TQUAD64

Mine was over $80K. No I did not pay for it, my insurance did. And I had to stay in the hospital for 2.5 days. I think the average cost for an over-night banding procedure is $20K in the U.S. But I have read lots of threads by cash pay posters that had the procedure done in the U.S for less than $20K.

Great job and wishing you much success on your journey!:thumbup:

I agree Susan it is a confusing decision to make if your only source of reference is your doctor. I suggest reviewing medical journal for studies pertaining to WLS. Some times they offer free WLS study reports on their web sites. JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association, a weekly peer-reviewed medical journal published by AMA Mayo Clinic medical information and tools for healthy living - MayoClinic.com I would also attend support groups for both banding and by-pass patients and ask them how they are doing. Find out if they have any regrets witth their procedure. When I was trying to make my decision, I went back and forth from thinking I would have the band and then swining back to having the by-pass. I wanted the least amount of complications and risks, so I picked the band. Good luck with your journey!:thumbup:

Did your doctor give you specific instructions regarding pre-op weight loss? Some doctors require a specific diet, such as liquid only or liquids plus one meal a day. My doctor gave me two different choices and I selected two Protein drinks and one high protein low carb meal. As far as now, at post op, I eat lots of veggies and salads without problem. I would recommend you follow your doctor's orders regarding pre-op diet.

Why does she have to live near you for you to take her in? I think it is a great idea Patty Green. I am sure she had made enough money now, so she can afford the trip to your house, so you can take her in. Heck, I am sure the state of California would love you to make the offer directly to octo-mom. As all the children are released out of the hospital we can ship them off to you and you can read all the kids bible stories.

Congrants on your weight loss so far and good luck with your approval process.

Good luck with your journey!:wink:

Congrats on your banding and welcome to LBT!

I didn't tell my family other than my sister for my emergency contact information. My co-workers and friends do not know. I really don't feel the need to share medical information with them. Plus, I get enough satisfaction from posting and receiving feedback from this forum and if I am really craving insight and one on one interaction, I guess I would go to a Band support group.

Personally, I pray you would just go away Pattygreen. I think the only thing people are hoping for is you to go to another website.:wink:

November 11 banded and 40 pounds lost.

My doctor offers a low profile port for the LapBand, so if your selecting the Realize Band for that reason just know that LapBand comes with a low profile port too. I am not sure how helpful the website will be, but I know there is thread for Realize on this websire that might be helpful. Realize Band Surgery (NEW!) - Lap Band Surgery and Lap Band Discussion Forum Comparison link. Compare Adjustable Gastric Bands - LAP-BAND vs. REALIZE Band

I have heard of people getting stretch marks from gaining weight and losing weight and back and forth with weight. But I have not heard of someone getting stretch marks from surgery. Have you had a fill yet? Just wondering if your doctor has seen this when giving you a fill and what their feedback was.

It is normal to have mixed emotions. Good luck with your journey and welcome to LBT!

I could never do this. I would become so attached that I would not want to give the babies back. Your friend has a big heart. Being a foster parent is one of the hardest thing a person can do.

Yep, so true. I have seen worse in the judicial system. We have parents in homeless shelters with their kids, which are under CPS monitoring. We have drug addicted parents going through the system who still have their kids. I agree, if she can get her living arrangements in order, she will keep her kids. Let's hope that if CPS presents the case to the judicial officer for consideration, that the case plan includes some serious individual and family therapy.

Yes, I agree that surgery does cause stress to the body and can affect hair loss. But my other symptoms in combination with the dramatic chemo style clumps of hair loss reflects a hormonal issue. Anyway, I see my bariatric doctor next week and my OBGYN doctor. The OBGYN ran and whole bunch of hormonal tests, which took 8 viles of blood. We discuss the results next Friday, so hopefully the mystery will be revealed. :thumbup: All I know is that I want my life back.

I am undecided on this one too. Now if octo-mom does not have the resources available to support her children and this causes neglect then yes, place the children. Let's be clear about resources; food, clothing, diapers, car seats, doctor's care, transportation, housing, nannies/care providers, volunteers to help with the kids and house work and the list goes on and on. However, if octo-mom some how comes up with the donations and volunteer crew needed to support and nuture the children, then the children should stay with her. I have no doubt, that there are plenty of religous and non-profit agencies that will help her out. I also believe people will send money to help support the children as long as the money goes to a foundation or trust fund for the kids. I work in the judicial system and see dependency actions all the time here in California and our elected local judges will not take children away from their parent/guardian unless an alegation of abuse or neglect can be substaniated.

Wow, sorry to hear this. Thank you for sharing your story. I hope you start feeling better.

Personally, I believe a conservatorship should be established through the court for the children. In this way, it becomes public record as to how the money is spent. And the judge can require the conservator to report to the court hearing monthly, quarterly or yearly. I think monthly inititally followed by quarterly, but never yearly. This will cost more, but it is well worth it. Too many things can disappear in a year. I believe a conservatorship was set up for Anna-Nicole Smith's daughter.

Okay, just finished watching part two of Dr. Phil and he has set up his foundation to accept donations on behalf of octo-mom. Funnt thing is he stated that he and Robyn are really worried about the kids, yet he did not state how much he and Robyn donated to her. At least the funds will be collected by Dr. Phil and he will make sure that the babies have food and diapers. At least I hope his foundations CPA will over see the funds collected. I had not heard about her kids going to private school. When was that mentioned???

Yes, I have seen this at the bariatric center I went to. They let us handle/touch/play with the Realize and LapBand. Additionally, I had read about people eating hamburgers and Subway sandwiches after being banded but before a fill, which totally confused me. So I took my confused mind to the center and asked my doctor and the nurse what is up with that. I sure as heck don't want to go through this procedure and be able to eat a Subway sandwich and big old whopping burger after the procedure. So they brought in the LapBand and placed it around my finger unfilled and then they gradually added Water through the port, which mad it get tighter and tighter around my finger. This odd demonstration helped me understand the importance of fills and how they limit the amount of food you can consume.

Yesterday on Dr. Phil, she stated she was done having kids. But Doctor Phil was not believing her. She said if she had any more fertalized eggs she would not use them. That she would just leave them in storage and pay the storage fees. But again, Doctor Phil was not so sure about that.

I am surprised that someone has not established a trust fund for each child. The trust fund would be monitored by a court appointed conservator who would make monthly or quartley reports to the court at a hearing. The conservator would have to account for all the money. I think more people would be willing to help if they knew octo-mom could not get her paws on the money that the kids needs were taken care of.

I got the same impression with Dr. Phil. It was mostly a show seeking donations to help all the babies and children octo-mom has. I cannot wait to see part two day.