the band. I'm glad to hear that you have made it all of these years wihout vomiting. I'm 52 years old, and one of my concerns is always long term health as I age. I'm fearful of damaging my body by vomiting with the band. I truly have not had any nausea since surgery, and haven't needed my anti nausea medicine. But I do get car sick, air sick, seasick, etc., so I worry about my upcoming trip this summer. Or getting the flu. These fears keep me compliant, at least so far. But I'm still on liquids.

I also have BC/BS so I hope my approval is as fast as yours today I see my doctor after I've completed all my weigh ins and meetings and all that fun stuff . So the next step is to put in the request with my insurance.

well i have been big as far as i can remember, currently 280 about 5"10" big i am very big bone, went to a liver specialist told me to come back when i weigh 160 HAHAHAHH when i was 19 i was weighed in Water and bone,muscle, water i weigh 200 now that i have a lil guy i want to be around for him so i want to get this surgery done so i was wondering if anybody got this procedure done in bc at all.. im up north in prince george any help would be greatful van_canucks

"We have BCBS Fed too and I had to go through a couple of things with them wanting more documentation from my surgeon's office. Fortunately, the insurance gal at his office is really good about making sure the insurance company gets every detail they ask for, so my paperwork finally made them happy and they covered it 100%. ........." How did you get them to pay 100%? My BCBS fed'l only pays 85%?

I have Anthem BC/BS and was amazed that my approval came back within like 2 days. My patient advocate at the docs office called me yesterday then I got a call from my RN assigned to me from Anthem. I thought that was pretty cool. The clinic I picked is, unfortunately, out of network so I have to pay my surgeons fees upfront ($3700) and my co-pay to the hospital ($2400'ish). But, after they file, whatever insurance pays, I keep. I expect to be out around $2500 after it's all said and done. And it's totally going to be worth it!

I was worried too and I'm only supposed to have 2 oz and I'm 8 weeks out...but I asked my surgeon bc I seem to be able to gulp without even thinking and was worried I was messing everything up, he said nope this is normal bc your tummy is a sleeve and especially depending on how vertical the portion is that remains it may nearly go straight through you! No worries! My bet is if you are in mushies or when you can start adding some dense proteins you will be full must faster! I still am barely able to finish two oz, so for example I am supposed to have 4TBSP of food(yes 2oz) so last night I had 2TBSP Taco Ground Beef(heated) then topped it with 2 TBSP Cottage Cheese, so all protein and I had to stop with one to two small bites left. If it was Greek yogurt it woulda gone down super easy. Hope that helps some!

Hi Caroline, I am a Canuck, too. I live in Victoria, BC and I am going to have surgery by Dr. Ortiz in May. I'd be happy to help you any way that I can. Cheers, Laura

What absolute BS. I'm in recovery, been clean almost 6 years and I told my surgeon this right off. He congratulated me! Said that was an accomplishment and good for me. The dietician did suggest that I have extra support after the surgery but to deny someone for drug use 40 years ago is crazy. OP, good for you! Some of these prices for evals are ridiculous. There is always a better deal to be found and glad you got one.

when i started this journey my tops were sized 2-3x and bottoms 4-5x or 26+. Having lost 186 bs to date As much as I am thrilled to now be wearing M /10-12 tops and L / 14 bottoms... I am so tired of buying new clothes. LOL Seriously... its like every time I put something on I bought a month ago its loose on me! I know...what a problem huh? But actually I am looking forward to getting this last 30 lbs off so I can buy somethng other than disposible clothing!

broth decaf unsweet tea italian ice I strained a lot of soups and still got the flavor. not sure if u can have yogurt but smoothies are good just watch ur sugars carbs etc. . . and if u haven't tried milk go slow bc I instantly developed a lactose intolerance to it and sat on the toilet for nearly 8 hours.. i so wish I were joking. Also, watch movies from dvd and not tv.. food porn can kill u..

I have BC BS also. They took their sweet ass time for my approval. It got to be 4 weeks into it, and I started called everyday. They explained to me, everytime the doctor sends info to them, they have 14 days to decide. It starts over every time the doc sends in info, or the pre auth nurse needs info. I wasso frsutrated I was starting to get depressed. I started calling to much the reps knew my voice. I explained to one, I don't want to be a pain in the ass, but I am worried about my health, if I am on the fastball, you all should be too. Everyday that goes by, more money is spent on my conditions that this surgery could improve. I found a rep who went through all my records and started calling me, within a week I wa approved. You have to keep some pressure on the insurance companies. Just be nice everytime you call in, but follow up, follow up, follow up!!!!

Most women who really need to indulge more will tell you that they believe they ought to be indulging less. What’s this about? If you are like most busy women with too much on their plates, one of the most important things you can do for yourself is to practice indulging—really indulging. Interestingly, most women who really need to indulge more will tell you that they believe they ought to be indulging less. What’s this about? Let’s get really clear about what indulging is. From my perspective, to indulge means to allow yourself to experience something really wonderful. Indulging comes from a place of compassion and kindness and respect. It’s a gift, freely given. Indulging means to allow yourself to enjoy fully. It means to thoroughly experience something and soak up and savor the experience. An indulgence is not a candy bar from the vending machine that you shove into your mouth while driving to your next appointment. It’s your favorite food on a beautiful plate in a setting where you can truly savor it. Indulging isn’t just about food, but it’s something that feeds our senses in a wonderful way. You might indulge in a bubble bath or a foot massage or a solitary walk in the woods. Your indulgence might be your favorite CD played in your car or fresh flowers on your desk or a glass of red wine enjoyed on your deck. Indulging is a full-body-use-all-your-senses experience. It fills you up, brings you joy, refuels you and adds color to your life. Indulging feeds your soul and is a necessary ingredient for thriving. Your inner champion, or what you may think of as your “best self” absolutely purrs when she is indulged. So why does indulging have such a bad rap? Why do so many women think that indulging is selfish or nonproductive or just plain wrong? I’d like to bust some myths about indulging, and while I’m at it, let me remind you that many bad habits such as overeating, procrastination, and spending too much time online or “not doing” what you really need to do, happen because you aren’t indulging enough. When your spirit and soul aren’t being fed, you will grasp at straws (or potato chips or chocolate chip cookies) to try to make up for it. When you don’t allow yourself to truly indulge, you will find yourself reaching for poor substitutes that might help you feel better temporarily, but that don’t make anything better in the big picture. Here are some more truths about indulging: 1. Indulging is not about greed or sloth. Indulging isn’t about excess. It’s about allowing yourself something wonderful or special and allowing yourself to really experience and savor it–without guilt or shame. It’s not eating the whole box of cookies or bingeing on clothes at the mall. It’s about allowing yourself just the right amount of what you really crave and fully enjoying the experience. Indulging is not about gulping, it’s a melts-in-your-mouth experience. 2. Indulging is not laziness. Indulging is a way of feeding an important part of yourself and adding dimension to your life. Some women worry that if they start to indulge they’ll “lose control.” The truth is, when you really allow yourself to indulge, you tend to be more satisfied with less. 3. Indulging does not have to be earned or “deserved.” Some women believe that they haven’t “worked hard enough” or “accomplished enough” to indulge. When you don’t allow yourself this kind of self-care, it’s easy to become caught in a cycle of working harder and harder and feeling more and more behind and burnt out. Again, indulging yourself is a way of refueling. It actually enhances your productivity. 4. Indulging does not decrease your productivity or make you fat. I’ve already addressed this, but this is such a common myth, it’s important to restate. Allowing yourself truly indulgent experiences, ones where you are completely present and savoring the moment, satisfies you. Real indulgences don’t leave you hungry and craving more—they rejuvenate you and fuel you to be your best. What does leave you primed for a binge of food or laziness is the feeling that your special treat is forbidden or undeserved. The message that you are never going to be allowed to rest or feel like “enough” or eat chocolate again will almost certainly create a craving for the forbidden that can be almost impossible to resist. My challenge to you: Start indulging. Make a list of things that you experience as special treats. Keep it somewhere where you can add to it as new ideas occur to you. Begin scheduling these into your life on a regular basis and enjoy.

Hello and I'll pray for the strength u will need to get threw this! Question: I've yet to go threw thus bc I have the class on June 13th, so I'm wondering, I realize its liquid but will they not let you chew sf gum while on it, its not like ur gonna swallow it, I hope:)