sman342

It's funny bc I don't feel any signs of having had surgery 2 weeks ago and so I failed to see that the healing is on the inside. Thanks for the reminder. I couldn't watch the operation on YouTube until after surgery and it made me want to be gentle on the pouch.

Thank you for sharing as you are right. I didnt take away that the first weeks are not to lose but to heal. Thanks!

Exactly what I needed. Thanks!

30 pounds since April - I think you are having very good results especially w/o a fill! Thanks for your post.

My guess is that the exclusion is "obesity related services" so fills are not likely to be covered. You can get the fill medical code from your DR and find out if insurance covers it. I think my fills will cost $150-200. I havent had one yet but am also a self pay. Insurance has covered my other visits but they weren't directly related to gastric banding (physician physical, psych eval).

Thanks Shauna. I appreciate the support.

I felt same way when I found that my new insurance didn't cover obesity related surgery. What a blow. I decided to pay for it myself. It's not cheap but neither is an overweight lifestyle either. My friend likened it to a nose job she had - you'll have this investment your whole life. But yet we pay for cars and housing and they have a "shelf life" but are much more expensive....one way to think/justify it!

What kind of hernia? I imagine this repair will compound recovery. However, I was surprised at the difficulty I had breathing after surgery. It hurt! My doc said that a liver retractor is used (that is the incision at 12 o'clcok) and that accounts for the difficulty on inhalation. I am 2 weeks out (surgery 6/14/12) and feeling MUCh better. I can bend over easily without surgical pain. No breathing issues after first week.

You most likely won't NEED that much time off. Take it if you want it. I'd save for something fun like a shopping trip when pounds start droppin' like their hot!!!

About that 16 pounds..... Congrats Ronnievee My 10 day/2 week was 12 pounds. I'm tickled. I haven't lost a pound in 4 days and I just started soft diet and getting what, maybe 800-900 calories? But I am going to tell you what I am telling myself..... The gastric band is not known for the rapid weight loss. The liquid diet is what made me lose 12 pounds in 2 weeks.

My nutitionist said that the gummies would not provide me enough of what I need post op. I did find a chewable formulated for band. Here's where I bought them on amazon. I bought my protein powder here too but my hospital pharmacy carried the powder (unjury) $4 cheaper. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003M6RWBO/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i01

Ronnie - I too thought the surgery was a going to be a slam dunk. I was surprised by incision site pain because I expected i'd be up and at 'em right away. I didn't tell anyone about my surgery, even my kids, so I was able to hide my discomfort. No gas pains either but my jaw killed because of way my head was tilted for intubation - I have small airway. I got banded on 6/14/2012 so I think we'll be seeing alot of each other on the boards.

Everything I have been told is to limit caffeine to 1 cup a day. You may have decaf. I stopped coffee just before my surgery. Went through a 2 day head ache and don't plan on returning to it. I used coffee (with way too much flavored cream) as a way not to eat Breakfast but just ended up eating more later. I am sure someone will post that they had adverse effects; someone else will say none - because it's a unique experience for every band patient.