RestlessMonkey

Lots of us have easy quick recoveries. I had TWO surgeries in one month and recovered as quickly from the second as the first. In fact, my last surgery I had on Friday and was back in nursing school as a student that next Tuesday. I felt wonderful. No nausea, no need for prescription pain meds, slept on my stomach from the 2nd night (on my side the first night) etc etc. No gas pain to speak of (I think my doc is one of those that kindly removes most of it before he closes us up!) and so on. Hopefully you'll have such a fast recovery; no languishing on the couch! You need to walk walk walk!

I lost until I was on mushies and then "real" food. Some do "diet"....I didn't. My loss has been slow but fairly easy. I can and have dieted; I dieted myself to 405 pounds. Diets don't work for everyone; they didn't for me. I became food obsessed. (When can I eat how MUCH can I eat what if I overeat OMG I'm up a pound is it fat is it water? I'm HUNGRY) LOL I'm trying to totally change how I look at food, not think about it 24/7. And for me, diet = all food, all the time. I'm doing well now that I have restriction. I am in "diet mode" in that I don't buy junk food, and I don't let myself snack, but what I eat and when isn't weighed, counted, portioned, or so on. If I want some butter on my steamed veggies I use it. If I want a chick fil a I get it; I can only eat about 1/2 of one anyway. I don't choose that stuff all the time, but nothing is "off limits" as long as I'm not snacking. That works for me...dieting the "old" way may or may not work for you. But no, we don't really lose once we are on "real" food before we get good restriction (for me, fill #7) unless we "diet".

You know this may work for some but it sure didn't for me. I TRIED! I will admit I didn't get restriction until fill #7 on May 7 (lucky seven? LOL) but I'm losing because I am in "diet" mode. Otherwise I could graze all the time. I'm not counting calories but like I said, I'm in the "mode"...not buying foods high in fat/calories (like chips, candy) and so on. That "make healthy choices" thing is subjective. What's the healthy choice when you have only high fat/high calorie things to choose from? It's a dilemma. I'm hoping, now that I have restriction, once I get a routine/habit going I can let up a little. For now, though, I have to watch it like a hawk or I stop losing. I can't eat a lot at once, but I sure can graze through a good chunk of calories if I don't watch myself really closely! So monitoring "am I hungry or just bored/sad/tired" and so on, while isn't strictly dieting/calorie counting, is important for some of us. And remember that "healthy choice" thing starts way before the food ever gets to the dinner table. To me, that's "dieting". Hopefully it will become "normal life" sometime!

Get your money back too! And you know what? Even if all the "work" you've done doesn't transfer, you're still better off switching now than going through it with this doc who has no experience and is charging you for things he should NOT be (Contact your ins company to get clear exactly what you would've owed; you'll see he was really doing some price gouging)

I didn't but mostly because I don't think they really work. Ally---if you have too much fat it comes out the back end whether you want it to or not. That is just gross. Diet suppressants...been there, done that, got me to the lovely 405 pounds I was at my initial consult. Slim shots...I think if OTC stuff worked our nation would have so many overweight/obese people. So no. I'm not against help but I don't think that stuff does it. If I did, I wouldn't have gotten the band.

Each surgeon/psych visit is different. I had to do 200 of the MMPI questions, then about a 15-20 min "chat". Some only do the chat, some have 2-3 meetings. I think the big thing is to just be honest and you'll do fine! Good luck.

I can't advise about surgery in Mexico. However, I can tell you that you are wise to line up post care before you go anywhere to have it done. Many surgeons will not treat people they didn't do the initial surgery on, and many more will treat only after exorbitant fees (I've seen some as high as 5K posted about on here). That doesn't mean you CANT find someone but you'd be wise to find him/her before you go. If there is one thing I've learned since I got my band, it is this: the aftercare (fills and appointments, resource person for issues and questions) is as important as getting the band itself. The band may be less than useless if you don't have medical care post op. So call around, find out what you're facing, before you go (or plan to go back to Mexico for fills and other issues) Realize too that you MAY find it locally with a package that initially may see much higher, but if they include fills (for a year or two at least) and "guarantee" your surgery (ie what if your port flips?) for a period, you may be better off to get it done closer to home.

You'd be safest to call tricare and ask, or ask the person who handles insurance claims at your doc's office. I am no pro; I didn't even handle MY claim; the nice lady at the hospital where my doc is head of bariatrics handled everything for me. I just googled "tricare requirements for lap band surgery" and found that.

contractors must apply 100 pounds (or 200%) to both the lower and higher end of the weight range I cut this from the tricare manual I found online. So you'd have to weigh more than double BOTH/EITHER, or 254-282 (assuming the metlife table you used is the most current) So no, you won't qualify. Tricare is a stickler from what I've heard. i should say per this you won't qualify for the 200%. You should let your surgeon guide you through this though; don't let 9 pounds stop you.

it depends on your insurance if you plan to go that way. If not it depends on the surgeon. People are "supposed" to be a certain BMI or higher but many surgeons will disregard this for their fee. With a BMI of 35.8 you'd qualify for self-pay; and MAY qualify depending on your insurance and if other issues are found.

I googled "How do I pick a good surgeon" (I had researched this years ago before I had my gallbladder removed, and again before I got the lap band...you can google something similar if you doubt how important experience is) and found this: "Practice keeps skills high, so an all-or-nothing approach to surgery in the pre-retirement years may be better than gradually fading away." - Study co-author Dr. John Birkmeyer of the University of MichiganHere are some key recommendations that I share with people who ask for advice on how to pick a good surgeon: Pick a surgeon who does little but the procedure that you need to have done. If you must have a lump removed from your breast, pick a surgeon who does this procedure a hundred or more times per year. Pick a surgeon who will respect the choices that you will make regarding diet, lifestyle, and follow-up care after your surgery. Share your post-surgical recovery plan with your surgeon prior to agreeing to have him or her do surgery on you. Your mind-set and emotional status going into surgery are critical factors that will determine how well your surgery will go. A good surgeon should make you feel comfortable and cared for at all times. Although some health challenges, particularly acute medical emergencies, require surgery as soon as possible, the vast majority of health conditions are best addressed initially with health-promoting food and lifestyle choices.

I agree. You should not be having to pay anything except perhaps a deductible. More importantly there's no way I'd let an inexperienced surgeon do this surgery. Aside from the surgery itself....the band requires excellent follow-up care. Your surgeon cannot provide that because s/he has no experience. My surgeon, for example, worked with a renowned doc in San Diego for over 2000 surgeries before he moved here to accept the position of head of bariatrics at a local hospital. For surgery you want an experienced doc...one experienced IN THAT SURGERY. RUN from that place; get your money back, and find someone with experience who won't try to run an end game around your insurance.

Slippage is aroung 3-5 % and is usually resolved with either "unfilling" the band for a time then starting over, or revision surgery. Erosion occurs in about 1% of all cases. (at least per this web site I found) www.wlshelp.com

You hold the pillow over your abdomen with a hand or arm and the pressure of the pillow makes your incision sites feel more stable...less dropping, pulling, etc. The counter pressure of the pillow helps sitting and standing not hurt. THere's nothing to "understand"...either it helps you or it doesn't!

Wow I don't think my experience will help you; I had a great fast recovery. If you are nauseated, can the doc give you something for that? You need first and foremost to make sure you stay hydrated (as I'm sure you know). After that, walk walk walk to help the gas...(no marathon, but don't just sleep or sit all day either. Move some every hour when you aren't sleeping) Use your incentive spirometer if they gave you one (for breathing) and take your pain meds. (are you sure it isn't what is nauseating you? Lortab/hydrocodone makes me vomit) follow your doc's post op instructions to the letter and you'll feel better soon. AND use a pillow to splint or brace your incisions when you are standing up or even just sitting; it helps a lot. Good luck!

My doc had it on a "do not" list but when I asked why i was told "Because it CAN be an appetite stimulant". Well, duh. It CAN also be an appetite suppresant and doesn't do either for me, so I have my 1 cup coffee each day (w/sugar free creamer) and then my sugar free iced tea by the buckets. I did, however, avoid it for the pre and few months post op, just to let myself heal etc.

I have a 14 cc band and hit restriction finally at 6.50 cc I'm sure as I lose and need more, though, that I'll end up close to 10cc! Welcome and good luck! I'm like you, too...not much loss yet but it is finally happening! We'll get there!

Thanks for clearing that up! LOL Anyway..may not have been the lettuce, unless it gave you problems before. And my doc said if you find something you can't eat to wait a few months and try again, as our bodies adjust. Years ago salads would make my stomach burn like the dickens. MY doc told me not to eat it unless I had crackers or something like that because my body would keep trying to digest the lettuce. So I just put some croutons on it now and it goes down great (I never use dressing). I'd leave them for a while and try again a few months down the road! GOod luck! :crying:

Honestly, too, you will be blending things for only a short time. I bought a little 3-cup kitchen aid food processor instead and love that little sucker! :crying: My shakes were premixed, (the kind my doc recommended), I don't do "smoothies" etc (too much fruit and wasted calories) and the food processor blended the Soups and foods for mushies quite well! (even my spaghetti and meat sauce. It looked odd but tasted marvelous!) So no, you don't need a magic bullet. You don't really have to buy a blender at all if you don't want one.

You mean you've never had a salad before? Or you mean with your band at the current fill you can't eat it? Sorry but I'm a little confused. If you mean you can't eat it with your fill, give it a while and try again later. Odds are you just didn't chew it well enough etc. I can eat a salad but it takes a while and I feel like a cow with grass..chew chew chew chew chew...

Good for you, Minxz! It made my left shoulder/neck hurt (referred pain from my diaphragm) but I used it too. It's funny what a big difference it makes! :crying:

Yes it's normal! I didn't really feel restriction until my 4th, and not good restriction until my 5th. In fact I had a LITTLE taken out, and am now on fill/unfill #7 and FINALLY feeling the love. I have a 14cc band and "only" 6.5 in it; my doc is very conservative so different people feel it at different fills and fill levels, but to not feel the first few is very common, depending on the amount, the person, the doc, etc.

Never heard of that and I'm not sure how it would even work...but good luck! Hopefully it isn't! :thumbup:

I'll cross my fingers too, then, and hope he comes through with what you need! Good luck! :thumbup:

This web site may help you: Lap-Band vs. Gastric Bypass Surgery For me bypass was never an option. As I age I was worried about the malabsorption issues (many older people don't use nutrition efficiently as our bodies age, I didn't want to trade one medical issue for another) and I didn't want my intestines rerouted, my stomach sewn shut but left in place to produce acid etc. My husband is an RN and worked for years at a GI lab; many MANY of the patients they saw were bypass patients. If the band weren't an option, I'd never have had surgery. Finally; 5 years out they say that banded patients and bypass patients have generally lost the same amount of weight. It's not a race, the band is reversible (another BIG plus to me) and I wanted to be thinner but healthy. So to me, the band was obvious. It's not so clear for everyone, though.