Gunfighter9

I was banded by Dr. Hung at St. Elizabeths Hospital in Lincoln, NE on 11/24/08. I was planning on an overnight stay, but because of swelling around the band had to stay two nights. To be honest pain has been minimal, and once I left the hospital I only used one dose of the pain medication. I have some stiffness in my abdomen, but I expected that. The biggest problem I have faced was getting liquids to go through. The swelling around the band caused the opening to be very small, and even small sips of Water felt as if they were backing up into my throat. As the swelling has decreased this problem is decreasing, but the first few days had me second guessing my decision. I'm not going to lie and say that this has been an easy process, but given that I have shed 25 lbs in roughly five days, I feel it was well worth it. I have had cravings many times, and if I see one more fast food commercial on TV I may scream, but I have survivied. I even managed to deal with spending my birth day in the hospital, and Thanksgiving on the sideline so to speak. I would urge anyone who is considering this procedure to prepare themselves mentaly for what is ahead. I spent alot of time thinking about the pain, and how I would cope, and I didn't factor in the mental side quite as much. I have been lucky that not doing so has not hampered my progress. Good luck and Happy Holidays to everyone.

Yeah I'm really excited. I feel this will work well for me. Stepping on that scale this morning stopped my second guessing. :thumbup:

I call my Dr. today and my surgery is scheduled for November 24th. The day before my Birthday. What a great gift. Untill I talked to the Dr. today I was almost worried that it was all a joke or dream. Really looking forward to getting this done.

It seems like I have been on this journey for so long, and now it seems to be paying off. My wife got a phone call from my Dr. on Friday and the insurance company finally approved the surgery. I have to call Monday to see what the next step is. I am so relieved. I had to fight tooth and nail with them to get this far.

I don't know if anyone can help me with this or not. I am in the process of getting approval for the lap band. I have done the pulmonary exam, the dietician, and I have an appointment with the pyschologist on Monday. I was told by the Nurse at the Dr.'s office that Shared advantage which is one of the medicaid programs in NE is not really keen on approving this procedure. Does anyone have any experience with shared advantage? Any info would be helpful. Thanks.