Jodi_620

The hurricanes sometimes cause temporary gas shortages in the southern states due to closed refineries and/or panic buying.

Personally I wouldn't do it. But that is not what you asked. You would have to puree the meat and other solid items in a blender...mushies means the food has to be the consistency of baby food. I wouldn't chance eating anything that is not pureed.

I am told to wait a week to reschedule because many people do have a delayed reaction to their fills.

Good for you Renea! It took some serious willpower to get past these hurdles. During this stage you get stronger with each victory! During my pre-op diet I had two hurdles. Our company has a montly lunch meeting which of course occurred during my diet. I sat and watched while everyone ate a catered lunch of salad, grilled chicken, rice, veggies, homeade rolls and biscuits, Cookies and brownies while I sipped on 1/2 cup of chicken broth. The last part of my pre-op was during Memorial Day and that was a difficult day. I turned down invites to BBQ's and decided to skip the holiday and just stay home. Decided to work in the yard and the smells of all of the neighborhood BBQ's was actually painful! LOL.

First off, most surgeons would not want to place the band if there is a hernia present because the hernia can cause issues with the band. A hiatal hernia is when there is a tear in the diaphragm where the esophagus passes through it. The diaphragm is a muscle that holds our stomach and intestines down below the chest. If a hiatal hernia gets bad enough, the stomach and intestines can pass through the tear and migrate into the chest. So obviously you would want that repaired before a Lap Band is inserted. Secondly, I can't believe this doctor would want her to go through two separate surgeries when it can be done all at once. A hiatal hernia is literally in the same area where the band would be placed. I was given photos of my surgery and one photo shows both my lap band and the stitches of my hernia repair in one shot. My surgeon (most surgeons) will do hernia repair if necessary, remove gallbladder if necessary and place the band all in one surgery. I definitely would have her find a different surgeon!

I have a desk job. The type of work you do is important to note. Had surgery on a Friday and went back to work 1/2 day the following Thursday and 1/2 day the following Friday. Back to full time the following Monday.

It is normal to need several fills during this whole process. I have to see my surgeon once a month for the first year. If I need an adjustment sooner than a month I can go in and get one. If you do not have any restriction then you should see your surgeon for a fill. Getting the surgery is only part of the battle, eating right and getting proper adjustments are just as important. If my surgeon did not make himself available to help me maintain my band I would be raising a huge fuss, I didn't go through all of this to have it sabotaged by an incompetent surgeon who won’t help me maintain it. I have had three fills so far. My first one gave me nothing, my second one gave me a little and my third gave me great restriction. But I have since lost some of that restriction and am ready for another fill. My next appointment is not until the 24th but I don't want to wait and will reschedule it today. I want to stay proactive so the weight loss stays steady.

1.) I went to a couple seminars first. Then I chose my surgeon and scheduled a consultation. While he talked with me, his insurance coordinator did insurance verification. But with my surgeon the consultation was $470.00. Once you pay that fee, it is non-refundable whether it turns out you have insurance coverage or not. I planned to self-pay if insurance didn't cover it so that wasn't an issue for me. 2) There is no way we can tell you if your insurance will cover it. You would have to call them. I believe that self-pay with my surgeon is on the higher end but with Hospital, Surgeon, Anesthesia, Psych evaluation and nutritionist (no fills included) my surgeon charges his self pay patients $17,500.00. 3) Flabby skin is a possiblity depending on your age and your genes. It is a concern for me but I would rather have that problem than the rolls of fat. If my skin does not "snap back" and looks too awful I will consider plastic surgery. I still have a ways to go and my surgeon recommends waiting until 1 year after you reach your goal before considering plastic surgery because the skin can still shrink. 4.) There is of course a risk in any surgery but Lab band is nowhere near as dangerous as gastric bypass. And if there are any problems it is reversible. That is why I chose it. As far as safety, banding is much better but it takes more effort on your part. It is just a tool to help you lose weight. You have to watch what you eat and maintain your adjustments. The lap band is better for those who have been successful at weight loss in the past but just couldn't maintain that weight loss.

Kay, There will not be any extra incisions due to the dual surgeries so you will not be any more sore than if you were only having Lap Band Surgery. Most people do not have any problems from Hiatal Hernia Repair a small number do and I was one of them. But it wasn't too bad once I knew that it was the hernia surgery that caused it (they didn't warn me about the side affect) and I was still back to work within a week. I am still unable to belch but it is no longer painful. Like I said most people don't have any problems but I had difficulty breathing for about four days. It only happened when I would talk or move around. It was like I didn't have the strength to pull enough air into my lungs unless I was sitting still. I would also get spasms in my breathing where I would suddenly sort of make a sobbing noise,kinda embarrassing if you are in public. Both those issues lasted about a week. And I had off-and-on severe pain in my esophagus that would last a couple of seconds each time. It seemed like I needed to burp but would just get pain instead. I read an article somwhere on the web that said something like 40% of people who have hiatal hernia repair lose their inability to belch immediately after surgery and almost 20% never get that ability back. It has been over three months for me so I am guessing I will not be able to burp again but I can live with that. It seems like I hiccup more now.

:party: WAY TO GO!!!!

Great idea! I also stopped smoking (15 weeks now!)...isn't it great?!! I have not had any caffeine (also 15 weeks!) I have not had any white carbs (and my carb cravings are practically gone!) I am off my IR meds I am saving money (no cigs, no soda, less food, no fast food, less for prescriptions) I sleep better (no pain, no breathing problems) I have more energy (stuff is getting done around the house and the dog is worn out from walking!) An I am just much happier!!!

Thanks Shalee, if surgery is necessary I would be happy to donate the skin rather than discarding it. Someone earlier in the thread mentioned the possibility of having PS discounted or paid for if you donate the skin which is what led me to Google this topic, and from what I found, that appears to be an Urban Legend. The site you posted clears that up: Yes, it’s easy to become a living skin donor. Here’s how: Tell your surgeon you are interested in donating your excess skin, which is normally discarded after reconstruction. Have your surgeon contact MTF at 800-581-2804. After business hours (8 am to 4 pm Eastern Standard time), your call will be returned within 24-48 hours, Monday through Friday. An MTF Surgical Donation Coordinator will contact you to discuss details and schedule a medical assessment. Your surgery will not be affected. Federal law prohibits buying and selling of organs and tissues. Therefore, you will not be paid for your donation, the surgery or any part of the surgeon’s fee, but donating your skin will cost you nothing extra. But if there are places out there that do discount or provide free plastic surgery I would love to get more info!!!

It is trapped air and your body will eventually absorb it. How long it lasts depends on the individual--mine lasted on and off for a couple weeks. This was just discussed yesterday here is a link to the thread. Maybe some ideas here will help. http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f17/surgery-yesterday-solutions-needed-4-should-pain-few-more-questions-75577/

Nobody here can tell you for sure. It all depends on the individual policy that you hold with them. You will need to call them.

I think I know what you are saying. At first I had a hard time with chewing well. I was so used to swallowing mouthfuls of partially chewed food that taking small bites and chewing well somehow didn't feel as satisfying. But I think it is just because it was habit. Once the bad habit was broken I was able to enjoy eating with the new rules...It just takes a while to adjust. I wasn't able to really do it until after I was banded. I now enjoy my food even more than I did pre-band because I take my time to enjoy the taste and texture. Once you are at restriction, if you do not chew properly it is extremely uncomfortable. Have you ever taken a hard swallow of a drink and gotten an air bubble stuck in your chest? If so that is what not chewing/not taking small bites feels like. Only it can last longer. Sometimes it comes back up and sometimes you have to suffer it out until it passes. That alone will make you want to eat properly!

I agree Jachut 100%. I am a little surprised by some of those here that have bands and automatically sided against Tom. Yes, the band is a tool one that works when we do our part AND when we are at proper restriction. If he is hungry and feels that a fill would work then by all means, the doctor should allow the tool to work and give him a fill. He knows his body better than anyone else. His band is not even half filled yet. What was the point in getting the band and then being denied a fill and be told to lose weight on your own? If I had zero restriction and my surgeon told me to lose the weight on my own without a fill I would be pissed.

Man, they are really blasting the air with this ad. I saw both the one with the couple sharing a popsicle and the one with two ladies at a kids party several times on TBS last night. And each time I see it I get really pissed.

This question is brought up a lot. Some people have a ton of burping and some (like me) can no longer burp at all. Either way, it is common and not anything to worry about.

You should definitely get this squared away before surgery. It could very well be nothing serious but you do not want to have surgery until you know for sure. Are you on any medications?

The thing about carb cravings it that once you get them out of your system for a while, the cravings go away. As long as you can avoid eating them as much as possible the cravings for the most part will stay away. I am the same as Kiz only my love was Diet Pepsi, during pre-op I drank a lot of Crystal Light but now it doesn't appeal to me...I actually enjoy plain ole' Water. I wasn't much of a fish eater pre-banding but I crave fish now. I have been sampling all the different types of fish that I have never tried before and am learning new recipes with it.

For me the first fill was at six weeks post-op. I am supposed to go back once a month for the first year but if I need a fill in between I can get one but I have to wait at least a week after my most recent fill. Some people do gain weight until they get a decent fill, you are pretty much working on willpower until then.

As most of us know, the pain is caused by the air that is pumped into your abdominal cavity during surgery. They kinda blow your abdomen up like a balloon to make room to work. The air that does not escape before they close you up settles near the left shoulder. I learned from someone here that our tissues eventually absorb this air and it is expelled through the lungs so breathing makes sense...

Yeah, I brought this up earlier this week in another thread. I saw that commerical last weekend and couldn't believe what I was hearing. It is sponsored by the Corn Refiners Assoication so of course they want us to believe that this crap is good for us. The commercial says something like it is made from corn so it has to be good for us. They fail to mention that it is processed and refined to the point that it no longer even resembles corn. It makes me angry. With all of the obesity and diabetes in our country people were finally getting the facts about this dangerous ingredient now they are going to try and convince us that they are just getting an unfair bad rap. I wish the commercial could be pulled off the air!

Before my first fill I had absolutely no restriction. For my first fill, I felt no change. For my second fill I realized I needed to eat slower and take smaller bites. I couldn't eat quite as much as before. For my third I really felt a huge difference right away. I had to eat even slower but can still can eat anything as long as I chew well. I eat a lot less.

Wish I could give you further suggestions besides what you have tried. It will take time for your body to absorb all of the excess air. Pain relievers didn't help me either. Stretching and walking helped a little. GasX will not help this type of gas, only the kind in your digestive system.