GayleTX

bariatriceating.com carries the best tasting and highest quality products on the market. they will send you a nice sample set of them...be sure and tell them if there's any flavor you particular don't like (banana?) or one you particular do like (berry?). My favorite for a warm drink (after you can have coffee again) is Nectar Brand Cappacino....I mix one scoop in a 2-cup mug every morning; my friend likes to make an iced coffe drink out of it.

If I am correct, "out of area" in insurance terms does not necessarily mean your geographic area....it means who is in your 'insurance network'. Talk to you Cstomer Service Rep at the your insurance co and ask for approved surgeons for wls. You can get your pre-op work done locally and have them fax it to wherever you go for surgery. (That doctor's pre-op rquirements are far more extensive than most.....even for people with lots of medical history!!). I'd shop around before doing anything!! Most of the people in the Panhandle go to Dallas for their surgeries. It's a cheap, short direct flight to Love Field from Lubbock and a large number of very experienced, skilled surgeons there.

Quite often a fill takes a few days to 'kick in'....nobody seems to know why. Nevertheless, it's recommended that you stay on liquids the rest of the day after having a fill then go easy on the foods after that to test to see what you can eat. After the inititial swelling goes down, the next few weeks take a lot of will power (won't power!!) til you get enough restriction. An RNY patient get restriction right away, but ours happens gradually with each restriction. It's safest to just add a little at a time....you sure don't want your doctor to get too aggressive and then you not be able to drink or eat at all without vomiting....you can get dehydrated and sick pretty quick that way. Sure wish this banding stuff was more an exact science, don't you?

One of the first little NSV's I noticed after surgery was that my nails stronger and didn't peel back any more!! My hair is also much thicker than it has been in several years. I give all the credit to protein.....I get 80/100 grams a day every day for the past 14 months now.

Stacy......one of the neatest tricks I have learned during this journey - if you put a container of mixed protein supplement (my favorite is a RTD Micellar Milk, but a mixed up protein drink works, too) in a little ice cream maker and process it......you've got a wonderful frozen dessert that is pure protein, low cal, no carbs, and is sooo good!! I use a small Donvier ice cream maker....got it on eBay for just a few dollars (you just pour your mix in, stir it with the handle about every 5 minutes, and in 20 min. you have ice cream).

The first move I would take it double the protein intake. And take a good quality multi-vitamin (not Flintstone, something for grown ups). Hope you can get some blood work done soon!!

Hi, dmosely......glad you made it here! Honey, Rotan is 3 hours from ANYWHERE!! I can say that because I'm originally from Quanah.....same deal, right? I do know there are people in Lubbock and Amarillo who go to Dallas to have their fills. Dr. Maese, who is near Love Field in Highland Park, does fills for Mexico patients.....he is from Mexico and his father and uncle were there in the 'early' days of LapBands and he worked with them. He's a master at fills! Best wishes to you!!

I wanted to stay overnight because of living so far away; surgeon said 'you wont need to.' He suggested I stay in a hotel near his hospital if that would make me feel more secure. That's what I had planned to do but 2 hrs after after the surgery I just walked out to the car and rode home and never even needed a Tylenol. No pain, not even a gas pain. I know that not everyone is quite that fortunate but this is not like having a baby....thank goodness!!

My guess is the most experienced and talented wls doctor within driving distance of her is Dr. Warnock at United Health Care Hospital in Wichita Falls. He is well-known and highly regarded and is a pioneer in the field. I know that Lubbock and Amarillo are closer to her but there are very few wls people there and the ones who are there are very new to the business as far as I know unless someone has come in there within the past year or so. There was a dr from Albuquerque coming to Lubbock and Amarillo one day a week but don't know if he still is or not or how extensive his background is.

I am scheduled for a panni in July. It's got to be done....no mattter how much weight I lose I'll never look normal unless I get this belly carved off. I'm so happy for you !!! I wish I hadn't looked at the 'during surgery ' picutures! I won't be looking at any more from anybody!! It made my head go 'round! And I don't want to chicken out!! Just kidding, thanks so much for sharing....we all need to know what we are getting into and PS seems to be such a 'secret surgery' that it's hard to get good first-hand info.

I got my approval letter a couple of days ago!! No hassle at all. The PS wrote a letter saying the panni was causing me backpain and balance problems and sent in some pictures (that's what did it, I'm sure! Some skinny little underwriter was so horrified at what that belly looked like that she stamped "approved' on there in red letters and put a rush order on it!!). Anyhow, they said my out of pocket would be $220. The surgeon is getting his father to assist (I hope he's a surgeon, too!!) and I'm scheduled for July 13 (I don't have time til then).

Oatmeal is good but very high in carbs (are you reading labels and counting carbs?). If I eat it early in the day, I find myself hungry all day long! I always start my day with a big mug of coffee with a scoop of Protein supp in it (favorite is nectar Cappacino)....after that I'm not hungry for a couple of hours. The warm coffee loosens my band and then I eat eggs w/melted cheese or cottage cheese w/SF syrup or LF yogurt with almonds mixed in.

By 'call the doctor' do you mean to schedule another fill? I think most wait about 3 wks between fills in the beginning. If you mean call him because you are hungry, there's nothing he can do about that....only you can handle that. This is the hardest time for a bandster.....the time between surgery and the time the restriction begins....which may take 2-3 fills...the first one rarely does anything for you but it's necessary to work up gradually. So in the meantime you have to be in charge of your life and your body and your future and eat right. By eating right I mean 1) getting in enough Protein (80-100 gr/day)....I hope you are using a good quality supplement that you like. 2)eating your protein food first ....beans, meat, eggs, etc 3) eliminating all white carbs (pasta, potatoes, corn, rice, bread)....this will keep your blood sugar on an even keel and keep the 'starving' feeling from haunting you 4) drinking at least 64 oz of liquids a day. Those eating guidelines will help control your hunger and will start the weight loss process while you are waiting for the 'band' to go to work. And if you will stay with those guidelines afterward you'll lose much faster. Best wishes and stay strong!!!

One really nice drink that is very high in protein (40 gr) as well as vitamins is Micellar Milk....comes in Creamy Vanilla (my favorite) and Chocolate (not too popular according to most) and Strawberry (I hear it's great). It tastes something like rice pudding and is very versatile....comes in a 17 oz carton, it's good cold, hot, good in coffee, hot tea, good with a plain or with a little SF syrup in it (I like the coconut). It's available at VitaminShoppe and at bariatriceating.com.

I had surgery just before my 62nd b'day and I have done great....I feel better than I have in 20 years. After having 4 heart stents, being on diabetic meds for 20 years and high blood pressure meds for 30 years, and cholesterol meds for 15 years, I am completely off of ALL OF THEM and my blood work is great! I have lost faster than most LB'ers but I think it's because I eat by the rules of gastric by-pass patients.....lots of Protein (100 grm/day), low on net carbs (less than 40/day) and no white carbs on any kind ever!, no carbonated drinks, no drinking after meals, and some exercise. Older patients are generally more compliant than the really young ones.....most of us are doing this for health reasons - in my case it was lose weight or buy a wheelchair - so we have motivation other than what size jeans we wear. And I figure I've tasted every kind of food in the world....I know what bread pudding and pizza taste like, I don't need to sample it again. Anyhow, best wishes from one older "girl" to another....it's wonderful being 20 years younger than I was a year ago. Go for it!!!!!

LOL!! I'm a year out and still not sure where mine is. Guess it's buried in the fat somewhere. But Dr Maese hits it first time every time for the fills so guess he knows where it is and that's all that matters!

I use www.fitday.com

nectar brand makes wonderful no- sugar clear Protein drinks in many fruit flavors......apple, peach, kiwi strawberry, etc etc. They have a Cappacino flavor that has been my fave for over a year. It's important to get Proteins made for bariatric patients, not jocks. Micellar Milk is also very good....you can get it at VitaminShoppe as well as the clear Isopure...lots of people like the Grape . BE has the best tasting products on the market. http://store.bariatriceating.com/shprpr.html

SF popsicles. And lots of liquid protein supplements make the whole liquid journey less miserable....and the rest of your life much better. Find some good ones you love and go after it!!

SF popsicles. And lots of liquid protein supplements make the whole liquid journey less miserable....and the rest of your life much better. Find some good ones you love and go after it!!

I had to crush mine for a couple of weeks (I was taking 11/day at surgery). After the swelling went down I gradually added back the smaller ones whole, the others I split, and had no problem. I was told that anything smaller than an M&M is usually okay. Word of encouragement....at surgery I was on 3 diabetes meds, 3 blood pressure pills, plus others. After only a few months I was completely off oall diabetes and b.p. meds and my levels are holding perfect. How's that for wonderful?!! I save enough on my meds to more than pay for the Protein supplements I use.

Barb.......you might go to obesityhelp.com and go to the Plastic Surgery forum. Not sure if they have a Costa Rica forum....I know they do have all states and some foreign countries.

I use quite a few of the product BE carries. My favorite everyday drink is nectar Capacino mixed in my morning coffee. I also like the Belgian Choc. mixed in coffee. The Whey Gourmet powders are wonderful....I'm partial to the Peanut Butter chocolate myself. If you like fruits, you might like the Fuzzy Navel mixed with SF Lemonade...wonderful sometime drink to sip on. The Matrix Orange Cream is a nice light, not to tart not to sweet, flavor....I mix mine (and most of the other cream flavors) with Water and ice and run them thru the blender. There are lots of good recipes for using the powders on the BE site... http://store.bariatriceating.com/deblprsh.html

No complications at all other than some hearburn that began about 4 months out.....when I began broadening my horizons with my foods, I think. I'm now on Protonic, have cut out the SF dark chocolate, have cut back on my arthritis meds and when I do take one I crush it. Other than that....life is wonderful!!

Make sure you have arrangements with a local doctor to do your fills before you do the surgery. I know of too many people who have gotten in a complicated situation because they did not.