NWgirl

Well that's helpful to the poster... Sent from my iPad using LapBandTalk

I was banded on March 20th and am going right along. I have lost 25 pounds since banding, and I am really happy with that! I am now halfway to my goal and hope to be there by next year.

It could be anywhere from a couple months to about 8, depending on insurance requirements.

I was told no full on showering for the first week. I believe my Dr said it was fine to go back in water after two weeks OR after all incisions were closed.

I flew within the week of banding and was fine. It really depends on stress levels, etc too. Even if you do get a little tighter, you should be okay, but most seem to be fine flying.

Most surgeons also require you quit a month or so before surgery.

looking great!

Have you told your husband firmly to stop buying the crap for you? Sometimes this change can be rough for our partners- they somehow get it in their minds that when we lose the weight, we will suddenly become new people who will move on to bigger and better fish.

PS: the coordinator who "helped" me also said that as a patient, I didn't know what to "say/ask" to the insurance company to find out if it was a covered expense. BUUUT, she didn't know how to read, so her advice was terrible.

I had the same thing happen two years ago when I first started researching the band. I went to a local weight loss practice that had great reviews and feedback, submitted my insurance info to the practice so they could verify insurance coverage. I then was accepted into the practice as a patient and was given a letter detailing my coverage breakdowns. Around the time I had read something disconcerting on the insurance website, so I called customer care and was told it was not covered under my specific policy. My insurance was through my stepdad, who works for a local health insurance group, and is able to choose from three seperate health care plans each year. The rep with insurance was really nice and actually did a three-way call to the insurance coordinator to find out what she was looking at for my benefits. It turned out she had ASSUMED I was on the one plan (out of three possible) that covered WLS, when in fact I was not and if she would have done her job properly, I would have avoided some serious letdown. I guess the moral is, contact your insurance and don't trust someone through the Dr's office to find out important info like this.

Calories in = calories out. I know we'd all like this to be different, but if you are pretty sedentary you've got to tweak something, whether it be the food intake or adding exercise.

No ideal on the port sticking out, but the arm thing could be a signal from the vagus nerve.

I would be really hesitant to add liquids on top of getting stuck, regardless of if it's pineapple juice or not. If I try to do liquids when I'm stuck, it's 10 times worse.

I only was told no lifting or pets jumping on you.....

Wow, the difference is amazing! It's finally nice to put a face to a poster

I was not self pay and am not in NY, but have seen self pays who are banded within a month of starting. It depends on if the insurance still requires a lot of testing.

Yes, biotin is a capsule, but is small enough to swallow. I buy the 5000mg from Walmart (approx $5) and take one per day.

This is all a decision of the surgeon's office, so call and ask specifically what weight they use. In addition to this, I also called my case manager with insurance to ask if I would be okay to lose weight below 40 BMI and was told yes.

I love my Ninja Pulse! If you buy it at target, it comes with three smoothie cups. It is the same price as the one at Walmart, but 200hp more and one extra cup.

A fitbit is a calorie count/pedometer/activity level tracker/stair flight tracker all in one! IT IS AMAZING. I have had mine for a long time now, and it really motivates me to get out there and increase my numbers. www.fitbit.com

I was told that Centrum Chewables were okay for multi-vitamins. I also take Biotin and Vit D/Iron for my low levels. I did try to OPurity band specific multi the first three months after surgery, but it was just too sweet. When I ran out, I got the Centrum. I think I will try another band specific multi next. For the other food stages after liquids, I kind of stuck with soups. I did not like the idea of pureeing meats, so I also drank my Protein shakes. On mushy stage, I had meat salads- chicken, egg, tuna, as well as anything that was not too hard- cottage cheese, etc. I would recommend a Ninja Pulse as a kitchen appliance- it can do so many things and also comes with a few smoothie travel cups.

Some have had their tubing punctured by Dr's. This is one reason I would never let another Dr other than my surgeon do anything with the band- if they ruin it, it's doubtful they will admit it and my Dr would know it wasn't her.