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I would think you would be okay if you selected a 100% whey Protein powder, since whey is made from dairy products. Of course, read the label carefully and all that jazz...

I was under the impression that the purpose of the pre-op (liquid) diet was to shrink the liver so it's easier to lift up out of the way during the procedure. Perhaps your surgeon feels your 63 pound weight loss has shrunk your liver for you already? Congrats on your pre-op weight loss, btw. That's impressive. Best of luck with your surgery.

I paid for a band out of pocket over ten years ago. It functioned for ... three or four months. That's it. No restriction at all after that. I have confirmation that my band is defective (it "balloons" up on one side when filled rather than equally around the stomach), but as a self-pay there wasn't much I could do about it because I had spent all the money I had on getting the band. Now I'm hoping to be able to do a revision to the sleeve in one procedure. I may need two procedures (one to take the band out, another for the sleeve). As a self-pay this is all very frustrating. Do your research. There are people that are very happy with the band, but there are lots that are not. In the end, it's your decision. Whatever you decide, just make sure you are fully educated and you know what awaits you.

Yeah, my surgeons do "the Rose procedure" where they go down your throat and make the pouch smaller. It sounds like something that would be a better option for people who have an RNY pouch that has stretched. Of course, Carnie is being paid by the lap band folks, so that may have swayed her decision.

Yeah, as long as you're being monitored, that sounds like a nice comprehensive mix of Vitamins. I know my surgeon says they check vitamins at the three-month mark, and then again every year during the yearly exam. I would assume any problems would show up if you are being tested appropriately.

Unbelievable. They aren't even trying to make it seem legal by claiming obese workers can't manuever or cost more in healthcare, etc. Just plain and simple ... they don't like the way they look. And I am so sick and tired of the falsity that gets repeated everywhere that says that obese people miss more work. I honestly don't think it's true. I haven't taken a sick day in over 12 months.

ABC News recently did a story about WLS as a method to control diabetes, and they concentrated on RNY patients. One of the things they are studying is why Type 2 diabetes seems to go into remission for a lot of patients within weeks after surgery...even before the patients have lost a significant amount of weight. There are some studies that indicate that there may be hormonal changes that occur in the intestines during the "rerouting" portion of the RNY procedure that may contribute to this remission, which may be why your doctor is recommending that procedure. From what I've seen, though, there are massive improvements in diabetes from the sleeve as well. This article talks a bit more about it, and specifically mentions some studies that looked at both RNY and Sleeve patients: http://www.firstword...015E7AA2834143E I don't currently have diabetes, so it really wasn't a factor in my decision, but I'm sure there are some board members who can give you some hands-on advice.

It's certainly a personal decision, but I've decided to be totally open about it. Basically, when I thought about it, it occurred to me that this surgery isn't something to feel ashamed about, so I'm going to treat it the same way I would treat getting shots in my knees or going to my yearly physical...pretty matter of factly.

Do any of your Protein drinks contain sugar alcohols like Maltitol? Or sucralose? Some people are sensitive to sugar alcohols and have bowel issues. If so, you might try experimenting with a product that has no sugar alcohols and see if it makes a difference. \ I hope you find relief soon.

I'm not sure how large your Mom's company is, but most companies would be required to offer COBRA coverage after an employee is let go. Basically, that means your mother would have the option to continue her current insurance for a period of up to 18 months, however she would have to pay the full premium cost. In other words, assuming your mother wants to keep her insurance (which I assume most people do until they find other work), she will be able to continue under her current plan. It will be waaaay more expensive to pay the premiums, but a lot less than paying for the surgery out of pocket.

Oh, I'm interested to hear how that goes. My doctor is saying I need to have an IVC filter as well, and the hematologist says it needs to come out no later than six weeks out of surgery. I have no idea what the procedure it like (or how much it's going to cost me...yikes).

Ugh, Protein bullets can be nasty. I've already tried a bunch of flavors in preparation for the surgery. So far the "clear Niagra grape" and "blue raspberry" from Proasis are the best tasting that I've found. Of course, that's a relative term. They're tiny (2.9 ounces) and have 25 grams of protein (not 50 like the ones you have). I have to ice them completely down, and sometimes I'll add a wee bit of Water to make them more palatable, but I can get them down. I hope you find something you can stomach very soon.

I don't really see how that is possible, as the procedure is very new in the bariatric weight loss world, and hasn't been done very much on bariatric patients prior to 2006 or so. Other's comments about the surgery being used for years on stomach cancer patients makes perfect sense. If there were massive, long-term effects we should know about them. I know that when I first saw my bariatric surgeon a year and a half or so ago (when I was trying to "save" my lap band) he initially suggested the RNY due to my weight. When I went back ready for the surgery this time around, he suggested the sleeve. I asked what the difference was, and he said that now that they have three or four years of data on their patients, they were seeing excellent results (comprable to RNY) without much in the way of long-term problems and they think it will be the gold standard. I'm sold.

I self-paid for a lap band out of state ten years ago. I lost thirty pounds in four months, and then I had a weird fill and had no restriction. This led to a year of me getting fill after fill after fill--while I was insisting I had no restriction-- and basically being ignored by my surgeon who was saying everything was fine. Grr. For about eight years I kept that weight off, but lost nothing else and had no restriction. When both my knees went out and I was diagnosed with arthritis and my mobility went down the crapper, I started putting on weight again. I finally made an appointment with the surgeon here, hoping that maybe he could figure out how to get my band working. Unfortunately they did some tests and confirmed my band was completely defective and they couldn't get it to work. He suggested I have it removed and either replace it or do a different surgery. As a self-pay patient, though, I decided that I couldn't afford it at that time. A year later and now not only am I gaining weight, but I am breathless walking across the room because I'm so sedentary with my knees. Enough. One home equity loan later....here I am, praying that when I get my date and have my surgery that everything goes smoothly, because this is taking my last thin dime. lol.

It would depend on your policy, I suppose. You may need to get it out and dig through it. If you've met $200 of your $500 deductible, that would mean you have $300 of your deductible remaining, which you will definitely have to pay. The question is whether you have an 80/20 plan or something like that. If you do, the insurance will pay 80% of the surgery costs and you will be responsible for 20% of the rest, up to a specific out-of-pocket maximum. It's possible you just have 100% coverage in which case...woo hoo!

When I had my lap band I was told to pack items for my "monthly" as surgery/anesthesia will often cause an early appearance. And sure enough, the day after my surgery I got my period. I'm not sure about the heavy nature of your period, though. I wouldn't think they could have done anything to your uterus during surgery ( ), but if you're concerned, it probably can't hurt to call your doctor and just ask if this is normal.

You need to find some Protein sources you can tolerate. You don't have to love them or enjoy them, but you need to be able to get them down. I can't imagine that long-term you can continue to eat 300 calories a day with almost no protein and not become very, very sick.

I think mine will be in May. I'm self-pay, and I'll get my date after my psych eval at some point, which is on April 13th. Sooooo...I'm guessing May. I hope.

I'm self-pay, but I would say if you have the option of having the surgery through your insurance, I'd grab it, even if it's a bit more. The advantage is that if there are any complications, these charges would be covered by your insurance as well. I've got the money set aside for my surgery, but if anything goes wrong... I'm going to be in big trouble because my insurance will pay nothing on anything that arises from the surgery since it's not covered.

I haven't had the sleeve, but I do have a band, and we get the slimes, too. Basically, your stomach is full (or in the case of bands, sometimes you are blocked), and there's no place for your saliva to go so it starts sitting on top of the food and backing up into your esophogus. Eventually you have to PB it up (productive burp...lol). It's not pleasant, and probably is an indication you're not chewing carefully enough, or you're eating too much.

That is really smart. I might do something similar. I know when I did my pre op liquid diet for my lap band (I'm getting a revision) I had massive headaches and felt awful for the first few days. Getting rid of sugar, caffeine, etc. first should make for a smoother transition.

Are you on a plan that pays 80/20? If so, it's possible they're making you come up with the 20% you'll owe after insurance pays before you have the surgery. I think if that's the case you should have been informed right from the get-go so you had time to get the money together, but I don't know. I'm self-pay and I know they won't even schedule my surgery date without the money in hand. Greedy folks!

You must be just like me! The second I decided in my head that I was definitely having the surgery, I went a bit bonkers and was freaking out and very frightened I wouldn't survive the surgery, etc. I have found that the more I educate myself, the more I read, the more questions I ask...the better I am. As I've had my pre-op appointments (I've seen a hematologist and had my legs ultrasounded because of blood clots running in my family) and as those appointments go smoothly, I'm getting more confident. I still have my moments, but they are less frequent and I'm getting more and more excited and want my surgery date now.

I'm originally from Greenville, but I've lived in Columbia for about ten years now.

Thanks for the info! It was something nagging at me. Good to know.