Kat225

how much does it cost??

I wish we had free medical!!! It's rediculous that I have to go out of the country to be able afford this. I had to save for months and use every penny of my income tax return. Not to mention all the fills I will have to pay for. Even the travel is an added expense. I have to travel about an hour away to get to the closest fill doc. What's the point of even having health insurance???????

I am keeping it to myself with an exception of a select few. My closest friends and sister will know and that's it. I don't want the attention from people watching my every move and judging me. I also don't want constant questions about how much weight I am losing etc. It's annoying when you're the type of person who doesn't like attention drawn towards you. I just put in a vacation request and got it approved. I'm not sure what I'm going to say if someone asks where I'm going. I guess I need to figure it out soon. As far as my eating habits changing...that's not going to be an issue. I am sort of a moble therapist so I eat alone in my car or cafe most days while I work on paperwork. If people notice I'm losing weight and ask about it, I plan to tell them I'm just eating less. It's going to be the truth lol! The truth is...it's no one's business. It's a person decision if one wants to be open about it or not. I prefer to keep in my circle.

Your not alone at all. I am having surgery April 2nd and I should be getting started on eating better and exercising too but I have little energy. The weight has made me so sluggish and depressed I have a hard time moving as well. My doc only requires a 10 day pre-op diet but I wanted to start before that and I keep failing. Someone tell me I will be able to do this once I get my band. I know it's a tool and not a cure but I hope the tool helps me do this...

Angelica, That's why I'm going to Juarez next month to get my band. Self-pay and it's affordable!

Lattedah, Yeah I looked at the label wrong. I thought it was times four because it was a pack of four cans lol! OOPS! I guess it's really not bad. So are they pretty tastey???

Oh I also wanted to ask...aren't the Atkins shakes a little high in fat???

Hi, I was searching around for some protein drinks for to start my pre-op diet and I found that Staker 2 makes protein water that is carb free, sugar free, fat free, and has 20g of protein. It comes in fruit flavors. Has anyone tried them? I think I'm gonna. A lady who gave a review had lap band surgery and she mentioned how it helps her get her protein and her water requirements all at the same time. Pretty smart idea. My band date is April 2nd btw.

I watched the show. Only one of the teenagers had the band. The other ones has gastric bypass. I don't think Oprah used the word fat in any negative way at all. Oprah has always been sensitive to weight issues. She has struggled her whole life with her weight. What she did stress was getting to the bottom of your weight issue. The audience did give the girl who lost the weight without surgery more applause. I hate when people make it seem like WLS is an easy way out. It just goes with all the other stereotypes of overweight people-lazy! It makes me really angry.

I conacted my patient facilitator (Jessica) and she assured me that Dr. Rod will be doing my surgery! I believe her and trust her completely. I have heard nothing bad about Belite until now...I think there is something fishy going on!

I would like to hear more about Belite. I haven't been banded yet but I have scheduled w/ Jessica who has been nothing but helpful. What do you mean when you say that you don't get to pick your surgeon?

I don't know but it sounds like something is wrong...6 fills and no restriction????? How could you end up with less than they put in. I would get it checked for a leak!

It's interesting to read how everyone deals with those comments differently. I think the bottom line is yeah I know I will look better if I lose weight, I just don't want someone else pointing it out or speaking the truth. Truth be told, I do want to lose weight for vanity issues mostly, health is an added bonus. I am a very empathetic person who cares about others' feelings so I guess I expect everyone else to. I don't always get what I want lol!

I need help chosing a band. The Mexican Doc I am using gives you a choice between J&J or Inamed. What is better? Do Docs use J&J in the US. Will fill docs fill J&J or should I get the Inamed. Inamed adds $500 to my out of pocket cost. Anyone have light on this situation?

I know those comments are intended for good but how ignorant can they be? I mean it seems like common sense that they are being hurtful. I've been getting the "pretty face" comment my entire life and I'll never understand how people don't realize how inappropriate it is.

I was wondering if I could get some feedback on other's pre-op diet??? What did your doc tell you to eat and how long did you have to eat it?:ranger: Just Wondering, Kat

Patty, Thanks for your reply. I noticed you've lost some weight already. Did your doc make you lose before he/she would do the surgery? How did you do it? I'm not getting my surgery until March but I want to lose some weight before that. Any advice?

Aren't you supposed to keep getting fills until you get to your sweet spot. You finally get enough adjustments until you get the right restriction so you can't eat whatever you want, RIGHT???? Just wondering because I haven't been banded yet....

Has anyone ever tried OA meetings? I am thinking about trying them to learn how to control or manage my poor eating habits before I get banded. Anyone familiar?:bounce:

So I guess it's about idenifying trigger foods and then abstaining from them as well as only eating at designatied times rather than eating when we want to? What about portions? Do they teach you how to tell when you are full and when to stop?

May be a dumb question but.... I hear people talking about fills with fluro and without...what is fluro?:notagree

Thanks for all the feedback. That helped a lot! The only thing is the doc that is closest to me that I'm probably going to have to go to doesn't do it with Fluoro machine. Is that bad? How will she know if I'm tight enough or if my pouch is stretched?

Thanks for the info...I think I will try it out. I am familiar with the 12 steps since I am a drug and alcohol counselor but with AA or NA abstinence is the answer but with food it's different??????

So fluro is a machine? or something?

Oh and Hanna, if you give me your e-mail I can forward you the list of fill Docs that Dr. Rod's office sent me. Maybe one of them would work for you?