SueFromMichigan

I love microwaved scrambled eggs. Just mix in a little skim milk and nuke them for 2 minutes, season, stir, then maybe a little longer depending on how moist you want them. I have had one fill and still no problem with eggs - hope it stays that way!

Too late already. All samples are gone.

Opus, My insurance was Humana Medicare, so I don't know about "real" Medicare, but they did follow Medicare guidelines. That means surgery must be done at a Center of Excellence, must be inpatient, and must meet criteria of BMI of 40, or 35 with co-morbidities ea. hypertension, diabetes, arthritis. Then Humana had a Bariatrics Dept., which had to pre-authorize. This only took a couple of days in my case. I would guess that Medicare also must pre-authorize.

Carol, you didn't say where you live, but I bet there are other facilities near you that you could investigate. I had to have a Center of Excellence, as I am on Medicare-like insurance - none of the local facilities had that designation. But I was able to find several COE within a couple hundred miles. My primary care physician sent the referral letter - she knew I had been trying to lose weight and really needed to - and I got the evaluations locally. A $60 round trip train ride got me there and back and I was able to find a great follow up doctor and get my fills locally. I worked through one of the facilitators that advertises here. The whole process took just over a month. Look around!

Glad to hear you are doing so well. You will have some soreness the next few days. And I, at least, have gas pains. But nothing unbearable. And it is so good to be home! I plan to keep to the diet religiously and give my body a chance to heal. I'm not looking forward to Memorial Day weekend. We always go to our family campground so I will have to pack campfire type foods for my husband and watch other people eat. :-(

I am so glad I found this thread. I have read it from start to finish. I just had my surgery last Friday and this has definitely strengthened my resolve to follow the liquid diet 100%. As an older bandster, I realize my healing may take longer than some younger people, so I want to be especially careful not to mess things up. I do have one comment. Like some others, I went a long way away to have the surgery. I don't feel I received the care I should have there. I never saw or talked to a nutritionist or dietician. I never saw or talked to any kind of counselor or the onsite clinic coordinator. I met the doctor only briefly before the surgery and never saw him thereafter. A resident came in the day after surgery and offered to answer any questions, etc., but everyone else seemed to be off for the weekend. I feel like I was on an assembly line in many ways. I wouldn't feel comfortable calling the doctor's office - I'm sure they would have to dig out my chart to give me any advice, because no one there really knows me, and I'm sure the surgeon wouldn't even remember me. My coordinator is available by telephone - she is really my only resource. As it happens, I am a researcher by nature. And I've learned where to go to find the answers to my questions myself (here at LBT, for instance). I am retired,so I have the time to do so. But I want to know if there are others who are in the same boat? So much of the advise here seems to be to "call your surgeon". Thankfully, I have found a physician locally to do my follow up care. I am looking forward to my initial post-op visit and meeting a doctor I can trust.

Hi guys, Well, I had my lap band done Friday, May 16, and I'm now back home. Still on clear liquids today, but looking forward to starting full liquids and protein shakes tomorrow. (I really liked them.) I am still having lots of gas pain, but nothing I can't live with. Overall, I was disappointed with my experience in Detroit. I think part of it was that my surgery was done on a Friday and no one seems to be available on weekends! But the care I recieved certainly wasn't optimal. I only met the doctor once - just a five-minute visit in the pre-op area. I didn't see him at all after surgery, just saw a resident, who offered to answer any questions, but wasn't actually present during my surgery. I never saw a nutritionist or dietician at all. I have the doctor's office phone number but not his cell (but that was given to me by another patient). I never met or talked to the Bariatric Clinical Coordinator at the hospital. The onsite rep from beliteweight stopped in briefly the morning after surgery, but couldn't tell me anything I didn't already know. He couldn't tell me what size band I had, the model # or serial #, whether it was filled, etc. I was supposed to get an operative report to take back home before I left, but that didn't happen. Supposedly that will be mailed to me today or tomorrow. I had to go to medical records on Saturday to request a copy of my chart be sent to me. On the plus side, the nurses on the floor were pleasant and helpful. And I met two lovely ladies who also had the same procedure by the same doctor on the same day. Their experiences were the same as mine, and we are going to stay in touch and provide support for each other. (I also referred them here!) And best of all, I have a good local facility willing to provide follow up care (not just fills).

I think Celebrex, as a Cox-2 inhibitor, is different from the NSAIDs. It was not, for instance, on the list of those NSAIDs to quit taking before surgery. And my doctor allowed me to resume it right after surgery - they even gave me one in the hospital the evening of surgery. But that is Celebrex - I would not take ibupropen, aspirin, Aleve or any of the others. So what NSAID are you on? Can your physician prescribe Celebrex if you are not on it? I know I would be miserable without it (I've tried).

clc, what kinds of liquid mixes, etc. have you tried? I find Unjury flavors very good. But if you don't like them, the unflavored variety can be mixed with whatever you think tastes good. I usually use 1/2 strength Crystal Lite or the Wal-Mart brand of sugar free drink mix.

Good luck to you! I just was banded last Friday and I really would have appreciated another night in the hospital. My first night there, with a trapeze above the bed, was a lot more pleasant than my second night at a hotel, where I had to be so careful getting in and out of bed. Enjoy it!

Thanks for telling your story, Doddie63. I think it is quite encouraging. I think I will also be someone who has to keep a log of my intake. I am looking forward to not craving carbs, especially candy. Maggie, I am going to Detroit. My surgeon will be Dr. Gazayerli at Harper Hospital/Detroit Medical Center. I am working with the gals at beliteweight.com. I am happy with their program so far. They have a package deal, even for those of us with insurance/Medicare. It includes the night before the surgery at a hotel, then the night of the surgery in the hospital (while my companion stays at the International Center) and a third night at the International Center for both of us. My insurance is Humana CMS. It is a program that takes the place of Medicare, and includes prescription drug coverage. For those in my rural county, there is no additional premium (they take my Medicare premium), and the coverage is equal to or better than Medicare. For instance, a yearly colonoscopy and mammogram are covered at no cost to me. They follow Medicare guidelines for the surgery, which require that it be inpatient and at a COE. Then I will just pay a $625 co-pay for anything done during that hospitalization. Once my paperwork was submitted (MD letter, mainly & request for approval from the surgeon's office) it was approved in 3 days. I have a daughter who lives in Lansing and works at MSU. I am hoping that if this works well for me she may consider it, too. skinnydippn42, are you determined to have the surgery in Jackson? You have probably told the forum before, but why haven't you considered going elsewhere and not waiting?

Hi all, I am so glad to have found this forum for senior lapbanders! I am 66 Y.O. and a snowbird, like several others here. I loooove warm weather. We go to the Rio Grande Valley of Texas for Jan. thru March each year. Down there we have a pool at the RV park, but back up in Michigan, I think getting my exercise will be more difficult. We did bring our bikes back, so will try some cycling. We live in a village, so no PT or gyms nearby. My daughter recommends weight training, so I will try that, too. I can't walk much due to spinal stenosis. I was having some qualms and questions a few days ago, and was so pleased to find the answers here. I am committed to this change of lifestyle, but still glad to know that those cravings for candy will hopefully abate, and that I will be able to enjoy small servings of some of my other favorites. The thought of not being able to even taste the sweet corn in my garden was depressing. I am handling the liquid diet OK so far- but I have only been on it since Wednesday, and I remember from Medifast days that the 3rd and 4th days were the hardest. Wish me luck, Sue

Hi all, I am a 66 y.o. mother of six grown children. I have not had my surgery yet. Rather than Medicare, I have a Medicare substitute called Humana Gold Choice. I am awaiting approval from them and hoping to get it in time to have my surgery on 5/14. My BMI is 39.1 now, but I have hypertension, high cholesterol and arthritis. I will be going to Detroit to Harper Hospital - Dr. Gazayerli. I am working with a group called beliteweight.com. They are surgery coordinators. They are helpful when I call them, but I hate to keep calling with every question I have, so I'm glad to have found this forum. Because my surgery will hopefully be 5/14, I started the pre-op diet yesterday. So far so good, but I was on Medifast in the past, so I know the really rough part is on the 3rd to 4th day. I was an RN before retirement, and am not worried about the surgery itself. But I did not go to any seminars, nor have I had anything other than phone contacts with my coordinators. I was a librarian before I became a nurse, so I have been doing my own research. Detroit is about 175 miles away. I will only be going there once, for a three day stay including the surgery itself. I will be having follow-up care and fills locally with a physician who used to be at Detroit. I wish I could have the surgery locally, too, but Medicare (and thus Humana) require it be done at a Center of Excellence. It has been helpful to read the forums and learn how everyone is doing and how the different pre and post-op instructions have varied. Thanks for being there, Sue

I'm also in the same boat - waiting for the phone to ring. The doctor's office had to give my insurance a surgery date, and, since I would like to do it before the warmer weather, when I know I can be more active, they scheduled me for 5/14. But they didn't request insurance approval till 5/6. So I am starting on the liquid diet with no real certainty that my surgery will be done 5/14. I think it will be approved, but how soon? How long does insurance approval take? I plan to call my insurance company tomorrow to ask how its going. Humana has a Bariatric Management Dept. - they told me it only has two people, Jill and Janet, and I have spoken to both of them before. So maybe they will give me a clue.