princess_sophie

<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5Clbenton%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtml1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:UseFELayout/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"MS Mincho"; panose-1:2 2 6 9 4 2 5 8 3 4; mso-font-alt:"Arial Unicode MS"; mso-font-charset:128; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-format:other; mso-font-pitch:fixed; mso-font-signature:1 134676480 16 0 131072 0;} @font-face {font-family:"@MS Mincho"; panose-1:0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-charset:128; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-format:other; mso-font-pitch:fixed; mso-font-signature:1 134676480 16 0 131072 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"MS Mincho";} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--> Does anyone know how long the lap band is supposed to last? I know technically it is supposed to be permanent, but I also know that they are sometimes removed due to complications or the patient just not being able to tolerate the band. Have there been studies on the percentage of bands that are removed? Does anyone know where I can research this? <o:p> </o:p> I’m scheduled for Dec. 19^th, and I will be self-pay. I always knew that if something went wrong that I could have it removed, but I didn’t count on it costing the same to have it removed that it did to have it put in. If the chance that it will have to be removed one day is high, than I just don’t know if I can take that kind of financial risk. I had accepted the fact that I would have to pay for it and that my health is worth it, but the possiblity of having to pay the same amount to have it removed 5 or 6 years down the road feels incredibly scary. <o:p> </o:p> If anyone can tell me where I can research the rate of removal, I would really appreciate it. I'm going to post this in the complications board too. <o:p> </o:p> Thanks, PS

thanks everyone for your input, it really helped give me an idea of what I need to do. girlie2shooz ....the marble gave me the visual I was looking for.

Thanks Losingjusme.

This may be a stupid question, but I'm having a really hard time understanding the difference between all of the food stages. I'm not banded yet, so I don't have my instructions from the surgeon. Maybe after I have my pre-op nutrition class I will understand more. I read a lot of posts from people saying they are on Clear liquids but they are allowed to drink protien drinks. A protien drink doesn't sound like a clear liquid to me. Or their on full liquids but are allowed to eat cottage cheese or yogurt, or something like that. Or someone will say they are on liquids for x amount of days. Is that clear or full or both? Can someone explain the difference between: a clear liquid and a full liquid? A full liquid and pureed food? Pureed food and mushies? Mushies and soft foods? They seem to overlap somewhat. I would just like to fully understand what the different stages are so I know what to eat and what not to eat when the time comes. I've been reading all of the posts about how important it is to stick to the pre-op diet and I want to make sure that I do. Thanks, PS

I'm not banded yet and I will be self-pay. If I have my surgery at the hospital it is 17,500 and if I have it at the surgery center it is 14,000. My surgeon still requires a psych eval, a nutrition/exercise class, an addiction class, a body image class and then a pre-op surgery nutrition class. I think it's really great that he requires this and I understand why he requires it. But I've been dealing with my eating issues most of my life too, with therapy, support groups, programs, retreats, self-help books, books about nutrtion and addiction, diets, etc. My therapist could probably fill out the MPPI test for me. Because of my years dealing with my eating issues, I don't expect to learn much from all of these classes or the psych eval. I've already been to the nutrition/exercise class and I didn't learn anything I didn't already know. But like I said, I think it's a really good idea that my surgeon requires this, because there are alot of people who don't know this stuff. Even though I know all of this stuff and that the changes I'm going to have to make after being banded are going to be hard, I will probably still cry sometimes when I can't eat like I want to. Just because I understand something intellectually, doesn't mean that dealing with the emotional side of it is easy. When something happens that upsets me, I turn to food and stuff all of my feelings down and numb myself. When I can't do that any more I'm going to have to deal with all of those feelings. I rarely feel any of my feelings now because I eat so much, so when I'm not able to numb myself with food, my feelings may be very intense sometimes, until I get used to it. Not everyone will have the same reaction that I do to not being able to eat, and who knows, maybe I won't either. I won't know until I go through it. PS

I'm not banded yet and I keep reading how after banding you have to take small bites and chew, chew, chew. The chewing I understand... chew 20 - 30 times until it's the consistency of mush or applesauce, but I need a visual for the samll bite. What does a small bite look like? For example a 4oz serving of meat is the size of a deck of cards, or 1/2 cup of rice is the size of a tennis ball. Thanks, PS

Hi Jfran, I met you at Dr. Ray's about a month ago. It was really nice meeting you. I'm glad you're feeling better and by getting an unfill resolved your pain. It's also really nice to know that Dr. Ray met you at the ER and was so helpful. It makes me feel more comfortable having him do my surgery. I hope you're still feeling better and that you don't have to go through anything like that again. I can only imagine how scary that would be. I hope to see you soon, either at the support group or maybe I will run into you at Dr. Ray's again. PS

I have a serious emotional eating/food addiction too. I'm not yet banded, but I worry about being able to control my food addiction after I am banded. I've tried everything, all kinds of programs, therapy, self help books and the only program that has come close is called The Solution by Laurel Mellin. My problem is the catch 22 in that it's hard to deal with the emotional side of eating while still eating, because I eat so much that I'm emotionally numb and disconnected, and it's hard to give up "eating" (meaning eating in a way that I'm using food as my drug), so that I can gain the emotional skills to not use food. Does that make sense? So I'm hoping that the band will give me the extra help I need to cut back on my eating enough so that I can start doing the emotional/internal work and complete the solution program. I wish everyone the best with their struggle. PS

I'm not banded yet, but hope to be by the end of May or June. I have sleep apnea and use a cpap with a pressure setting of 11 or 12, I can't remember. I've always wondered if I lost weight, or when I lose weight with the band, how will I know to turn the pressure down? Do you have to have another sleep test? Do you have to take the machine to the Dr. and let them turn the pressure down or can I do that myself? I have a lot of weight to lose, about 170lbs. I would hate to think that I would have to have a sleep test every 50lbs or so. But of course my insurance will pay for the sleep tests, but they won't pay for any obesity treatment, including wls. :confused2: PS

Wheetsin, Can you share the specifics of the complications that were not covered for the people you know? My insurance has an exclusion for any obesity treatment, surgery or non surgery. As long as whatever medical procedure or treatment I have is submitted without obesity or weight mentioned, it would be covered. I hate to be sneaky like that, but.... Jeen423, I know what you mean. I often think I would rather just go ahead and die than continue to live the way I am now. And if I don't lose weight, I will probably die a very slow and painful death. With my health problems and complications from my long list of health problems, getting worse every year. And then I will have this little thought, but can I do it on my own? and for a moment I think I can, if I just try harder. But then I quickly remember that I've been trying and failing to lose weight, for over 30 years. Not only failing to lose, but being very successful at gaining. I started out at 11, thinking I was fat, starting crash dieting, which lead to bingeing and it has been down hill, or rather the scale has gone up, ever since. The really sad thing is that when I look back at pictures from when I was 11, I wasn't fat at all, I was just starting to develop. I wish you the very best. PS

Jeen423, I will be self-pay also. I don't know if my insurance will cover complications from the surgery, but more than likely they won't. I hesitate to call them and ask because when I called and gave the cpt codes for the lap band they said it was covered, but when it was submitted for approval, the dr.'s office was told that it was an exclusion. I talked to my work and they don't know why UHC said that it was covered, but it isn't and never has been. I'm afraid if I called and asked about complications it would be a 50/50 chance that they tell me the wrong thing. It is a very difficult decision. I've already had an ultra sound on my abdomen and liver and I'm scheduled for a nutrition class and a psych eval. All of this was done when I thought the surgery was going to be covered. One minute I'm positive I'm going to do it and the next I have all of these fears and doubts. What if something goes wrong during surgery? What if I have complications 6 months out? What if I fail at this like I have with everything else I've tried, only this time I will have all of this debt on top of the failure? I wish I could say something that would help, but I think I'm feeling the same way you are. :confused2: PS

Snowbird, I may not be able to tolerate that much or lose weight with that much food either. There really isn't any way to know until I get there. And if I can't, than I guess I will just have to deal with it then. As far as me being disciplined, that is definitely yet to be determined. PS

Thank you all for your words of encouragement. Snowbird: I'm not reluctant to accept that I have to eat less. Eating balanced meals of fruits, veggies, Protein and healthy carbs and eating 1500 - 1800 calories a day is eating a lot less and very different from the way I eat now. I want to eat in a healthy, balanced way, that's all. I think having my cake and eat it to would be continuing to eat the way I do now and expecting to lose weight and change my health. But thank you for your input. PS