RestlessMonkey

I asked my surgeon. I was told we were to avoid it because "it can be an appetite stimulant for some". There is a tendency in the medical community to shun caffeine when actually they are finding (studies being done) that caffeine in moderate amounts can actually be good for you. Since it does not stimulate my appetite (in fact in some people it DECREASES the appetite) I have coffee with caffeine daily...a cup or two....and I drink unsweetened iced tea with caffeine (about a quart a day). Ask your doc.

Take some chapstick or lip balm (they'll be really dry) and also a book to read, or MP3 player. Wear easy on/off shoes (you won't want to bend over long enough to tie them) and a pillow for the ride home (to brace your surgical sites. Really helps) brush, comb...glasses case if needed (don't wear contacts if you do, they'll make you take them out) toothbrush clean undies (you'll wear their gown) Good luck! OH and the bag is adorable!

I think your plan is good, as long as he does become "in network" in 6-8 weeks. Why the wait? What if there's a glitch? Only you will know the right decision. If it were me, I'd either make sure from the insurance co. that he's "in line" to become in network, and get a timeline, or I'd go somewhere else. He's probably really good but also probably not the only really good one around. I'd wonder about the "6=8 week" thing, especially since you are on a deadline.

I'd go find a provider who was IN NETWORK now and get it done. And they cover at 70% after your deductible, but what is the annual cap? (Most companies have one)

Who does your fills? I guess you'll have to go back to Mexico; I wonder how it got infected so late in the game. After a year you should be healed! Good luck!

I guess you didn't tell him you'd already advanced to hot dogs..... :lunch:

Welcome and good luck! I agree...our doc says to aim for "satisfied, not full" and that's even MORE ambiguous. I think the lucky ones who hit on it are the successful ones. I'm still "zeroing in", myself! It's a process, but totally worth it!

I did...on my left upper thigh...small patch that went away in about 2 days. Call your surgeon and tell him about it, just to be sure...but I think it's a side effect of the anesthesia/surgery and don't think that there's anything (but time) that can help it. I am not a doc, though...so you're safest to call your surgeon and ask about it.

You will NEED it...it will keep you alive, and you may not ever know it was there (like your other surgeries). They knock you out, and they remove it before you come to fully, so you don't ever know or feel panicked etc. I get claustrophobic but the tube was a big non-event. In fact my second surgery I didn't even have a sore throat from it (sometimes you do, sometimes you don't,. but again it's minor). Hang in there!

I hope so! I cheated on mine and didn't get banded the first time out; but that's rare. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you...but use this to help keep you strong on the post op diet (so you can heal properly) Good luck!

Not mine. He feels we need time to adjust.

An agent should be able to help her. Insurance (and laws) vary so much by state to state; what one person has (price, coverage etc) will vary when compared to another state etc. Personal insurance is so expensive (and many of them don't cover "elective" surgery, which this is) so your friend MIGHT be better off to just pay for the surgery. Either way a good independent insurance agent can help. (remember too that insurance, when you self pay, is way more expensive for overweight people) Good luck.

I'd think your only option would be to pay for the surgery yourself.

Sure. I "swayed" from mhy 3 week preop diet, lost 15 pounds and didn't get the band the first time because my liver didn't shrink enough....because I didn't do what my doctor told me to do. So don't cheat. It isn't worth it. You must stick scrupulously to the post op diet, too...and it's often all liquids for a few weeks. (I read about people who cheated and had no problems so I figured I could too. WRONG!)

It's probably just and allergy but call your doc tomorrow to make sure, and find out what he/she recommends you use on it for the itching!

Many surgeons have brochures in their offices for self-payers. I think I've heard of a place called "care credit". Hopefully that will give you a starting place, and maybe self-payers can give you some tips. Good luck!

I got stuck once but I forgot to chew chew chew and small bites. It wasn't pleasant but it was no worse than vomiting is. I could breathe the entire time...it hurt but I wasn't scared because I knew what it was. It took about 5 minutes and the offending bite came back up. It quit hurting immediately. It isn't anything to be scared of. It isn't fun but lots of things are worse than that was...

Do what YOUR DOC tells you to do. They are all different. I've ignored my doc's directions because of things I've read here and regretted it. No one would ever intentionally give you the wrong info and much posted here is helpful; but do not go against your doctor's orders because of something you read here! All surgeons are different and require different things of their patients. Good luck!

I hear you! And let me tell you it is HARD to shed that "diet" mentality. But it works. It's slow (1-2 pounds a week) but it works. It amazes me each week when I get on the scale and have lost AGAIN. Wow! Take care and good luck!

May I make a WILD suggestion? Drop the "strict calorie diet" (you may not be eating enough, especially considering how much you work out) and try to do the band like my doc says to do...eat only 3 meals a day. Eat whatever your family is eating (or what you want, if you're in that position) but eat Protein first, then veggies, then fruit, and finally grains/pastas etc. Take small bites, chew well, take only 30 minutes to eat, dont' drink 15 min before, during, 15 min after meals...and don't snack. don't count, weigh, etc. Don't worry about fat free or whatever. Just make good choices and eat. That will remove the obsession and the 24/7 thoughts of food. It will be "natural". I bet you start losing again. Might you try that?

Tired...what tests you may need and how fast it may go depends entirely on which surgeon you choose! And remember (you probably know this) if you pick a surgeon outside your "home base", you need to make sure you line up local aftercare. If you have an emergency, or even just for fills, most surgeons are very reluctant to take another's patient. As to NSAIDS..that's dicey, because they can cause stomach erosion. Couple that basic fact with the configuration of the band and pouch...and you are asking for trouble. You'll need to discuss that with your surgeon.

My doc said if it's going to happen, it will...I lost hair from 3 mos to 6 mos, never enough for it to be noticed by anyone but me, and now it's stopped. I didn't take any supplement except my multi vitamin over that time.

Or since you can only go every 91 days, have your doc put more in to start. That's what I would do, but we're all differently. Or I'd pay for more frequent ones...because...my doc is conservative and it's taken me from august to now to finally feel restriction. It is much easier with restriction...but I am struggling because for 6 months I could eat anything and felt like the band had failed. I'd rather have had more restriction earlier on. If I had it to do over, I'd tell my doc I preferred a slightly more aggressive approach.

I had baked fish (no topping) and 1/2 of a small baked potato with light butter. I think fish is considered a soft food...not mushie, but soft.

You're thinking with "diet" mentality and IMHO you need to get past that. The band provides PORTION control, it's not the food police. Most likely you will be able to eat anything, just in smaller quantities. I had roast last night...I've had pizza, I've even had part of a patty melt. (Not all in one day, or one week, but I've eaten them) Your "relationship" with food will change....you won't scarf down 1/2 of a large pizza, say (or whatever) but you can have pizza. I've even had a white bread sandwich and lived to tell the tale. I think it's better to just remain calm about it...but we're all different! The more I start to count, and fret, and think "food police" in my head, the more obsessed I get. There's a reason diets fail, you know! Just relax. You'll be making "good choices" (99% of the time!) but can still have your wild "bad choice" fling occasionally! life goes on!