lizzy2150

Have you looked into gastric plication? It's a folding process rather than a cutting process, but my (limited) understanding is that the results are similar to those of the sleeve.

Love, love, LOVE this post. Thanks for all the tips! I'm headed to your blog now for more info.

Hi, everyone! I am scheduled to be banded on July 6 and have a question about medications. I am, of course, hoping to be able to ditch some of my medications entirely (I'd love to give up blood pressure and diabetes meds!). But I take some other medications--primarily for asthma and allergies--that I will never be able to give up (unless I want to quit breathing). So here's my question: should I get those meds compounded into a liquid form before my surgery so I can take them post-op? Or should I crush them up? Try to break them into pieces and take them that way? I will, of course, take this issue up with my PCP and surgeon, but I'm interested in hearing what other people do when they have to take medications that don't come in liquid or chewable forms.

I just got my July 6 surgery date--I'm excited and nervous all at the same time! And I am completely dreading the 2-week liquid diet, especially since I'm going to a big July 4th party hosted by a friend of mine who's a professional chef! *sigh* I'm going to miss his cooking that day!

My 6-month pre-op diet lasted four months--but I think that's because my dr. had charted that I discussed my weight and diet with him before I got pregnant last year. The surgeon's office went ahead and submitted the paperwork last week just as a trial, and I was approved today. I've been on and off supervised diets for years (including during my pregnancy b/c of gestational diabetes); I'm glad to be moving on to something that will help me keep the weight off!

Also, have you considered freezing a protein shake? It might give you some of the same sensations but be a much healthier option. . .

Congratulations! I'm envious that you don't have to do the two-week pre-op diet (but happy for you!!!)

Oh! And I have a friend who was banded nine or ten years ago (she went to Mexico). She just had her second band-baby last week and is doing well, so there ARE people who do well with the band as a long-term implant (so far, anyway).

I can't speak to the first part of the question, but I can tell you my experience with insurance (I have BCBS of Texas). I have, like all of us, been on and off diets forever. In 2008, I was diagnosed with PCOS. In 2009, I was diagnosed with diabetes and my dr. and I briefly discussed lap-band--actually, he discussed it and I ignored it. We talked about low-carb diet stuff. Then I got pregnant, then I was breastfeeding, and so on. But once I had my baby, I knew I needed to do something to make sure I lived to see her grow up. So in January, I went back to my doctor and he told me I'd need to do a six-month diet. I started, but I'm not very patient, so in April I went ahead and made an appointment to meet with a surgeon. In May, I did the required psych eval and met with my surgeon's office's nutritionist. At this point I had been through four of the six months of the diet. My surgeon's office decided to go ahead and try submitting the paperwork, anyway--they sent it in last week and it was approved today. Apparently they were willing to discount the pregnancy/breastfeeding months and counted those discussions in 2009 as part of the six-month diet plan.

Wow. That's horrible. I would send a letter marked "confidential" directly to the surgeon. Doctors rely upon their staff to be the front line "face" of the practice, and are often unaware when they have snarky office help (since the type of people who like to play power games of those sorts are generally incredibly nice to the doctors). If nothing else, the doctor needs to know that his staff is refusing to allow you to speak to the office manager. And I agree with nayttap--send the letter, but move on to another surgeon (and be clear in the letter that you are doing so because his office "help" was singularly unhelpful). That's what I would do, anyway.

I saw somewhere on this site that a person had used dated photographs for insurance approval. I don't think it would hurt to get photos and letters together--the more evidence the better, right? And it seems to me that a doctor friend could write a letter stating that although you've never been her patient, in her professional opinion, you have clearly been obese for X years. I have three siblings who are MDs, and if I needed it, I would absolutely get them to write letters (of course, being the bossy older sister might allow me to apply a little pressure! ) Also, do you have records from longer ago than three years? If you could prove that you had weight issues, say, five years ago, it might help, too. In any case, evidence like that certainly won't hurt your case with the insurance company, and it might help. IMO, anyway.

I love, love, LOVE the term hangry!!

Is it your lap-band surgeon whose office isn't answering? If so, you might need to find another surgeon! Do you really want to try to get after-care from an office that won't even call you back before you have the surgery? In the meantime, I think that there are some other things you could be doing to be proactive. I read somewhere on here about a person who hadn't been to a doctor often enough for the approval. He or she found pictures from the missing times (I assume they had dates on them) and used those to help prove that the weight had been on for years. The other thing you might consider doing is starting to go to a primary care doctor right now--make an appointment for this week. My insurance (like many others) requires a six-month doctor-directed diet before approving lap band. When I decided back in January to get lap band, I began by talking to my PCP. He started me on a diet and I meet with him once every month. It doesn't matter if you lose weight, really--you just need to prove that you have the determination to keep working with your doctor. And the BMI that counts for the insurance companies is one you have at the first visit. I've been considering the six-month diet with my PCP my "practice run" for the lap band. Although I still eat more calories than are "allowed" on the diet (because I get hungry!) I have lost 36 lbs so far (my surgeon's office just sent off my information to the insurance company for approval). But even if I hadn't lost weight, it would still be worth it because I've been more conscious of my eating habits--I started journaling my food intake and my activities, again as practice for when I have the lap band. With most insurance companies, having documentation is what matters. Call every doctor who has ever weighed you in the last five years and see if they have records, then get copies. Find pictures with dates on them. Begin creating new documentation today by making appointments with doctors. Anyway, those are the things I would do. Good luck, and keep us posted!

I think that most of the damage that these meds can cause is from overuse--either taking too many or taking it for an extended time. My understanding is that as long as you take pain medication according to your doctor's orders, you'll be fine. Without a band, the rule for ibuprofen is no more than 100mg for every hour and no more than 800mg at a time--so if you take four ibuprofen (which are 200 mg each), you can't take any more for 8 hours. With a band, you should check with your doctor--mine said ibuprofen was fine occasionally, and this post reminded me that I need to ask him about amounts. The very best thing you can do is contact your doctor, talk to him or her about your headaches, and see what you can take and in what amounts!

Ugh. I'm really worried about this. I already have horrible cramps and am afraid they'll get even worse after I get banded this month!

This makes perfect sense to me. It doesn't matter how much weight I gain or lose--in my own mind, my weight is fairly stable, and it's MUCH less than I actually weigh. I'm always slightly shocked when I see a photo. My inner image of myself doesn't match my outer body. I can't wait until it does!!! (I'm still waiting on insurance approval . . .)

My NUT actually suggested that I start my mornings with my usual cup of coffee--she says the warmth will help loosen everything up so I can easily have my protein shake later in the a.m. I haven't been banded yet (waiting for insurance approval), but I have no plans to stop drinking coffee!

I heard this term before, and when I watched a lap band surgery, I saw what they meant. If you can stand it, you can watch how they do the surgery here:

Hi! I'm a college professor, and I suggest that your daughter should wait to see how she feels that day. She can always contact her professors beforehand and let them know that she's having surgery (it's none of their business what kind, so I would suggest she not even tell them) and isn't sure if she will make it to the first day, but that she will try. She should be prepared to show them some written evidence of the surgery just in case they need it for their records, but I think most professors would excuse a day or two at the beginning of the semester for a student who is in pain from surgery. Most of us aren't all that sadistic. Also, she probably won't need to take anything but a pen and some paper (and maybe an empty bag to drop syllabi into), so the backpack shouldn't be an issue for the first day or so. Tell her good luck from me both on her surgery and in her classes!

I'm going in to meet with a surgeon for the first time tomorrow morning, and your post was exactly what I needed to read tonight. Thanks!!!