snowbird

My obsessive side came out more after the band. I didn't go nuts about prepping for surgery, although as my daughter was banded a year before me, I researched it and followed the online forums. I am pretty obsessive now. The band is a big part of my life--maybe taking the place of food??? I count calories and review them in my head several times a day, plan meals hours ahead of time, talk about the band a lot with my husband. We had surgery in Mexico and were reimbursed by our insurance, BCBS federal employees'. We had no difficulty whatsoever and had the check in our hands about 6 weeks after we sent in the paperwork. If your insurance covers the surgery and your BMI is over 40 I would doubt you will have trouble getting approved. If you are turned down, Mexico is a viable option for self-payers. This is a major change in your life, so it isn't strange to become pre-occupied with the procedure. Much better that you are well-educated than totally oblivious, as some people seem to be about what they are about to do or even have already done to themselves. Best wishes for a successful outcome of your search for a healthier life.

I have a 4 cc band with 1.9 in it, and I am generally a bit too tight, and will get stuck or occasionally pba couple times a week. My husband has a 10 cc band with 7 cc in it, and he can eat three times as much as I can and has never pb'd. We were banded the same day.

Don't be afraid! My crazy kitty will protect you!

kbug, you weren't out of line and I understand some of your pain. My husband and his sister experienced a similar pain with their mother. She was always very much overweight and smoked on top of it. She had her first heart attack at age 53; she had a couple angioplasties and numerous heart attacks over the next 10 years. In her early sixties her blood vessels were in such bad shape that she had to have her leg amputated. After two years in a wheelchair we watched her struggle for breath and after an extended, agonized period, die. She was 66. My husband and I were just banded at age 53. We were fortunate and have experienced no complications. My husband has been on blood pressure medication for 15 years and has also had sleep apnea for years. He suffers from gout also. We pray that this surgery has given us both extended healthy lives so we can get to see our future grandchildren grow up. As WABB said, with surgery there are risks. With laparoscopic surgery there are fewer than with more radical surgery, but they are still there. My mother is 95 and lives in a retirement home. She has been in three over the course of the last 10 years. I don't recall any obese residents in any of them. Obese people are already dead by the time they reach my mother's age. I hope you can find peace in spite of the pain of losing your mother. She was brave enough to try to do something about the pain she was experiencing as an obese person, but tragically she died anyway. My heart goes out to you and your family.

My daughter gave my husband (both of them also bandsters) Dr. Ortiz's book "Lap Band for Life" for Christmas. It is a basic little book about the banding process, fills, potential complications, and definitions of banding terms. I use it as a reference book when I have a question, or sometimes even when somebody writes in a question on the forum. You can order the book on Dr Ortiz's website. It's not deep technical stuff, but gives a good basic overall review of banding. Lap-Band For Life - The Official Guide To Lap-Band Surgery

I had to do the whole MMPI plus some other tests. I was sent the results, which said I couldn't stick to anything and I thought physicians were gods. What a laugh! I have been taking care of my 95 year old mother for ten years and am totally convinced most doctors don't take the time to know their posterior from a hole in the ground. I usually self diagnose using WebMD and if I go to the doctor, tell him what's wrong with me and what treatment I need. Also, I did Atkins for four stinking YEARS. However, I also read my husband's psych eval, and I think they nailed him perfectly. :cursing: My psychologist said that the only person he did not recommend for WLS was a bipolar drug addict whom he said would probably kill herself with WLS.

Just put a little food on your plate, push it around and toss it later. I bet no one will really notice. If they do, just say the gall bladder surgery is affecting your appetite.

I really don't see a problem with an extended car ride. You may have to stop frequently to get out and do some walking to exercise your legs. Also, the surgeons pump your abdomen full of gas to make it easier to work in there, and it is not unusual to get some pains from the gas after surgery. Walking helps work the gas out. I'm not talking about regular digestive tract gases here; this is gas outside of your stomach, and it can cause some discomfort in the week or two after surgery. Since you do have the option of stopping the car and stretching your legs, I would think you would be more comfortable driving that flying a long distance to your home. My husband and I flew from San Diego to Phoenix after surgery, which is only an hour's flight. However, our doctor's clinic picked us up at our hotel at 8:30 am for a 2:00 pm flight, which was then 2 hours late, then with the flight home, getting a shuttle to get to our car, then driving an hour home, it was a long day of over 12 hours. Still it was not too terrible and we made it just fine. If it gets too uncomfortable you may want to stop for a hotel along the way.

lauren, What a miserable experience! Did you ever call your doctor? I had a reaction from some Chilean blueberries i ate last summer--swelling and itching all over my face, skin burning and peeling, very uncomfortable. I don't think it was as bad as your reaction though. Did Benadryl help at all? It did help me once I started taking it.

My first fill went fine, no pain, no lidocaine. The second fill he had a bit of trouble getting through the scar tissue. The doctor said I had lost weight so quickly that my scar had shifted (actually the baggy skin had shifted) so he had to get through the scar tissue to get to the port. He had to apply quite a bit of pressure and eventually get a bigger, stronger needle to get through. I was tender for a couple of days afterwards, but still it wasn't as bad a going to the dentist.

Those "now" photos are great! Love the way they got a great shot of the ceiling. You and your new haircut look wonderful-congratulations on your success.

I figure we'll just be sending it back to them in June with our quarterly tax payment . . . it all sounds like a big political gambit to me. "We're the government and we're here to help you . . .?"

I had FEP BCBS pay for my surgery last October. My BMI was 35, and I had slightly elevated blood pressure, hiatal hernia and gastric reflux, slightly elevated blood sugar levels, and a congenital knee problem. My PCP wrote them all up as co-morbidities, and BCBS paid for my surgery in Mexico ($7100 out of $8000 surgery cost).

Dr Ortiz's usual charge is $8500, although since my husband and I did it together we paid $8000 each. Prices are all over the place in the US, from $9500 up to as high as $25000 or more, depending on the area and surgeon.

My husband is a bandster, but he wouldn't be caught dead on the forum. Even if he admits he needs the band, he would never admit that he needs anyone else's advice and experience! Of course, he will ask me what people say on here . . .

Glad to hear everything went well and you are feeling better!

You have to make sure you keep yourself hydrated. Actually, health gurus have been saying for years you need to drink 64 oz of Water a day, band or no band, but a number of other experts have come out to say this is a myth. However, water is essential to a bandster because we are getting less water with food (since we're taking in less food) as well as because of the "drinking with meals" restriction. Lack of water can also cause constipation, which is another chronic difficulty for bandsters, again because of the reduced food intake. I eat nuts a lot, but can't handle oranges and grapefruit unless they are run through the blender. By the way, I love to put an orange in the blender with some ice and a bit of Splenda--makes a great tasting smoothie. Milk is no problem at all, but I've never liked it and still don't.

I use low carb tortillas for the crust. They bake up very crispy and taste good.

Everybody is different. I have to admit I haven't been exercising, I don't load heavily with Protein, although I try to eat at least 30 g per day, but I am able to lose 10 lb per month on average. I do keep my calories down to under 1000 per day. Not saying this is the best way to be, because it isn't. But the lack of exercise and lower protein levels do not affect my ability to lose weight. If you can eat whatever you want, then I would say a fill is definitely the answer. The band is specifically designed to stop you from doing that if filled properly. Many people have to have their bands filled more than your current level to function. Go for it.

The best? And you base this on a detailed knowledge of every other surgeon?

Okay, I know this is NOT what the doctor ordered, but I snack. I keep the 100 calorie bags of popcorn around, and the Quaker multigrain rice cakes, and have one when the urge hits me. I watch my daily calorie intake and keep below 1200 per day at all times and usually I'm below 1000. I can't eat much at once, but I do like my Snacks. I've been losing about 10 lb per month since I was banded in October. I am never really hungry. Sometimes I think you just have to do what works for YOU.

Hi Health Ultimate Meal Protein powder shakes, in your blender with some fruit and splenda, work for me. I am a bit too tight, but not as tight as you. When I have been having problems getting solids down and need to cool it with liquids, that's what I have. I mix in blueberries, strawberries, peaches, even leftover coffee (not all of them at once, but the different things for variety) for shake flavoring. I like to use the plain vanilla bean shake powder. If you don't have Hi Health stores in your area, you can order it online. I'm with you on some of the other canned stuff; I give my mom Ensure but can't even stand the smell of it myself! I also like the Campbell's Soup to Go creamy chicken. I have oatmeal with a bit of milk in it for Breakfast. Yogurt of course, and sugar free puddings for Snacks.

What bothers me is that people like that are included in statistics on band failure. They are failures; their bands aren't.

taz, you have stitches where the surgeons tacked in your port, plus stitches around the stomach for the band. It isn't unusual to feel them when you move or do anything to stretch your abdominal muscles during the month after surgery. If it isn't a sharp, fairly constant pain with other symptoms like swelling or redness, I wouldn't be too concerned.

Bethy, that is very conservative for a larger band. My husband has a 10 cc band and has had three fills since his surgery 10/10/07 for a total of 7 cc, and he is close to his "sweet spot" with that, but none too tight. Conservative is good when dealing with your health, but there is a point where it gets discouraging to not lose weight. Some of Dr Aceves' patients in Mexicali drive down occasionally for fills. He is very highly recommended by his patients (I am not one of them, so I don't have any interest in pushing his services for any reason). PM WasaBubbleButt (she's a nurse too) if you are interested.