marieze

I am in the beginning stages of the lap band process i.e. application submitted etc. I am a 52 year old single mom of a 10 year old with a dog and a cat and we live in a tri-level townhouse. The bedrooms are upstairs. I have been doing a tremendous amount of reading on all the lap band boards the fast few month and the recovery information seems to really vary. While I know it varies, I'm trying to get some real sense of what I will be like after surgery and how much I will/not be capable of. For instance: *some people say they left the hospital and went shopping *some people say they were in pain, groggy and slept for a week *some people felt great and were walking all over the place *some people went back to work 2 days later *some people needed 2-3 weeks off Being a single mom, I really need to wrap my brain around this. I need details! From the car ride home after surgery to the next day etc. How was sleeping. Could you bathe? Will I be able to walk up 3 flights of stairs to my bedroom. Will I be able to cook for my son and I? I understand one can't drive for a week. Was that your experience? To feel more secure about the whole thing, I need to make sure I know what to expect and make sure I have sufficient resources in place. Any answers are greatly appreciated!!! Marieze

Hi Everyone! Newbie here in Portland Oregon. About 10 days ago I attended the mandatory wls seminar by Dr. Emma Patterson here in Pdx, and I sent in the requested application. How long does it typically take to hear from the doctors office initially? Also, I have united healthcare EPO and just spoke with them tonight. They told me that with a bmi of over 40 (mine is 50:eek:) that lap band surgery would be covered on my policy at 90% once I met a $200.00 deductible, which I have. Does anyone have a relatively true number of what this might cost so I can determine what my out of pocket expenses would be. The doctor is in network as is the hospital. Thanks for any information you may have!!! Marieze

for all these great replies! this is exactly the kind of information I am looking for. Just hearing everyone's experiences is what helps me so much. And I'm sure eveyone else who is planning on doing this surgery appreciates it as well! Keep em' coming! Marieze