LA Girl

I had Lap Band in March and it was covered by my insurance, Aetna, including fills. Unfortunately, my insurance was through my old employer via Cobra, so now I need to get new individual insurance. I've been turned down for new insurance already by a few plans , including Aetna, because I need to be one year post-op. I am very nervous now about not having coverage and had no idea this was going to be a problem. Does anyone out there know of insurance plans that cover us after surgery? Thanks!

Hi Stacey, I am 3 weeks post-op and 8 years ovo-lacto vegetarian. My favorite veg-friendly Protein shake is VHP (very high protein), you can find it at Bariatrix.com. It is 35 grams of protein so you are halfway to your daily goal with just one shake. I also mix unjury with lowfat chocolate milk at night. Both brands are Gelatin free. As for non-shake meals, I just added in creamy Soups that I buy at Whole Foods, and I love the Campbell gold label tomato basil soup that comes in a carton, you should be able to find that in any grocery store. Just watch out for the soups that sneak in the chicken broth! As for your hospital tray, tell the nurses to note your chart that you are veg and also ask the dietary person who delivers the tray what kind of broth they brought. All hospital will have veg broth so you should be ok. Of course, you can't have the Jello that will also be brought on the tray but I hear that there are Kosher markets that carry gelatin-free gelatin. You can also eat smooth yogurt and the better brands are getting better about excluding gelatin. Hope this helps, good luck!

First of all, you are not failing, you just need to educate yourself on what you should be eating/drinking so you succeed. I would definitely recommend talking to a nutrionist because it sounds like you are not eating properly. 5 grams of protein in a shake is not nearly enough protein, especially if your doctor said you can only have 1 shake a day, which I think is weird btw. Are you sure about that? Whatever the case, you need to go to the store and buy a variety of HIGH Protein shakes and see what you like. Just buy the single servings so you don't waste money. My personal favorite is called VHP (Very High Protein) made by Bariatrix (bariatrix.com) It is 35 grams of protein, so with just one shake you are halfway to your daily goal of protein. It is also low in carbs, fat and calories. It comes in a box of 7 servings. You can also find ready made canned shakes at Trader Joes or any health food store. At the very least, buy Unflavored unjury Protein powder and mix it with lowfat choc milk in the blender, and you have 28 grams of protein. There are a lot of options out there besides Carnation Instant Breakfast, that taste just as good. I've been a vegetarian for 7 years so I am very familiar with the variety of protein out there, you have to experiment. You also might want to get "Weight Loss Surgery for Dummies", it is a good reference book for people with short attention span like me. Good luck!

Thank you everyone for your responses!

I suffer from chronic tension headaches and the only thing that helps is Excedrin, although my surgeon said I can't use it post-op because 1) pills don't always go through the band and you would have to cut it in quarters which will taste horrible; and 2) if it does pass, the pill will drop in the same place in your stomach every time, causing possible problems with the lining of your stomach. I've looked into liquid Excedrin with no luck, but perhaps there is an equivilant out there. If you find something, please let us know, and good luck!

I had surgery on the 17th and have been tracking what I eat daily. I have about 55 - 70 grams of Protein a day but only eating about 530 - 720 calories and 8 - 14 grams of fat a day. I am not very hungry as the Protein shakes fill me up. Most of the time I have energy but I was wondering if other people at this stage of the game are eating this few calories? I am on shakes, yogurt, Soup and pudding for another week. Thanks!