vingotti33

Hey Vee, first off welcome to the group. I do not carry the type insurance that you have but it I would say it would only help you documenting everything. Chances are if that is what your insurance company wanted they probably would have told you. You just want to make sure that you do everything that will get you approved the first time.

I have this same insurance, I provided those docs. I am not sure if they are required or not. I would think your surgeons insurance specialist will know how to get things through. You could get the weight lose log together for the months provided. I am sure they can submit those. Ask your surgeons insurance specialist, they will know.

My recommendation to you is stay off the scale. Especially if you are weight training or building muscle. Muscle weighs more than fat, pay attention to how you look, feel, and inches. You may want to eliminate the pretzels and replace it with protein. You are only five weeks out so you are doing fine. Only hop on the scale when you go to the doctor. Don't be discouraged, stay focused.

I tell people to stay away from scales. Especially if you are weight training. Like Jenn said muscles weigh more than fat. So they scale may stay the same or creep up. Pay attention to how your clothes fit, how you feel, and how you look. Only hop on to the scale when you go to the doctor.

Eat protein, beef jerky or chicken. That will keep you full. You are allowed to eat, just make sure you primary source of food is good protein. I have found when I do that I feel fuller longer. Eating right is apart of weight loss. If you do not eat enough you will not lose. Everything will be fine, eat every three to four hours. Again making protein the primary source.

First off congratulations. make sure you walk daily as much possible. You will have gas pains but they will subside. Keep in mind that right now it is about healing, not about losing weight. I have read a lot of post of people upset with themselves because they are not dropped major weight. They are only a few weeks out of surgery. So make sure you focus on healing, the weight loss will come. Make sure you are getting you protein in and taking multivitamins. That is important to healing. Get you rest and do not lift anything. Most important, follow the rules your doctor has provided. Congratulations again, and welcome to the journey.

That is awesome! I hope that I can start hitting the gym again this week. I miss it, I think once I start doing that then my success will go through the roof.

Flex spending accounts are ridiculous @ times. Some times they make it extremely difficult to get your medical expenses paid for. Your surgeon's team should be able to assist you and make it happen. If you have a high BMI with other health issues it should be simple to retrieve that money. In fact I am not sure why you have to prove anything to them, it is a medical expense. Either way if you have these issues you should be fine. Try to ge things done ASAP, that way if they keep trying to stall you can get things done before the end of the year.

I got banded back on 12/22. I have not found any difficulty conforming to my band. I do not feel hungry within my next time to eat. I eat usually every three to four hours. I never feel like I am starving.

Ben I am the same height as you and when I started I was heavier than you. I chose to have the lapband done. Bypass will have a person lose the weight faster but the surgery is far more extreme. With the bypass/RNY they cut out half of your stomach and re-route your intestines. This can cause malnutrition. From my research I found that complications are more prone with bypass. Fatality rate is much higher as well. With the band it is work, but the band will assist you and aid you to success. It isn't a quick fix, you will have to be aware of the your food choices. Protein being the most important source. Definitely research your options, keep in mind the band is reversible where as once you do the bypass there is no turning back.

Good morning to all, I hope all is well. With my journey I have found out how my nutrition was all jacked up. I have faced the reality on how I got fat. I was eating crazy things, I was probably eating over 6,000 calories a day. I see how a Big Mac was over 2000 calories, through in a supersized fry and coke oooh wee. To think that was one meal. I had a thing for chicken wings and beer. I would crush several wings and chase it down with a couple of brews. Working out wasn't apart of the equation, I hadn't truly worked out since my college days. I have to believe that this journey has saved my life. Eating the way I was would have put me in an early grave.

B-52 yeah it sounds like we did the same things. I found myself eating on the run, it was easier to hit the drive thru! The worst part was the food isn't even good. Yet we shovel it down our throats! I love chicken and the sauces I put on my wings. Now I grill chicken breast and put a dab of sauce on it when in the mood for it. As far as fast food I steer clear from it. Like I said it isn't good anyway. I take the time to eat the right things!

That is great! I just got my first fill yesterday, I am hoping for the same results.

That is awesome! Keep up the great work!

Awesome!

Also from my research your BMI could be too high for lapband to work for you, which simply means you will have to lose some weight prior to surgery. You will lose weight with the liquid diet. Your length of time on the liquid diet will be based on how much weight your surgeon wants you to lose prior to surgery. Don't worry everything will work out.

RNY is more dangerous than lapband. My Godmother died because of complications with it. RNY takes less discipline, they cut out half of your stomach. You tend to lose weight faster but malnutrition is almost guaranteed. Some people do not want to do the work that comes with lapband, therefore they have negative things to say. My PCP seem to try to convince me of the RNY, obviously I declined. If lapband is what you want go for it. I had mine placed in and love it. I got my first fill yesterday. Be careful of who you take advice from. Some negativity can give you prospective and help you not fall for some of the same pitfalls. So embrace some of the negativity and make it your strengths. We are here for you.

Yes they sent me home with 5cc, I cannot remember how much it was originally filled to. Yeah watching the fill and seeing the liquid sitting there brought everything into prospective for me. I have done a ton of research, but yesterday I got the full understanding of how and why the band is successful. If a little bit of liquid can fill me up then I get how some protein and vegetables would, causing a person to eat less. I just hope I can eat enough to get my daily values in. I also understand why I have to be extremely selective on what I am eating. Instead of eating a bowl of cereal for breakfast I need to eat a egg to get the protein. Last night @ the grocery I bought and planned my meals around this concept.

I got my first fill today. My Dr took it five cc's. It was weird, I felt my band tighten as they filled it today. Then they had me drink this white liquid and I saw it going down. It was stuck and when they released some of the saline I saw the liquid start to go down. I heard it go down as well. That was a trip. Unfortunately I gained three pounds, I had a feeling I did. Well now it is back to business!

Congrats Jason, I made my decision and had my completed last Thursday. You will love this decision. We will be here to support you. Do a lot of research to familiarize yourself with everything. It put my mind @ ease. Also it will increase your success with the band. Start changing how you eat in drink now. That will make your liquid diet phase that much easier. Also start working out.

I do, you will have to most likely have complete a three month supervised diet. You will need to two years of medical history of your weight from your PCP. Having a high BMI and a co-morbidity will help with your insurance. Make sure that you choose a Doctor and staff that has a person that primary job is to work with insurance. That will be a huge asset.

It's official Peeps, I am in. I was banded today. After a night of not sleeping much I woke up @ 6 a..m and started getting ready.My wife and children accompanied me for the start of my journey. I must say they have been extremely supportive. Days where I wanted to cheat on my liquid diet they didn't let me do it. For the most part they have been really good with not eating great food in front of me. Although I must say they that they did me dirty one night crushing some Chipotle in front of me talking about how good it was. (What's up with that) OK I left my house @ 7:00 a.m., all kinds of thoughts were running through my head. My wife and I had the discussion of if I do not make it this what you need to do and what I want and don't want. We arrived @ 7:45 a.m. and I think I was third on the list. It was kind of cool to see people that I went to the seminars with as they were getting prepared for surgery. I could tell they were excited but nervous as well. We talked for a bit and gave each other encouraging words. Ok, so I made my way to my bed and went through the checklist. Let me say, the staff was excellent from top to bottom. So my nurse asked me a series of questions and then the fun started. We had a wonderful time trying to find a vein to put my IV in. My veins were hiding today. So they finally put my IV in my neck. I remember my family coming back and talking to me for a little bit and then there was a medical team surrounding me. I remember them telling me what was going to happen and the Anesthiaolgist telling me did I choose were I wanted to go on vacation because once the medicine kicks in I will be there. I said yes and they started the meds. I briefly remember starting to roll back to the OR next thing I remember I was waking up and the procedure was over. I came too and a nurse was there standing there welcoming me back. I must have been startled not realizing where I was, she handled me well. I asked her how things went and if I had any issues. She said no you were great. Next thing I know the nurse was feeding me some ice. Then another nurse asked if I felt like I could get up? I said yes and they helped me up to sit in a chair. I had wobbly legs lol! I sat there for about twenty minutes as they prepared me for discharge. I was back home around 12:30 p.m.! I had no pain, I felt great. My stomach felt weird, I guess it was from gas. I walked around to get some gas out my system. Then I took a nap. So far I have drunk some chicken broth and some Water. I haven't had any pain meds or any upset stomach medicine, I hear I will be in my most pain tomorrow and the day after. My stomach is swollen where my band is, I haven't been hungry, but my throat feels scratchy. Well I am ready to get going and lose more fat. So far I have lost thirty pounds. No turning back now, it's full steam ahead. I have made my mind up to change my lifestyle and get my extra sexy back. I look forward to taking this journey with you guys. We got this.

Congratulations, no you are not by yourself, we are here with you.

Thank you ladies! Shellie congratulations on your journey. I am very pleased with Dr. Curry and his staff. That has to be rough that the dietitian hasn't been obtainable for you. We need good dieticians to help us. I have been sore like I did 5000 sit ups. I get these extended hiccups that irritates my stomach. Overall though not too bad. I haven't been able to eat much or drink as much as I should. I plan on eating a little more and drinking more water today. Well Merry Christmas to everyone, have a safe holiday!

They will fall off eventually, It takes about fourteen days for your wounds to close (wife is a nurse). Pulling them off too early can cause your wounds to open.