MyLapGotBigger

I am curious if anyone has come across this situation. My insurance carrier approved my lap band surgery that is scheduled for May 12th. In their infinite wisdom, they have declined the stress teast ordered by my cardiologist in order to obtain cardiac clearance because to date I have not had any cardiac symptoms and I do not meet their requirements for a stress test. BTW, I am scheduled to have my gall bladder removed this Friday (3 weeks before my Lap Band surgery) which does not need cardiac clearance. Go figure. Has anyone had this type of situation, and if so, what have you done? Were you able to have a different test approved that gave the cardiologist the necessary results to grant clearance. Any help or insight is greatly appreciated.

I am not sure if this is the correct forum to ask this question, but I recently went to my surgeon to schedule my surgery and mentioned that I have gallstones. I was told by one of the nurses during the pre-surgery classes I took that if the surgeon felt it necessary, he could do the laparoscopic cholecystectomy during the lapband surgery. However, my surgeon told me to have this procedure before the lapband surgery and after about 3 weeks to have the lapband surgery. He said that they could do both procedures, if necessary, if the patient was having the bariatric bypass surgery. Now, i have to wait until May to have my lapband surgery. This is due to schedule issues on both of our parts. Has anyone heard of this need to have 2 separate surgeries?

Best of luck to you. I am sure you are in good hands and that all of this will be worth it. I am now down 70 pounds and had the lap band on 5/19/08. Now I just have to figure out how to update my weight loss ticker. :-)

My tegaderm bandages were removed at my 1 week post op visit and I was told to leave the steri strips on until they fell off. After a few more days they started to "curl" so I simply took them off. I think they say to leave them on so you don't pull off any scabs that might form during the healing process.

I wish the weight loss was from the surgery date, but it is including the 2 week liquid pre surgical diet as well. Also, don't be surprised if you happen to gain some weight right aftee the surgery...it is due to all of the IV fluids they pump inside of you. I was about 6 pounds higher after getting on the lie detector (scale) at the hospital, but lost it during the first week post-op.

Some, if not most bruising is due to the fact that a blood thinner is often used either pre or during surgery. I was told that this is to help prevent blood clots. The majority of my bruising is around my port and is a deep purple along with black and blue. I was banded on 5/19 and much of the bruising is fading. Hope this helps and best of luck!

Hi Felicia. After reading your post, it seems like we are both looking for the same type of support. BTW, Happy Birthday tomorrow!! I think we could be a great help and support to each other. I am 48, married with 3 sons and usuallyt work from home, but always have motorola PDA with me to handle text messaging and emails. I need a no nonsense approach to this journey and I am often my toughest critic. This has its disadvantages as I often don't give myself credit for successes, but rather dwell on what else I need to do. Let me know if you are interested in supporting each other.

I have already had some of the lite cream soups which I tolerated well. I also had a small piece of sword fish last night (Approx. 3 oz) and some crackers and applesauce this morning. So far, so good. I also had some V8 juice yesterday and it wnet down without any proble. I will say, I did feel the fullness of the band last night and stopped eating. Be sure to chew thoroughly and eat slowly with whatever you consume and you will become familiar with the "full" feeling. Good luck.

I was having similar feelings, but most have already subsided. I think that much of the surgical swelling has gone down and I am now able to eat a little more without getting the intense tightness. Hopefully, I will not get too hungry prior to my first fill on 7/1. How are the other 5/19 folks doing?

I was banded on 5/19 as well. Went for my 1 week post op and everything seems to be going well. Immediately after surgery, I gained back 5 pounds of the 20 pounds I lost during the 2 week liquids prior to surgery. Today, when they weighed me, I lost the 5 pounds gained post-op and another 9 pounds. So far, down 29 pounds from start of 2 week liquids. You are a bit more fortunate than I as I have 3 more weeks of full liquids until I am allowed "mushies". Good luck to you!!

I think the something that you are looking for that says, "hey - stop eating - you have had enough" is the lap-band. At least that is what I am hoping for as well. I, too, am scheduled for 5/19. Best of luck to both of us!!

Perhaps my tales of woe may help you with your decision...In 1986 I went on Optifast and lost 50 pounds in about 8 weeks. Got down to about 160# and was thrilled. Weight slowly crept back despite going to the gym regularly. Spent the next 20 years yo-yo dieting until peaking at 310# a few years ago. This is almost 100#s more than when I went on Optifast in 1986. In 2006 at 310# I decided to see if Optifast was still around and sure enough, it was. I quickly decided to get back in the driver's seat and try it again. In about 5 months I lost 125#s. I really looked good and felt great, although I never made it back to my ideal fweight rom 20 years prior. Here we are in 2008 and I have gained back about 80 of the 125#s lost in 2006. I am now on medication for high blood pressure. It sucks; to be blunt. For me, the liquid fasts worked only for the short term, but I realoze that I need the surgical intervention for me to achieve my goals. I am sharing my plight with you not knowing how you react to yo yo dieting and the extent of your willpower. I have great willpower as demonstrated for staying on liquids for 5 months. Bottom line...I don't get full too often and I need help. Best of luck to you with your decision!! BTW, I had my gallbladder removed about 2 weeks ago and am getting ready for my lap band surgery on 5/19.

I wish I could. I am trying to figure out how to make changes to the ticker. My surgery date changed and I wanted to reflect that.

I am scheduled for surgery on 5/19 and on my 4th day of liquids. I have only been doing the Medifast drinks, but I have read some great suggestions to add. Thanks for the support and, yes, we can all do it!!

I am now scheduled for the same day, 5/19. Best of luck to us both!! I am currently using the Medifast protein drinks pre-op and ordered some of the IDS New-Whey Liquid Protein Fruit Punch to drink after the surgery. These are the 3.5 oz "bullets". I like them because I can get enough protein for the day drinking 2 of them without all of the liquid. The rest of the liquids I will prpbably get from making my own lemonade using spring water, lemon juice and stevia. Many people recommend the Ispoure ready to drink bottles, but I can't stand the after taste. I am a big fan of their powder protein, but the surgeon says they aren't really considered clear. Hope this helps. Again, good luck with the upcoming surgery.

I had my gall bladder removed on 4/28 and scheduled to be banded on 5/19. My surgeon wanted to wait 3 weeks between surgeries. Has anyone had to go through this scenario? I am wondering if you felt physically ready for the second surgery and how the levels of pain and discomfort compared to each other. I very much value the input and experiences from those on this site and always welcome any recommendations. I also tried some of the Isopure flavors and each one had a very bad after taste. I am used to the powdered form which is much more palatable. I decided to order the New whey liquid Protein which are the 3.5 ounce "bullets". They are much better tasting and it is easier to consume the necessary amount of protein without all of the liquid volume. Just my thoughts. If anyone is interested, I am happy to provide the pricing and website information that I use.

This does help. Thanks. I find that i am tired after the gall bladder surgery, but pain level was relatively low. One of the surgeons in the practice told me that the recovery would be about the same for the lap band, but I tend to disagree. Time will tell.

Thank you and I hope you get your approved surgery date soon!! Best of luck.

It is interesting because the insurance carrier is stating that the reason for denial is due to the fact that I do not present with cardiac symptoms and I have a Framingham risk of 9%. Also, my EKG done in January does not meet ACC definition of an uninterpretable EKG. I think my next call will be to the surgeon to see if he can recommend another cardiologist who may be less aggressive with cardiac clearance criteria.

Glad to hear that your surgery went well. I take it as an episode of encouragement for me as I wait for my surgery in May. I need to have my gall bladder out first which will be on April 18th. Thanks for letting us know how you are doing and best wishes for continued success on this new journey!!

The name suggests that as I lose weight, my stomach will get smaller causing my lap to look bigger!! :-)

Good Luck CTman. I wish you the best of luck for a "painless" and quick recovery.

I am scheduled to be banded on May 12th in Freehold, NJ. First, I need to have my gall bladder removed in April due to existing gallstones; then 3 weeks later having the lapband surgery. I am really looking forward to getting past the surgeries and adapting to a new way of living and eating. Any words of advice or encouragemant are greatly welcome!!

Thanks Michelle. They really didn't give me the option. I guess I wonder what would have happened if I didn't say anything,. Would they have done both or would they have just removed my gallbladder and when I woke up would have realized i would not have had the band. That would have been really depressing. BTW, hoiw do i put that weight loss ticker on my posts? Thanks again for your reply.

Thanks for the advice about reading the complications. It looks like you are off to a great start!! Continued success!