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I am a junk food junkie as well and I haven't missed the food I used to crave. I love any type of Mexicann food and I was addicted to Diet Coke, 10 cans a day, before surgery. After surgery everything changed for me. I needed a constant in my diet and the LapBand provided that for me. Now I don't have a choice, I eat "good" because I want to live longer and the band limits my choices. I don't regret it all.

I did not have to have a psych eval for my surgery. However, the doctors think they can tell if you are ready for the surgery or have issues with having a "foreign" object in you for the rest of you life. I don't think it is any different than having a breast implant and you don't have to have a psych eval for that procedure. Being truthful is your best bet on those evals.

My name is Heidi and I am a LOSER! I am 2 weeks post-op and do not regret my decision to get banded. Life is soooooo good!

I have five incisions. One on the left that is for the port that is 3/4" long, one just to the left of my belly button that is 1.5" long, one to the right of my belly button that is 1" long, one on my right side that is 3/4" long and one just just below my breast in the center that is 1/2" long. They are healing very quickly, but itch like crazy....LOL!

Reflux can clear up very quickly with medication. If you can refrain from eating large meals, especially at night before you go to bed, it will clear up in a month or 2. Be persistant, it is worth it in the end.

No pre-op diet for me. I am glad because I may have turned back if I had an all liquid diet before surgery and then 4 weeks after surgery as well. Nothing to worry about though. I was only banded 2 weeks ago and I already know it was the right decision.

I'm 2 weeks out from my surgery and my doctor did not prescribe any pain medication. Advil and Tylenol was all I could take. If you take those two on a regular basis after your surgery for about 3-4 days, then you should be fine. I didn't feel like eating after my surgery so that gave me a jump start for sure. The only time I ever doubted having the surgery was the day of my surgery. My daughter and husbund stopped at McDonalds on the way to surgery, (cruel I know) and that is when I decided that losing weight was weigh more important than eating a chicken McNugget. You will be fine and it is already worth it for me! Message me if you need more advice after surgery and I would be happy to walk you through it. PS....you don't have to walk a lot to get the gas to go away, just around the block or your drive way is enough.

Are they big gulps or small sips? It makes a difference.

I was banded 8/12/11 and I had to sleep in the recliner for a few nights. After that I just slept with a pillow tucked into my tummy and chest and it propped me up but felt like I was almost sleeping on my stomach. I'm 2 weeks out today but still not able to lie on my stomach to sleep.

Emily 331, Congrats on your surgery date. Not sure about the protein shakes as I am still on just clear liquids. To answer your question about returning to work: My surgery was Friday, August 12 at 4pm. I finally started feeling halfway human this morning and was able to go into work for 3 hours, which turned out to be too much for me. I have a desk job and found that it was hard to sit for too long or stand for too long. The liquid diet was not an issue as I brought plenty of fluids with me to the office. If you work with "short" students, be careful they don't bump your incisions spots. Hope this helped.

My doctor didn't give me any pain meds at all. Only Advil and Tylenol and some anti-nausea meds. The only rest I get is when I take the nausea meds and it makes me sleepy. Was banded 26 hours ago.

I am worried about my doctor not giving me pain meds after surgery. Do most doctors give pain medicine after surgery or do lap banders usually take OTC pain meds. HELP!

Could it possibly be withdrawal from caffeine? I know that causes the worst headach ever. I had the same thing happen after a surgery I had 2 years ago. I drink a lot of Diet Coke and I didn't have any for about 24+ hours and the doctor said that was the cause of my headache.

Please forgive my ignorance, but what is vicodan??

My insurance did not require a psych eval. Not sure why, but they didn't. I am not sure I understand why the insurance requires a psych eval for this surgery. Does anyone know?

I am from Wyoming and having my surgery in Utah tomorrow. My first appointment with the doctor was 6/20/11. I did not have to do any diets, psych evals, etc. The doctors office submitted my info to the insurance company (UHC) and I had approval within 15 days. I feel like some lap banders have it so much harder and don't understand why the insurance companies cannot recognize that we are trying to help ourselves and save them money in the long run.

Thanks. I am just a bit worried about the pain afterwards. My surgeon only recommends ibprofen or OTC meds after surgery and that scares me a bit.

I am getting banded tomorrow and I have only told my husband, my daughter and one co-worker. I usually do not care about what people think of me, but this was a very personal decision for me. My in-laws don't know and neither does my twin sister. I want to surprise her with the weight loss on our 40th birthday.

I just found out that my UHC insurance approved my surgery. I'm soooo excited. I am looking forward to a life change.

I just received my letter in the mail from UHC dated July 8, 2011. My initial visit with my surgeon was 6/20/11. They approved me right away. I think every plan is different with UHC but I wish you the best.