RestlessMonkey

Actually she should check with her doc .... we're told rice (and Pasta, which also swells) are ok as long as eaten in small quantities and cooked well done. I've had both in small amounts with other foods and had no ill effect...NOT to countermand any physicians orders! Do what your doc says...if he says no rice, no rice. If he says well done, well done! But it isn't a "no no" for everyone.

I think it just happens (flip, slip) and there isn't much you can do about it. Mine slipped and I didn't do anything "wrong"...it's in there with fat and organs and muscle and so moves around a bit! and as you lose, things move around even more. If you're worried about it, check with your surgeon. He's sure to have some tips, if there are any!

Sounds to me like you need to make an appt with your nutritionist and maybe your therapist. I know a good therapist can really help with that head hunger and learning to recognize when you're "not hungry" vs when you are stuffed. AND sorry you can't eat rice! I'm lucky; it goes down ok for me. I just try not to choose it too often; don't think it packs enough nutrition

My insurance didn't cover lap band till this year. I had planned to self pay (15k or so) and found out literally weeks before that they DO PAY starting Jan 1. If you want to self pay, you CAN shop around for GOOD surgeons who don't charge so much. There is one in Denver who charges under 10K, for example...depending on your situation that may be feasible for you. His name is Dr. Kirshenbaum (or Kirschenbaum...I've seen it both ways) You can do a search on him here and find many ready to praise him, although I have no personal knowledge of him. AND you can call your insurance back, ask for a manager, and go over it all again. Pin down exactly WHAT criteria they will be needing to pay the balance, find out how many they've paid for, ask what their approval rate is. Of course, you can concentrate on school, graduate, get a job, and then see where you land. There's nothing wrong with that, either.

Christymarie bless you Each surgeon has his own recovery plan...I would call and ask for the surgeon and ask HIM about the lifting, or at the least have the NP reconfirm. It may depend on what was done to your husband....hernia repair? hard time placing the band? That's not something we here can tell you. What worked for me may not be right for you or your spouse. And if you want the surgeon to do your fill, request it. I did. Yes, the nurse (ours is a nurse practitioner) often does that kind of stuff. Just like docs, you can get good ones and ones that are not so good. FYI nurse practitioners are educated beyond the "normal" RN...they have at least a master's degree, specializing in their area of practice, and practice under the authority of a physician or surgeon. So if your "nurse" is a nurse practitioner, she's pretty well educated. Pin her down if you are unsure or feel her answers are incomplete. How was your care BEFORE the surgery? If you are uncomfortable, don't proceed with yours. If you think this was just a fluke, call and ask for answers to your questions, and as I said, if you don't like the nurse or don't want her doing your fills, ask for the surgeon.

Sorry I assumed you had researched the band and knew what it was, how it worked etc and were just wondering about financing! Fills are what's done to tighten the band so it will work. Before you proceed with paying for this, I suggest attending some free seminars and doing some research...it may or may not be something you want to do! It is the least invasive WLS but does require more follow up care than some.

There's no way to tell what your insurance covers etc..depends on the company, the employer, and so on. TOO many variables to know right now.

Good for you Alabama. But realize there is no shame in using a tool...that type of thinking is what keeps lots of people who need it from getting the "Band"...thinking it's "the easy way" and feeling they should be able to do it on their own. I'm all for whatever makes my life easier! Plus, pragmatically, I want to achieve my goal so anything that will favor a positive outcome is something I want to use!

Medical personnel are human and do get really busy and can lose focus (NOT an excuse, just a fact) so when they do that...ie "brush you off"...STOP THEM! You (or your insurance) has paid a good chunk of money for their expertise, not just the surgeon and his "cutting", but you paid for the whole package. Call back and ask. If the receptionist blows you off, ask for the nutritionist or the doctor. Don't let them "blow you off"....it's your health they are being glib with. If they say you're doing fine, ask "How can you tell?" You're the one who pays, you get to expect a certain level of service, even if it IS medicine.

Most surgeons/clinics don't accept "payment plans" but as previous poster said, have financing options available. Since you will be paying, too, you can look around, go to several seminars, and pick the right surgeon with the right price. One thing many of us didn't realize in the "PREOP" stage....aftercare is VERY important with the lap band. So find out how much fills will be, if any "freebies" are included in your price (many offer 1 year of fills free) and also ask how problems will be handled...ie what if your port flips and you need a revision? What if you get an infection in the hospital? What if something else goes wrong? Odds are REALLY good you won't have a problem but find out how it will be handled if you do! Good luck to you!

And honestly....if it's ok for us to be on only liquids, then eating a couple hundred less calories while he's healing isn't likely to do any damage. NOT to countermand your doctor; I always thought of the calories as an upper limit, not an absolute MUST. ?? If in doubt, you can call and check with the nutritionist! :thumbup: Sounds to me like you're both doing a great job.

That is a lot. I have a 14cc band and my doc only fills 1.5 cc at a time. I now have 4.5 ccs in there (still no restriction to speak of). Next time, though I'm hoping for some action! AND I say that's a lot, but can you drink liquids fine? How are you feeling? That's the important factor

That is atypical for modern insurance. Most preauthorize to control costs. I don't think I'd trust it. It's too easy for them to say "no"...then what recourse? And how much energy to fight?

Your surgeon should have some tips for you. As the other posters said, it depends on many different variables. Take as much time as you can; not only are you healing, but you most likely will have a very strict austere diet for the first couple of weeks, and that can make you a little "altered" mentally and physically. Doing hard labor while having broth is just wrong! LOL Three weeks is probably a good guesstimate but your surgeon may be able to give you a better one based on his patients.

I quit in '95 and haven't kept up on the patch but back then, considering I smoked over 3 packs a day, the 21 mg patch that distributed that over 24 hours was giving me WAY less than what I smoked. Perhaps if you smoke under 1 pack a day, the 21 mg patch (which does NOT dump it all at once but doles it out 1 mg an hour) was too much. As I recall, they recommended the 14 mg patch for smokers who smoked less, and there was an even smaller patch (amt escapes me)...one was supposed to titrate down. Since you have such a handle on your addiction I'm sure you'll figure out a way to quit!

Welcome! Just a LITTLE warning; you may not show a loss yet. During the surgery they really pack us with fluids etc and our bodies freak a little, so many people go up in weight for surgery (I gained over 9 pounds) and it takes a week or two for it to come back off. Many view the 1st 6 weeks post op as a time to focus more on healing than loss...so I HOPE you lost, but if it isn't as much as you hoped, or you show a small gain, don't let it get you down. It'll come off! AND I may very well be totally off base and you'll show a good loss! I hope you do! Anyway welcome!

LOL I AM A Restless Monkey! :thumbup: I was thinking "Darn...Plain beat me AGAIN" (evil laughter followed) LOL

Is he against it because he's worried about your health? Or for a less palatable reason? If it's your health, I can think of some stuff that might help. If it's for some other reason, well, then just don't let him hold you down! :thumbup:

You need to ask this of your surgeon and nutritionist. With all respect (I truly don't mean to be mean!) you should already know what, if anything, you are giving up before you get the band placed.

The large liver thing does happen, because it did to me, and I know of 2-3 others. BUT it is rare, as your surgeon can attest. So just do what he tells you to and you will be fine! I was lucky, as I said, that mine was large but not diseased.

If it were me...I'd buy a couple books on the lap band (which, in fact, I did) and I'd ask friends and my PCP to recommend bariatic surgeons (although I don't care for the one my PCP recommended, actually; I love the one I did use!) and then go to a couple of seminars. They will tell you the cost during the seminar. Of course, what you have to pay shouldn't be the deciding factor, but after a couple of seminars you should be able to pick the surgeon with the support staff that best suits you. Remember some include free fills for a year, etc. AND...I've learned that the post op care is as important (if not moreso) than the surgery. Find out what fills will cost you once any "free" service is used up, and find out what the cost will be if, for example, your port flips or leaks or if you have other post op complications. That should be a good start. You shouldn't have all the prereqs that insurance requires. How fast will depend on many factors including you, your health, the surgeon you pick and his/her schedule, etc.

Sorry I am not sure I understand your post...Your doc knicked a blood vessel and said it COULD cause swelling making it hard for you to swallow on day 4 or 5? Did I get that right? And you have pain like trapped gas? I can tell you odds are you do have gas... what did your doctor tell you to do? AND...I'm shocked they let you go home without someone around to help you out! Lots of people are great after surgery, lots more aren't! My husband did go to work but it was in the city...I knew I could call him or a few friends if needed. I'd have felt worried if I had been alone in a city and not known anyone!

The E cigarette as I understand it isn't a tool to quit smoking but a way to deliver nicotine to your body when you can't smoke because it is banned or prohibited. The patch gives you a minute amount of nicotine over 24 hours to help your body "come down" from nicotine. You still have to break the habit of smoking. Nicotine (whether you smoke it, use the ecigarette, "dip" tobacco etc) increases heart rate and blood pressure and blood glucose. It constricts blood vessels and can impair healing. Most lap-band Docs want you to quit smoking for THAT reason...the benefits to your lungs from all the stuff that smoke has in it is just secondary. The nicotine in the patch is way less than what is in one cigarette, let alone a pack (or more) over 24 hours. So I'd say NO, the e-cigarette would not be considered an acceptable alternative because you'd still be getting the nicotine and the bad effects of that drug. I also don't think the e-cigarette will help you quit smoking any more than tapering off on your own will. I used the patch, in 1995, did the work, and quit. It gets easier. You may just have to bite the bullet and do it. It is worth it in the long run.

Well, it didn't happen immediately, it was 20 minutes .. and you hadn't eaten anything immediately post banding, so the timing could just be a coincidence. But it could also be gas or some type of erosion, heart burn, a spasm, many things! I'd call my PCP and have him/her at least check me out; then you can go back to the surgeon if necessary.