faithmd

A link to TerriDoodle's poll, it was VERY informative! http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f17/would-you-do-again-30418/

I'm not sure why it would be difficult to hunt after banding? I'll let you know for sure after deer season ends this year, but so far, no problems. Even if you are not eating loads of calories, your body has plenty of stored fuel (fat) it can burn for your energy. I just take some nuts, Water, the obligatory beer, and granola with me.

I felt the same thing for about 5-6 weeks post-op. Can be totally normal.

I would add that I would not suggest you closing the incision itself back up with anything until a doc looks at it. It obviously needs to drain. I like the suggestion of gauze on it. I would not leave it completely open to air. That allows things to get in that you may not want in there.

I will chime in and say that the hallmarks of infection are heat, redness, swelling, soreness, cloudy or greenish and/or very foul-smelling discharge, fever. But at 12+ days post-op I would be in my PCP's office having it looked at at the very least. If your surgeon can't look at it for some reason, your PCP should. Possibly it is a seroma (did I mention this in response to you on another thread-I can't remember), which does happen to us frequently. Treatment for seromas is to let it drain. Many docs suggest warm compresses on the area a few times a day as well. I think the most important thing is to get one of your MD's to look at it. It may need to be cultured, maybe not. But go to your doctor, and then update us, okay?

Hope all is going well in the OR, Diane! Can't wait to hear how it went.

If you are not supposed to be eating mushies yet, do NOT eat some because someone here said to, please! You absolutely need to call your doctor ASAP and let them know what is going on. Stress to them you cannot keep Water down! How many times a day do you urinate and what does it look like? If it is dark amber in color you are definitely way dehydrated. Please don't take advice here as medical advice. As another poster said what is happening to you is not what is the norm, but it does happen. And when it does, those folks need to see their surgeon or an ER. BTW, mushy food will not rehydrate you. If you have slipped or are too swollen still (perhaps the small band was placed and you were on the edge of needing the larger one), then food isn't going to help. Please keep us updated.

Oh man! Two MONTHS on liquids? Seems over the top, but did you have any other problems? I would definitely ask the dietician. Is the dietician one that works specifically for a bariatric surgeon and one that does lots of bands? Take care and CONGRATS on losing a great amount of weight already, woohoo!!!! Chin up, you'll eat soon. You can do this liquid thing, it's not going to be forever (though I know it seems like it now, huh?). We wait with baited breath for updates!

There are many, some people like different ones for different reasons. I have stuck with fitday.com because that's what I started with but you have to put a lot in as a custom food.... Sparkpeople.com is another one lots of people like, there is also calorieking.com. I'll have to check out my-calorie-counter, too!

I did the same thing, I did not choose two surgeons because they both charged a "program fee" or a "mandatory support group fee." And 16,000-22,000 is a LOT for private pay for a surgery. I know many folks pay it, but nowadays you can find a quality surgeon that will charge a lot less. BTW, if you are having insurance pay, but have a 10% co-pay, please confirm with the hospital billing office and the surgeon's office what the total bill will come to. If your surgeon's office offers self-pay at say $17,000, but you are insurance pay, I can GUARANTEE that what your surgeon bills the insurance is NOT 17,000. It is MUCH more than that. So beware basing your figures for your 10% co-pay on the private pay price. Very important to find this all out ahead of time before you get your hopes up and a date set.

See why I said to be firm about NO residents? They are fine to do the consult with, because the attending (Kuzon) came in and corrected their error. You have be firm until you go to sleep on the table. When you get the scheduling call, make sure to say that you want it noted on your chart, "No residents, prefer no fellows, ATTENDING ONLY." When you sign your consent, read it carefully (I'll try to get you a copy of one if I have them in my area) and if it mentions teaching institution, write in the margin "no residents to perform any surgery, attending only" and initial it. Then when they call you or come see you at your bedside in the pre-op holding room, make sure you again mention no residents. It is fine to have a resident remove your bandages, and be the person who reviews your labs and stuff like that, it's okay for them to do the care while you are in the hospital. If I were having an appendectomy, I'd be fine with a resident assisting. But not for something like PS. I know they have to learn somewhere at sometime, but not on me. Let them learn tummy tuck and breat lift/augmentation on someone who has not lost a ton of weight. Their skin is easier to work with than mine. I want the guy (like Kuzon) who has done it loads of times. They can watch him and learn, but hands off. I have an appt Friday with the orthopedic surgeons to have a cyst on the top of my foot taken off. If it is just to be aspirated (needled) then I am fine with a resident doing it. But if they'll open my foot, I at least want a fellow. (Fellows are folks who are past residency-though residents *are* MD's, they are training in a general area that they want to practice, such as surgery. Fellows have completed a residency already and are training more specifically for a couple of years in the specialty area they want to enter. Such as plastic surgery, or thoracic surgery or cardiac surgery, etc.) I'm glad to hear Kuzon say you don't need the anchor incision. But if you did, so be it, I'm sure he'd make it pretty as all get out. After all, he has done some seriously delicate work and made it look verrry good. Sorry about yesterday, spend many hours with the MIL. Take care and I'll keep checking this thread often!

I'd like to add to not only go to your doctor, but do it MONTHLY. EVERY month, do NOT miss a month. Make sure you discuss weight loss and what you are doing to try to lose weight. Some insurances will NOT accept a letter from your doctor regarding weight loss and attempts, they will only accept office notes and your attempts must be documented in each visit note. You may not need that, but please dot your i's and cross your t's just in case.

You know, at almost 40 I should really cut my butt-length hair. But I just CAN'TTTTT WAAAAAA Anyone got cheese to go with my whine? When I drop into the low 200's I will consider cutting it. Im just too heavy now, it's my security blanket. And I'm sure I'd look loads better with it shorter, but I just can't do it. Of course if I lose more and more, I'll be forced to because I do want to have enough left to donate once I do cut it.

I don't think she's the police of LBT, but she does have a good point. I understand the OP is frustrated. I'm sure we all do, when you want a band, you want it now. It is very unfortunate when you get caught in the middle of new office policies and then something happens like the OM saying the OP didn't pay her bills. It would make me MAD and frustrated, too. But this has been posted once (I think actually a couple times) already and has received a response. When you've been here a while, you realize most people read threads by clicking on new posts and then all the threads come up, stuff doesn't get missed by most folks. Multiple threads really do not need to be started. And honestly, what can we do about what has happened? Not a thing, though I really wish I could. I understand the need to vent. I do it too, but she had vented already. This truly does seem almost slamming of the doc (which I understand she may want to de based on what happened). The flip side is that if you are responsible for any portion of the fee, you should darned well know to check on how much is due, and check often to see when it is due. And then get it in writing, or at least write down the name and date of the conversation in your notes. Again, I wish the OP luck and hope she can soon join us in BandLand.

:clap2::clap2::clap2::clap2: I am also sorry you have been caught in the middle of this new situation, but you are just simply stuck. Move on from here and do what you have to to get the band. I had to (chose to so insurance would pay, that is) wait 15 months to jump through insurance hoops. Good luck, really!

Go into User CP, then Edit Options in the left menu, then about 1/3 way down the page is a pull down box, you want it to say No Email Notifications. That way no NEW threads will ever email you again. You have to also go do what WASaBB said to all the threads you currently are on.

I haven't had any issues. Oh, other than editing being a pain in the butt ever since Alex made the last set of changes. So I just learned to right click and copy the entire post I wanted to change, then go into edit, delete all of the smilie faces/etc. and then paste in the text and then edit it.

Is it just me, or does everyone no longer see the ads on the sides of the pages? Maybe DH installed some browser updates... Thanks!!

Advanced Platform AP There are a few threads around about it, use the search feature and look for advanced or platform. Or both. I think AP is too short for the search to work.

And you had to find out about it somehow, too. Well, hopefully skmsu will pop in.

Prettyred: :welcomeB: to LBT!!! I know you haven't been here long, but there are many many threads dedicated to this topic. In one of the other ones I mentioned that I have had all my three month labs done and eight vials of blood later I have NO deficiencies. Nothing even low normal. My protein and prealbumin are great, all my B Vitamins are good D is good, all my lytes are great, hormones levels are excellent... Some people just lose hair with weight loss. Lots lose it after anesthesia. It happens, I just want it to grow back! Which in my case won't help much since my red hair is past my waist. I'll have stubby fly-aways for ages...

D'Oh! Guess my heads not on right!!! October 2006 Guess that's a year ago, it's 07 now, huh? :faint:

I'm very pleased with it, some of the bandsters here have had the previous band and been rebanded after slip or erosion with the AP and from what I've read from them, they notice a better restriction earlier on. I postponed my OR until my doc got it. Then I wrote on my stomach in huge black sharpie industrial marker "AP Only!!!"

Just making sure, this thread is in R-n-R, right? Good, so we're ready for the dr*ma. Nancy B:dunno, looks like skmsu recently joined here. Hopefully she'll be back and can explain...

Benson, I posted the following response to this question on your other thread as well, but I just found this one so I will post it here, too: Well, what do you think happens when you lose weight? Your skin is loose. A few people do not need plastic surgery. But then again, you do not HAVE to have PS, you can just wear girdles if need be. There is no way to tighten SKIN. You can tighten underlying muscle with exercise, and that may make skin look better. Some people gained their weight evenly all over their bodies and didn't stretch their skin too much in one area. No one can predict what will happen after you have lost the weight. I know I will need PS, no way to avoid it with 200lbs to lose. With a BMI of 38, you might not need much, but only time will tell. But you know what? I'm not going to worry about that now. What's the point? Would I stay fat just to avoid possible PS? That would be idiotic. I have already told myself that when I get within about 40 lbs of whatever goal I decide, I have to be there for at least one year before I get PS. I want to see what my body will do on it's own. Then that gives me a year to investigate surgeons and save money. Just work on the now. The Band is the first step in a long journey.