RestlessMonkey

My surgeon's NP told me the diarrhea was a side effect of the anesthesia and it would go away in a week to 10 days (and it did) The gas will also improve as you heal. Some use Gax X but I didn't...Sometimes I'd curl up on my left side and draw my knees up to my chest and that would help me pass it. The gas really does get better over time. You might always burp a little more than you used to, but it's not so bad.

What Kiz said.

I MAY be wrong (it happens way more than I'd like LOL) but I'm thinking if it gave you a rash (you just said "funny skin reaction" so I'm guessing rash) it was probably something topical like a new lotion, cosmetic, soap, etc. (not always, but often). However if it was more like flushing or hives, then that definitely could be something you ingested. Are you allergic to anything in the powder? If it did give you hives/flushing etc, be careful....any more, allergies are nothing to play around with.

I have 4.5 cc in a 14 cc band (3 fills) and can still eat any bread if I make sure I chew it well. While my surgeon wants us to eat "protein first", he wants his patients to be able to eat a balanced diet. Grains and pasta are a part of that "balance", so to me bread isn't a dirty word in lap band world.

I think, now that you know your insurance will cover, your next step should be to go to a "live" seminar, given by a surgeon (one your insurance will cover). That will answer a lot of questions for you, and bring up a lot more. And might I suggest taking someone else with you...perhaps a parent since you're still 17, but if not that, then another person to be an "objective observer" for you? It's just smart, when it's such a large decision, to have two people listening and so on. Plus, since you are a little young per protocol, taking a parent or "guardian" might help you with your surgeon. Please realize I don't mean to imply you can't decide for yourself....(some 17 year olds can, some 50 year olds shouldn't LOL) but just that it's a lot to absorb, so another can help. Plus it's easier to have people be "on board" with the surgery once they understand it! Good luck! :biggrin:

Kgloverii...that was one AWESOME addiction. It staggers the mind. You probably have enough extra money each year to have a good vacation! :biggrin: Way to go!

OK LOL at NINNER... and I think it depends (as does everything in life) on many things...WHY you overate, what it "meant" to you, and where else you can get that "thing, whatever it was". Depending on why you overate, you may not substitue anything. I guess if we were taught that excessive exercise is taboo, more of us would so be there!

Be sure and check with your surgeon...some of these items are "no no" for some docs. Motrin, for example, is an NSAID and I was told to avoid it post op for a while. Also be careful with the heating pad; if you have heat soluble sutures overusing a heating pad can feasibly dissolve them a little early. (odd but true) My doc didn't approve pudding, crystal light, or even Protein for the first week. Use the list as a guide (as I'm totally sure the OP intended) but clear it with your surgeon or his staff and don't go against your doc's orders! It's really not bad. I just needed my lip balm and some Water and broth the first few days (LOL) and my bra felt really good to me; got the girls up off my chest and my sutures! Good luck!

The worry isn't really stretching your pouch during the "post op diet" phase (you don't really have much of one; until restriction happens, the belt is fairly loose around the neck of your stomach, for most of us) but eating early can cause problems with the band healing in place. The post op diet is prescribed for a reason...so best to check with your surgeon.

If you're still supposed to be on liquids or mushies you might want to check with your surgeon.

I hope you feel a LOT better really fast! That WL is great but not if you're in misery all the time. You'll still lose a lot but be able to enjoy life, too! Keep us posted!

It doesn't do that to me at all, but it may bother you for whatever reason! I'd be more prone to think that it was the heat in the coffee, however, since it didn't bother you before your second fill. Liquid (hot or cold, caffeinated or not) should go through fine, as long as it isn't carbonated. If it doesn't, you're too tight. Maybe over the weekend you were more relaxed or something.

the only tip I can give you or ANYONE getting the band is make sure you have your aftercare lined up....fills, who to call if you have a band-related emergency or health issue, etc. Before I got the band I was so focused on GETTING it, I didn't really think about afterward. Now I realize the aftercare is as important as the band itself. Many surgeons are VERY reluctant to take on patients that another surgeon has operated on. Line someone up locally or, if you plan to fly back for fills, find out what to do if you have the (very rare, but it happens) band type emergency. Good luck!

Can't you contact Capital One and ask? They'd be the best source...

Just read the nutritional info on the labels...it lists carbs. Regular salad dressing is mostly FAT so it's ok on a low carb diet (like atkins) but not really OK at all on a low fat/low carb diet (like one to shrink your liver)

I you haven't already called your doctor, please call him/her tomorrow!

I'm so sorry; that's one reason I always tell people to START with their insurance! :tongue: Many surgeons have self pay options but if you aren't willing to finance the surgery, I think you may be out of luck until your insurance changes.

The surgeon decides. The Lap Band AP (for advanced platform...the latest version) comes in SMALL (holds 10 cc's) and LARGE (holds 14cc's) and depends on your innards. Some surgeons will let you pick the TYPE of band (realize or Lap band) but if there is a choice of size (old lap bands don't come in sizes, nor does the realize band) they make that call.

Which band did she put in? I have the Lap band APL...(the large one)....

Good luck! I'm sorry about your surgeon; could you maybe get his clinic to send your records? Often surgeons will be more likely to take you on if you have your paperwork...anyway I'll hope someone/something comes through for you!

Most surgeons don't want to take on someone else's patient. That's true anywhere...not just Texas. However since you're in Austin, can't you go back to Mexico for fills? It may not be close but then neither is Amarillo.

NSAIDS (like aspirin) can cause erosion. My doc, however, has said that if I only take them occasionally and am "careful" about it(ample Water, take it when it won't just "sit" in the pouch, etc) that they are ok. SO my advice to you is to check with your banding surgeon. He should be able to give you some tips on how and when to take NSAIDS safely.

You answered your own question. It occurs to me that it was the psych that told you to consider bypass. Why would that be, do you think? So you'd mull it over and be SURE you wanted the band, maybe? Just a thought (not a psychiatrist, but "hip" to their ways LOL) There are (amazes me) a few unfortunate people on here who get rushed through, rubber stamped, and then come to in recovery in HORROR that they have a "THING" in them, etc. Those poor souls should NOT have been banded until they were ready, and they obviously weren't yet!....that's as important as getting the liver ready, your kitchen ready, etc. What's between the ears can make or break the band. So it sounds to me like your docs are just really being thorough, and that's a good thing. I weighed 405 and no one tried to talk me into bypass...but then I'd been mulling the lap band since 2003.

I was told "NO CAFFEINE" and when I asked WHY? I was told "because it is an appetite stimulant to some people". I know that it does not have that effect on me (for some, it's actually an appetite suppresant, doesn't do THAT for me either, darn it! LOL) so I am having my coffee (1 cup) and my iced tea (tons) each day, just fine. Caffeine DOES dilate the blood vessels (one reason they use it in headache remedies) but I don't really understand how that dilatory effect can risk stretching your pouch. In the early days of healing it might be better to avoid caffeine, but once you are a few months post op, well.... I am a firm believer in doing what your doc says, but also believe in "Question Authority". If I were you I'd probably follow his rules until I'd been banded a while, then maybe revisit them. Like I said, I avoided tea and coffee for the first few months. It didn't kill me and may have helped me heal better.

Actually your doc may want you to go have it removed. It's not fun but nothing like what you've already gone through. Good luck! I can't believe that's still there.