MonikaHF

Hi everyone - I am new to this site and would appreciate your help. After going through all the prerequisites for the lapband, my insurance company denied me last week. Just met with my surgeon Friday who told me that my best bet would be to be banded in Mexico and he would do the consequent fills. Does anyone have any recommendations with surgeons in Mexico? Some websites look really cheesy.... the only one that looks somewhat credible is Dr. Kuri. I really would appreciate your input!! PS. Never been on a discussion forum before, so I hope I am doing this right!

Greek yoghurt has 23 grams of protein per 1/2 cup versus 5 gram with regular yoghurt. I discovered greek yoghurt as part of my pre-op diet and I LOVE it. I has the consistency of sour cream and you can get it with no fat. It's a great alternative to those protein shakes.

I am so mad at myself! I was banded on 4/28 in Mexico by Dr. Oritz (very good experience) and I have been feeling great all week. Yesterday I completely screwed up and had Chicken wild rice soup with crusty bread for lunch and tomatoes and an avocado for dinner!! Unfortunately it didnt bother me at all. I felt just fine and it tasted like heaven! I have been getting soooo sick of the those protein shakes and just fell off the wagon! My husband got upset with me when he saw me eat that dinner - I can't blame him. I Today I read some of your posts about the stomach trying to heal and stitches coming out when you eat solids and I am terrified! What if I did damage my pouch? Would I feel anything if my band slipped. I am back on full liquids today, but I just can't help worrying about the possible damage I might have done. Any advice? Thank you!!

Great comments and advice. Thank you - you guys are wonderful! Been doing well with my liquid, no bananas, even though I loath it! Was my son's 14th birthday party today with Chinese food and cake and I had a bowl of butternut creamed soup. Mushy/pureed phase on Thursday....yeahhhh!!

Thank you everyone for your comments and encouragement. The only thing I have felt all day after a day of solids yesterday is that the incision around my port feels tingly and numb and I have that same sensation, in the same general area on my back. Maybe I am just hyper vigilant about how my body feels because of my slip-up yesterday, but I hope it's just part of the healing process. Also, do you guys add 1/2 a banana to your Protein shakes/yoghurt? It sounds like some of you do, but my manual says no fruits until the pureed stage (1 week from today). Thanks - I am so glad I have found this forum to bounce off ideas and concerns. Hope I'll get to the ticker and picture part on my profile one of these days........

I am scheduled for surgery the beginning of May. I am hoping to get some ideas from you out there on how much time I should plan on taking off. I am a massage therapist and my work is pretty physical. I have heard anything from 3 days to 3 weeks. Any suggestions or advice from experience would be appreciated!!

Thank you thank you thank you. So glad I asked. Never thought about the fatigue factor! I am usually a quick healer and even after all three of my C-sections I was up and doing stuff within days. Sounds like the week and a half to two weeks is a good start. Thank you!!

My local surgeon has filed an appeal last week. He said it can take up to 30 days to hear back from the insurance company regarding the appeal. I thought this might be a good time to research self pay options in Mexico. By the way, my doctor here said he would do the fills and after care, so that helps out a LOT. I am leaning towards Dr. Ortiz as he is a little cheaper (by $500), but if anyone feels strongly about Dr. Kuri I would appreciate to hear their story. My first choice, of course, would be to get it done locally and not have to worry about travelling to Mexico (I am in Minnesota), but I am ready to go if the insurance company says no again. I am not very hopeful with the appeal, because nothing really has changed other than the fact that my surgeon will make a strong argument in his letter about me needing this surgery. Has anyone had their insurance denial reversed in the appeal process? Would love to hear from you!

Thanks for the info, Cristy! I narrowed my search down to Dr. Ortiz ($6000) and Dr. Kuri ($6500). Both sound very professional and capable. I think both would do a good job. Does anyone have any input?