skinnyme2be

I was told presurgery that if someone loses weight too quickly that seromas can occur. When fat tissue breaks down and becomes liquid, the body sometimes can not absorb it fast enough. In this case, the liquid goes to the area of least resistance, usually someplace along the largest incision. They say that the goal is for the seroma to drain. Fluid that sits under the skin can become infected. Use warm compresses on the incision and allow warm Water in the shower to run on it to encourage it to drain.

First of all, congrats on your surgery. I think that you will find that you will get answers all over the map here. Each doctor is completely different as to what they require. I had surgery 10/20 and just today i get to start eating mushies. Mine consists of refried beans, mashed potatoes, brunschwager (sp?) or liverworst, and then I can have a veggie that is fork tender or can be smooshed with a fork and a 1/2 cup of fruit from a can. except pineapple & grapes. Can also have soups, black beans and such. So unfortunately, I would call the doctors office and ask them. The dietician at the office should be more than willing to help you. BTW, how are you doing with not smoking?? You have had your surgery so I'm assuming pretty well. Way to go on your weight loss so far.

When I went to my pre surgery class they told everyone that the doctors at this facility only use staples so we scheduled our 2 week follow up to have the staples removed that day. I was kind of bumming because it is kind of a pain having the staples in for that long when you are feeling good and don't want to deal with having to not move a certain way because the staples pull the skin and may bite a little. Anyhow, I was pleasantly surprised when I got home and was able to take off my bandages. No staples.. just glue & steristrips in the 5 incisions that I had. So to make a long story short, maybe they are just preparing you and maybe you will be surprised when you wake up to find out you don't have any?? Good luck either way.

Congrats on being banded. It sounds like you are doing great. I was banded 10/20 and had a very similar experience to yours. I was first in line and back to my room by 10:30 and was up walking by noon. Hardly any pain and didn't even need meds when got home the next afternoon. Good luck in your journey, You will do great!!

Welcome Jennifer, I too am from Michigan, but on the other side of the state. I live in East Tawas and I'm getting banded on October 20th at Hurley in Flint. I think that you will find that this site is very helpful and everyone on here is always more than willing to answer any questions or share their experiences. It really is quite the family we have on here. I have not attented any support meetings yet, but I feel like this is definately a support site. Sounds like you are off to a great start with your lap band adventure. Congrats!! and welcome!

I am scheduled for surgery 10/20. Saturday I found out that my husband has been cheating on me with my own f..ing sister that we let move in for a few weeks at the beginning of the summer because she had no place else to go and she is an alcoholic. We were trying to help her out right.. So she moved out a few months ago and has been drinking again and kept calling us over and over and over all hours of the day and night. I started getting suspicious and finally after multiple fights he finally admitted to cheating for the past couple of months.... What do I do now... I know stress is not good for the band and I don't want to let her get the satisfaction knowing that i didn't go through with surgery. On top of all of this I have 2 kids under 3 that I have to protect. I am filing for divorce as soon as I can save up the money. But what do you think, should I go through with the surgery and hope that the band doesn't bother me being under so much stress?? Or should I postpone it and risk having to pay even more money for it if it's in the new year?? I've already lost 5 pounds in less than a week because every time i eat i feel like it's going to come right back up. any advice would be appreciated... thanks

I just want to thank you all for the advice again and let you know that I have absolutely committed to getting the band and not putting it off. It has almost been a week since I had found out about the a**hole. I am almost through with the hurt and now I'm getting mad/even. You see, we have medical ins through my job and He will be cancelled SOON. I have almost always made more than him so I can handle all the bills that will be left for the household. I just let his bills sit on the counter and I drained all of our joint accounts and opened up one of my own. Not that there was a lot in it, but some. I have paid the copay/deduct for my surgery so I don't have to worry about that now. Also have been getting a little revenge on my sister by calling a place that she owed money too and updated her address/workplace info so that they can now start garnishing her wages again. I guess I will probably never really get EVEN, but I am feeling alot better about my life and future right now. Not to mention just talking about it with co workers and knowing that I have the people around me and on here supporting me if I need it is helping. So just wanted to thank you all, your responses have helped me more than you know. I know that I am not alone in this. I want to be healthy for my children and myself, I have been working on getting the band for a while now and I was never doing it for him. Now I will be healthy, thinner and stronger like so many of you have said. And I'll be on the prowl for a new man..HA HA God Bless

Thank you all for all the advice and prayers. I don't eat when I'm stressed so I think that maybe this is a good time to have it done anyhow. Then I won't be starving on the pre op diet right?? I'm trying so hard to look on the bright side of things ...but right now i can't see the sun... By the way... I forgot to mention that I did throw his a** out as soon as I found out. But it kills me to hear my son say "where's daddy". UGHHHH.... I HATE MY LIFE RIGHT NOW... :thumbdown:

That definately would scare me too... I had ankle surgerya few years back and before surgery they gave me a sharpie and had me put an x on the leg that was being operated on. I thought at the time what in the world would they do that for. Now I know... When I had my gall bladder out I remebered so many different people asking me what they were doing to me when i was in sugical holding before hand. I kept thinking... how can these peole not know. My husband said.. they are just double checking. But it was a lot of different people asking and I think that this day and age when people are completely sue happy... Double checking is there only security.

wvgal... How long have you not been taking the chantix? I just started taking the blue pills again for the first couple of days I only took 1 a day then moved to the 2 per day. IMO you don't have to get a new script. I have finally taken the full plunge and have been smoke free for 2 full days. It actually feels really good, I thought that I would be freeking out by now. But.. I am not.. Something I finally realized after taking the chantix for about 2 weeks faithfully, when I would have a cigarette, it wouldn't do anything for me. No feeling of calm, no reward... I finally figured out that the chantix was working..so I went home for lunch and came back to work without my smokes... Surprisingly it has been o.k.... You can do it. The thing to remember is that you have to do it for WLS.. you have to do it for YOU!! I am taking it one day at a time so far. That is how you should do it too. So the next time you are out of smokes, don't buy anymore and just see how long you can go. Take the chantix and just keep yourself distracted. I wake up and don't even go for them first thing now. If I can do it, so can you. I was always the Queen of NO WILLPOWER...

I can't believe it. 9/4 finished 6 month diet, 9/10 found out insurance approved, and today 9/11 got surgery date of 10/20. 9/24 I have to go for pre admin testing and 9/25 have nutritional class. I just can not beleive how fast this is all starting to move... It seemed like at the beginning of the 6 month diet I felt like it was going to take forever, then as I was ending the diet I was praying to just have surgery some time by the end of the year. Now, Holy Cow in just a little over a month I'm going to be banded.... I have BC/BS MI PPO, I thought for sure this was going to be more difficult. Did anyone else have a similar experience?? I think I'm still in a daze about it..

I finally got the call today, I don't have a surgery date yet but I have been approved. I can't believe it has happened so quickly. I just had my last appt for the 6 month diet on 9/4 and today 9/10 my surgeons office called... She told me that she was passing along my file to the lady that schedules the surgery's and she will be calling me with a date. Holy Cow.... I was at work when I got the call on my cell and now I can not concentrate on anything... I can't wait to be in band land.:biggrin:

Ok, let's quit together. Anyone out there that needs to quit can quit with us. We can all be quitters... God that sounds so much easier when you are typing it than when you actually go through with it. :biggrin: My problem is that I unfortunately really like to smoke. I like taking that break while I'm working to get up from my desk and get out of our office. Get fresh air, regroup and decompress. Then a couple hours later do it again. What will I do now?? I think that is my biggest thing... What do non smokers do?? What will I do with that extra time when I am not smoking?? Well.... I guess I need to just QUIT and find out what I do with myself when I'm not smoking..right?? Keep me posted how you are doing.

I feel your pain!! I was told that I have to quit 8 weeks prior to surgery, and was told that they test for it too... I have had chantix and take it occasionally thinking I will quit soon. But I just got approved today for surgery so now I am really going to have to actually quit. I do not take pills well, I just can't remember to take them. Although now, I am going to really start working on it. I want to surgery too bad for that to screw it up for me. Good luck to you, I can't say that it will get easier because I don't know that it will, but people say it will... someday. :biggrin:

I have bc/bs mi ppo, our policy states that it does not cover weight loss or treatment of obesity, ya da ya da yada... but when i called them and gave them the procedure code they said that it is covered as long as it is medically necessary and you follow all of their requirements, ie.. 6 month diet, psyche eval, and such. They said that you had to have a BMI of 35 with 2 co morbids, or 40 BMI with none. Also they said that if you had a BMI of 50 you didn't have to do the diet thing. Anyhow, don't give up hope. Get the Lap Band code and give them that when you call your insurance. That way you will know for sure. Good Luck.

Good luck on your upcoming surgery. I'm sure you will do fine, and you will soon have sooo much more energy to keep up with them. I am from East Tawas. Where are you having your surgery at? I'm going through Hurley, still waiting on a date. Only a couple weeks till I'm done with my 6 month diet. You will do great!

OK, so I've done the required psych eval (approved), and i'm 1 week from finishing the 6 month diet. I've only lost about 12 lbs or so during this time. Anybody have any problems getting approved with bc/bs mi ppo?? I am going to get the money for my deduct/copays from my 401k and I want to start that paperwork, but what if I'm not approved?? As the time gets closer, I keep getting more nervous and wonder should I really go through with this. If you've dealt with this insurance please let me know what your outcome was. thanks

I have had mirena 2 different times, once after my first son and then wanted to have a second child so had it removed after year & a half. then again after the 2nd child. It's been about 1 1/2 years now and i don't have periods. I don't even know it is there. I didn't have a weight gain (other than not eating right) from it. Mine is good for five years and then you go in and get it replaced with another. It is great birth control, my doctor only recommends it to married people usually, because of the threat of disease and such from people not being safe. But if I were you, I would definately opt for Mirena over the latter of your choices. It is at least worth a try. You will spot for almost 3 weeks or so at first but then your periods will get lighter and lighter untill they disappear. Good luck to you. Only you can make the right choice for you and your body but hope the above info helps.

Ok, so I just made my psych appt, the lady said that it will be a 3 hour appointment!!!! OMG, what could I possibly talk about for 3 hours.. Anyone else have there appt last that long?? or Do you think she is just over exagerating??

My insurance co requires 6 month diet with pcp, my question is though.. Do they count full months or just 6 visits within the 6 months? The reason I'm asking is I started 6 month thin 4/1 so 10/1 would be my 6 visits, but 10/30 would be a full 6 months. Any idea of which the insurance would require???? I'm trying to squeeze this in by the end of the year....So any shortcuts I can muster would be good.

Congrats on all of the changes... I too have had to give up diet coke..... and smoking... It is hard but worth it. My nutritionist told me that you have to get in the plain water first and then you can drink other no calorie or low calorie drinks like crystal light or sugar free Kool aid. I wasn't much of a water drinker, but for me adding ice to keep it really cold makes it taste much better. That and a Britta pitcher that I keep in the fridge.

Hey all!! Another Michigander here. From Northern Lower. Not banded yet, still going through the hoops. Seeing Dr. Kralovich from Hurley Bariatric in Flint. Love to hear from any others that have been banded there.

A little off topic, sorry.. but Boo Boo Kitty, I will be getting banded at Flint hurley also, Can you tell me was yours covered by insurance?? If so did you have to have deductibles/copays up front before the surgery or when you got the bill?? thanks

My doctor told me to count on staying overnight after surgery. He said that they give me dinner & bkfst to make sure everything is good, and then have me drink some stuff and watch it go down. I guess he wants to be extra cautious. I am kind of glad, that way when I come home I won't be worried that something is wrong.

Well.. I went to my surgeons consult today with the RN, Surgeon & Dietician. To my dismay.. I have to quit smoking 8 weeks before my Dr. will do surgery. I have tried to quit so many times, but I've been unsuccessful. I guess it's the same as with dieting, try try try-right?? I know smoking isn't good for me to begin with, but trying to eat right and quit smoking has got to be an oxy moron... ANY ADVICE!!!!:blushing: