RestlessMonkey

Yes they leave the IV in. You're staying for monitoring, in case you need more care. It would be imprudent for them to remove it and then you need another stick for a new IV etc. So it will stay until you go home.

If you've been depressed since April you need to discuss it with your primary care provider. Seriously. Some have transient depression but 7+ months isn't transient. Good luck. You need to take steps to take care of yourself.

I cheated. I lost 15 pounds in 3 weeks anyway but my liver didn't shrink and I came to in recovery without the band. That is one vile feeling. SO 2 1/2 MORE weeks; I did exactly as I was told the 2nd time, lost 17 MORE pounds, and now have the band. Horrible warning! and moral...do what YOUR doc tells you.

Make sure you clear the heating pad w/your doc. Believe it or not some use internal stitches that dissolve over time w/your body's heat. If your surgeon uses those and you use a heating pad and it's near your stitches it can actually dissolve them prematurely...speed it along!

You can hurt your skin if you keep it on...frost bite etc (believe it or not!) so just stick to 20 min an hour and it should do the trick!

Many of the posts on that thread were very supportive. This is a public forum so not everyone will respond exactly as we wish! You have to just sift through and take away what you need, ignore the rest.

Find another lap band surgeon and go get it checked!

Best to call your surgeon. If you still have your gallbladder, it could be that.

Just use it for one day and you only want to ice an area about 20 minutes an hour...don't leave it on while you're sleeping!

Teri LOL I know 2 oz are only 1/4 cup! Sorry I wasn't clear My doc often says to just eat 1/2 cup of "food" OR 2 oz of Protein. He doesn't mean 2 oz or 1/2 cup of the same thing...I think he means it more like "1 cup or 1/2 cup" (2 different options) or 1/2 cup or 2 oz (2 different options) or Water or skim milk (2 different options) BUT I wasn't clear! So yes, 2 oz by weight of some things may be a 1/2 cup volume but that's not what I meant. Just start with a very small portion! :biggrin: RestlessMonkey---math whiz :biggrin:

That's great! However, mine isn't w/True Results either, he's www.texasbariatric.com. I initially picked him because he was one MY insurance covered, but both my VERY skeptical RN of 25 years husband and I were really impressed with Dr. Cavazos. However, it is most important to pick a surgeon you feel comfortable with. Good luck! :biggrin:

No sorry I wasn't very clear...my point is that the company True Results should be able to help you. I am in SA too; Valero is big...True Results should know what your coverage entails. If not...well, Dr. Sonny Cavazos at Northeast Baptist is a great surgeon/facility! All "promo" aside, they should be able to tell you if they accept Valero coverage.

Beats me! My doctor practices out of Northeast Baptist (Dr Sonny Cavazos, Texas Bariatric) and they have an insurance coordinator who handled literally everything for me. I gave her my insurance stuff, they told me they accepted it, and that was it. It was WONDERFUL.

Lucky for me I didn't personally experience any problems but I've read a LOT on here about people having to really fight for the coverage they have! So until someone w/that experience posts, I can say you need to find out WHY they denied you and then start countering that. Some companies are notorious for being knee-jerk about denying, hoping that the patient will just give up. Sad but true!

Thanks for posting and glad you feel better. I read EVERY WORD the CDC had about flu shots and except for people with an egg allergy maybe getting a rash I couldn't find anything at ALL about nausea/vomiting with the flu shot. Because the antiviral is FOR the flu, (upper respiratory, not stomach...there is no "stomach flu" although people say that!) it shouldn't give you tummy trouble unless you have an idiosyncratic reaction. I was about to do more research! Whew! Glad you're doing better, anyway!

A timer is a good idea! I'm lucky; I never needed to sip my liquids...from the hospital I could drink normally (they say that's more common now with the different sized AP bands)...who knows? but if you do have to sip a timer is brilliant! Glad you're doing so well!

My surgeon corrects us if we say "full"...he stresses to eat only until we're satisfied/no longer hungry. He said eating until full can stretch the pouch (once you have one, which happens w/restriction) I think it's hard to retrain to hit that point. It takes our bodies 20 minutes (minimum) to know we're not hungry any more, so I guess the safest route is to eat that 1/2 cup (or 2 oz) portion, chew it to death, and then sit and "listen" to your body and see if you are still hungry. It's a skill I think, and I'll just have to work on it!

I'm sure it's possible but honestly, not likely unless you've REALLY chowed down (like thanksgiving to the 10th degree) Until restriction, for many of us the band is just "there"...not really doing much of anything. The pouch isn't formed until the band is tightened.

I was told not to eat until FULL but rather eat until "satisfied"...that "full" feeling means your about to PB, if I understand correctly.

Jewels41 I'm sure you are correct since you worked in a nursing home for 20 years and I'm just an RN student...Would you mind explaining to me how a shot (that is IM...into the muscle, bypassing the stomach altogether) can 1. make you vomit (unless it's just a psychosomatic reaction to the "thought" of getting a shot) and 2. require that you get ANOTHER shot? I've honestly never heard of such a thing (including when I participated in a flu clinic last year...all the patient teaching they had us do etc)...so if/when I encounter this out in the "real world" I'd like to know WHY, so I can educate my patients. Would you share, please? I've tried to figure out why and it just makes no sense to me! Thank you!

Good luck! :thumbup:

I suggest contacting them tomorrow and asking, although as you know, the info isn't always correct. I was told twice by tricare (jan 2008 and april 2008) that they absolutely DID NOT under any circumstances cover the lap band, nor were there any plans to do so, and that was patently incorrect. Hope you find out the VA does!

My nutritionist said NO CAFFEINE!!! but I'm a quizzical sort so when i pinned her down, she told me it was because "It can be an appetite stimulant to some!" well, pffft! I am not giving it up forever because it stimulates some people's appetites! IT doesn't mine. In fact, for some people, it is an appetite suppressant. I will say post op I make VERY sure I get my required Water in FIRST...then I allow myself the caffeine. Well, I have 1 cup coffee, then no more caffeine until I have had at least 64 oz of water. Caffeine can be a diuretic so it's important to get the hydration in. As long as you're doing that, I don't think caffeine will hurt you, unless you're one of those people whose appetite it stimulates.

I wouldn't have wanted to have to dress up to go out to a function, but then I hate fixing my hair etc. LOL If you don't mind that kind of thing, then yes, as my friend Emilie says, getting out for a bit will be good for you!

Hi! It's great you caught the infection so fast! :rolleyes2: Make sure you take ALL your antibiotic! (you know that!) Hope the rest of your recovery is a non-event!