Jodi_620

Ihave UHC too and I did. By the time the surgeon, hospital, anesthesiologist and radiologist submitted thier charges the total bill was around 29,000.00 (self-pay was quoted at $17,500.00!). The insurance company did their bargaining and brought their part down to about 20,000.00 in the end I had to pay around $5,000.00 out of pocket. My surgeon required a $3,000.00 downpayment prior to surgery and with all of the other bills trickling in it added another $2,000.000.(my anesthesiologist bill came seven months after surgery!)

WOOHOO! HIT THE 80 POUND MARK!!! COMING UP ON 8 MONTHS AND LOST OVER 86% OF MY EXCESS WEIGHT! NAME------------------------START----------------CURRENT---------------GOAL--------------TO GO 1000words..........220............210............210...........0 annjones...........277............264............267...........3 AuntieGG...........286............278............270...........8 BandedCG...........273............236.5..........220........16.5 Bandana............165............165............160...........5 Barb12590..........185............180............175...........5 Bea1128............190.5..........189............180...........9 Bonnielass.........168............164............159...........5 Brandy.............198............194............190...........4 Bunkey.............165............165............160...........5 Charlietuna........163............160............150..........10 crzytchr...........250............243............240...........3 CubsGirl...........150............143............140...........3 Cutiew/booty.......224............217............212...........5 Fordgal88..........274............208............198..........10 Imgoingdown........239............199............189..........10 janesays...........230............222.4..........215.........7.4 Jodi_620...........160............154............148...........6 karebare714........283............272............265...........7 kikival315.........219.5..........215............210...........5 LauraP.............170............170............155..........15 lcwils01...........227............225............213..........12 Leslie2lose........229............223............219...........4 LilMissDiva........253............242.4..........239.........3.4 LisaLef............270............238............235...........5 littlefroggy.......211............205............195..........10 Long2BThin.........216............206............205...........1 Loveislovely.......223............211............208...........3 ltgordon...........264............262............250..........12 Mair...............231............225............220...........5 Mamanmidwife.......264............258............250...........8 misskitty84........313............263............243..........20 mominlv13..........270.2..........265.8..........260.........5.8 SanDiegoPhotog.....263............191............179..........12 Sistergrl25........359............289............264..........25 skyjoe.............322.4..........312.2..........289.4......22.8 Tabithan...........246............238............236...........2 Terilynn112........224............224............200..........24 Tuger..............192............192............185...........7 twinmommie.........207............198............193...........9 wowox7.............173............165............163...........2

When was your last fill? Sometimes it can take days or even weeks to feel the effects. Have you had any stress lately? Stress can cause me to feel instantly tighter. It doesn't sound like you have anything to worry about, slippage usually causes things like reflux, pain, loss of restriction, weight gain. I would agree that you should just wait and see what happens.

Only you can make that decision. Do as much research as you possibly can. Understand how the Lap Band works and that it takes work on your part to make it a success. Know the risks. If you have specific questions along the way come here. I would suggest that you start by finding a seminar in your area, that is a great first step.

Sorry you didn't get the opportunity to have that ceremonial last meal, L.J. I know what you are saying, when I was at your stage I wanted--and indulged in--the Last Supper eating. At that stage I thought that once I was banded, enjoying food would come to an end so I may as well enjoy it while I could. But that is not how it really is with the band. Yes we have to eat slower and take smaller bites but that forces us take time to enjoy the food more. No, we can't eat as much as we once did but we are satisfied on the smaller amount and I must say, I appreciate food more now.

You should talk to your surgeon. He/she should know that you have not followed the guidelines and may be able to help you come up with something that works or help you figure out how to make the diet work for you. Any kind of diet will help your liver shrink ( you are not actually shrinking the liver but melting the fat off of it). The all liquid Protein diet helps the liver shrink enough within the pre-op period so that your liver is prepared in time for surgery. Not following the diet slows down that loss and risks difficulty or even cancellation of surgery...how much of a difference it makes depends on what you eat and how fatty your liver is. You need to get this worked out because the risk of not following the pre-op diet is liver damage or going under the knife only to have the doctor find a fatty liver and closing you back up with no band. And you need to be able to continue on with the post-op diet to avoid potentially causing damage to your band. I know that it is hard but it is all worth it in the end!

I agree, stick with it. There has not been any food that I ate pre-band that I can not tolerate now. Some things take more work than others and I eat a lot less but I am not missing out on anything. I see no reason why you would not be able to have sushi once you are back on solids.

Are you eating too many carbs? (starches like potato, rice, corn and pasta, breads, crackers, chips and sugary stuff) If so you should get this stuff out of your system. Comletely cut out these items for at least a week or two. Eat protein with colorful fresh veggies and a little fruit. Then after a few weeks add back healthy carbs like 100% whole wheat breads, cereals and oatmeal. Eat them in moderation and always with a protein. The more starchy carbs you have in your diet the more you are going to crave.

Absolutely! Our brain is high energy and needs the right nutrients to function properly. Lack of vitamins and minerals can alter your brain chemistry and cause problems with mood, sleep and concentration.

It depends on the insurance but because I didn't have any co-morbidities, I had asked about this and was told that it was not something they generally considered, but they really should. Many people on my Dad's side died of heart disease and young (Dad was only 53). There is diabetes, stroke and cancer on mom's side. Luckily my BMI was .2 above 40 so I qualified without co-morbidities. As long as you have coverage and you meet their requirements they really can't deny you.

NAME------------------------START----------------CURRENT---------------GOAL--------------TO GO 1000words..........220............210............210...........0 annjones...........277............264............267...........3 AuntieGG...........286............278............270...........8 BandedCG...........273............236.5..........220........16.5 Bandana............165............165............160...........5 Barb12590..........185............180............175...........5 Bea1128............190.5..........189............180...........9 Bonnielass.........168............164............159...........5 Brandy.............198............194............190...........4 Bunkey.............165............165............160...........5 Charlietuna........163............160............150..........10 crzytchr...........250............243............240...........3 CubsGirl...........150............143............140...........3 Cutiew/booty.......224............217............212...........5 Fordgal88..........274............208............198..........10 Imgoingdown........239............199............189..........10 janesays...........230............222.4..........215.........7.4 Jodi_620...........160............155............148...........7 karebare714........283............272............265...........7 kikival315.........219.5..........215............210...........5 LauraP.............170............170............155..........15 lcwils01...........227............225............213..........12 Leslie2lose........229............223............219...........4 LilMissDiva........253............242.4..........239.........3.4 LisaLef............270............238............235...........5 littlefroggy.......211............205............195..........10 Long2BThin.........216............206............205...........1 Loveislovely.......223............211............208...........3 ltgordon...........264............262............250..........12 Mair...............231............225............220...........5 Mamanmidwife.......264............258............250...........8 misskitty84........313............263............243..........20 mominlv13..........270.2..........265.8..........260.........5.8 SanDiegoPhotog.....263............191............179..........12 Sistergrl25........359............289............264..........25 skyjoe.............322.4..........312.2..........289.4......22.8 Tabithan...........246............238............236...........2 Terilynn112........224............224............200..........24 Tuger..............192............192............185...........7 twinmommie.........207............198............193...........9 wowox7.............173............165............163...........2

LOL, I had a couple dreams like that too. Thanks for the congrats. The first 75lbs. came off pretty quickly; unfortunately the last 20 pounds are putting up a pretty good fight...:tt2:

OMG!!!!Those commericals were killers during my pre-op/post-op diet period. I would literally close my eyes and cover my ears. To this day I hate Pizza Hut, Olive Garden and Long John Silvers for torturing me during that time.

Mine as well as many others were repaired during surgery. The diaphragm is near where the Lap Band will be placed so it is a good idea to get it taken care of since the surgeon will literally be right there anyway. Not getting it fixed could cause problems down the road.

I've seen this discussed here several times in the past so you may want to do a search. I have yet to hear of someone having to have the band removed, so there is hope. But if you do have it you may have to be unfilled. Also if it is confirmed be prepared for a possible unpleasent time with antibiotic treatment. I have read that the medications are pretty rough.

From now until your first fill you may find yourself to be hungry. Until you start to feel the effects of fills you will need some willpower. How we respond to fills is individual. My first fill didn't do much and that is true for many bandsters. As you get fills you will notice that you have to be very careful of how and what you eat, something you tolerated well before the fill may take a lot more work and time. You will also notice that you stay full longer after a fill or two.

Maggie, I was wondering how it went...

Being tired and having a long trip is stressful on the body and mind. Carbs are a comfort food and most people reach for them when they are stressed, the reason is the seratonin mentioned in your post. Once you start eating them your insulin spikes and dips and your brain says eat more carbs. To lessen its effects, eat the carbs with a lean protein...protein does not affect your blood sugar and having both at the same time lessens the spikes and dips.

That is something that my psych warned me to be mindful of especially in the first 12 months. And I have to admit it became a bit of a struggle moths 4-6 post-op, not with sex but with alcohol. I had given up overeating/poor eating, cigarettes and Diet Pepsi/caffeine all at once and I went through a two month period where I was pretty much unbearable. I have to admit that the idea of drinking alcohol to calm myself entered my mind a time or two, not just the idea but a strong desire. There was a bottle of Vodka in my house that seemed to call out to me. I am happy to say that bottle still sits undisturbed and I made it through 8 of the 12 months. The desire to replace my lost vices with alcohol has almost gone away.

I'm with redmom. I use the glass Pyrex containers to store and heat food, plastic just is not healthy. But I do save jars and assorted containers for other storage uses like in the garage.

Sounds to me like you are a good candidate. Your stats are within the range acceptable for surgery candidates. I was nervous about seeing my PCP too. I had already been to the seminar and had made up my mind that I wanted it done but his letter of approval was necessary and I was sure that he would refuse approval. But he was very supportive.

Sounds like you have a pretty good handle on the head hunger part of it then. The pre-op diet varies from doctor-to-doctor. The majority seems to be liquid protein for two weeks pre-op. Post-op for me was two more weeks of liquid, two weeks puree then add soft foods building up to more solid foods. The reason for the pre-op diet is due to the fact that the liver needs to be moved in order to access the stomach. The idea is to get as much fat from the liver to make surgery safer. Post-op diet is to avoid stomach churning while healing.

It is actually not the band that can stretch, it is your pouch. If you continuously overeat then there is a good chance that you could stretch your pouch. You should only eat when you are hungry and stop before you are too full and you should not eat between meals. If you feel uncomfortable after eating then you ate too much. Pay attention to how much is on your plate so that you can get an idea of how much is too much.

There is very little that I can't eat, I just can't overdo it. All of us like food, that is what brought us here. Once you make it through the pre-op and post-op diets you should be able to eat most things. Some things may take much more work to get down and so they may become less desirable than they once were (pizza is one of them for me). Head hunger is something that you would have to deal with yourself. My cravings came mostly from eating a diet high in carbs so I cut out white carbs like pasta, rice, bread and sugar and as long as I stick with that, my head hunger is quite controllable. If you are an emotional/stress eater then you will need to deal with that. Some people even benefit by continuing to see the psych. Because you can only take in so much food you may find yourself craving more of what your body needs. For example I get uncontrollable cravings for fish...pre-band I didn't care much for fish. Many people will tell you that they were back up and moving in a day or so. After reading so many responses like that, I was expecting the same but even with a desk job it took me almost a week to get back to work and even then there was some incision pain. If I were you, having such a demanding job I would plan for at least two weeks just to be safe.

The pain, discomfort and breathing issues stopped around a week post-op. Almost 8 months later and I still can't burp very well but it is not uncomfortable...I hiccup a lot though. Burps are more from the throat rather than from the stomach and I have to force them out.