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Taking Pills After Band Surgery



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How long until you could swallow a capsule? I take cymbalta and dr said i could open capsules and sprinkle on applesauce. Pharmacist said No. Being banded Wed and very concerned now. Dont know what to do. No time to slowly withdraw

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My son is a pharmacist, and he also told me not to open capsules or crush any "time release" medication post op. You risk an overdose of the medication if you do.

Prior to surgery my PCP changed all of my prescriptions that came in a different form to soluble tablets or liquids temporarily. The rest I had to crush for two weeks post op.

I would call your surgeon's office and ask for a clarification.

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I was fine taking two days after my Dr gave the ok to swallow pills right away. The nausea meds after surgery we're I'm pill form. I just broke them in 1/4s and was fine..

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Small pills and small capsules I could swallow within a few days of surgery, you have to do them one at a time. I would check with my md they make a lot of meds in liquids these days.

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How long until you could swallow a capsule? I take cymbalta and dr said i could open capsules and sprinkle on applesauce. Pharmacist said No. Being banded Wed and very concerned now. Dont know what to do. No time to slowly withdraw

I also take cymbalta. I skipped 1 day for surgery but then I was able to take the pill the next day.

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I think I have 7ccs in my band and I can take pills. I take wellbutrin fine, but it's round. I am currently taking an antibiotic that is a capsule and it seems to be going down fine. As long as its not time release you should be able to break it. But I believe cymbalta is time release.

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On my first follow up appt I took one of each of my pills (or pills I thought I would need to take at some point...like Tylenol) to my surgeons office and asked the nurse to look at them and tell me her opinion. As it happens, she said they were all fine and only one she suggested breaking in half.

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    • Aunty Mamo

      Iʻm roughly 6 weeks post-op this morning and have begun to feel like a normal human, with a normal human body again. I started introducing solid foods and pill forms of medications/supplements a couple of weeks ago and it's really amazing to eat meals with my family again, despite the fact that my portions are so much smaller than theirs. 
      I live on the island of Oʻahu and spend a lot of time in the water- for exercise, for play,  and for spiritual & mental health. The day I had my month out appointment with my surgeon, I packed all my gear in my truck, anticipating his permission to get back in the ocean. The minute I walked out of that hospital I drove straight to the shore and got in that water. Hallelujah! My appointment was at 10 am. I didn't get home until after 5 pm. 
      I'm down 31 pounds since the day of surgery and 47 since my pre-op diet began, with that typical week long stall occurring at three weeks. I'm really starting to see some changes lately- some of my clothing is too big, some fits again. The most drastic changes I notice however are in my face. I've also noticed my endurance and flexibility increasing. I was really starting to be held up physically, and I'm so grateful that I'm seeing that turn around in such short order. 
      My general disposition lately is hopeful and motivated. The only thing that bugs me on a daily basis still is the way those supplements make my house smell. So stink! But I just bought a smell proof bag online that other people use to put their pot in. My house doesn't stink anymore. 
       
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    • BeanitoDiego

      Oh yeah, something I wanted to rant about, a billing dispute that cropped up 3 months ago.
      Surgery was in August of 2023. A bill shows up for over $7,000 in January. WTF? I asks myself. I know that I jumped through all of the insurance hoops and verified this and triple checked that, as did the surgeon's office. All was set, and I paid all of the known costs before surgery.
      A looong story short, is that an assistant surgeon that was in the process of accepting money from my insurance company touched me while I was under anesthesia. That is what the bill was for. But hey, guess what? Some federal legislation was enacted last year to help patients out when they cannot consent to being touched by someone out of their insurance network. These types of bills fall under something called, "surprise billing," and you don't have to put up with it.
      https://www.cms.gov/nosurprises
      I had to make a lot of phone calls to both the surgeon's office and the insurance company and explain my rights and what the maximum out of pocket costs were that I could be liable for. Also had to remind them that it isn't my place to be taking care of all of this and that I was going to escalate things if they could not play nice with one another.
      Quick ending is that I don't have to pay that $7,000+. Advocate, advocate, advocate for yourself no matter how long it takes and learn more about this law if you are ever hit with a surprise bill.
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    • BeanitoDiego

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    • ChunkCat

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    • BeanitoDiego

      Still purging all of the larger clothing. This morning, a shirt that I ADORED wearing ended up on top. Hard to let it go, but it was also hard to let go of those habits that also no longer serve my highest good. Onward and upward!
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