GreenEyedLady

I know exactly the pain you are experiencing. I had surgery 3/10/09 and same thing--out of the blue comes this excruciating lt. shoulder pain, mainly on the tip of the shoulder. Believe me, I tried everything from Gas-X to lying on my lt. side to sleep to heat. All work temporarily but do know that just as quick as it came it will disappear. Hang in there, it will subside. Mine lasted less than a week.

Hi All! Hope everyone is doing well. I noticed on some of the other posts that some folks were thinking about going to the support meeting on 6/22/09. Just so you know, you have to sign up to go to that meeting because they are limiting it to 100 people--both pre & post op. Dr. Brooks the plastic surgeon is suppose to be there that night talking about cosmetic surgery, etc. I actually forgot to sign up myself, still not sure if I'm going or not. Take Care! Cathy

I, too, have spoken to both my surgeon and hairdresser--both say the hair loss is due to the fact that the wt. loss is such a shock to our systems. And both say it is temporary! Yeah!! I have never eaten so much protein in my life as I do since having surgery 3mos ago nor have I lost as much hair as I have since surgery. I've seen banders on here say they have tried every lotion and potion and vitamin, etc. and still lost their hair. But again, it was temporary and it all came back. Guess we just have to ride it out.

I, too, have very thick hair and lose a significant amount at all times. However, since being banded 3 mos. ago the amount I am losing has gotten a lot worse. I asked my hairstylist about it--she said the hair follice is actually an exit for toxins leaving the body--be it medications or those lost from wt. loss can cause hair loss. Good news! Only temporary and the hair will grow back. Last week when I last saw my surgeon I asked him as well. He said they don't usually see significant hair loss in banded pts. mostly with bypass pts. He said it is caused by a change in our metabolism and is NOT a nutritional deficiency as would be the case in bypass. It is basically that the wt. loss is a shock to our systems and again temporary and will grow back!

It did take the office about 2 wks to call me after the info meeting. Then about 1 month to get an actual md appt. Both Dr. Haag and Dr. Fiallo do these procedures so they will ask which md you want to see. Both are excellent so I went with whoever had the first available appt. Dr. Haag did my LapBand and Dr. Fiallo did my lap chole several years ago. They will give you a big packet of info and schedule you for a followup in about 2 mos. During that time you will be busy--2 psych evaluations, 2 nutritionist appts. and any needed appts with your pcp. Then all info is sent off to your ins. co for approval. BCBS actually approved mine in less than a week and surgery was scheduled for the following week. I lucked out because Dr. Haag was available and BMC had an opening and I took it. Ins approval with BCBS was easy as long as you meet their criteria, i.e. have a BMI of 40 or more or have other health issues like hypertension or diabetes. It seems like forever at the time but believe me it goes very quickly and is well worth the wait. Feel free to ask any questions along the way--these boards are a great source of info and support. Good Luck!! Cathy

The meeting in May is on the 18th. All the meetings for the remainder of the year are on Monday evenings. They are offering some Friday morning post-op only meetings in their office a couple of times a month. Difficult to get to for most I would imagine. Looking forward to meeting you! Enjoy the nice day!! Cathy

I agree--Gas-X, moving around and a heating pad. I also found lying on my left side when it was the worst helped a lot, too. My pain didn't start until the 3rd post op day--it came out of nowhere. The only thing I could relate it to was that I was so full of gas I felt like I was 10 months pregnant! The pain is absolutely unbelievable. Childbirth and gall bladder attacks don't even compare, lol. But just as quickly as it came on, it also disappeared--took about a week. The gas went away and so did the lt. shoulder pain. Haven't felt a thing since. Scheduled for my first fill next week, hope it doesn't start up again:ohmy:. Hang in there, it does get better. Cathy

Hi Jenny, I agree, what a great day! I think we are all ready for nice weather. The April meeting is on the 20th. We had a meeting last night and it was mentioned that they are also going to be having post-op only meetings on some Fridays @ 10 a.m. held in the PVSA office. The dates for April are 4/10 and 4/24. The meeting is from 10-11 but you have to pre-register for those. Hope everyone is doing well! Cathy

Hi Jenny, Doing much better now but did have a rough few days with left shoulder pain. That has been the worst part overall. And getting those Protein Drinks down. Not doing such a great job with those, lol. Plan on going back to work tomorrow--we'll see how that goes. How is everything going with you--looks like you've been doing great so far! You've come so far in so little time--keep up the good work! Cathy

Surgery was done yesterday as planned. Happy it is all over. I was a nervous wreck these past few days. Everyone at Baystate was really great. I ended up staying overnight which I'm glad I did. Feel so much better today. Only one problem--I asked Dr. Haag if I was going to be a size 6 when I woke up but darn I guess he forgot that part, lol. :thumbup: Hope everyone else is doing good. Cathy

Hi Kris, I was actually in a little earlier than you, my appt. was 2:15. Fortunately they had a cancellation and were able to fit me in at the last minute. Seems like it is suddenly all happening so fast and coming together really well. Thanks for the well wishes. This site has been invaluable in terms of information and support. Hope your first fill went as smooth as you had hoped. My understanding is they are really not bad. Looking forward to talking with everyone after Tues. Take Care. Cathy

Hi Jenny, Thanks for the well wishes. Saw Dr. Haag this afternoon. All set for Tues. 3/10/09. He is just so nice. I'll be glad when it is all over. Looks like your journey has been going great! Good for you--keep up the good work. Can't wait to post lost lbs. in the near future. Cathy

Hi All, Happy to say I was just approved for surgery by insurance this afternoon! Spoke with Dr. Haags' office and they were able to schedule me for next Tues. 3/10/09. Baystate had an opening so they signed me up, yeah. Guess he is going on vacation later this month, fyi. Otherwise, I would have had to wait til April. Have an appt. to see him tomorrow then lab work, etc on fri. It's all happening so fast even though I have been preparing for months. No time to get cold feet. Hope everyone is doing well. Cathy

Hope to hear from anyone who attended PVSA support meeting this past monday night. I am still pre-op just waiting any day for insurance approval. Curious to know how the post-op portion of the meeting was. We were given 'the boot' and sent home early so I was just wondering how things went.

Hi Mica, Just a thought--quite possibly this infection didn't just now begin but rather has been festering for many months. Infections can wall themselves off and until you start to have symptoms like you did, you don't even know you have one. It started around the band, up the tubing, etc. Now it's putting pressure on your intestines that you now know it's there. Make sense? In any case, please finish all your antibiotic medicaton and even if you do start to feel better, it's best to get another evaluation to be sure it is completely gone. May need to extend the time you are on the antibiotic or even change to one that completely wipes it out. Take care of yourself and keep us posted. You are in our thoughts and prayers. Cathy

Hi Jenny, So glad to hear things turned out so well for you after all. Maybe if Dr. Haag had given you a more specific amt of wt to lose before surgery instead of 'a couple of lbs.' you wouldn't have been so rightly upset. I don't blame you for getting upset. Especially with a date set and all. Looks like you are progressing very well and what a great start! He actually did you a favor, huh? He told me not to gain any wt. and I'm thinking that is going to be hard enough with Thanksgiving, Christmas and a week's vacation in Las Vegas right before I go back again, yikes! I better get into action right away cuz boy can I put on the lbs. without even trying, lol. Will talk to you again soon. Have a great evening! ~Cathy

Hi Brockbabe82, I see you had surgery with Dr. Haag. Hope everything went well for you. I just had my first appt with him last week and scheduled a f/u in 2 mos. Yes, insurances are getting much better about realizing the benefits of preventative treatments rather than paying lots and lots of $$ after the complications of obesity set in. Please let me know your experiences with Dr. Haag. Just curious!! P.S. I live in Agawam. ~Cathy

Restless Monkey, I too, had to laugh. Life is too short to be so serious and yes I believe it comes with age. Thanks also for putting this whole 'life after lap band' into perspective. As one who is just starting this journey, I can use all the "realism" that's out there! Falcon66, best of luck to you. I'm sure you will do very well. Pls keep us updated with your journey. ~Cathy

Congrats Dawn!! That was very quick, good for you. Keep us updated. ~Cathy

It's funny how the same insurance from a different state can vary. I, too, have BCBS but of Mass. There is no pre-op diet required by them nor by my surgeon, my co-pay is $250.00 but I need referrals for everyone involved, surgeon, dietician, psych. My surgeons office recommends all their pt's to call their ins. co. at least 3 different times and documenting who you spoke with and for them to send specific info regarding LP surgery. Just in case the info varies with each person you speak with at the ins. co. Guess they've had some surprises along the way. Pretty pathetic when we the customer have to call on so many occasions just to be sure THEY know what they are talking about!

I had my first surgeon appt today after waiting 5 wks to get in after the seminar. They gave me a big packet and told me to call my insurance which is BC/BS HMO and find out who they want me to see for psych and dietician. See them both 2 times, get lab work, go to 2 support mtgs., get a letter from my pcp that surgery is warranted. Have a follow up appt with the surgeon for Jan. and was told not to gain any wt. between now and then.:grouphug: They will then review everything and send it all into the insurance for approval. No discussion today about a surgery date.:grouphug: I will have my work cut out for me. It will all be worth it!

Congrats and best of luck with your upcoming surgery. I, too, am just starting out. My first appt with the surgeon is 11/26/08 and hopefully with the psych and nutritionist soon thereafter. Looking forward to starting the New Year off right. I have about the same amount to lose. Seems overwhelming at this stage but just think how we'll look this time next year :rolleyes2:. Can hardly wait! All the best. Cathy

Hello to everyone! I have been on this site for a few weeks now just reading all the threads and finally decided to join you all. It has taken me all these weeks to digest all of this new information but I am more determined now than ever to proceed down this road. I know I will not be alone because now I have all of you! I feel so well informed that I'm not sure I'll have any questions for the surgeon when I meet him later this month!:biggrin: Looking forward to being a part of all the success on here.