MarcyLoo

Just wanted to offer a HUG...

The nice thing about the band is they can "unfill it" for pregnancy. I'm almost 36, married, and have 3 kids (and am having no more)...but I also got cold feet right up until they put me uner. Like Liz, I was banded just March 15th and am SO GLAD I had it done. I haven't seen huge weight loss yet, but I have so much more energy! And I know in time the weight loss will happen. Just know the anxiety/cold feet is totally normal. We're all here to help you in this journey...whatever your final decision is.

I was denied based on my sleep apnea being a "correctable" condition even though my BMI was 54...I was told since that was the only reason they gave they could not come back in an appeal to require the 6 months supervised diet...anyway so my denial was different but it took 1 week from denial to sending the appeal then another 2 weeks to hear back on an approval. I only 1st knew it went thru because I peeked at my online insurance page and saw "approve" for preauthorization for surgery. I know another patient got denied the same day I id because she or he had never tried prescription diet pills. My insurance basically denies everyone for SOMETHING then the appeals usually go thru. Good luck! Keep in mind that if you do need to do the 6 months of supervised nutrition, although it seems like forever, it will go quick and will ultimately help you in this journey. Just don't give up...like insurance hopes people will!

That's right it's the last day of the month!! GOOD LUCK to those still headed in to start their new life today!

Gika I'm more than 2 weeks baned and have barely lost anything. They say the first 2-4 weeks to not expect much. i too am just waiting for my first fill (april 13). I'm eating more than the long-term diet allows, but not as much as I id pre banding for sure. On average I'm doing 4-5 small meals a day, focusing on Protein of course. My band is empty and i get hungrey every 2-3 hours. I try to fill that void with hot tea w/ splenda, and the smaller meals spread thruout the day. I'm also getting in at least 64 ounces of Water a ay, which usually causes me to lose pretty quick...but not post band. I know part of this is the body holding onto things post surgery. It gets frustrating though, I know. I'm just now seeing the scale barely creep down past pre-op weight. And I mean barely. Try to not pay too much attention to weight until after that first fill. I so feel your pain * hug *

It does sound like it got stuck. You may have inflammed your stomach a bit. I would focus on warm liquids (even hot) and going really slow for a day....but call your doc if it gets worse... when I get stuck (usually if I odn;t chew well or one time I ater ham without thinking like you described---old habits)....strethcing and warm liquis help me get unstuck (I've vomited twice)

Ooooooh...that sounds like a different story. To me that says it looks like you indeed have sleep apnea and they will want to put you on CPAP, then have you come back for a 2nd sleep study to make sure the CPAP is working for you and find what pressure setting is best. Sounds like it's not a REPEAT test, just a follow up test to make sure cpap is all ok. Sounds like a good thing, not a bad one. That's exactly how my own sleep study went...the initial study to diagnose the SA then a follow up to fine tune the cpap settings

I can tell you my story. I had decided to only tell Dh and a few people at work...we have three boys ages 3, 6, and 7. The surgery clinic is outpatient only and 40-50 minutes away. When I realized it wasn't fair to keep the kids out of school for the day (and Dh would have our 3 yo at home anyway) for me to do this I decided to tell my mother-in-law, who was THRILLED to hear my decision! She agreed to help get the kids to and from school to help out. My dad was due to have his knee replace the same ay as my surgery, so I opted to not tell my family. That an they also are very jugemental & have made negative comments about WLS (my mom in particular). Gossip runs rampant as well. So my dad's surgery got postponed, and I decide that since my parents would want to know I was going under general anesthesia, an no longer had to focus on my a's surgery that day, I would tell them. Their response was completely opposite of what I expected and they have only been supportive to an extreme. They've asked reasonable questions out of curiosity, told me they love me, are proud of me, they are even dieting along side me now. In the end I am SO GLAD I told them.

I asked my husband to stop at the store for a few things. He came home with really bad frozen stuff (high calorie/carb/sodium) and freaking cookies that are 170 calories EACH. I know it's up to me to ignore these foods, but our kids will also want to eat them, and hubby and the temptation is just not needed 2 weeks after surgery. I need to have a major talk with him.

Reply to her post that she must have posted on the wrong person? I kept my surgery a secret from my family until a week beforehand, just knowing they would not be at all supportive. My dad was scheduled for a knee replacement the same day, and when it got canceled I decided to let my family know (imagining it'd hurt them that I was going under general anesthesia without telling them and they found out kwim?)...to my amazement they have been nothing BUT supportive. My mom even drove me, stayed there until it was time to go them drove me home.

Snoring is normal...can't imagien that would cause a 2nd study. Did you sleep at all?

Water is not off limits by any means; just drinking it (or any liquid) during or right after a meal. Soda pop that is flat is "ok" but carbonation can stretch the stomach pouch. I didn't take any time off work. My process took 2 1/2 months, with one insurance denial. To qualify with a BMI under 40 your insurance may want you to have a comorbidity of uncontrolled diabetes, uncontrolled high BP, or sleep apnea. (PCOS typically does not count, nor does insulin resistance). i would recommend finding a local bariatric surgery seminar...they are GREAT!

I've gotten a LOT of flack from bypass patients about my band choice...just ignore her snotty butt lol and tell her you have to work VERY hard because you went with the option that doesn't remove your gut to cheat the food you put in your mouth. (sorry)

I would get in before surgery...the tooth can get infected and that's a huge risk.

Sorry I talked about real food...that was inconsiderate. Maybe next month mid way we can start sharing recipies once everyone is off liquids? Awinner...I'm so so sorry your recovery is going so slow and painful. *huge hugs* I'm really glad you called the doc and went in. I'll keep you in my prayers that it gets easier from here on out. My low cal dinner last night was a hit with my mom , who is so hard to please. Her and my dad are both dieting so I wanted to take something on their diet. It sounds like my dad is doing really well (knee replacement). I was really nervous as it was his first-ever surgery. He's only ever been a patient when he was first born 65+ yrs ago and in Vietnam for malaria. He'll have the other knee done the end of next month. Sorry if I'm rambling...

I wasn't told about any position restrictions. I've actually been sleeping on my stomach a lot more than usual, but because of my sleep apnea have been a side sleeper for years. So far my port seems fine. You can continue with Protein shakes to keep your daily amount up...but keep in min the fist 2-4 weeks are meant for healing and ajusting, so please do not feel like a failure * hugs * So far so good today. I ate Breakfast, waited 4 hours for lunch...lots of Water and 2 cups of coffee. I'm finally peeing off some Fluid. I ate a scrambled egg (egg liquid substitute) with chopped ham, baby spinach, and scallions for breakfast and a lovely spinach salad with chopped chicken breast , some chopped carrots and low cal dressing for lunch. I've made a shepherd's pie for dinner with gorund turkey aand fresh carrots & green & yellow squash so will have that later. I wanted something fairly easy to digest as i;m delivering dinner to my dad in the hospital tonight.

My insurance is known for denying EVERYONE! I had a BMI of 54, and went ahead with a sleep study before they sent in my paperwork (becaue even at a BMI over 50 we knew my plan would require a comorbidity). They denies me even with sleep apnea and a CPAP saying it was a "controllable" comorbidity. as I understand it many insurance co's require uncontrolled high blood pressure, untrolled diabetes, or sleep apnea as the main comorbidities. They tend not to look at others like back pain, shortness of breath, reflux, PCOS, fatty lier, etc. Anyway we appealed the decion and were approved! Lots of denials come because they know people will give up after one try...so my best advice is to go ahead with a sleep study, get documentation of sleep apnea, and appeal appeal appeal if they deny you. (also if you do have sleep apnea you'll get a jump start on better health by treating it now...it'll lead to better healing after surgery, more energy, ect.)

I'm having a really hard time. I fear it's emotional hunger. My band has gotten "loose" with surgical swelling going down and I've gotten carried away the past 2-3 days with eating too much. I'm really swollen (water weight)...my wedding bands that I finally got back on last week due to initial weight loss is tight, my face is puffy, my ankles are cankles. I'm trying to not get upset with myself and just look at it as bad choices, and am trying so hard to get back on the wagon today with lots of Water aand resonable meal choices. I'm so looking forward to my first fill on April 13th!!! I know the band is the tool and the rest is up to me. I just feel like a failure so far. One day at a time, right? Even one hour at a time...

Congrats awinner! I feel like I'm in pre-fill hell. Now that my swelling is going down, I feel hungry almost constantly. I'm also PMS'ing which makes mental hunger worse. They won't do my 1st fill until I'm 4 weeks out (April 13). I'm feeling weight loss but the scale isn't budging. My work uniform was looser last night and my slippers keep falling off (weird huh?) I should learn to stay off that scale. Ugh.

technically it is, but I wouldn't do it. LOTS of calories, and the alcohol acts as a blood thinner so doing it before surgery can lead to excess bleeding.

A true CLEAR LIQUID diet is any liquids you can see thru: broth, jello, apple juice, cranberry juice (not grape or OJ), water, tea.

Don't you all just love spam?

What do you feel your hesitation is? I think most of us have those moments right before and right after of "is this the right thing?" or "what have I done?" ... I'm only 10 days out, and right up till being put under for surgery I had a certain a amount of doubt. I'm so glad I went thru with it. I haven't seen huge benefits yet, of course, but so look forward to see the scale drop, to feeling better, to being able to sit in normal chairs, to not having a the flight attendant approach me asking if I need a belt extender, to having more energey (actually this one I already see!!!!), to just knowing my risk of diabetes and heart disease are dropping by the day! To knowing chances of watching my kids grow up and being there for them are already better. I've lost 16 pounds according to the surgeons office (13.5 ccording to my scale), from the week before surgery to now. That may not seem like a lot, but I was pushing seeing the big "300" on the scale...that was so scary for me. I feel confident now I'll never see that "297" again. One of my areas of anxiety - especially the days right before surgery - was knowing I may never eat some of my favorites before. or at least not the mount I loved to gorge on. I'll be brutally honest, knowing there would be no more early morning Jack-in-the-Box binges of eggrolls, chicken sandiwches, or full orders of Beef Phad Thai from my favorite Thai restaurant really freaked me out. I almost had a few panick attacks. For me, that was my source for cold feet. I know now, though, I'll be able to eat Phad Thaai again. It may only be a few bites, but my health is so worth giving up the binges. And, the other day I ordered my 1st fast food in the past few weeks...Taco Time. I ordered a light chicken soft taco. I could NOT eat the tortilla. Just was not happening. So, I ate the chicken and lettuce from the inside. It was ok, but I found that compared to what I have been preparing at home I didnlt really truly enjoy the flavor anymore. I am so glad I have my band... Sorry if I got sidetracked. I'm not even sure if my anxiety/cold feet was anything compared to yours. Just know it's normal.

My main pain was also gas on the left side... I survived yesterday. I managed to reschedule my shift so took last night off and will work tonight instead. My son's tooth is still not fixed (ergh) and their 1st appt is next WED but he did great for his exam & cleaning. Parent teacher conferences were less stressful than I thought they'd be. My 7yo is a "lazy writer" but is off the charts in reading & math, and they are going to evalute my 6yo for special needs and hopefully get him extra help with academics. (YAY!) Somehow we had my nephew over at bedtime (4yo) and my bro/sister-in-law for dinner and man did my brother complain about the heart healthy dinner I made (brown rice, broided cod, and steamed veggies). I ate way less for dinner than I expected...only a few bites of veggies and fish, and ended with some low fat yogurt and granola. Mid afternoon husband and I went grocery shopping and I got so hungry, I opted to have a low fat string cheese. Focused a lot on Water too. My scale is finally starting to move. According to the surgeons scales I'm down about 16 pounds total since a week preop, but according to mine at home my ticker is accurate. So that's what I'm going with. I had the first comment of "you're looking like you've lost weight" woo hoo!