bromo

I live in Alabama and am on Medicare. I will be having my surgery in 2 days. There was no 6 months prediet needed. I fit the criteria with a bmi of 45 and high blood pressure. Because of my age (57) my doctor did make me take a nuclear stress test before he would do the surgery. Passed with flying colors. My out of pocket to the doctor was $220 for his services and $300 for the program fee which gives me unlimited access from now on to the nutrionist, fitness and mental health pros for a year. I am having a lap band with plication so will be staying overnight in the hospital. My out of pocket with the hospital was around $1100. So all in all my costs after insurance have been around 1700 dollars. I will save that in a year just not buying diet pepsi. (kidding). I did have to find a center of excellence as that is all medicare will accept but they are all over the place. Here is a link to a site to help you find a Center of Excellence in your area http://www.surgicalreview.org/locate/ I do not know yet if they will pay for fills, but I will just use my potato chip and Little Debbie savings to pay for them if not.

Congratulations. Hope the fire in your area is out or under control.

Good luck, SDBandit. Will be looking for a post from you later with an update!

Congratulations! What a wonderful gift.

Am on the last day of my preop diet which is 4 protein shakes a day, a small meal of protein and all the low carb veggies I want. Can also have the sugar free popcicles and jello. I have lost 10 pounds as of this morning on the preop diet and tomorrow is clear liquids only with surgery on Wed! I can hardly wait. Going to go get a pedicure today just to have pretty feet for surgery and get my mind on something else. I cannot stop thinking about it. lol

Hope all goes well for you today, Corrigan.

Just another poster who agrees with the rest. Get yourself to another doctor, preferably a Center of Excellence. If that experience is anywhere near as horrible as it sounds, I would not just walk, but run, to somewhere else. Good luck.

My insurance, Medicare, required that I use a Center of Excellence and I understand why my doctor's office is considered one and my surgery is still 6 days away. As I have read this board as thoroughly as time allows, I realize that the support I am getting even before the surgery is far beyond what many here received. At my first visit with the surgeon, which btw was quite lengthy, I received a binder with lots of info all divided into sections about each stage of the journey and nutrition had many sections. Was required to meet with the nutritionist, fitness expert and a mental health counselor before my surgery was scheduled. Also had several extra tests, including a nuclear stress test because of my age, just to be on the safe side. Then there was the required meeting that lasted a couple of hours with the hospital's head bariatic nurse and the nutritionist again. They answered any and all questions and everyone at the office has given me their card with their number on them so I don't have to got through the front office. At times I felt almost overwhelmed with info, but then today when the hospital coordinator called me to verify some things, and asked if I had any questions, I could honestly say I did not. As I read here where folks are not told about vitamins, or the diet to follow afterwards I am almost amazed that they were not given the same info I have been. How do you feel about the support your received from your doctor and their office?

I hope I am over prepared. After the lists here and those from my doctor, I think I have everything that might even be possibly needed. lol For my overnight hospital stay next week I have packed a light robe and slippers for hall walking, a toothbrush and toothpaste, a travel size lotion to use afterwards on my legs and such since no lotion allowed before surgery, a hairbrush and chapstick. I figured to wear home the clothes I go in and will put a pillow in my daughter's car that morning so it will be there for the ride home. For afterward, I have every otc med mentioned that might be needed, broths, Soups, greek yogurts, and such to make my own Protein drinks with the unjury unflavored powder. Frozen fruit in the freezer for them as well once that is allowed. I have applesauce and cream of wheat and even a couple of jars of baby food strained pears just because I still like it, and everything else mentioned on my doctor's list. I have a pack of baby spoons and small styrofoam coffee cups to use at first since all of my tablewear and mugs are oversized. The Girl Scout from my youth must be deeply ingrained in me, as I am overboard prepared. But I live alone and although my kids will check on me, I have no one to send to the store for some forgotten item at a moment's notice, so I thought it better to be safe than sorry.

My program fee was $300 and includes seeing the nutrionist and the other support, mental & physical, for as long as we need to do so.

I am choosing lapband over gastric bypass for a couple of reasons. First the malabsorbtion issue is a big one. The bypass is a done deal, no taking it out and returning to normal if the need arises. The band works and with the plication has almost the same rate of intitial EWL as a bypass. I smoke and my doctor said that affects a bypass much more than a lapband. Even though we read here about the problems of the band, bypass has it own set of problems as well. Off the top of my head I can think of one right away, dumping syndrome.

I haven't even thought about the excess skin, as I am just ready to be healthier and lighter. Having excess skin cannot possibly be worse that being the weight I am now. Perhaps in the future you will have access to other health care that can cover that if it is even needed. I would never let that hold me back and hope you are able to work it out for yourself.

I don;t think that the sores are considered a comorbidity. I qualified on one comorbidity, high blood pressure, with a BMI of 45.

fefe, that board is more oriented to plication alone and no lap band. This forum has much more information that is helpful to those of us having lap band with plication. I tried to go there and was very disappointed with the info. I will have to do all the things regular bandsters do and go through, so this forum is definitely more helpful. My main tool is going to be the band, the plication is just a plus to help me with my journey.

Congratulations, Texas Bandit. I have been following your posts and it is good to see you are out of bandster hell. 6 days and counting. I have done fairly well on the preop diet losing 8 pounds so far. It can be hard and the head hunger rears its ugly head at the strangest times. Sept 14th cannot get here soon enough for me to get on with it. Please keep us posted on your successes, Texas.

ReJoyce, mine also has the support groups and such. I can't imagine going somewhere that doesn't offer all the things a COE does. And no, not all bariatic doctors offices are considered centers of excellence. I live in a fairly large city and can think of three just off the top of my head that advertise and the one I go to is the only one in the city, and possibly in this part of my state that is a Center of Excellence. As I stated before, Medicare requires that I use one, and they were the only one I could go to even though my Internist was the one who referred me without knowing that.

Congratulations and welcome.

That site does not seem to have many that are banded with the plication. I think these are two different surgeries. Plication alone is closer to the sleeve than banded plication, which seems to be more associated with the banding. I think I will stay here and post after my Lap Band surgery with Plication next week.

I tried to edit my weight today but no amount of clicking on the edit button did anything.

My surgeon will not do a bypass on a smoker but will do a banding. He and I discussed my smoking and it is such a blessing to have someone who is kind and understanding. He said that after I am healed and on the way with my weight loss he will help me with stopping smoking. He said it was understandable that doing both of these major life changing things now would be too hard.

Thanks for the encouragement this thread is giving me. I will be banded next week and am looking forward and am hoping for a couple of pounds a week weightloss after the band. I am trying to be realistic with my goals.

I guess I am lucky. My preop diet is 4 protein shakes, sugar free jello and popsicles, 4 ounces of super lean meat, and all the green veggies I want to eat as long as there is no fat added to them, ie dressings, etc.

Tulip, I am having an overnight stay with the addition of the plication. With lap band only my doc does out patient, but plication gets an overnight. Started my preop diet today and had the manditory meeting yesterday with the hospital nurse and dietician. They answered a lot of questions and make me happy to be going to a center of excellence. All the information they give you reassures you and answers to questions you have is easy.

My lap band with plication is scheduled for Sept 14, 2011. I am on anitbiotics for H Pylori right now and and next week begin my 2 week pre diet for the surgery. I am nervously excited and glad to have found this forum.

I will be watching for reports from you on the surgery and the post op! And you can encourage me when I get nervous a few days before mine.