Hi everyone! I just had my consultation with Dr. Bagnato on 9-30-08. Waiting on insurance approval. My husband's BCBS will pay for the surgery,but have to have a denial letter from my insurance (United Healthcare). I hope it doesn't take to long. I've been visiting the Lapbandtalk website for a couple of months. Now that I'm on the road to a new me, I get a little anxious and nervous. I'm 57 years old and need the surgery due to multiple health problems. I live in Dublin. I am so thankful I found this support group. Anything you can share about pre-op, the surgery,.... would be helpful. LOL

Lojo:smile:

Welcome, lojo! We have a good little group here; everyone is very supportive and willing to share. I was banded 4/28/08. I love my band and only wish I had done this sooner. It is NOT a magic bullet, tho - it is a tool, and we all have to do our part to make it work. Learning how to work the band can take some time, as can getting to the restriction level you want.

That said, my experience has been very positive, and the surgery was not a big deal at all. I'd be happy to answer any specific questions you have, and I'm sure others here will as well.

Good Luck!

Oneder

Welcome lojo!!

Onderwoman is right....great support here! I've been banded for just over a year now and I couldn't be happier! It's been a challenging year, lots of changes in my life, mostly with food. I wouldn't trade it for anything though. I now have the energy to exercise and I feel so much healthier. Good luck to you and let us know if you have any questions. Keep us updated....

Welcome Lojo... glad to have you here!

lojo - Welcome. I'm from douglas and was banded a year ago. I love my band and hopefully you will too. Don't get too disappointed with the insurance companies, some of them can take their sweet time. It will be worth the wait.

Thanks for the warm welcome and advice. I hope it won't take my insurance companies to respond to Dr. Bagnato. Does Dr. Bagnato require a pre-op diet and how long? Did you have any complications? What is the average length of recuperation?

Dr. B's preop diet is fairly easy. He only asks that you do sugar busters for the 2weeks prior to surgery. As far as recuperation that's usually pretty easy also. I had my surgery on a Thursday and went back to work on the following Tuesday. It really varies, some take a week or two off and many only take a few days.

What is Sugar Buster's diet? What do you eat? Never heard of this one!! I must be behind times? Is it hard to follow? I'm not real good at sticking to diets. I've been on yo-yo diets most of my life. I have Type II diabetes,RA,Hypertension,and high cholesterol. I've had GERD in years past. I don't take meds. I have occasional heartburn, but recently I've had lots of bloating,belching, and gas. How do you take medications after lap band surgery? I currently take 18 pills a day. Yuk!! I hope with the surgery I can come off some of them.

Sugar busters is fairly easy to follow, it's basically low carb. You don't eat anything with sugar or white, like rice, whitebread, Pasta, etc. The dr's office will give you the needed info on what you can eat.

In regards to meds. I don't have to take too many, but have 4 every morning. I don't have too much problems with them, but with the larger ones I do cut them in half.

Lojo,

Welcome to our group. I'm originally from Dublin, too, though I haven't lived there for many years. I'm 57 and had my surgery in May. Just wish I had know this was available many years ago!! It is a wonderful tool and now that I've had several fills it is really working for me. Don't be concerned about the Sugar Buster's pre-op diet. I was so happy to be having the surgery that the diet was a breeze. I wish I could offer insurance advice, but I was self-pay and even though I was a "slow starter", I've finally begun to really see much progress. The best advice I have for you is 'Ask lots of questions' and remember that there are lots of us going through the same experiences.

Blessings,

RosieJo