RestlessMonkey

Do you maybe mean MediCAL? as in California? You are safest to just contact them and ask! :glare:

If you've been "cheating" on a diet your doc gave you, then consider this a wake-up call. I cheated and lost the weight my way; my liver was still too thick and I came to in recovery with no band. So my awful lesson that I can share is "Do what your doc TELLS you. If he wanted you to have walnuts they'd be on the list!" Post op it is VITAL that you follow the instructions. My doctor yesterday told me the number ONE reason for band slippage is people cheating on their post op diets. So figure this is a lesson. Do what you're supposed to, if you don't lose then postpone the surgery (better than coming to without the band) and stick to your rules. It's worth it.

You are safest if you call and ask your doc what he wants HIS patients to do; they are all different!

i can tell you the AP band doesn't give you extra appetite control. I have an AP large and I am hungry with 6.5 cc's in the thing. So I don't blame you for being upset but don't think the newer one makes it easier to lose with the band, because it doesnt. There are less "side effects" down the road but the one you have was very safe and effective, so be mad but don't let it get you down.

I have no idea if it's normal or not; mine didn't hurt like that but we're all different! Just call your doc again tomorrow if s/he hasn't called you back. It's probably nothing or just healing etc but if it has hurt you for several days you don't want to ignore it

I don't have a bike but have heard from other plus sized people that they have gone to a bike shop and actually gotten, kind of, fitted for a bike? Exercise and bike riding are great ideas and a good bike can do wonders for you. Just pick a local bike shop and get some help! you might also google it. I just googled "bicycles for plus sized people" and this was the first site to pop up, but there are TONS of them http://plussize.lovetoknow.com/Bicycles_for_Large_Women Good luck!

Respectfully, can you get the breast reduction AFTER? I have large breasts (bigger than you!) but I know when I lose, THEY lose. If I had breast reduction now and then lost, i could end up very unhappy and needing ANOTHER surgery. I don't mean to be a downer and I know you are excited, but discuss the reduction and weight loss with more than one plastic surgeon, see if "before" is really the best time for it. Hopefully I'm wrong!

As the nurse told you, usually if you just stick with it and work it, it will resolve. You're doing the right thing; and people get them...we just don't realize that we scar internally almost like we scar on the outside, and when we scar, things can pucker and be tight.

Good luck! If she doesn't take Medicare, she may have a colleague who does. I asked my PCP and he had no clue!

Wow! That's terrible! As long as it's not hot, red, etc (ie no signs of inflammation and infection) then I guess you can keep waiting (but I'd call tomorrow and really demand some help!) Brace it with a pillow and take tylenol; that should help some with the pain. Where is your port? mine is to the left of my band, just lower than my left breast, and not in an area where digestive gas really impacts it. Depending on where yours is, it may be gas, or something else

You REALLY should find out about your insurance. It's possible that they'll pay more if you use a different surgeon/hospital/anesthetist etc. If you have a PPO they won't pay top dollar unless you use an in-network facility and in-network surgeons. HMO's are even more strict. Its your money; it's worth calling and wading through some paper if it will save you 11K!

What is your insurance deductible, and then what is your max out of pocket for a year? If I know that, i maybe can help....

Even if you can't see the doctor you should call and ask.

IMHO you should wait to panic until you have the letter and see WHAT is missing. Many insurance companies stall this way; and it is possible something got lost (the stuff IS processed by humans and we do occasionally lose things etc) The letter will let you know how to proceed.

I'll tell you how I found the one I like in San Antonio, Texas...Google. I knew I wanted a "behavioral" psychologist (I wanted to modify my eating habits, not cry cuz i didn't get a pony...I DID get a pony! LOL not to belittle people with true emotional issues, that just wasn't the problem for me) SO I googled behavioral therapis eating disorder and up popped a list! I read through, found about 10 that took my insurance, and picked the one I ended up with. Had I not clicked with her, though, there were others to choose from. You may want to try that. If you don't have a specific desire for a type of therapy (like I wanted a behaviorist) then just google psychologist eating disorder Amarillo and see where that gets you.

It depends! A very good surgeon can and will remove most of the gas that is put in during surgery. And honestly if your doc can't or won't remove it before he "closes you up" then Gax-X (and other meds) will NOT touch it, because it isn't in your gut, it's outside your organs. The other type of gas is produced by us and it depends on you partly. If you don't swallow a lot of air and stick to your doc's diet, you may not have issues. If you do, though, Gas-X can be a god send. (You will have abdominal surgery. Your stomach and digestive system will be "upset"...so you may do everything "right" to prevent gas and still have some, anyway) So I say yes get some Gas X for just in case, but I used tylenol more than Gas X

You know, if I thought the reason I was fat was because of my stomach, I'd be more likely to agree to having it chopped up and removed, or worse, left in there, sewn shut, still producing acid etc. If I thought it was in my small intestine I'd be more likely to agree to having my innards rerouted. However, while I know that altering these organs produces weight loss, they are NOT why I'm fat. How vile would I feel if I had my stomach removed and then they had a breakthrough? When I was a kid I needed training wheels before I learned to ride my bike but once I learned it, off they went. I guess I want something removable/reversible (and the band is more reversible than any other WLS out there) so IF science hits on the answer (and they are looking, boy are they looking) then I can have the band removed. Kind of like Jachut said on a post (don't remember which) if it doesn't last forever, when the time comes that I need a new one, who knows what options they'll have? We all must make the choices for ourselves. For or against surgery and if surgery, what type. If my surgeon had not wanted to "band" me I would have found another surgeon. We change doctors all the time. Just because a doctor says something doesn't make it true,. Research and soul searching is needed for any medical intervention, especially one as drastic (and potentially life changing) as this. So good for us all for fighting the weight monster, and good for us all trying to find the best weapon FOR US. We are not one size fits all; we are not one surgery (or one intervention) fits all. I love my band and do not regret it but I am truly glad there are options for those who've been unhappy with it, or feel the need for a different interventionl

You get pregnant "after" the lap band the same way you'd get pregnant "before" the lap band! Many surgeons ask that you wait at least a year post banding because 1. the point of the band is to cut caloric intake and lose weight and 2. losing weight isn't really what one wants to do when pregnant. And the band isn't "in" your stomach, it's around the outside of it at the top. If necessary it can be "unfilled" , slightly or totally, so that you can intake sufficient nutrition for you and a baby during pregnancy.

Yes you'll be able to eat part of a burger. You'll be as tight as you want to and there may be times when you won't be able to eat the white bread, but others when you can. I just ate about 1/3 of a Sonic Cheeseburger the other day (that was all i wanted) I'm told there are things that are not good selections for weight loss (like that sonic burger I chose) that may very well be part of a maintenance diet down the road. So odds are yes you'll be able to eat a McDonald's burger.If you really want one (LOL I am one of those rare humans who can't stand pretty much anything from McDonalds'....not that it slowed me down any)

Adhesions are always possible after surgery, but something we aren't really told much about. It's why I slept on my stomach etc from the start; to keep things stretched and to prevent abnormal, well, "joining" of tissues! That won't help you now but may help some newbies... ANYWAY even with that adhesions can form and unfortunately there isn't too much to be done but what you are doing. Even surgery to correct usually just makes MORE scar tissue! Just use whatever (heating pad etc) you can and work the dickens out of it.

I hate to say this but I'd go to a different surgeon. Yes it may take a little longer BUT...you need someone WAY more responsive to you. I can't believe they will not initiate ANY new cases until June because someone is on vacation. If true, that's a stinky way to run an office. Do you REALLY want your life in the hands of a crew like that?

Your doc may prescribe something other than liquid lortab, oxycodone, or hydrocone; mine did! If you are allergic or have a preference, just ask; but otherwise each surgeon usually knows what works best for his/her clientele.

What the doctor prescribes for you, and tylenol for when you don't need the prescription stuff.

honestly if you don't have a fill, odds are it's gone and you're just nervous about it. CAREFUL with drinking liquids though; if something IS stuck and you drink, you can cause yourself some trouble (because if the hole is blocked, the liquid isn't going through either)

Asking your doctor is the right thing to do. Be sure and tell him how much water you are getting and how seldom you are urinating, ok? Also unless you have another medical issue you didn't post about, you may want to check your salt intake. We're supposed to get around 2300 mg a day (2000 or less for people who are salt sensitive) so it's possible you're getting way too much salt.