Nursienicole

I hit onderland this week. I had my surgery April 28th and I am now 198.5. 71 pounds gone...40 to go (60 if I really get where I want). Woo hoo.

I had my band placed in April. Had to go back last Tuedsay (9/2) and have the port removed as it was infected. Waiting for the new port to be put in. I had a fill by the surgeon while I was under on Tuesday and since then I have for the first time since surgery felt any restriction. Today: Breakfast 2 egg whites with a pinch of shredded cheese Lunch 1/4 cup clam chowder, which came back up (sorry, I know that is gross) 2 small meatballs chewed to oblivion Dinner: don't know yet. Drinks: Power aid zero which I have only gotten about 10 oz down and it gurgles away. I know we are suppose to feel restriction but I feel like I can't even take in enough fluids since last Tuesday. Anyone else been here before.:thumbup:

I am totally frustrated. I am about 4 months post op and things have been bumpy. I had a visit with the surgeon today and my port is infected and has been almost since day one. Antibiotics haven't touched it and of course there is the chance that the whole band is involved. Needless to say the port, and possibly the whole band have to come out. If they have to take the band out I will be having the RNY in January. If the band can stay I will get a new port and yet more scars. I don't want to regain all the weight I have lost to this point but I am so frustrated. Anyone else gone through or going through this?

I too have PCOS and was banded 4/28. I was hoping by now the periods would have returned on their own but I did just do a provera cycle (I was bad and let it go 17 months first because I hate taking the hormones). I am currently having my period thanks to the provera but I am hoping it is the last cycle of that I need. I can't remember the last time I was regular but I have lost about 40-50 lbs and it has not come back yet. I have been through infertility treatment in the past with no success. I am dying to have a baby and my husband (whose oldest turned 18 today) is beginning to feel too old for another baby, so I am feeling the need to rush. My clock isn't just ticking...it is banging, clanging and sending off alarms!

I was in panic mode until I came here today. I had not had my period in 16 months due to PCOS and even though I was banded on 4/28 it had not restarted. The gyn put me on Provera which I took about 2 weeks ago and started my period last Thursday. The reason for my panic was that I weigh myself on Mondays and since last week I put on 6 lbs. I know I have been eating as I should, maybe not getting quite enough water but trying. The bowels have been functioning thanks to Miralax colace and fiber tabs....so I was like OMG what is going on. I guess it has been a while since I have retained water. I guess I need to scoot up my water the next few days and cut out the salt (which I always crave when I do get my period). I am just glad I am not the only one. This is the first time I have put on weight since surgery and I was ready to cry...ok so maybe I still am a little but at least now I know it is the hormones. :sad:

Keep a close eye on the port. Some people notice pain as time goes on that goes away, but I had pain that started around that time post op that within days was followed by redness and swelling with some drainage...needless to say it was an infection. Easily treated with antibiotics then good as new but be careful. The port is a foreign body so your body is already in shock having it there and may be fighting hard to figure out what it is and working less hard on avoiding infection.

I get on the scale in the gym every day after I work out but I keep a log of my weight and only record it once a week. Our bodies fluctuate up to 2 lbs in a given day for water weight anyway, so weighing yourself daily can be frustrating. I keep a graph that I mark with my weight on Mondays. I don't let the day to day weights get me down,. If I see I am creeping up through the week I know I have to be careful but overall as long as I see that I am going down on the chart when Monday's come I know I am going in the right direction.

Thought I would give an update since my last depressing post here. I am doing much better. I reminded myself that I did this to feel better and that getting myself down and overeating were not doing that.I have lost 12 pounds since my surgery (4/28) and had my first fill yesterday. I did have my first sliming episode yesterday afternoon eating soup which may have been a bit too thick for 2 hours after the fill, but I am kinda glad I did because now I know what it feels like to be headed in a bad dirrection. Later last night more soup (without the chunks) and some pudding went down well. I woke up a little nauseated and crampy but I am hoping that is a sign of a returning menstrual cycle. A few hours of rest and clear liquids has me feeling better...and no vomitting. So for all of you out there struggling take it from me, it can get better.

Well as a nurse I can tell you all that abnormal periods for a while after weight loss surgery is normal because you are losing and your body doesn't know how to react. As a 33 year old banded on 4/28/08 who has not had a period since March 2007 due to PCOS I am home today nauseated and crampy hoping it is a sign of a return. I have lost about 50 lbs since last October and 12 since my surgery which is suppose to be improving the PCOS. Lets keep our fingers crossed. The only time I ever had normal periods was shen I was on the pill and for a couple years after when my weight hovered around 200. I am at 217 now so I am near that place.

Well I am not a May bandster, a little early. My surgery was 4/28 and just had my first fill today. After the skin infection cleared up I have been feeling great. I have lost 12 lbs since the surgery and exercising a lot. Hope all is well for the others out there and keep up the great work everyone.

I am also about 2.5 weeks out and getting scared. I know the brain is the part that I am fighting but that doesn't make the fight easier. I feel like I can eat way too much. The doctor said soft food but I guess I am not exactly sure what he means by soft because my definition of soft is not what he thinks. I am afraid it is too late and that I have already stretched my pouch. My first fill is 6/5 and I am praying it helps. I gained a lb since last monday and that scares me to death. HELP!:cry_smile:

If you are having trouble swallowing your own saliva that is a definite sign that you are overfilled and if you can't take in fluids you could quickly become dehydrated. You need to contact the doctor asap and if not him go to the ER. I understand the finances problem but think of it this way. What is cheaper, an ER visit or a 3 or 4 day hospital stay due to dehydration.

I am probaby putting myself in a bad place here but I am gonna give some information that I thought may be helpful to those of you who have not yet been approved by your insurance companies. I am a registered nurse and just banded on 4/28. I also work for an insurance company in the pre-certification area. I have worked for 2 different companies and have found from both that the criteria seems to be similar. Believe it or not, and I am sure most of you won't, the insurance company is not against you having the surgery. They do however want you to be successful and s such they do usually have some strict guidelines. First you have to meet weight requirements that are set by the National Institute of Health, not by the insurance companies themselves. For most companies (and some still only cover he gastric bypass, and do not find the lap band acceptable) they require you to have a BMI of 40 or more or 35 or more with SIGNIFICANT comorbidities. SIGNIFICANT comorbidities include uncontrolled diabetes, uncntrolled hypertension or heart or lung disorders that are adversly affected by being overweight. Your insurance company should be able to give you a full list of the conditions that they consider to be significant conditions. Next companies require that you are involved with a multidisciplinary plan. The reason for this is that they want to know that the doctor that performs your surgery is skilled in the procedure and has been successful with the surgeries in the past. Then they require that you have had nutrition and psychiaric evals to ensure that you are prepared emotionally and diet wise for the significant changes that you will be undergoing after surgery. Yes, most of us have some level of depression but if you are feeling suicidal or you have problems relating to reality you would need to get this treated before considering surgery. Next is the weight loss pre-op. Many people question why they must lose weight before surgery when it haas been the inability to lose weight that has brought them to this point. Well, there are a couple reasons for this. First the pre=op diet varies from doctor to doctor but in general they want to see that you can handle significant changes in your eating prior to surgery. Next they need to shrink your liver and other organs that may be in front of your stomach so thy can see your stomach clearly for your surgery. Then of course, the fact that we are all obese going in we are significant surgical risks and weight loss does help lesson the risk of complications following our surgeries. Some companies have upper limits of BMI for the lap band and that is based on the fact that studies have shown that people who are very large do better with the bypass. All companies are required to provide you with the criteria they use to make a determination so if you are in doubt call your member services and ask for their bariatric surgery criteria. They can give this to you so you know exactly what is required and you can be sure you have done all you need to do before submitting your case for approval. If you have met all the criteria and you are denied then appealing the decision is your best option. The company does need to provide you with a rationale as to why you are denied and if you can prove that their reason is false then you should have no problem getting a denial overturned. I hope this helps. Good luck to all,:smile::thumbup:

I have been a Registered Nurse for the past 9 years. My area of nursing interest and expertise is adolescent psychiatry however I currenly and have for the last 4 years, work for an insurance company. I know, I know...insurance can be the enemy but to be honest if it wasnt for the insurance company I would never have done all the research I had done prior to surgery. Believe it or not all the stuff they require pre-op is really important. I was just banded on 4/28 and as such I am still somewhat sore and still have a wierd sensation that I imagine must be the band itself. I did lose almost 40 lbs pre-op and I am hoping to keep losing through the summer. My goal is to fit on the Superman ride at 6Flags. Last summer we went and I could et the seatbelt around my body. It was embarrassing to have to get off and walk away from the ride after standing in line for an hour. My other goal is to regain my fertility. I am 33 and the clock is ticking. Although I have 2 wonderful step daughters I long for a baby of my own.

I had my surgery yesterday (4/28) and I guess I am doing well so far. I do have some soreness around the port and some neck pain from laying on that hard or table but other than that I am doing ok. I do notice some gurgling in my throat but as I am still on clear liquids I am just taking that as a time to slow down a bit. Tomorrow I get to start mushy foods. I bought some bananas, cottage cheese and yogurt today. I dont think I feel the band at all but like I said it is sore around the port. I am itchy today too but I think that is a post anesthesia thing. Hope everyone is doing well.:blushing:

Kellygirl is right. If the insurance is through your employer they may have what is called an ASO (or Administrative Services Only) plan through Aetna. If this is the case then it is your company that actually pays the medical bills, they just use Aetna to do the administration (ie. processing claims, utilization management, etc). If that is the case then your company would have a specific contract with Aetna indicating what is and isn't covered and that could very well include Bariatric surgery even if Aetna does not provide this to its fully insured members (meaning Aetna pays the bills). I work in insurance and my company does not cover IVF however we have contracts that are ASO contracts that do, so if a person checked with the company we would say we don't cover it because we dont, but if they had that particular ASO contract it may be covered. Does that make sence?

My surgeon puts everyone on Medifast and I have been on it for a little over a week with a few minor bumps in the road and have already lost 13 lbs with about 10 to go before surgery on 4/28. It is a pain because it is so limiting but it will be worth it. I am a salt addict so I do find myself craving the salt but otherwise I am not hungry so I guess that is a plus. As you lose the PCOS should improve, or at least that is what I am told. My goal is to regain my fertility.

I have to admit I am with you. Although I didn't have a plate of brownies today I have in the past and today while I am sipping my medifast the office was having a bd party and passing around cake I wanted to cry, but I keep reminding myself it is worth it. I am scheduled 4/28 for my band and still have 10 pounds to lose but I am trying hard. I understand it will get better and as far as I know, no you won't be able to eat a plate of brownies post op, and if you do you definitely won't want to do it again. Remember...you are not alone... I for one am right there with you.

It depends on your surgeon when and if they ever want you to drink alcohol again. Part of the problem is that we are people who are obviously prone to addiction as is seen in our weight. When you are banded you will not be able to eat like you once did and as a result, especially if you eat out of boredom or emotion you are likely to look for something to replace that addiction. True, many find healthy replacements such as exercise or other hobbies, but for some alcohol takes the place. Another thing is that you weight will be lower and with your nutrion being so important to make sure ou get what you need in a day you dont want to drink and not be able to eat the things you need to. One friend of mine was told she must wait one year after surgery. After a year she never wanted to drink again. Another friend (who had a bypass not a band ), openly admits since she can't eat anymore she drinks. Essentially the choice is yours but you should do it in an educated manner. Also remember that when we drink too much our bodies usually make us vomit to help rid the body of the "poison" and with a band it may be more difficult to do this as only your upper pouch is really going to empty and excessive vomitting can certainly affect your band.

I work for an insurance company and like the above statements say it realy depends on the plan you choose. Going through an employer is easiest but if you look on your own you do need to speak with the benefits specialists and ask about any pre-existing health conditions clauses. We all know healthcare is expensive and you don't want to be stuck with mountains of bills if you find out that your coverage excludes pre-existing conditions. Many companies will take into account that you have had other insurance prior but you have to be sure not to allow a lapse in between to benefit from this. What state are you in, you can also check for the state department of insurance laws on line to see if you have protection for pre-existing conditions by your state. Good Luck.

My surgeon requires a course of Medifast (up to 6 shakes a day) with water in between. The course depends on how much you have to lose (he requires 10% pre-op). I have to lose 26 and started my Medifast on 3/18. My surgery date is 4/28. I have noticed a difference but it gets rough. I did cheat last night but that was planned ahead of time. We went to Red Lobster for good friday as my husband and step kids are Catholic and this was planned for a long time. They were great there though. They substituted my rice and sides for an extra dinner salad. Tried to keep the meal high protein and low carb. Good luck to all.