Jinnxx

Daisky, Depending on your insurance and the surgeon you choose. My insurance Aetna requires me to wait 6 months. In that time frame I had to go through tests and get clearance from each Dr. who ran the tests. Your insurance age/health situations may require you to do more or less. Most insurance companies make you do the following: You need to see your primary Dr. every month, once a month until you get your surgery date. He/she must write notes on your "progress" such as patient is exorcising 2 or 3 times a week and is on a 15,000 calorie diet ect.ect. (this must be done for each primary Dr. visit) You have to have a stress test done... this was a pain in the BUTT!!! they hook you up to an IV and shoot some liquid in there to high light your insides. Put you on a treadmill and make you walk.... FAST for as long as you can while they monitor your heart. This is to make sure your heart can take under going such stress. After completing this you will have a paper for that Dr. to sign... this is your clearance paper. Then you need to have a Endoscope A.K.A EGD - they stick a long camera tube down your throat.. Yes you are semi awake for this... it only takes about 15 - 20 minutes.... suck it up HAHA!!! They make you see a Physiologist for a evaluation.... that was fun haha! You only need to see him/her once You also meet with a nutritionist. She gave me a hard time but I'm not very friendly when people get nasty with me. You only have to see her once. She will give you a guide line for a pre-op diet and post-op diet... YOU MUST FOLLOW BOTH! I only followed the pre-op 2 weeks prior to surgery... as long as they see you loose some weight they are happy with that. My insurance made me go to 2 support group meetings... They are only 1 hour long and you get a lot of questions answered. Next is a Dulle Doppler Leg test... this is nothing more than a sonogram of your legs to check for clot's. 10 minutes later your done. Then you need another sonogram. This one they check your gallbladder for stones and your Liver. You also need to see a pulminologist. PFT Test it is called... to see if you have sleep apnea... Apnea is when you stop breathing in the middle of the night while you are sleeping. In other words your weight restricks your air intake while laying down. They make you breath into a tube and check how much air intake you have... if you fail this test you have to go to what they call sleep study. you sleep in a facility over night 1 night connected to monitors.... I did not have to do this because I told the Pulminologist what they wanted to hear... like I don't wake up gasping for air ever! I don't fall sleep while watching TV or reading or driving... After you are cleared by all these Dr.'s you get your clearance from your primary and your insurance and then that's it... I know it seems like a lot and it is... but you have to stay focused on the bigger picture.... and if you need support or help that's what the meetings are for, and the web site... Sorry if I'm overwhelming you right now but I do try to encourage people to do this now that I know how helpful it can be

I had my first fill yesterday! (10/02/08) By the way for all you new bansters out there who have not seen how they do a fill or the needle they use, you’re in for a treat! The needle is F****ing huge! WOW:ohmy: My Surgeon is moving his office to Queens NY and I am located in Brooklyn NY. It would be such a project just to get my fills and check ups from his new office, so I am staying at his old office with the other surgeon. He is a nice guy but I wish Dr. Castro my surgeon was still there. I don’t know why but I feel this closeness to my surgeon....does anyone else have that special comfort from the surgeon who took care of you? Maybe it's just because after surgery he was there visiting me like a family member, always checking up on me? Or maybe it's because he is the most adorable nerdy guy I ever met:biggrin:. What ever it is I wish I could follow him to his other office with out having to take a whole day off of work just to get there. Well I got to the office yesterday at 3:00p.m for my fill with the new Dr. and he said I am loosing the right about of weight at the perfect speed. I lost 6 lbs. in 2 weeks and he thinks this is the right pace for things. I explained how I feel no restriction and that I am feeling hungry only a little while after eating. He decided to give me a small fill and see how things go with that. He was going to give me only 1/2 a cc i guess that would be 0.5. WHen I first saw what he was going to use to give me the fill i said Umm where do you think your going to stick that? Holy crap I am so out of here! Thank God for my Fiance...With out him I wouldnt have been able to go through surgery or the fill! (I'm such a baby:frown:) He had a little trouble with getting the right spot at first and when he finally got it he first put 1 cc in and out to make sure he got the right area. Once he seen it was 100% correct he made me drink a cup of water. I didn’t feel anything different so he changed his mind and left me with a 1cc fill, and wants to see me again in 1 month. (Unless I start vomiting, in which case i would see him sooner) In any case I plan on doing my best possible now to ensure maximum weight loss before my next check up. I would like to hold out for as long as possible with out a fill.... I thought about something, if your band can hold 10cc of fluid but you’re not yet at your goal weight then what? They can’t keep making it tighter, there's no room left at that point.... so what you’re stuck with a full band and not loosing anymore weight??? I don't want that for me. So with that being said I hear by promise myself to eat more salad's and less pasta, I promise to be more conscience of what I am eating, how much and when! Any way good luck to everyone out there who is just getting started, thinking about surgery and those of you who have surpassed my stage and are doing great!

I had my first fill yesterday! (10/02/08) By the way for all you new bansters out there who have not seen how they do a fill or the needle they use, you’re in for a treat! The needle is F****ing huge! WOW:ohmy: My Surgeon is moving his office to Queens NY and I am located in Brooklyn NY. It would be such a project just to get my fills and check ups from his new office, so I am staying at his old office with the other surgeon. He is a nice guy but I wish Dr. Castro my surgeon was still there. I don’t know why but I feel this closeness to my surgeon....does anyone else have that special comfort from the surgeon who took care of you? Maybe it's just because after surgery he was there visiting me like a family member, always checking up on me? Or maybe it's because he is the most adorable nerdy guy I ever met:biggrin:. What ever it is I wish I could follow him to his other office with out having to take a whole day off of work just to get there. Well I got to the office yesterday at 3:00p.m for my fill with the new Dr. and he said I am loosing the right about of weight at the perfect speed. I lost 6 lbs. in 2 weeks and he thinks this is the right pace for things. I explained how I feel no restriction and that I am feeling hungry only a little while after eating. He decided to give me a small fill and see how things go with that. He was going to give me only 1/2 a cc i guess that would be 0.5. WHen I first saw what he was going to use to give me the fill i said Umm where do you think your going to stick that? Holy crap I am so out of here! Thank God for my Fiance...With out him I wouldnt have been able to go through surgery or the fill! (I'm such a baby:frown:) He had a little trouble with getting the right spot at first and when he finally got it he first put 1 cc in and out to make sure he got the right area. Once he seen it was 100% correct he made me drink a cup of water. I didn’t feel anything different so he changed his mind and left me with a 1cc fill, and wants to see me again in 1 month. (Unless I start vomiting, in which case i would see him sooner) In any case I plan on doing my best possible now to ensure maximum weight loss before my next check up. I would like to hold out for as long as possible with out a fill.... I thought about something, if your band can hold 10cc of fluid but you’re not yet at your goal weight then what? They can’t keep making it tighter, there's no room left at that point.... so what you’re stuck with a full band and not loosing anymore weight??? I don't want that for me. So with that being said I hear by promise myself to eat more salad's and less pasta, I promise to be more conscience of what I am eating, how much and when! Any way good luck to everyone out there who is just getting started, thinking about surgery and those of you who have surpassed my stage and are doing great!

9/12/08 I had my surgery on August 12, 2008 at 9:30a.m. I was being brought in to the recovery room at10:33a.m by the surgeon. When I got to the hospital I remember thinking maybe I wasn’t going to go through with it… that I would change my mind at the very last second. I thought about telling Ray to turn around and let’s go back home… it’s still early, I’ll make breakfast when we get home. After I got undressed and put on the hospital robes, I was waiting for the anesthesiologist to come in and speak with me. He asked me several questions regarding my history and the anxiety I was feeling at that moment. He clearly seen I was afraid and had tears in my eyes. He put the IV in my left had – it hurt like hell. It was not the first time I had an IV in me but something felt horribly wrong. The blood shot across the room in a deep purple color. He said he would see me in a little bit leaving me and Ray in the room. I turned to Ray now with tears on my face hoping he would say that he was going to bring me back home, but he just smiled and put his arms around me. He told me it would be ok and he would be waiting to see me when I get out while he wiped the tears off my face. A man names Isaac came into the waiting room and asked me to stand up. He took my IV pack in one hand and my hand in his other and told me to follow. Ray walking with me in my wake as we walked down the brightly lit hall. As we rounded the corner I first seen the sign that read “Patients ONLY” Isaac turned to Ray and said “You can have a seat over there and Dr. Castro will come and talk to you when she is ready for a visitor.” Nervous and slightly trembling I hugged and kissed Ray so tight. “I’ll see you in a little while baby, relax your going to be fine.” He said as he kissed my lips and my nose as he stepped away slowly. He watched me walk into the double doors. As I followed Isaac down another hall I was shivering. “Really cold in here but we’ll give you a nice warm blanket when we get in the room.” He said. As we walked into the operating room the lights were dim and there were several people along the back wall lining up silvery trays and across the room there were 3 Doctors talking amongst themselves in green robes. Isaac helped me over to the table and said for me to have a seat. I heard from behind me a clash of the silver trays; I turned to see they were being loaded with instruments. I stood up fast and Isaac put his arms around me and kept telling me to calm down and to relax. He helped me fix my robes so they wouldn’t have a problem after I was sleeping. He clamed me down enough to get me to lie down on the table. I lifted my head to see 10 new faces coming closer to me. I heard the sound of the door open and I seen the man of the hour, the one who would be working on me, and then it came over me – this is the man who holds my life in his hands until I wake up. Dr. Castro touched the top of my hand and said. “Hello Nancy, I heard you are a little worried. You’re going to be just fine so please relax.” I put my head back on the small pillow and tried to relax, taking deep breathes and thinking about Ray, how much I love him and the last time he kissed me just outside the operating room door. Then I thought about my niece, and how much I love her and how she is my shinning star. I thought about the last time I was with her playing with her. Ray, Vivian and I were on the beach playing in cool sand just 2 days before watching the fire works at night. I thought about never seeing either one of them again. I felt the tears pouring down the sides of my face while I laid there with my eyes closed. I opened my eyes to look around and the anesthesiologist was now standing next to me and he said ok Nancy we are just about ready, are you ready? I nodded my head because I know I would have never been brave enough to speak the words yes. He came closer to me and put the oxygen mask over my nose and mouth. I looked right into his eyes with a fear I never felt for myself before. I shook my head to the left to get the mask off, he moved it away and said what’s wrong? I just needed to ask him a question. “Will I dream?” He smiled and shook his head no, and he put the mask back over my face. A minute later there was a lot of noise from people moving around and the sound of metal was clinging ever closer. I felt my heart beating and tried to remain calm. Isaac was now by my side again. He leaned close to my ear and whispered to me “ We are about to begin, you will be fine and when you wake up it will all be over and you can start working on your new life. You’re going to be even more beautiful than you are now. Sweet dreams Nancy.” As he lifted up I looked into his piercing blue eyes, and then felt mine close. The next thing I remember was hearing a low beeping noise, and then the sound of Dr. Castro’s voice coming from the lower right hand side of my body. “1-2-3.” I felt myself being lifted as if floating to a soft pillow like surface. “Excellent work everyone.” He finished off. I tried to open my eyes but everything was black, I could hardly make out the black silhouettes of everyone around me. “Dr. Castro is it in me?” I mumbled out. “Yes, your all done now sweetheart. You’re going to be fine.” I felt him touch the top part of my head gently. The next time I opened my eyes I was being wheeled into the recovery room, the nurse outside the door said “How are you feeling darling?” with a southern accent. “I want Ray.” Was all I could say because of a pain I felt down my throat, they must have had the breathing tube down there. The nurse smiled and helped Castro push my bed into a spot in the recovery room. “I’ll be back to check on you in just a little while, rest for now, I’ll get your husband.” I closed my eyes and the next time they opened because I felt someone kissing my lips. I opened my eyes to see Ray standing there smiling at me. “Hi baby girl, I told you everything would be ok.” The night in the recovery room was possibly the longest night of my life. But no matter how much it hurt or how difficult is was I would do it over again in a heartbeat if I had to. The surgeon was done working on me in 40 minutes. I was told I had a reaction to the antibiotics and it took them 10 to 15 minutes to counter act the reaction. This was the only complication that had no side effect on me. It’s been exactly 1 month since my Lab-band and I feel terrific.:thumbup:

I have heard of many woman saying if they feel pain/pressure when eating they lift the middle of the bra up for a minute or two to let the food go down. I myself have only had 1 experience since being banded of food getting "stuck" and i tried it for myself... i think it helped a bit but the first minute i lifted my bra from the clevege area i felt even more disconfort before i started to feel relief therefor im not sure if it helped me or if the food just made its way down slowly... sorry i cant be more helpful to you... just wanted to let you know i have heard of this before.

9/12/08 :thumbup: I had my surgery on August 12, 2008 at 9:30a.m. I was being brought in to the recovery room at10:33a.m by the surgeon. When I got to the hospital I remember thinking maybe I wasn’t going to go through with it… that I would change my mind at the very last second. I thought about telling Ray to turn around and let’s go back home… it’s still early, I’ll make breakfast when we get home. After I got undressed and put on the hospital robes, I was waiting for the anesthesiologist to come in and speak with me. He asked me several questions regarding my history and the anxiety I was feeling at that moment. He clearly seen I was afraid and had tears in my eyes. He put the IV in my left had – it hurt like hell. It was not the first time I had an IV in me but something felt horribly wrong. The blood shot across the room in a deep purple color. He said he would see me in a little bit leaving me and Ray in the room. I turned to Ray now with tears on my face hoping he would say that he was going to bring me back home, but he just smiled and put his arms around me. He told me it would be ok and he would be waiting to see me when I get out while he wiped the tears off my face. A man names Isaac came into the waiting room and asked me to stand up. He took my IV pack in one hand and my hand in his other and told me to follow. Ray walking with me in my wake as we walked down the brightly lit hall. As we rounded the corner I first seen the sign that read “Patients ONLY” Isaac turned to Ray and said “You can have a seat over there and Dr. Castro will come and talk to you when she is ready for a visitor.” Nervous and slightly trembling I hugged and kissed Ray so tight. “I’ll see you in a little while baby, relax your going to be fine.” He said as he kissed my lips and my nose as he stepped away slowly. He watched me walk into the double doors. As I followed Isaac down another hall I was shivering. “Really cold in here but we’ll give you a nice warm blanket when we get in the room.” He said. As we walked into the operating room the lights were dim and there were several people along the back wall lining up silvery trays and across the room there were 3 Doctors talking amongst themselves in green robes. Isaac helped me over to the table and said for me to have a seat. I heard from behind me a clash of the silver trays; I turned to see they were being loaded with instruments. I stood up fast and Isaac put his arms around me and kept telling me to calm down and to relax. He helped me fix my robes so they wouldn’t have a problem after I was sleeping. He clamed me down enough to get me to lie down on the table. I lifted my head to see 10 new faces coming closer to me. I heard the sound of the door open and I seen the man of the hour, the one who would be working on me, and then it came over me – this is the man who holds my life in his hands until I wake up. Dr. Castro touched the top of my hand and said. “Hello Nancy, I heard you are a little worried. You’re going to be just fine so please relax.” I put my head back on the small pillow and tried to relax, taking deep breathes and thinking about Ray, how much I love him and the last time he kissed me just outside the operating room door. Then I thought about my niece, and how much I love her and how she is my shinning star. I thought about the last time I was with her playing with her. Ray, Vivian and I were on the beach playing in cool sand just 2 days before watching the fire works at night. I thought about never seeing either one of them again. I felt the tears pouring down the sides of my face while I laid there with my eyes closed. I opened my eyes to look around and the anesthesiologist was now standing next to me and he said ok Nancy we are just about ready, are you ready? I nodded my head because I know I would have never been brave enough to speak the words yes. He came closer to me and put the oxygen mask over my nose and mouth. I looked right into his eyes with a fear I never felt for myself before. I shook my head to the left to get the mask off, he moved it away and said what’s wrong? I just needed to ask him a question. “Will I dream?” He smiled and shook his head no, and he put the mask back over my face. A minute later there was a lot of noise from people moving around and the sound of metal was clinging ever closer. I felt my heart beating and tried to remain calm. Isaac was now by my side again. He leaned close to my ear and whispered to me “ We are about to begin, you will be fine and when you wake up it will all be over and you can start working on your new life. You’re going to be even more beautiful than you are now. Sweet dreams Nancy.” As he lifted up I looked into his piercing blue eyes, and then felt mine close. The next thing I remember was hearing a low beeping noise, and then the sound of Dr. Castro’s voice coming from the lower right hand side of my body. “1-2-3.” I felt myself being lifted as if floating to a soft pillow like surface. “Excellent work everyone.” He finished off. I tried to open my eyes but everything was black, I could hardly make out the black silhouettes of everyone around me. “Dr. Castro is it in me?” I mumbled out. “Yes, your all done now sweetheart. You’re going to be fine.” I felt him touch the top part of my head gently. The next time I opened my eyes I was being wheeled into the recovery room, the nurse outside the door said “How are you feeling darling?” with a southern accent. “I want Ray.” Was all I could say because of a pain I felt down my throat, they must have had the breathing tube down there. The nurse smiled and helped Castro push my bed into a spot in the recovery room. “I’ll be back to check on you in just a little while, rest for now, I’ll get your husband.” I closed my eyes and the next time they opened because I felt someone kissing my lips. I opened my eyes to see Ray standing there smiling at me. “Hi baby girl, I told you everything would be ok.” The night in the recovery room was possibly the longest night of my life. But no matter how much it hurt or how difficult is was I would do it over again in a heartbeat if I had to. The surgeon was done working on me in 40 minutes. I was told I had a reaction to the antibiotics and it took them 10 to 15 minutes to counter act the reaction. This was the only complication that had no side effect on me. It’s been exactly 1 month since my Lab-band and I feel terrific.

So I came across the term "Banster hell" in the chat room a few weeks ago.... I now know what it means. I am now 4 weeks post-op and I spend half the day feeling hungry. NOT GOOD!:smile: I try to drink as much water as I can between meals but especially while I'm at work I want food all the time! For example today for lunch I has 1 small grilled chicken cutlet with a little bit of wild rice and wax beans. very filling lunch it was about 6 or so ounces. I ate that at 12:30, it is now 3:30 and I drank 16 oz of water in between lunch and now and now im getting hunger pains. I been feeling slightly hungry since 1:30-ish. -WELCOME TO BANSTER HELL! mwwwaahhhhh:devil_smile: Going for my first fill on Septemeber 18th. I hope this helps me for a while... Fills are $180.00 bucks where I go. Well since I'm at work I should probably go and work! since the day is almost over! Much love to my banded buddies and my soon to be banded budz!

So I came across the term "Banster hell" in the chat room a few weeks ago.... I now know what it means. I am now 4 weeks post-op and I spend half the day feeling hungry. NOT GOOD!:thumbup: I try to drink as much water as I can between meals but especially while I'm at work I want food all the time! For example today for lunch I has 1 small grilled chicken cutlet with a little bit of wild rice and wax beans. very filling lunch it was about 6 or so ounces. I ate that at 12:30, it is now 3:30 and I drank 16 oz of water in between lunch and now and now im getting hunger pains. I been feeling slightly hungry since 1:30-ish. -WELCOME TO BANSTER HELL! mwwwaahhhhh:devil_smile: Going for my first fill on Septemeber 18th. I hope this helps me for a while... Fills are $180.00 bucks where I go. Well since I'm at work I should probably go and work! since the day is almost over! Much love to my banded buddies and my soon to be banded budz!

Don't come here and speak for everyone - only for yourself. I might be a newbie when it comes to the band only having it in since Aug 12 of this year but I have lost weight and felt great! So far I have lost about 25 lbs since the day of surgery. It sounds to me like you had a bad Doctor to be honest. Did you do enough research on your surgeon before choosing him/her? Most ports are located on the left side about 6 inches or so under your left breast. NOT in the ribs. Of course you didn't loose much weight eating only junk food... who looses weight eating ice cream and cheese doodles? LOL Malnutrition is the lack of sufficient nutrients to maintain healthy bodily functions. As a result you lost your hair and possibly had discolored skin tones and bad nails. With the lapband THIS DOES NOT HAPPEN OFTEN!!! Everyone should fully research the surgeon before choosing him/her.

SO that was not so bad.... the IV they stuck in my hand hurt more than anything :eek:. Spent one night in the recovery room and had an upper GI test the next morning.... got home in time to watch some boring day time T.V. Last week i had my 2 week check up and they took out the staples... i had 24 of them. I lost 17.5 lbs in the 2 weeks since surgery.... this is my 3 week and i hope i lost some more I'm now adjusted to the band and not to sore any more... The only problem I have now is that I'm getting hungry more often during the day and don't seem to have any restriction what so ever... I hope I didnt stretch out my pouch :w00t:. well that's it for now... its getting late here and I have to get some sleep.... Good night!:tt2:

SO that was not so bad.... the IV they stuck in my hand hurt more than anything :laugh:. Spent one night in the recovery room and had an upper GI test the next morning.... got home in time to watch some boring day time T.V. Last week i had my 2 week check up and they took out the staples... i had 24 of them. I lost 17.5 lbs in the 2 weeks since surgery.... this is my 3 week and i hope i lost some more :thumbup: I'm now adjusted to the band and not to sore any more... The only problem I have now is that I'm getting hungry more often during the day and don't seem to have any restriction what so ever... I hope I didnt stretch out my pouch :smile2:. well that's it for now... its getting late here and I have to get some sleep.... Good night!:tongue2:

Ill be getting banded on August 12th! (Tomorrow!) So today I am on liquid diet....

I know what you mean. I have never been thin even as a child. I am now 25 years old and I feel like I spent most of my life as a monster. I am having surgery on August 12th and I can't wait to see the results! But I still cant picture myself thin.

I am going to be banded on August 12th 2008! I been trying to get approved since Janury 10th when I first met with the Surgen Dr. Castro in Staten Island NY. He has the best track record I can find any where in NY so I know he will take care of me. I'm so nervous and scared out of my mind right now. I'm afraid that I gained weight in the last two weeks since I got my surgery date. I am supposed to be on the special diet where you practically starve yourself and since I got my date I have not been following it very well at all.. I replaced most of my snacks with either fruit or low calorie yogurt but I have been eating larger portions than I was before I got the date. My boyfriend says he thinks I'm eating ok but then again he didn't think I ate a lot to begin with, if that's the case how did I get to the point of surgery right?! I should have bough a scale to keep track of myself... Deff gotta put that on my TO - DO - LIST! My sister had the gastric bypass 3 years ago and she was over 400 lbs at the time of surgery, she is currently only 120 lbs and has skin hanging all over. I think she looks scary looking and terrible. She also has vitamin problems and can't keep any food down. She has her good days but they are few and very far between. That's why I chose the lap band:thumbup: Much less risk of all of those things and more. Also I dont want to be a bag of bones the way my sister is now. I like a lil meat on me... hopefully in the right places! If anyone is in the Brooklyn NY area E-mail me, Things like this are easier if you have a friend going through it with you. much love to everyone out there who is going for the band! -Jinx

I am going to be banded on August 12th 2008! I been trying to get approved since Janury 10th when I first met with the Surgen Dr. Castro in Staten Island NY. He has the best track record I can find any where in NY so I know he will take care of me. I'm so nervous and scared out of my mind right now. I'm afraid that I gained weight in the last two weeks since I got my surgery date. I am supposed to be on the special diet where you practically starve yourself and since I got my date I have not been following it very well at all.. I replaced most of my snacks with either fruit or low calorie yogurt but I have been eating larger portions than I was before I got the date. My boyfriend says he thinks I'm eating ok but then again he didn't think I ate a lot to begin with, if that's the case how did I get to the point of surgery right?! I should have bough a scale to keep track of myself... Deff gotta put that on my TO - DO - LIST! My sister had the gastric bypass 3 years ago and she was over 400 lbs at the time of surgery, she is currently only 120 lbs and has skin hanging all over. I think she looks scary looking and terrible. She also has vitamin problems and can't keep any food down. She has her good days but they are few and very far between. That's why I chose the lap band:thumbup: Much less risk of all of those things and more. Also I dont want to be a bag of bones the way my sister is now. I like a lil meat on me... hopefully in the right places! If anyone is in the Brooklyn NY area E-mail me, Things like this are easier if you have a friend going through it with you.:frown: much love to everyone out there who is going for the band! -Jinx