TSB

I had no choice, doc has all his patients stay overnight. I think if I'd had a choice I would have still gone the inpatient route. I was not allowed anything by mouth until the morning after surgery, and that would have been very hard for me to do if I was home. I had to do a barium swallow before I could even have a drink of water or go home and that was done the morning after surgery. Plus, like others have said, the iv fluids ensure you stay hydrated. I did little more than sleep that day, anyway. And a morphine drip immediately following surgery is a beautiful thing, IMO. :smile2:

My port is also on the right. I think that is just how my doc does it. If it weren't for the fact that the scar near my port is larger than the other 4 incision scars, I would not even know where it was located.

One thing I am learning is that there is a broad specturm of band experiences. What a great place this forum is, where people can come and learn from all experiences and share their own.

When my pcp referred me to the surgeon I was 218, at 5' 3". After doing all the preop stuff I was @ 200 on surgery day. This morning the scale read 180, so I am down 20lbs in six weeks. I am ecstatic with the results I am getting from the band thus far.

Don't want to discount anyone's bandster hell experience, as I am sure for some it is a real physical insatiable hunger. But, I am inclined to think a big part of it is mental. I don't think I have experienced anything in my band journey pre or post-op that I could characterize as "hell". Some discomfort from time to time, sure. A little hungry on occasion, yup. Another thing I notice is people seem to put a lot of pressure on themselves in the early post op phase to lose a lot of weight quickly which contributes to their emotional/mental distress. I was 5 weeks post op on this past Tuesday. I have lost weight every week as I move through the post op nutritional phases. I'm currently on regular food. I've lost 19 lbs since surgery on August 11 and a total of 37 lbs since I first discussed this surgery w/ my PCP in January '09. Of course my rate of weight loss was fastest in the 1st week or two. I am now typically losing 1 to 2lbs per week. It is not a given for every bandster that weight loss will stall or go up during the bandster hell phase. We are all different. One thing that is true for everyone, in my opinion, is that the band is only a tool and if you work it, it will work for you.

I absolutely agree. I am not self-pay and there is no way I would have been able to have this surgery at this point in my life if my insurance had not covered it. Besides, I pay about $500/mo in premiums for my insurance for my family not to mention deductibles and co-pays for certain services, so my insurance damn well better provide good coverage! I think "success" depends a lot on an individual's level of maturity and dedication. I also have come to the conclusion, through my own journey and having read about successes/failures here on LBT, that patient education/support is so key to succeeding. When I first started I was so impatient and frustrated by my surgeon's many pre-op requirements that went above and beyond my insurance company's requirements. Now I am so pleased with the outcome of my pre-op efforts and with support I received and still receive from my surgeon's staff. By the time I got through the lengthy pre-op process I knew exactly what I was getting into and went into surgery and the post-op phase of this journey feeling I had made a well-informed decision.

I have not tried plain bread yet. I have eaten toasted bread and 1/2 a toasted cinnamon raisin bagel. I took very small bites and ate very slowly, and had no issues. That being said, my band was installed with no fluid in it and I have yet to have my first fill, so I anticipate my ability to eat bread may change.

I have not experienced that sensation. I have read that some bandsters are very aware of their ports, but not the band itself. Personally, I can't even feel the port at this point. Might be because most of my excess weight is in my abdominal area.

Your doc sounds like a bit of a bully. I won't have my first fill until 10/8/09 and have already been advised that my doc will do no more than 1cc at a time. Considering that I read about people getting their 1st fills 4 weeks post-op as opposed to the 8 weeks I am waiting and then reading about people getting 3 & 4 ccs at a time, I guess you could say he is conservative. After reading about the problems some people with more aggressive doctors seem to have, I am more and more pleased with the conservative approach my doc is taking.

I can neither feel my band nor my port. I know where my port it is simply because that is where the largest of my 5 incisions was made. At 4 weeks post op I feel completely "normal." I went back to work a week & 1day after surgery (I do have a desk job). So far, I have absolutely no regrets. I already get full much faster and stay full longer than I did pre-op---my band was empty when it was installed and I will not have a fill until I am 8 weeks post op. You will likely have some discomfort post-op. The level of discomfort and the time it takes one to rebound seems to vary widely from person to person from what I have read here on LBT. Best of luck to you on this journey!

I am excited now:biggrin: I've lost 16 lbs in the 4 weeks since surgery. None of my 18/20 women's sized clothes fit me anymore. I am down to a 14 women's or a 16 misses. I don't "see" the loss yet when I look at myself in the mirror, but I definetly feel it. The other thing that is awesome is since having my hiatal hernia repaired at the same time as getting the band I have had zero reflux for the first time since I was a teenager!

I had gas pain off and on in my left shoulder for about 2 weeks post-op. It sucks, but it will pass. I walked as much as possible and slung a hot rice bag over my shoulder. The walking did the most for alleviating discomfort. Hang in there!

I have BCBS ME. The only thing that touched on my past weight loss efforts were the forms I filled out for my initial consult with my surgeon. I just had to list all of my weight loss efforts over the years. I have no idea how the surgeon's office presented that to the insurance company. I had no issues getting approved. Does your surgeon's office have a clinical coordinator that deals with the insurance company? I would touch bases with whoever the person is that prepares and submits the paperwork to your insurance company. They should know how to present info in such a manner that it meets your insurance company's criteria. Personally I would have appealed had I been denied, as there was no way I could have paid for this myself. Good luck!

I haven't been willing to try sex just yet. DH is getting anxious. But one of my incisions isn't closing up as it should (not my port incision) and I am having to pack it daily and it is a bit tender. I haven't even asked my doctor about this, in spite of my husband urging me to so ASAP LOL.

I was approved by my insurance w/ a BMI under 40. But I take lipitor for high cholesterol, so that counted as a co-morbidity. Have you reviewed your insurance policy to find out what they consider to be a qualifying co-morbidity?

Congratualtions on your awesome weight loss!

I was told at my pre admission appointment, about a week before my surgery.

I have BCBS of Maine, they approved me very quickly. Hope you get good news soon!

Hi all. Today makes 3 weeks since my surgery. I count myself lucky not to have experienced big hurdles in my recovery as some bandsters have reported here on LBT. Still not feeling that I am in bandster hell (yet). I am getting a little bored with my limited food choices (still on mushies), but have thus far not experienced any insatiable hunger. I have one incision that is being a bit annoying. It has not closed up like the other 4 incisions have. Went to the doctor yesterday and found out it is not infected, so that's good. I just have to pack the wound with ribbon gauze and keep a dressing on it for a couple of weeks so that it heals on the inside before it heals on the outside. Luckily it is one of the smaller incisions and not my larger port incision. The only other issue for me is that some days it feels like my bowels will never function properly again! It seems I either have diarrhea or am constipated and there is no middle ground. I imagine once I can eat regular food and get more Fiber in my diet again that situation will improve. I'm down 14lbs since surgery, and am absolutely ecstatic about that. Some of my clothes are already getting very loose on me.:frown: So that is my little status update. How is everyone else doing?

I had no history of blood clots. My surgeon requires post-op lovenox shots for all of his patients as a preventive measure. I had to give myself shots twice a day for 7 days post op. I was very nervous about it, but it really was no big deal. I had minimal bruising from the shots.

My doc has me on mushies for 2 weeks. I find that scrambled eggs and refried Beans with melted ff cheddar cheese are two food choices that keep me full the longest. I usually have just one egg and when I have the beans I eat 1/2c. w/ 1/4 c. of shredded ff cheddar cheese melted into it. on my fourth week post-op I am to do soft foods for 1 wk and then I can progress to regular foods on week 5. But like everyone else said, you should probably check with your doc.

co-morbidities are things like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, etc... Your insurance policy should outline what they consider to be co-morbidities for this surgery. Like you, I have lost weight only to gain it back all of my life. I had surgery @ 200lbs & the comorbidity that "counted" was my high cholesterol. The doc included in his paperwork the fact that I have GERD, and mild stress incontinence as well. I would make sure the doctor is aware of your history of significant weight loss only to gain it back. Best of luck to you.

I will be 3 weeks post op on 9/1/09. I still don't have much of an appetite. I just started mushies on 8/25/09. My recommended caloric intake for this phase is 400 - 600. I find I am eating more in the 800 to 900 calorie range, though. Pre-op I was tracking my intake and tended to be more in the 1400-1600 calorie range. The thing that boggles my mind is that during week 1 post op I dropped 8 pounds. during this second week (according to my scale this morning) I have lost only 2 pounds. I'm not stressing about it, though. I am still early in this journey. As many people have pointed out, these 1st few post-op weeks are about healing more than anything else. We have to be patient with ourselves.

My first fill will be Oct. 8 -- which is 8 weeks post op for me. After that, I can have a fill every 4 weeks if needed.

I purchased some online @ Vitamin World in chewable tablet form. Have not really had much of the need for them yet, though.