kiz

Some insurance companies require an overnight stay, so you don't always have a choice, but unless you have extenuating circumstances that might cause you to need to stay overnight, going home the same day is completely doable. I had surgery in the morning and was home by early afternoon. I was very happy that I didn't have to stay the night. However, I had an uneventful recovery, didn't have young children to care for, and my husband was home to help me out as needed.

Your welcome. I know I had a lot of questions at the get-go too. I went to two seminars with different surgeons, and there was a clear choice in my mind, and I went with that doctor. My seminar was in June, and my consultation was scheduled for a few weeks later..so late June early July. I could have surgery in late August, but I had a scheduling conflict, so I moved it to the first week of Sep. I am absolutely thrilled with my results. I'm on a plateau now, but I *never* thought I'd be this close to goal weight after struggling with weight gain and then obesity for the last 15+ years. I've gone the Weight Watchers route more than once, I've gone to a weight loss doctor for phentermine twice, and, of course, I've tried to lose weight on my own several times. All these attempts were met with failure. With the band, I eat normal foods; just much smaller portions, and I don't drink with my meals. I go to the gym for rigorous workouts 3 - 4 times/week. I went into this, not merely to lose weight, but to improve my health. That's one of the reasons exercise is such an important component to me. I didn't add it just to help with weight/inches loss. I want a healthy heart and increase in stamina. I'm planning to hit 50 yrs old with a body that matches my mind and attitude, and I'm getting there.

All my pre-op tests were including in my self-pay contract except for my psych exam which cost $100. I had: blood work, upper GI, EKG, and routine tests such as bp/temp/pulse/weight.

Greg, I've had both types of fills. With the in office fills (not under fluoro), my doctor, or NP, has me drink about an 1/4 cup of water quickly in one swallow, and he wants me to feel the water in my chest momentarily before it goes down.

A few years ago, I was on doctor prescribed phentermine for weight loss. Every two weeks I went in for a B12 injection. A couple of months after my band surgery, I started feeling very sluggish. I remembered my B12 shots, and made a trip to the Vitamin Shoppe to look for a B12 supplement. I got a bottle of liquid B12, and within a couple of days of taking it, I felt back to normal. I had my one year blood work taken in September, and all my labs came back within the normal range. I also take a multi vitamin and calcium.

I was okay'd to drive after I'd been off narcotic pain meds for 24 hrs. I had my surgery on Thursday, and the first day I drove was Monday. I don't know if that's a standard waiting period though.

My port area is already numb from a nerve being cut during my surgery. All of my fills have been pain free. :tongue:

Michelle, definitely ask your surgeon. At the seminars I attended, that question came up, and the surgeons were fine with a patient using their own doc.

My insurance would have covered it, but I have private health insurance, and I didn't want a psych exam on my record, especially since I was paying out of pocket for the surgery. I didn't want to risk being placed in some kind of high risk category in case I ever had to go through underwriting again. Talk about a nervous time waiting to see if you're going to qualify and for how much. My surgeon gave me a list of psychologists to call and they ranged in price from $400+ to $100. I jumped on the $100 deal. She was actually quite good, in my opinion.

Well, I'm walking proof that you can have a band overfilled. My port was never missed. I've had my band pressure checked, and I'm at the top but still within normal range measure. The doctor also pulled the saline out on a few occasions just to reassure me that I didn't have a leak. I do have small anatomy, and I'm not sure if this played a role, but I've never been a big meal eater, I just ate too much of the wrong type of food between meals. As time passes, I can still get small fills, because the Fluid level goes down a bit naturally. Once I get to my goal, the doctor will take out a small amount of fluid so that I will maintain my weight with a little bigger meals.

I'm supposed to eat 1/2 cup, and I could eat more too, but I don't (3/4 cup to maybe 1 cup at most, but I haven't tried). I stop and am fully satisfied for 4 hours or more. Since you're supposed to be eating 1 cup servings, I think you need to get out a measuring cup and measure, and only have that amount of food on your plate. If you are getting hungry before three hours have passed, you need to go in for an adjustment. Also, if you're drinking with your meals, you're sabotaging your success. I've seen it said on here many times that to be successful with weight loss you need to only eat as much as you need to be healthy, not try to see how much you can eat. You also might have stretched your pouch. It can happen with consistant overeating. There's a highly recommended diet that you can find on LBT or with an internet search called the 5 Day Pouch Test.

This is from my doctor, but I it would be important find out what your doctor recommends because he could have far different rules. I'm supposed to eat 1/2 cup solid meals. To check for proper restriction, he suggested a 1/2 cup meal of 2/3 chicken and 1/3 broccoli. If we're hungry in less than three hours and not losing weight, we should get an adjustment.

That's a bummer that you had to have all your saline removed, and that you had to make several calls before they could fit you in. I know that has to be very disappointing. I hope you have a smoother go at it this time around.

I agree that you should ask your doctor, but to answer you question, mine goes by food volume, not weight. So, I'm supposed to eat no more than 1/2 cup meals, and that's after cooking. It's to be sure we don't eat more food than can be safely held in our pouch.

I'm very sorry you had to have your band removed. I know I'd have the same fears you're expressing if I lost mine. Thankfully, you have a doctor who is sympathetic and is going to work with you. Best of luck to you.

I don't know how well it works because I never had to use it, but I've read on the forum to use children's liquid Motrin in an emergency such as this to help reduce swelling. Also, try sipping warm tea, or something clear. As hmarko said, this can turn into an emergency situation where you can't even swallow your own saliva. I'm not sure how long you have until you become dehydrated, so I would also suggest you call the doctor's emergency line if you can't keep anything down. Hopefully, your swelling will subside, but if it doesn't you're going to have to go back for an unfill. Good luck!

That's a great question, and thanks for the info you provided Cathy. For a hamburger, I always use ground beef. I usually buy the 93% fat free. For chili, spaghetti sauce, and the like, I usually use the Jennie-O 99% fat free turkey. I don't notice in difference in taste, and I'm not so concerned about using it to lose weight because I eat such a small amount, but I do think it's a healthier choice for my whole family. However, I will only go so far in the sacrifice of taste and texture because I don't think lean ground beef is such a bad choice. This is the nutritional info for the 99% lean turkey: Nutrition (per serving) Serving Size 112 g (4 ounces)Total Carbohydrates 0 g Calories 120 Dietary Fiber 0 g Calories From Fat 15 Sugars 0 g Total Fat 1.5 g Protein 26 g Saturated Fat .5 g Vitamin A 0 % Trans Fat .0 g Vitamin C 0 % Cholesterol 55 mg Iron 4 % Sodium 70 mg Calcium 0 %

I keep thinking, "Those who can DO. Those who can't TEACH." I'm not sure it applies, but I've always liked that saying. Congrats on your successful fast, Elfie. I can't say I'd ever do it myself. One of the reasons I enjoy this board is that I pick up so many different tips that I would have never considered.

Different doctors have different views on how long to wait before having alcohol after having lap band surgery. As far as I remember, my doctor never told me a set time to wait, but I never asked either, because I've never been a big drinker. The most I heard about alcohol consumption was in support group (and there might have been a mention there of waiting three months), and the doctor said to be cautious of the fact that many people feel the affects of alcohol much quicker after banding, and of course, the fact that it's empty calories. That holds true for me, it goes straight to my head, but it doesn't make me sick. I'm sure part of the reason is that I weigh less now, but I also think it's because I eat such a small amount of food. I don't drink more than one glass of wine or one mixed drink on those rare occasions I have a drink. Most bandsters can't tolerate beer because of the carbonation, which causes discomfort, and some doctors, but not all, warn that drinks with carbonation might stretch the pouch. As far as smoking. I don't, but I do know it was required that smokers quit for a period of time prior to surgery. I don't think my doctor gave any wiggle room there.

I needed 7+ fills before I had restriction that didn't diminish after a few weeks. I was a tough nut to crack though..lol My doctor wasn't skimpy on fills, I just needed a lot of fill (actually had to have more Fluid than the "max fill" to get good restriction, but I haven't needed a fill going on five months now. Once you find a doctor who is willing to give aftercare to Mexican patients, you should not only get a list of fees including, office charges, in-office fill fee, and the cost for having fills under fluoro/xray (not all doctors do fluoro fills, and some always do them). You should also find out what his procedure is for an unfill if you're too tight. For instance, my doctor will give an unfill without an additional charge if you come back within two weeks. Also, you should find out what how often you can come in for fills and how aggressive he is with fills. Some doctors are very conservative, and refuse to give more than tiny adjustments, which could really add up if you're someone like me who needed a ton of restriction. I've read that some Mexican surgeons will give you a list of local doctors who will do follow-up care. There's also Fill Center's USA who take care of band patients. You can google them to find out if there's a center near you. Good luck!

I'm sorry you've been so sick. I can't believe your doctor is not taking you seriously, whether she thinks it's a band problem or not. I would think you should have your band checked under fluoro, and if nothing amiss is found, an endoscopy to check things out. You also need to have a medical review. Your symptoms are seriously impacting your life and are cause for concern. Even if it's not your band, you need to get the bottom of what's causing your illness(es). Not that we can diagnose you on a message board, but where are you having pain?

I wasn't on a total liquid diet (I was allowed one small low fat/very low carb/high Protein meal). My worse day was day two for sure. I'm sure it was my body getting used to having very few carbs. I hope you start to feel better tomorrow.

pookie, from my experience, that's not unusual at all. The extra restriction you feel the first couple of days can be due to swelling. Just try to stick to healthy eating as much as you can, and understand once you have better restriction, it'll feel a lot less like dieting because the band really does reduce your hunger, as hard as it might be to believe now. Also, if you have fat that's formed around your stomach, once you start losing it, your band may loosen between fills, but after the fat pad is mostly gone, your good restriction will last much longer. Someone in my support group went back after one week to get another fill when he had no restriction. The earliest I ever went back was two weeks. Some doctors hold their patients to a stricter schedule, but I imagine it might be hard to schedule something between now and Christmas, as I'm sure their operating with a reduced staff due to vacations. (ot: When I was a kid, on of my best friends was nicknamed Pookie).

I'm being picky here, but fattening = more than "loaded with fat". Let's take a simple product like pure sugar. Most of us would agree that sugar can be quite fattening if eaten in excess. It's far from loaded with fat, in fact, it has none.

If eyeballing is working for you, don't fix what ain't broken. lol There are certain foods that I think I'll always measure. One, is my dry Cereal I eat every morning. I could eat way more than the 1/2 cup my doctor allows if I didn't have it measured in my little Gladware container. Plus, it's portable in it because it has a lid. Most things, I know the size already, like an egg, 1/2 can tuna, and so forth. I also go by rule's of thumb, especially when I'm eating out. I'm only relating what my doctor wants his patients to do, but he's all about the measuring volume, not weight. He leaves a 4 oz pouch, and it holds 1/2 cup of solid food. I stick to my 1/2 cup portions, and I have good satiety for over four hours. If we start to find that we're eating more than 1/2 cup, getting hungry under three hours, and gaining weight, we need to go in for a fill. On his chart, we have to indicate whether we've measured or not.