RestlessMonkey

I would want the best surgeon possible. The only thing...I know the weather gets bad sometimes. What will you do if you have an emergency? They are RARE but they happen...too tight a fill, GERD, various issues. (not that GERD is an emergency but if left untreated it becomes one). Will you be ok with that? Just playing devil's advocate; I would always opt for experience (esp since it's cheaper) but aftercare is an issue.

Since the PCP referral is generally an INSURANCE requirement, then it would be up to what your policy requires. What worked for someone else (or even if we HAD to have a referral) doesn't really pertain to you. What you need to know is what your insurance company wants.

None. I didn't have to have a referral.

This is one for your surgeon. He'll need to do further tests and figure out what's wrong with you.

rodriguezequal you got a good deal! That aftercare is VITAL! many of us don't think of it when we're all goal-oriented on just GETTING the band!

The surgeon I chose charges 15k for self pay, with a year of "free" fills. (they are all different...do some research and bargain!) I had planned to just put mine on a low interest credit card when ins. came through. Many surgeon's offices have brochures for companies that will finance the surgery; care credit is one of them.

Osteoporosis is really quite rare in obese women (one of the few "bonuses" of obesity) However I'm sure as we lose it becomes a greater risk. Another good reason to do weight bearing exercise, take those supplements, and get annual check ups!

LOL! I hope that, as you control your diabetes, it will "go away". I know some neuropathies are permanent but since yours wasn't an issue, hopefully it will reverse or remit. Glad to see you posting again, anyway!

How odd, caffeine has never made my mammograms "cloudy". I guess we're all different! LOL I have read that caffeine can make mammography more painful, but recent evidence belies even that.

Actually caffeine isn't really all that bad for you. It was "out" for a while, but now is coming back "in". It's the carbonation that's the kicker. If you doubt, just google "health benefits of caffeine". It can really be good for you. I was told to avoid it because it "makes some people hungry" (see how I asked my doc why he said to avoid it?) Well, it doesn't make me hungry, so I have coffee and tea with caffeine. If I don't have it do I jones for it? No. No headaches...no "meaner than usual". We're all different....we all should ask our surgeons for their thinking on "NO MORE >>>>>>" use common sense and personal experience. I agree if I had been addicted to diet coke to the point of being late for a meeting....moderation is probably not the way to go for me! :tongue2: But we're not all the same, are we?

Yes it exists and is pretty serious. It's also called "gastroparesis"...a delayed emptying of stomach contents. I'd even guess (JUST A GUESS!!!) that had they known you had it before the band, they'd have recomnmended a differed WLS. There are drugs you can take to speed up the process and as long as your surgeon (and a gastroenterologist? endocrinologist?) are on it (it can mess with your blood sugar too) I'm sure you'll be fine. Glad you got the help you needed and are on the mend.

You might also throw in fear of harming your healing band site etc. (Many are already familiar with this litany! LOL) When you eat it causes peristalsis and your stomach churns. The churning action of your stomach CAN cause a slip or a tear in your sutures. So aside from fear of puking, don't eat because you might MIGHT do your band site some damage. Follow your post op diet scrupulously. If you are afraid you'll indulge, sit this holiday out. Really. :tongue2: You want the best band experience possible; there will be other barbecues.

The acidity in the carbonation won't corrode the band. The band is outside your stomach, not in where the carbonated beverage would be. However there are many reasons to avoid it. Ask your doc or nutritionist (in my office the doc calls the shots) WHY you can't have it, then decide if it's worth it for you.

Call your DOC! NOW! (before his office closes, not because you're likely to explode or something) Your problem is probably constipation...let HIM tell you what might be wrong and what to do! Seriously; they will prefer you call rather than let it get worse, ok? There is a holiday this weekend; don't delay and end up in the ER! Good luck; you probably just need a laxative/stool softener but your doc will tell you what he prefers you take, and it MAY be something else.

Since you've already called the doc! (yay you!) :tongue2: Yes get Mylanta or some tums. If you truly VOMITED (including stomach acid, which most PB's don't) you may have really irritated yourself and that's causing the burning. You may have some reflux or heartburn going on. Don't just suffer; mylanta or tums won't hurt you and should ease it some. And as you know, liquids only for a couple days until it calms down...but do stay hydrated. Have some Protein shakes if you can bear them. Good luck! Probably your "innards" are just upset and it won't be anything major, but you've totally done right by calling the doc.

Dr. Kirschenbaum in Denver is the least expensive I've read about. He doesn't take any insurance...and honestly the 9950 is probably what many docs get after insurance does it's price adjustment anyway! Just make sure if you pick ANY surgeon away from your local area that you have a plan for fills and after care. Will you fly back to Denver? Will a local surgeon take you on? (not all will) Is there a "Fill Center USA" near you? Get that aftercare lined up, ok? It's something a lot of us, focused on just GETTING the band, don't really pay attention to, and it is vital. Without it the band is just a big old pricey waste of money for most.

I don't think many (any?) of us get the band without trying the diet/exercise route. Some of us have done ALMOST every diet known to man. I had a WONDERFUL doc once (loved that man) give me a new perspective about 15 years ago when I was literally in tears at my weight (then 290) I said "I just feel like such a failure. I'm smart, I'm accomplished, but I can't ever seem to get a grip on my weight. What is wrong with me? I'm useless". He grabbed my shoulders (!) and looked me dead in the eye and said "You are in a war for your life. You're fighting your body, your chemistry, for your very existence. Nature is on the side of your body...BUT you have won many many skirmishes in the war and you must NEVER give up." WOW. The lap band, as I see it, is a tool. Would you berate yourself for losing weight "only if you diet"? NO. Would you berate yourself for exercising? NO. Would you say "But my friend never diets and exercises and SHE is skinny?" Maybe, but only to whine a little! LOL You wouldn't think you had be BE like her. SO you need the band. Big woo. Lots of people need it (or SOMETHING) and don't ever get it. You are smart. You are getting more weapons to put in your arsenal for this war you're in. Don't feel guilty. If diet and exercise worked (and the percentage who do lose and keep it off that way is excruciatingly small) no one would be fat.

Here's where I got the idea that the band holding 4cc is "old style" Compare Adjustable Gastric Bands - LAP-BAND vs. REALIZE Band If you look under versions, the 2001 style of lap band, called the 9.75/10, held 4ccs.

The 4cc band is, as far as I know, the older style of Lap Band. Currently they are producing the "AP" (for advanced platform) series which is sized: AP S holds 10 cc's, AP L holds 14 ccs. As far as I can tell from nosing around a very little bit (I have the AP L so it isn't a big personal concern for me, just a curiosity) the 4cc one is used most often still by surgeons practicing in Mexico. A few US surgeons still use it. THis is just what I've "gotten", again, from reading, it isn't hard science. However I think the 4cc band apparently produces results, because people have been successfully banded for years. In other words, what they "used" to use apparently works. And I may be wrong...it DOES happen! :tongue2:

Well, after a fill my doc (and many but not all others) recommend just being on fluids for 24 hours, then moving to mushies etc. So yes you can be swollen for a while. If you can get liquid down then just don't eat anything thicker until Fri but by Fri am, if it were me and I STILL felt like you do, I'd call the doc. (Since Sat is a holiday) We're all different of course...

I WISH I were in your shoes. I didn't get restriction until May of this year, banded last Aug. Took 7 fills or some such. You are WAY ahead of the curve. Patience; it's a process but it will happen for you!

I am not sure what question you're asking...but if you can't swallow your own saliva you are still too tight. Call the doc back.

I'm so HAPPY! for you! I'll do a happy dance! :redface: So glad it worked out and 6 more pounds is awesome! Hang in there and stay in touch, ok? :biggrin:

Worry about stretching the pouch is REALLY common after we first get the band because until it's tightened most of us CAN and do eat more than 1/2 cup (or whatever). Even the ones who "diet" until they get restricted worry about it if they occasionally overeat. ALWAYS check with your doc of course! AND pouches CAN stretch. But it's very rare and when it happens usually the treatment is an unfill...let it rest, then start over. :redface:

Cookiebaby: I just wanted you to know (in case you didn't) that I am laughing myself to death at the fool who TOLD you such a silly thing, not at you. Especially when we're new, we don't KNOW! I think you were smart to ask instead of just accept it at face value. Just wanted to be clear! :redface: