RestlessMonkey

You can check the "doctors and hospitals" section. Honestlly because I live near the border, grew up on the border, and am (almost) an RN, if you shot me across the border I'd crawl to the US side to get help. And with the drug wars going on over there, travel is dicey! Not to say people don't have good experiences over there and bad ones over here; but I can't recommend any surgery in Mexico. I will say this though; as I posted, the aftercare (fills etc) are as important as the band itself. Truly. And many US Surgeons do not want to take on another surgeon's patient, whether that surgeon was from another country or another county. So if you DO decide to go to Mexico, have local aftercare lined up. The first year you will need multiple fills (I've had 6 and am not "there" yet) and you need access to good medical care in the case of some complication There are US Surgeons who also do the surgery fairly inexpensively but the aftercare issues apply to them as well. Good luck to you!

Most individual coverage won't cover it. If you think about it you can see why: they don't want you to buy the ins just for surgery then drop it. AND..the aftercare is as important as the surgery itself. You can call an independent agent and get his/her help (the insurance companies pay them, not you) or just wait until you graduate and get a job with coverage...or "self pay"

Sounds like you have a UTI. Call your doc or if he's closed for the weekend, go to a clinic

According the The American Board of Plastic Surgery’s website: “ Plastic surgery deals with the repair, reconstruction, or replacement of physical defects of form or function involving the skin, musculoskeletal system, craniomaxillofacial structures, hand, extremities, breast and trunk, external genitalia or cosmetic enhancement of these areas of the body… The plastic surgeon uses cosmetic surgical principles both to improve overall appearance and to optimize the outcome of reconstructive procedures. Special knowledge and skill in the design and surgery of grafts, flaps, free tissue transfer and replantation is necessary… Anatomy, physiology, pathology, and other basic sciences are fundamental to the specialty… Competency in plastic surgery implies an amalgam of basic medical and surgical knowledge, operative judgment, technical expertise, ethical behavior, and interpersonal skills to achieve problem resolution and patient satisfaction.” So no, it is not.

Call and ask your surgeon's assistant. The lenght of time varies, as does the diet. Some don't even have to do one; some have to do three (or more) weeks, etc. You won't be able to schedule surgery without the surgeon's input anyway....so call and ask!

Be careful going to Mexico MIG: Mexico Travel Alert

It's hard to quit. They always say "nicotine is gone after a day or two"...well yes, and then your body that was conditioned to operate with nicotine SCREAMS for it. Some suffer for a while before the body gives up. But if you've gone a month (or more) without it then the worst is over for you, whether you are a lucky one who doesn't miss it much, or an unlucky one who almost would kill for a cigarette. It is healthy for you...put the money from cigarettes into a "you" fund to pay for clothes, a makeover, whatever! Not all people smoke or eat (or do shots LOL) to "numb" themselves but whatever your reason, if you can quit for good you'll be doing a great thing for yourself and your family...think of what a great role model you'll be for your kids? Hang in there!

If you ate ahead of your post op plan you should call your doc. You may have messed the band placement up a little. Call to be safe, especially before the weekend. What "Solids" can you add? Most say soft foods first... I'd still call the doc to be sure!

I don't really understand why you are ashamed and emmbarassed. Why did you get the band in the first place; were you overweight? Did you struggle with overeating? And when you got the band did he do it for free if only you'd lose, or did YOU pay for it? (Or your insurance?) Maybe he should be ashamed that you haven't lost; he's the doctor. Hopefully you see my point. You have a debilitating medical condition and need help. You don't apologize if you get bronchitis or the flu; you don't need to apologize for this. Just go get the help you need.

You're safest to check with your surgeon. If you disregarded any lifting restrictions it's possible it is a hernia. Your doc will know for sure. It's NOT your band ... that is placed around the top of your stomach and is behind your liver. Hope it all works out ok for you!

Laws vary by state. What does your WIFE's boss say? Did she discuss with him/her before hand? Does she have the leave coming? Is her job in jeopardy or is she "solid"? In Texas it isn't illegal to veto time off for company "need", but employers should use that veto lightly. Besides the payroll, what reasons did they give? Politics are a sad fact of life in many corporate environments. Depending on your wife's situation (has she often had the person cover her? never? once in a blue moon? is she senior or junior to the person, or a peer?) I'd either suck it up and change OR...offer to give Employee X more training if she feels unsure, offer to do as much Pre-payroll work as i can, and stick by my guns. And unfortunately, while OH Juli has a point, lap band surgery (whether for our health or not!) is ELECTIVE. If your wife had a burst appendix they couldn't ask her to "keep working" (well, they shouldn't!) but for an elective, non-emergent surgery, they are most likely within their rights.

You can probably find someone who is money-hungry enough to charge you to do it. However..often "bandsters" only lose 35-50 percent of their excess weight. Would you pay thousands and go through all this just to lose 25 pounds (or less?) I do not mean to be a snob, a downer, or to belittle how miserable I'm sure you are. BUT...there are probably less expensive ways to get you where you want to be, that are better for you and will give you more success.

I know there is a surgeon in Houston that a frequent poster (and buddy!) flies from New Mexico to see... her name is MissBS. If you don't get the response you want regarding Dr. Rincon, you might ask her the particulars. Good luck to you! :thumbup:

I don't "Guzzle" it usually but you can drink like 2-4 ounces at a time in good healthy swallows. Right now you don't have much restriction and I believe water just flows right on through. If in doubt, ask your doc, but once you aren't swollen from surgery and before you get much restriction, your band is fairly wide open; kind of like a belt that you have sitting around your waist that you haven't buckled or tightened yet. It's there, but not doing much.

Do you have someone REALLY near by? OR can you just stay overnight in the hospital? Odds are you'll be wonderful but it's that rare instance where something goes wrong. Plus most hospitals won't release you (especially under the influence of narcotics) without someone else to care for you. You won't need physical help so much as just "tending"...a warm body to be there if you start to feel bad, etc. Do you have anyone like that?

If you think about it, it makes sense ... once we have restriction, rather than moving on through our digestive tracts, meds just sit in the pouch for a good while. My surgeon said regular meds almost effectively become extended release. This same action, of sitting in the pouch for a while, is the very reason nsaids are so dangerous! Best to check with YOUR surgeon; mine says no extended release!

I can't imagine why you couldn't. Not the extended release ones (if there are? Multi layered or something) because once you're filled they can just sit in your band, unless they are very small. Ask your doc to be sure, of course, but I've never heard they were forbidden.

I admit I don't go out to eat very often but it doesn't happen to me when I'm out. ALSO they don't pop out without me knowing. NOT that I think you are misrepresenting it...I just don't want someone to not get the band because of it. I was horrified about the burping and almost decided not to do it if I was going to be a gross embarassment at every restaurant! :smile: Of course when I'm out I pick foods I KNOW I can eat (no experimenting in public LOL) and I take small bites, am VERY careful to chew like the dickens, and don't drink much. Maybe that helps. At home, though, I've burped so much (especially after the last fill) that my husband now will burp and then say "I've got new restriction" LOL It's not fun, but it's not worth passing on the band. And long timers say it subsides with time.

Call your surgeon tomorrow...let the office know that it's oozing (or dripping?) describe what color and if there's an odor, and if the area around it is red, hot, especially tender etc...it's possible you have an infection, or it could just be how you are healing. Safest to ask your doc! (By the way, his office will know to ask you all that stuff; I just thought you might want to "be prepared"!) Good luck

I agree call your doc!

My band had only "primer" in it (as my doc called it) I came to in recovery hungry (yes really hungry not "head" or emotional hunger) I didn't have restriction until my 4th fill. AND I'm still not in the "green zone" but I'm getting there.

This depends on you and your doctor. Most docs require 4-6 weeks between fills and as long as you are losing 1-2 pounds a week, don't want to do a fill, but that's just a rule of thumb, not a hard guideline.

AH I just read your TITLE...OOPS! Post op week 1 I had water, water, a little (gross) broth and water. I didn't measure it but know I got over 64 oz a day. Week 2 we were "allowed" protein shakes and I was so happy to have those dire things back! I drank 2-3 of them each day, plus MORE water, and broth. I finally hit on the idea of taking a soup I liked (not creamy..but like vegetable or chicken noodle) and filtering ALL the "food" out of it (husband got that part) and warming and drinking the broth. That got me through. Never counted a calorie though.

I was told to (and am getting) at least 64 oz of water (not milk juice coffee etc...but water) each day. I don't monitor the other two things. For me this isn't a diet. If I diet I go nuts. I obsess over each bite...WHEN can I eat WHAT can I eat what if I run out of calories before supper on and on and on. Dieting helped get me to 405 pounds.

Yes, it's normal! You're exactly right; until you get restriction (and it will likely take more than one fill for you to experience that) your band is just "there". Some very few people have swelling post op that, for a while, limits what they can eat for several weeks. Most recover more quickly than that. Some just stick to a small amount of food out of will power, but many do not. Some even gain back some weight that was lost pre and initially post op. It's a process. You're right on track!