faithmd

There is another restrictive procedure that has been used for a while and is growing in popularity (which is evident on obesityhelp): The Vertical Gastrectomy procedure (also called vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy, Greater Curvature Gastrectomy, Parietal Gastrectomy, Gastric Reduction and even Vertical Gastroplasty) is performed by approximately 15 surgeons worldwide (this number is probably no longer accurate, many MD's are learning and offering this surgery). The originally procedure, conceived by Dr. D Johnston in England, was called The Magenstrasse and Mill Operation. It generates weight loss by restricting the amount of food that can be eaten (removal of stomach or vertical gastrectomy) without any bypass of the intestines or malabsorption. The stomach pouch is usually made smaller than the pouch used in the Duodenal Switch.

Aha! Gastric banding truly can mean more than one thing. The LapBand is Adjustable Gastric Banding. I wonder if your insurance company is talking about Vertical Banded Gastroplasty, here's a breakdown on the two procedures: Purely restrictive operations for obesity include adjustable gastric banding (AGB) and vertical banded gastroplasty (VBG). Adjustable gastric banding. In this procedure, a hollow band made of silicone rubber is placed around the stomach near its upper end, creating a small pouch and a narrow passage into the rest of the stomach (figure 2). The band is then inflated with a salt solution through a tube that connects the band to an access port placed under the skin. It can be tightened or loosened over time to change the size of the passage by increasing or decreasing the amount of salt solution. Vertical banded gastroplasty. VBG uses both a band and staples to create a small stomach pouch, as illustrated in figure 3. Once the most common restrictive operation, VBG is not often used today.

LapBand is the name of a band that can be placed during gastric banding. There are other bands out there in the world, but in the US, the LapBand owned by Allergan is the only one that is currently FDA approved and being used. There are several varieties of LapBand and you can find that information on the Allergan site www.lapband.com

Here's the thread that tells you all about it: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/get-ticker-your-t16218.html

I would echo the walking, from all I read that helps the most. Gas-x and Tums are helpful when the gas works itself into the GI tract, but at first the pains are from the gas that is OUTSIDE of your intestines (where they insufflated you (puffed you up) with it to visualize your insides. For that gas, nothing you take will really help all that much, you have to get moving to get it out. And please follow your MD's diet, if you are not supposed to have full liquids or cream Soups yet, try to hold off. The Protein does certainly help a lot! Get some unflavored Protein powder like unjury (try GNC or google it) and add it to whatever your diet is. The extra protein should make you fuller longer.

You can also get Unjury protein powder that is unflavored, many people add it to their liquids, and into recipes, too.

Here's another list, some of these are duplicates of the one above, but others are not. This is a list I took to the information seminar with me and asked some selectively: PROCEDURE How many lapbands has the surgeon performed? What types of complications have you personally ran into doing this procedure? What is your policy when a complication occurs during a procedure? What kind of band will be used? What size? Are you Inamed approved for the procedure? If not then who qualified you to perform the procedure and can you have literature to verify this? What are the chances of infection? Does an occurrence of infection always mean the band must be removed? How often do your patients need their band removed (or any other additional surgical procedures)? Since I carry a lot of weight in my abdomen, does that increase the complexity or risk of complications with a laparoscopic procedure? Does my abdominal fat increase my chance of needing fat pads removed from my stomach? Does that have any risks associated with it? What are the chances I will need my gall bladder removed? Is there anything I can do dietary-wise to reduce the risk of gall stones? Are sutures always used to place the band? Is there any complications that arise from the "stomach wrap" around the band? Is it true that the sutures are permanent and do not dissolve? AFTER CARE / RECOVERY What should I expect during the recovery period? What is normal? What kinds of self-care could I be doing to help my recovery? Will my activities be limited during the recovery period? If so, which activities and for how long? When can I return to work? What help might I need while I recover? (driving, lifting, etc.) What symptoms should you call a doctor about? How will I take my birth control pills and HTN pills? Are they crushable? What programs do you have pre- and post- surgery to help me succeed? How much support do you provide during the insurance approval process? FILLS What is your fill schedule? When can I get my first fill? How is the fill procedure performed? (ie: with or without fluroscopy) What is the cost for fills? (under fluro and not) How often will I need to be seen? Will I have access to a Nutritionist? How do you handle unfills? Is there a direct line in case of Emergencies? Does your doctor have email address? What Vitamins should I be taking? Will I need to crush my pills? If so then for how long? Are there any pills that cannot be crushed? If so then how will I be able to take them? PREGNANCY Once pregnant, will I have to get a partial unfill or be completely unfilled? Should I expect any issues/complications with a pregnancy after being banded? If there are any what could they be and how will they be addressed? After being banded, are most babies delivered via c-section or can they be delivered naturally? If my baby needs to be delivered via c-section could that damage the port and tubing? Are there additional vitamins I should take while pregnant?

A kind soul sent me a list of questions, and I've taken them and added a few and tweaked the list, here it is: Questions to ask during consultation: 2) Research the doctor. What kind of follow up care is provided? (ie: fills, unfills, endoscopies, fluroscopies, port revisions, removal, etc). Ask to speak to about 5 or 6 of his patients before you make a decision. Ask those people if they have any complaints or issues with their care before, during and after the procedure. How many of the procedures has he done? What types of complications can occur from this procedure and how frequently do they happen? (ie: perforations, etc) What types of complications has he personally ran into doing this procedure? What is his policy when a complication occurs during a procedure? (ie: does he discuss options with family or immediately convert to bypass or other WLS). Is he Inamed approved for the procedure? If not then who qualified him to perform the procedure and can you have literature to verify this? 3) Research the procedure. How is the procedure performed? Will you use the Pars Flaccida approach? What type of sutures do you use? Can I request glue and not staples? Will I have a catheter placed? If I am on my menses, can I wear a tampon? What will I need to have prepared when I get home in way of food items? What are the short term issues? What are the long term issues? How will I be able to take my pills? Will you write today for liquid pain meds? Do you want me to take antibiotics post-op? If so, will you write for Diflucan? 4) Follow up care. What is the schedule for fills? When can I get my first fill? How is the fill procedure performed? (ie: with or without fluroscopy) What is the cost for fills? (under fluro and not) How often will I need to be seen? Will I have access to a Nutritionist? How do you handle unfills? Is there a direct line in case of Emergencies? Does your doctor have email address? Should I continue to take Metformin? What Vitamins should I be taking? Will I need to crush my pills? If so then for how long? Are there any pills that cannot be crushed? If so then how will I be able to take them?

Welcome, Brennars!!! I love your homeland! DH and I plan to retire there, or move before retirement if we can afford it. We love it in Ireland! Congrats on your decision to be banded, I can't wait to get mine. Here's a link to a forum that has many threads to help you: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/lap-band-faqs-f73.html You'lll find a lot of frequently asked questions as well as a thread about what to as your surgeon. Good luck!

Hello aprilmarie and congrats on your band!! It is fascinating how many doctors are soooo different in their pre-op and post-op plans. But they all have their beliefs, I guess. Yes, the psych and all the other stuff lots of us have had to do is because of insurance. The hoops you have to jump through are insane! You asked how to put the ticker in your posts, here's a link to a thread that explains it pretty well: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/get-ticker-your-t16218.html

Excellent! Glad to hear it all went well! Teachlady, you're in the home stretch!

Hi Monkey and welcome! Use the search function found on the blue bar in the top 1/3 of the page and you'll find TONS of threads about the return to work question. It seems to be different for everyone, reading through som other threads might give you an idea of what different people have done. Here is a link to a thread that also has a Poll on it, pretty cool! http://www.lapbandtalk.com/soon-after-surgery-t31539.html?t=31539

Very interesting, Dr. C!

And here's a list I made for myself (I gathered it from digging through posts here and on other sites): Pre-op to do: Insurance approval Mark stomach/abdomen using Sharpie with “Lap Band” and where waistband/bra sit so surgeon knows. Pics just before surgery, clothed and nekkid (choose one outfit to wear for each picture along journey-maybe buy couple sizes of same items) • Check with Pharmacy if your medications are “crushable” (able to be crushed without causing problem with effectiveness). • Get rid of all the foods in the house you are not able to eat, before you go to the hospital. • Buy all the groceries you will need for at least 2 weeks after surgery. • Catch up on your laundry and housecleaning. • Make arrangements for someone else to prepare family meals – You may not feel like cooking for some time. Buy a Magic Bullet/blender Buy a scale (food and weight) Shopping list:Checklist FOOD For fluid stage: • Bottled water – plain or flavored, some like Propel or Fruit20 • Popsicles (sugar-free as needed) • Crystal Light • Crystal Light “On the GO” in different flavors - add to bottled water • Jello (sugar-free) • Gatorade • Bouillon or chicken/beef/veggie broths Protein Boullion (Better Than Boullion-“BTB” @Krogers with Knorr soups) • Ensure, Boost, Glucerna - or whatever protein drink the Dietitian asked you to drink based on your history* • Protein powder for shakes* • Frozen fruits for protein shakes • Clear soups • Decaf tea Baby juices, esp apple/prune • Hot cocoa mix (sugar-free) Egg drop soup Silk soy milk Butterball broth For creamy stage: • Cream of Wheat • Creamy soups (Campbell’s Gold soups are really good) • Applesauce Baby food (Target and Walmart have best prices) • Yogurt - Dannon Lite N' Fit • "Imagine" Soups - in cartons (Potato Leek, Butternut, Squash, Corn, Creamy Tomato....and more. They are considerably lower in sodium than Campbell’s soups.) • Soup-at-Hand soups • Small pudding cups (sugar- and fat-free) - Take a spoonful to get meds to slide down easier •Sugar-free gum (ask your doctor) •Sugar-free breath mints (Ask your doctor) *Make sure to taste each item before you buy them in bulk For Mushies stage: Ricotta cheese with marinara sauce (baked) Check recipes forum on LBT DRUGSTORE • Liquid medications Tylenol (adult strength) (Walmart best price) Pain medications-get surgeon to write for before your surgery! Gas-X Strips! (Target and Walmart best prices) Milk of Magnesia or colace for constipation from drugs You will want these meds right away when you come home. It can be very difficult to find them in a liquid form. Check with the pharmacy beforehand to see if they stock them or how far in advance you will need to order them. At your preop visit (or earlier if needed), ask the doctor for prescriptions so that you will have them ready when you return home. • Chewable vitamins • Stool softener • Antihistamine cream (Do not put directly on incision), neosporin • Heating pad • Flexible ice pack • Pill cutter and pill crusher Sippy cup Gauze pads 4x4 • Non-irritating tape, such as paper tape • Kitchen timer – for 15 minute sip intervals for the first few days • Blender (magic bullet is only 225watt, Back To Basics Personl Blender Express at Walmart.com is 350W) • Wet Wipes or “adult baby wipes” like Cottonelle • Toilet tongs (long barbeque tongs) – Use if you are just too sore after the surgery to reach around and wipe your “behind”. Just wrap the wipes around the end to get an additional few inches so you don’t have to contort yourself. Medicine cups Nioxin or other hair shampoo Foodsaver (tilia, etc…) OTHER THINGS TO MAKE YOU COMFORTABLE • A few books or movies • Comfy clothes, such as loose-waisted shorts • Slip-on shoes • Squishy pillow for car ride -to cushion seatbuilt • For women, a sports bra – “doc said no underwire for a few days” Small cocktail forks and tiny spoons; small plates and bowls, try children’s size stuff Get some 3-40z rubbermaid containers

You'll find it in LapBand FAQs and References: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/lap-band-faqs-f73.html

You probably haven't done any damage (from what I've read on here), but try to get back on the wagon (so to speak) if you can until you hear from your nutritionist. You really do want to keep your stomach from trying to digest food. The "waves" the muscular stomach makes while digesting can cause stress on the sutures. Remember the lower part of your stomach is sutured up and over your band to hold it in place. the more the muscle contracts and moves around, the harder it is for sutures to "set" or heal in a moist environment. For a GREAT video of the band being placed (it helps to see it, that way you know exactly what's in there and how it's situated), check out: http://www.or-live.com/tgh/1593/ These guys really explain everything that's going on and why. Pretty cool webcast, IMHO. Don't beat yourself up, just shake it off and pick up where you were. And call that PITA nutritionist again tomorrow.

Rh incompatability isn't likely the reason for this one with those types. As I said earlier, it is very very often that we never know why this happens. I wish we did, I really do. I know that doesn't help a lot right now, you want to know why, you feel that you need to know why, but it just happens. It just does. Your partner needs some time too, unfortunately it is right when you need his support the very most. I wish we could all be there for you to give you a huge hug. It will be alright, it will take time. You have to take care of you. If he isn't coming around and is still treating you badly, seek some help. Counseling may be a very good idea if things don't settle down in time. Check out the site I put up the link for, it may help to talk to others who have been through a loss and had their partner react in a similar way.

Call the hospital, get an itemized bill, then call the insurance company and go over it. I was inpatient this summer for three days with a heart condition, had a Cardiac Cath, a Cardiac MRI and an ER visit and it only cost $30,000

Eficka mentioned that her scars are very red because she didn't know about it before she went on Holiday and exposed them to sunlight. Definitely cover them up!

Phatty, I am so sorry for your and your partner's loss. Losing a baby, no matter if you are in the first month, or the ninth month is very difficult. It is not the fault of the band. He is grieving as are you, and one of the stages in that grief is anger. You are both going through a tough time and need a chance to heal. The honest answer is that in most cases we do NOT know why women miscarry. It just happens, and I have to trust that it happens for a reason. I work in Neonatology (we take care of extremely sick and premature babies) and I can tell you from many years of experience, you can do EVERYTHING by the book, eat right, exercise right, avoid smoking, avoid alcohol, take no medications, and still have problems. You did not cause this intentionally. I do hope things get better for you, there are many loss groups out there, when you feel up to it you might want to look into them. Here's a link to one that has been around for a very long time, I hope that this helps in some way: http://www.nationalshareoffice.com/

Here's a link to a list of abbreviations and what they mean, it will help! http://www.lapbandtalk.com/abbreviations-and-they-t7959.html Welcome!!

Hello and welcome! No one will know for SURE about what your policy covers but your insurer. You need to give them a call and ask. Someone else could also have Aetna PPO but may have different riders on their policy than you do. The safest and best thing to do is give Aetna a call first thing tomorrow. Whatever they tell you, have them mail you a copy. You might need it later. I have read so many posts here and other places where people chimed in that they had the same insurance and it was covered, only to have the OP come back and say their policy had an exclusion for bariatric surgery, or for the band.

There sure was , the search function is a great thing, here's a link to the thread: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/long-your-hospital-t31338.html?t=31338

There are a few really great books out there, and here's a link to a pretty good site: http://www.glycemicindex.com/

What a cool thing your place of business has, I'd love to have a shopping opportunity like that! (We have the occasional book sale, jewelry sale, or scrub sale, but that's about it.) I have a bunch of those regular mouth mason jars in tons of different sizes (we used to can a lot). I'll have to buy a blender with twist off blades, but I need a new one, anyway. I have my parent's first blender in my cabinet (from 1963). I think it's time for an upgrade. Thanks!!!