ParrotheadCathy

I would check with my surgeon's office. I know there are other Rxs for reflux that work in a different way (proton pump inhibitor, like Aciphex) and Nexium.

Lisa's right .... the food is good BUT they are preparing food for so many people that it has to be prepared in advance and heated so it's not going to be "hot off the stove". I had no problems as long as I chewed stuff well. I did have to take a sip of water a few times to get a bite adequately moist to swallow.

Carnival has a "spa menu" at dinner each night that is very diet friendly. They do come around and try to serve you bread before the meal and I always reject it. They also have a few items that are on the menu every night if nothing else suits you .... grilled fish, steak. Norwegian's dinner menu was simliar though there was not a section entitled "spa menu", there were healthy choices. Both of these lines as well as most if not all others, have a buffett for Breakfast which I highly recommend over going to the main dining room and sitting down because those are set meals, while the buffet lets you take only want you want. There will be eggs, grits or oatmeal, toast of several types, sausages (sometimes, chicken sausage even), fresh fruit, skim milk, juices. lunch on sea days there is also a buffet available, the size will depend on your ship. There will be a variety of food and you can take one item from any area. There will likely be roasted something (turkey, beef, pork loin) being carved, a salad bar (with lite italian and possibly lite ranch -- don't be above taking your preferred salad dressing with you on the cruise, LOL) The problem lies in things like 24-hour availability of pizza, midnight buffets, burgers, dogs and fries out by the pool, soft-serve ice cream nearly 24 hours a day, and the bars. This is where you have to exercise your willpower. Go to the shows at night and just don't go back to the midnight buffet, where the biggest temptations lie. I've been on many cruises and this was was just over a month after surgery. I did fine. Gained 2 pounds which turned out to be Water because I lost it within 24 hours of getting home.

Dump the doc...he sounds like a pompous jerk who doesn't want to work with you. Make an appointment with someone else to evaluate your problems. Get a second opinion! Then decide what you want to do based on that second opinion as well as the first. You'll have to go with your gut instinct on this one. Jachut hit the nail on the head! You need a doctor to work with you, not point a finger at you.

A** kickings are not a service we offer here. :frown: Start again with activity. The weather is so nice now, just go out and walk as much as you can. Start tracking your food. Be brutally honest with yourself on what you are eating. Yeah, that's the hardest part usually. Then, you might consider asking if you can move up the appointment for that fill. You say you have 5 ccs in a 15cc band...that's not necessarily a lot of restriction. Perhaps a fill of even 1cc would make a difference. And it might take more than that, so I would go ahead and make an appointment for another fill as soon as they will allow you to have one. Okay, yeah, you may find you don't need it but you can cancel it closer to that date AND the fact that you have the appointment, will have to get on their scale and face the music, good or bad, may help you get back on track as well. Never discount accountability! Good luck and let us know how you're doing!

Melissa, a tummy tuck (abdominoplasty) is considered elective surgery and therefore not covered. Having said that, if you have problems with the panniculus (that "apron" that hangs over) causing chronic skin infections in the area where skin surface touches skin surface, it can become medically necessary and then insurance would cover it. There have been posters who have had it and gotten insurance coverage. I don't know how easy/difficult it is to prove the medical necessity and get it approved.

To me, and this is of course just my opinion, she was very unprofessional! Her job, for which she is paid, is to care for patients -- NOT BULLY THEM. You should complain to the head of the nursing department or the ER department at the hospital.

Not every doctor drains bands after testing before they place them. I have seen posts on here and on another forum where people leave the operating room with 5ccs or 6ccs in their bands! So that poster may be one of those who has some saline already in their band and has never felt the need for more.

That's pretty strict! Glad mine was more relaxed. apple juice, white grape juice, chicken broth, beef broth (maybe?), SF Jello, SF popsicles, crystal light in your Water, K20 Protein Water (never drank this but it does have some protein which might help a little bit with hunger).

You can email me at parr0thd51@aol.com I'm at work and can check my email occasionally, and then home at 7:00 eastern time.... cathy

Pre-op diets vary DRAMATICALLY from doctor to doctor. What is on your list? maybe someone will have suggestions based on that.

Compared to yours, my pre-op diet was much more liberal...included two real meals a day. How about cream soup, like cream of tomato or cream of chicken or cream of mushroom?

After effect of anesthesia. It will go away.

SF yogurts. How much protein is in Carnation Instant Breakfast? Perhaps buy protein shake powder with a higher protein content, mix with skim milk and see if that doesn't stave off hunger better than Instant Breakfast.

Well, insurance won't cover removal unless there is a medical necessity (and still it might not if it didn't cover placing it in the first place). That said, My surgery to have the band put it was $15,000 so that would be a ballpark number to start with. Can't fathom removing it unless it's causing you problems because you'll end up regaining everything you've lost but good luck with your decision.

The hernia repair would explain a great deal! You already had a bit more pain that a lap band patient who didn't have a hernia. Add a cough to that and, yeah, it would hurt! You might ask your doc for a more potent cough medicine for night time, at least. There are several with codeine in the syrup that really surpress a cough.

Basic anatomy....your heart and lungs are separated from your abdomen by the diaphragm. When you cough, the diaphragm is involved. Since the esophagus passes through the diaphragm (that's where hiatal hernias are located, where the esophagus passes through the diaphragm), you feel the effort in the general area of your stomach, but your stomach isn't making you cough. Botton line: a chronic cough is miserable but it shouldn't hurt your band.

Many will numb before the fill. That's still a needle and it stings a little. Frankly, doing it without numbing isn't a big deal. It's still just one needle and it's a poke but not the stinging.

Most insurance doesn't look at the number of pounds to lose....they look at your BMI. Most have the requirement of 40 with no co-morbidities but will approve a lover BMI (seems to vary between 35 and 37 with 2 co-morbidities -- HBP, Type II diabetes, sleep apnea and, perhaps, high cholesterol. Be aware they may also require that you have been at a BMI for a specific period of time. The best thing you can do is to call your insurance and ask what their requirements are for approval. You may find that you BMI has to be 40 for 3 years which wouldn't do you any good at all. You might find out that you already qualify. Even if two people are insured by the same company, their coverage is likely to not be the same because they are insured by their employers, who have negotiated their policy and each policy is different.

yeppers....that's pretty typical. You probably have or will have some others as well. It's from all the tugging and moving around of the various instruments through the little holes the doc makes.

Not me! No problems, losing weight, glad I made this choice. Now, that doesn't cover the fact that post-op I had mu doubts. That time we call "bandster hell" will make you question your decision. You're healed and back on normal foods, have no restriction because you haven't gotten any fills and you feel like you can eat just like before surgery .. then, you may wonder why you did this (or, if you're self-pay, why you spent all that money). But once you start getting fills and move closer and closer to your "sweet spot", the doubts go away.

Well, let's see. Caffeine is considered an appetite stimulant. Have I given it up altogether? Heck no! Every morning, I have a vitamin concoction of which I disguise the taste with Crystal Light "Focus"...which has 80 mg of caffeine in the individual packet (Coke as 34 mg per 12 ounce can). I drink hot tea -- strong, dark, hot tea. Not every day and only 1 cup. You will have to give up carbonation, which means no beer and no sodas. Steak? I can eat steak. So can many, many others. SOME CAN'T. Every person is different. I've gone from medium rare to rare because it is more moist (dry meat of any kind is a killer). Tough meats will be harder to chew to the proper consistency so take that into consideration as well. Steak is a little harder to digest than, say, fish or chicken, so it will stay in your pouch longer but that's not bad. We all have things we just don't/can't eat anymore. I don't eat the yolks from hard boiled eggs, soft breads (or, actually, much bread at all) and pasta .

Just because somebody does drink carbonation (beer and soda) doesn't mean they should. They just don't want to give it up and are willing to take the risk of stretching out their pouches. Treats? I have a piece of birthday cake once a month at the office b'day party. Is is a big piece? NO! It's a true sliver, but i get a taste asnd I enjoy it. I don't eat any candy or Cookies (nobody in my house is a sweets-eater so it's not problem to simply never buy them) as a rule but might consider ONE cookie a treat. If you can't make yourself stop at one. don't eat the first one. And don't give yourself a treat every day....it's as greasy fast slide once you get on board and before you know it you're out of control. Until you get some fills you will have to do it without any help. As you get more restriction and closer to or at your sweet spot, it get easier as you don't experience hunger the way you did pre-banding. If you can't make the commitment to the changes from slider, high fat, high carb foods to healthy foods, you not be an ideal candidate for a band. It's only as helper, not s magic wand.

http://www.lapbandtalk.com/faq.php?faq=vb3_board_faq#faq_abbreviations This will help some with other abbreviations....

Educated assumption ... googled "elise band" and got a bunch of hits for a rock & roll band.....