RestlessMonkey

Michee you do eventually lose (because the body can't make food) but it slows your metabolism WAY WAY down. And anorectics are NOT healthy...why? because their bodies start literally eating themselves. Like using one credit card to pay another when you are broke....the body pulls from peripheral muscles etc (and eventually the heart) to get Protein. Or think of a fire. Not enough wood and it is kind of piddly (that's a low cal diet) TOO much wood and the fire won't burn well either...but you get the right mix of fire, fuel and oxygen and watch out! That's optimum metabolism with optimum fuel (food).... you want to keep that metabolism humming along and burning up all you eat plus fat. Undereating will eventually cause you to bog down, and will cause your body to pilfer protein from things you don't want losing protein. Ask your nutritionist if you don't think I'm right; you need fuel to feed that little metabolism engine to lose adipose.

http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f5/ticker-tutorial-pictures-41782/ The above link is one to a good ticker tutorial, if you want to set one up! Can't help you with the weight loss since I'm still in mushies, but maybe Protein first, then veggies, then fruit? No processed foods? And do you need a fill?

My insurance is tricare standard and because I am so obese, I didn't need comorbidities. Since my doc is in the hospital and all the tests were done in 1 or 2 visits, etc my Seminar was 7/10 and 1st surgery scheduled 8/11. That's pretty fast, especially for "insurance". Self pay moves along more quickly. (and I did a bit of schmoozing and begging to get mine done then) When I couldn't get the band because of my liver, it took another 2 1/2 weeks, but that's on me, not the doc.

Here in San Antonio my doc offers free fills for 1 year with self pay. I've seen 1 year and 2 years...but never "for life"...that would be pretty nice!

Honestly I think you're wrong about having insurance and being "set"...they get more money from you if you are self pay! My insurance does NOT pay what I would've needed to. So Many docs love self-paying people. Locally they will even refuse to accept patients from certain insurance companies. I think the point is, the grass isn't necessarily greener anywhere!

I got my band 8/29 and will get my first fill 10/9 provided I'm all healed etc. That's just at 6 weeks. YAY! So excited!

Post op I didn't take the prescription pain meds; just used tylenol. I had mild diahrrea from the anesthesia that lasted about 5 days. Then I went every other day until mushies, and once I got mushies, every day. If you are going every 3 days and are not feeling pain, you're fine! It will pick up once you have something for your body to process!

Are you still taking any medications? OR do you have medications that you used to take and aren't post op? Do you have diabetes?

Parul, if something goes wrong, though (and it can and does...any surgery can have repurcussions and one where you cut up the stomach is more dicey than, say, having your gall bladder removed) then you are in the same fix...needing help and unable to get it.

yes, I think so. My surgeon is attached to a local hospital (his offices are in the hospital etc and he is the director of their "Bariatric unit") so his office staff scheduled all my preop tests for me, at that hospital. Had he been just in an office, he probably would've turned me loose to do my own scheduling. All require slightly different tests but I had to have: Upper GI/Barium Swallow, Psych eval, Nutrition Consult, Chest X-ray, Abdominal Ultrasound, Blood draw (5 vials), an ecg...and I had to bring in urine on the day of my surgery (that was to make sure I'm not pregnant. LOL that ship has sailed but they still test for it to be sure) Had my ecg been the least bit dicey he told me he would require a cardio consult and clearance but it was fine. The tests are tedious but all for a good reason! :thumbup:

GinaJ...until you have sufficient restriction (and that may take 4 fills or more...and even some unfills, to get it right) it will almost be as if you don't even have the band. Remember your seminar and preop teaching...you are just finishing up the stage where we are supposed to be healing, not losing. It will happen, you have to give it time. Rapid early weight loss comes with a bypass, not the band. Ours will be slower over time, but we don't have the side effects they do either. Chill out and keep the faith! And Lap Band Momma that most likely won't happen, especially on your first fill. It takes several tries, usually, to get that restriction and most docs make you drink Water etc before they will turn you loose. Some people "tighten up" afterward, but not all. So you may NEVER PB, slime, etc. Just chew chew chew and learn to listen to your body!

It is exciting, isn't it? I love my band and I'm still in mushies! It's so wonderful to finally have hope of achieving permanent lasting weight loss!

I plan on lots of plastic surgery. Genetics, how long you were obese (how long your skin was stretched) your age, condition of your skin to start, condition of your skin now, many things play a role. Toning will tighten muscles UNDER the skin but skin is an organ, not a muscle...it can't really be tightened on it's own. So you will just honestly have to wait and see. I plan on the surgery, as I've said. And I look at it this way...I could remain obese and probably need open heart surgery, or lose and need plastic surgery. I know which one I prefer! LOL And I've never known a soul who loses 100 + pounds to say gee I hate this skin I wish I was fat again.

You've gotten great tips here! Your friend's friend needs to have some fill removed, most likely, and chew etc. AND if she can only eat "lemonade and potato chips" she could be having instead Protein shakes etc. She's doing that because she wants to! Some people want their restriction so tight they cannot get many foods down but in its way that is "eating around the band" ... the point is to have enough restriction to prolong satiety, but allow you to eat most all foods in moderation. I think you will love your band! I love mine!

Any idea when your surgery date will be? I know what an H. pylori test is, but what is RMR?

I'm sure there are bunches of people at or near goal who will answer but I can tell you I've read studies and the statistics are WAY higher for lap band patients than WW patients. Bariatric surgery as a whole has way better odds than dieting alone. For the lap band, in the USA, 3 years post op the average (AVERAGE) loss is 50% of excess weight for all bandsters. In Australia, 3 years post op the average bandster has lost 80% of his or her excess weight. Those figures blow WW, Jenny Craig, LA Weight Loss, and Atkins out of the Water. So if you are just "average" you'll lose 50-80% and still be down that much at 3 years. Those are amazing odds. If you maintain proper fill, eating 1/3 of a burger and a few fries instead of biggie burger fries and shake, you'll keep the weight off. We have to avoid overindulging in Snacks and slider foods...but no weighing counting etc. It's a win win, in my book. I told my doc I intended to help get that USA average up. You can join me! :thumbup:

I agree with gilliebean. Call your insurance and then have them send it to you IN WRITING....or tell you where in your book (if you still have it) to find what they have told you IN WRITING. Then, if covered, complete all the steps, dot the i's, cross the t's, and cross your fingers. Every policy is different. Say your neighbor has Aetna and was covered. Say you have Aetna. you think "wow I'm covered too!" maybe not...employers and insurance purchases can exclude certain types of coverage, like bariatric surgery, to keep costs down. So call, find out, get it in writing too...and then proceed. Good luck! bring lots of patience!

This is a big reason to pony up the big bucks and get banded locally. I totally understand where you are coming from but one reason rates are so darn high here in the USA is malpractice. No surgeon wants to clean up someone else's mess....especially if that someone is in another country and "safe" from litigation. And if I have learned anything about the band, it's that follow up and maintenance are vital aspects. You don't get the band and go on your merry way. It will need tending and monitoring for the rest of your life. There is a place called "fill centers usa" that will do fills but they aren't widespread and if you have an issue beyond needing that fill, you are out of luck. So sorry for you but those contemplating surgery in Mexico remember you get what you pay for. There's a reason it costs more over here.

Hey, let us know how it works out, ok? That is a fear I think many of us have...that Darned scale NOT MOVING! and our knee jerk reaction is to not eat! But I think you are on the right track now. I'll cross my fingers eyes and toes for you! Go girl!

There is a category called "doctors and hospitals" or something like that...navigate to "home" and then look down the left hand side. You may find info you need there! :thumbup:

Good luck. I know it's hard to pay thousands more for something! But you may be able to hit a good balance between cost and follow up care. When you first get banded, if you are like me, you don't realize just how important that follow up care is! But I'm starting to realize that I will likely always need access to fills etc, because as we change the band changes! There is a doc in Aurora CO who does the surgery for about 10K and his last name starts with a K...kirschenbaum? Something like that. That MAY be an option for you. Just remember you are worth it! And many surgeon's offices have information on financing. Good luck! I know you'll make the best decision for you, whatever it may be!

Gevag51 I am sorry for your loss. Fortunately for us bandsters, she is probably the only person in the USA who has a band and had such dire complications. At least she died trying to improve her health. Life has risks and we all have to weigh the odds and make our own best choices every day. I hope you can find comfort that while she didn't choose such a death, for a while she was probably very hopeful and optimistic about her future. I don't know her, of course, but on the very slim chance that I die from complications of the band, I would want my family to know that I prefer that to dying of heart disease, diabetes, kidney failure, or the other dreadful things that faced me, had I not taken action. She tried to help herself, and I respect her for that. I hope you and her grieving friends and family find peace.

TerriDoodle raises VERY good points. There is a person a few posts above yours who had her surgery done in Mexico, can't go back (or surgeon is gone) and now her port is leaking and no one will help her. US surgeons don't want to take other patients because of malpractice or for whatever reason. The band is for life; you need long term care and maintenance with it. There are USA surgeons (ie one in Aurora Colorado) that charge less; that may be an option (but you are still out of luck if you have an emergency and your surgeon is hours away) The surgery, for life, is about the cost of a small car. Are you worth a Kia? If you think you are, finance it and have it done near where you live. You'll be glad, in the long run, that you did.

All I can tell you two is to do what your surgeon recommends. If you can't figure out your directions then I'm sure others have that problem too! Harangue the office for help; they'll make sure he fixes it! LOL Each one is different with different goals in mind so it's best not do "DIY" in this case.

Many surgeons don't want to clean up someone else's mess (can't really blame them) so you may have to really cajole them. Good luck.