ParrotheadCathy

Your BMI at 220 lbs is 40.2-40.3. I suggest that rather than worry about your insurance, CALL THEM! Look on your card. There should be a customer service phone number (probably an 800 number). Call them, tell them you need further information on coverage. Tell them you want to have lap band surgery SPECIFICALLY as some policies will cover gastric bypass but not lap band. They will ask for your policy number will confirm coverage (or tell you it's not covered but hopefully not that:smile2:). THEN ASK 1. What are the other requirements? They may require: (a) a supervised diet for some period of time; ( a weight history for a period of time -- bear in mind that every time you go to the doc for anything, they weigh you so that is probably not hard to get; © a visit or visits with a nutritionist (your surgeon should have a nutritionist in the office or make referrals); a psychlogical evaluation (again, your surgeon should have one in the office or make referrals). 2. Confirm your deductible and percentage the insurance will pay after you meet your deductible....don't want any surprises later! 3. Ask if they can give you a list of bariatric surgeons in your area that are on your policy --- that way you can start your research on only those docs your insurance would pay. 4. ALSO ASK if they require that the surgeon use a hospital versus a surgical center and if they require that he/she use a particular surgical center. I've read a couple of posts where their surgery ended up not being covered because the doctor used a location the surgery that was not approved by the insurance company. 5. And ask if there are any other details that you need to know about, such as if they require any specific pre-op testing (just so you know that your doc does everything necessary to get the approval on the first try).

Or you could use chunks of leftover chicken breast (since I can't eat a whole one), pieces of fresh asparagus, a few grape or cherry tomatoes cut in half, feel free to add what rings your chimes, and make a viniagrette out of coarse ground mustard and a little bit of olive oil.

That sounds like acid reflux to me....and a hiatal hernia can cause reflux but isn't necessary to cause it. Talk to your doc. Reflux can be a sign you are too tight, too.

Here's my suggestion: A big part of the post-op liquid diet is Protein shakes. So take a Protein shake for lunch, some sugar-free Jello as a snack, some other liquid. Then just say that you are trying to jump start your diet by having two protein shakes a day (Breakfast and lunch) and will be eating a healthy meal at home for dinner. They won't see you doing yet more protein shakes, LOL. Then when you go to mushy foods, try having a soup for lunch. Personally, 10 months out and I STILL have soup for lunch because it's convenient, the calorie and protein counts are good and it works. I have some whole grain crackers and a little low fat cheese with it now but it would certainly work to just have the soup and sugar free pudding or yogurt when you get to mushy food.

Even if I were to not lose another pound I'd still have no regrets. Seriously.

No sleep apnea here but I had Type 2 Diabetes. My doctor swore to me for years that if I lost weight all my health problems he was treating would go away. Type 2 Diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure. He said "I can't tell you how many pounds will do it but it will happen." His decision was to discontinue all my medications starting the day of surgery, and then watch my numbers carefully. And he was so right. I've never gone back on any of my medications!! Sleep apnea responds well too as weight in the upper chest/neck area is a huge part of the condition.

Not all insurance requires a letter of necessity. I guess it couldn't hurt to have one? But you can always call your insurance company and ask that they tell you EXACTLY what they will need to process the approval. Then you will know for sure when the package is sent in that it is complete.

I had liquids for 10 days. I could have broths (I made my own stock since it has so much more flavor), french onion soup without the cheese, sugar free popsicles, sugar free Jello, Protein shakes, unsweetened juice, Crystal Light. I was hungry at the end but I survived. But I understand your comment that you feel fine and you want to advance your diet. You could call your doctor and ask about mushy foods. I was supposed to go 14 days but had a post-op visit at 10 and they advanced me then because I was doing so well.

If it involves belching or farting, it is not from the gas pumped into your abdomen. What AdaGrey describes is gas pain from the gas pumped into the abdomen. It's ENTIRELY DIFFERENT. Walking (heck, moving around period) is the best thing for that kind of gss. A couple of possibilities. Are you drinking a milk-based Protein shake? You could be a bit lactose intolerant and are taking in more dairy that you used to. You can buy a shake powder and mix with soy milk or lactaid milk. It could be the liquid diet. My my post-op liquid diet was only 10 days so I didn't really have much adverse reaction other than runny stools (liquid in, liquid out). Basically, move around, use Gax-X regularly and it should get better. However, I will say that I belch (no lady-like little burps for me) now, usually when I am hungry, LOL.

The plain and simple side of this, which nobody has commented on is that your doctor was at fault. With the Lap Band AP, the port is to be stitched to muscle. With the Realize Band, the port has metal crimps which are attached to muscle. If your port actually became dislodged and migrated out through the incision, you appear to have grounds for a lawsuit against the doctor. Whatever you recover should MORE than cover the cost of new surgery/revision, port replacement....... Even is he is no longer in active practice, he was when he did your surgery and he had medical malpractice insurance at the time. I urge you to consult a lawyer.

Well, since the recall was two weeks ago, I'm hoping we'll see new product on the shelves in the RTD form. SlimFast makes a powder....has anybody used it? If so how does it taste? I bought some carnation instant Breakfast and that stuff is irretrievably gross. I can't even choke it down.

shakes cannot provide long-term satisfaction because they are liquid...and liquids pass through the band quickly. That means they don't stay in your stomach long enough to give you a feeling of satiety. Yeah, you CAN eat more than the prescribed amount but that doesn't mean you SHOULD. I am supposed to eat about 3 oz of Protein (about the size of a deck of cards if you're looking at meat). A vegetable of my choice. A serving of whole grain carb. AND STOP. Give your body a chance to realize that you're full! If you get hungry in less than 4 hours, eat a small snack of protein (around 70 calor9es) .... a boiled egg, a little deli sliced turkey or an ounce of low fat cheese. If you continue to eat past the full level, you're probably not going to lose any weight. If you eat too fast, you'll eat past the full signal too, so slow down. Take a bite, put down your utensil, chew the bite. swallow. THEN pick up your untensil and take another bite.

No bullet to bite, Barb! You're just taking the first step in a journey....a journey to a new, healthier you!

If that is the ONLY reason for recommending the DS instead of banding, I'd take the doc to task. ANY surgery works only as well as you work the surgery. You can regain the weight lost with any surgery, stall out and not lose what you need to lose. The AVERAGE statistic for lap band is to lose 50-60% of the weight you need to lose. That means there are many who lose well more than half and plenty who fail their band and don't lose much at all or regain their weight. Most of us would tell you that it's up to you how successful you will be. But analyze your eating; your diet successes and failures. And talk about that with the surgeon. Are you a snacker by habit? Then something other than the band might be better for you. Or are you one of those people (like me) who can be very successful at losing weight, but absolutely terrible at keeping it off. The band is good for us because we are very good at working with our bands ... and our bands help hold our feet to the fire when the temptation/desire to give up comes knocking. Bottom line....DO YOUR RESEARCH.

Okay. 1st fill one month post-op. Totally typical. What you don't tell us is how much fill you got/how much is in your band. I say you are too tight. A slight unfill (like, say, .2cc) can make all the difference in the world! My first fill, I was too tight and had a bit of an unfill. My last fill was too tight and I thought it would get better so I didn't say anything BUT IT DIDN'T. I got a .2cc unfill and I've been at my sweet spot and comfortable ever since. Do not be afraid to ask for a small unfill. Don't be afraid to stand up for yourself. "Wait until Friday" could be okay or it may make no difference whatsoever. But Friday is tomorrow, so call and tell them you need to come in!!!!!

Well, I will say that you didn't just jump on here and make a post .... you've read enough to know that you aren't the first one to be HUNGRY. There are people who were never on liquids post-op but started on mushy food immediately. I was on liquids for 10 days then mushy foods. So at your time our post-op, I was on mushy foods. Every doc's diet plan is different but I'm saying this as a way of supporting this statement: You probably didn't hurt anything. HOWEVER, you do need to talk to someone at your doc's office. They might go ahead and move you to mushy foods immediately to help with the hunger. Now, having said that, let me confirm what you already know. You didn't expect it to be like this and not all doctors warn their patients that Bandster Hell WILL come along. But that's not a license to eat whatever the heck you want. I'm hoping you haven't made a diet of chocolate and chicken but have stuck mostly to your post-op diet. But talk to your dr or mutritionist or physician's assistant. You aren't the only on to make baad decisions and hopefully that can give you some peace of mind and some help.

Nah! We're all just different. At 6cc I was too tight. I got stuck at least once at every meal, PBs happened every day. I was miserable. Doc took out .2cc and now, at 5.8, I'm good. The lesson....you could get .2cc and be "there". OR, you might be looking for something that you're not going to experience. Try eating the amount of food you're supposed to have (a cup or less, starting with 20 grams of Protein, a veg and a whole grain carb serving). How long before you are hungry? If it's less than 4 hours, you probably aren't "there" yet. But if it IS 4 hours or even longer, then you are looking for some undefined sensation that you're not going to get. The purpose of the restriction from the band is that you feel satisfied on smaller amounts of food...and that you can go 4 hours between meals.

Well, I certainly don't eat perfectly everyday. I'd risk it and say that almost none of us are 100% every day. The band is like a governor on a school bus.....the bus can't go over a certain speed. With the band, if you eat too much, you will know it. And it only takes a time or two experiencing that discomfort to learn your limits. If I eat too much, and I have a couple of times, wow... I DON'T count calories. Yes, I have a rough idea of what calories are in different foods, but are most of us (as habitual dieters) aware of that? I think so. I have learned to judge by eye what I can eat. 3 oz of Protein is about the size of a deck of cards. Carbs....I use the diabetic guideline of 15 net grams = a carb serving. That's a slice of bread, 17 Kelloggs Special K Crackers (my fave right now), etc. Vegetables? I just eat what I can comfortably. The band should let you have a normal life. You can't eat sweet stuff every day, but I've never passed up a piece of birthday cake. The band gives you a sense of control which leads to MODERATION. And, I will tell you that based on previous weight loss attempts, I hit a spot recently where if I were on my own on this journey, I'd be completely off the diet wagon right now and regaining the weight I've lost. BUT I'M NOT! And the band is why that's the truth. Yes, you need to incorporate some exercise into your lifestyle but that would be true if you were dieting on your own, if you had gastric bypass...or, really, if you elected to just remain the size you are now.

Until smaller bites becomes more of a habit, try cutting your meat into bites about the size of a nickel....all before you start eating. Then you don't have to worry that the bite is too big. To slow down, go back to the old diet thing about putting your fork or spoon down after you put the bite in your mouth and don't pick it back up until you've chewed your bite and swallowed it. If I hold onto my utensil, I sometimes rush the next bite.

According to Cooking Light: Ground Beef vs. Ground Turkey: For backyard barbecue, your first instinct may be to choose ground turkey rather than ground round. But unless it's made only from breast meat, ground turkey isn't the low-fat option you might think it is. In fact, the calorie and fat amounts in ground round and regular ground turkey are surprisingly close, with the beef at 218 calories and 13 fat grams and the turkey at 200 calories and 11 fat grams. To save calories, go for ground turkey breast, which knocks calories down to 161 and slashes the fat almost in half. Ground Round (3 ounces, pan-browned) 218 calories 13 grams fat 77 milligrams cholesterol Ground Turkey Breast (3 ounces, roasted, boneless) 161 calories 6 grams fat 63 milligrams cholesterol Ground turkey doesn't always suit me....it's fine in stuff like chili or taco seasoning because the seasoning is heavy enough to mask the poultry taste but for burgers, I go for the 80/20 or 90/10 lean ground beef (I think it's actually ground round). I didn't sign up for this to suffer and to eat a burger that tastes like turkey just isn't for me, LOL

You can buy these cup-looking things that are designed to elevate the head of your bed slightly so that if you are one who sleeps on your back, you can elevate your head without a bungh of pillows, which really isn't comfortable.

Tory, there's a fine line when you get to "too tight". You should be able to eat comfortably, just not a lot. You should be able to eat a meal and stay satisfied for about 4 hours or so. Some of us are tight in the mornings but a cup of coffee or hot tea takes care of that. When I was too tight, I wasn't losing at all. I finally asked for a bit of an unfill. Got .2cc removed (I know, that doesn't seem like much) and I was no longer getting stuck at every meal, could eat comfortably...and I'm still a little tight in the morning but not unpleasantly so. And I've started losing again. So, evaluate honestly where you are. Are you getting stuck often? PBing? Are you able to eat in a day the minimum of 60 grams of Protein that you need? Can you drink Water comfotably any time of day? Staying hydrated is so very important!!!

My bet is they will expect payment up front at check-in to the surgical center. I prepaid my whole band procedure since I was self-pay, but I had surgery on my left hand in May and when I got to the surgical center, I had to sign some forms and write a check for the amount they asked for. It ended up not being the total due for some reason and I got a bill for the balance. I took a couple of months to pay it since it was almost $800. Call and ask what your financial obligation will be on the day of surgery so that you are prepared. You may have to get financing if you can't pay it up front. Care Credit and capitol One both offer medical financing if that helps any.

I never had any problems, no pain...BUT my best friend said she slept in her recliner for about two weeks. Her dogs thought it was weird, LOL, but she said she was comfortable.

Drinking....never hear the two year thing....OMG. I had surgery on 2/10/09. Went on my annual Parrot Head Cruise 5 weeks later and, yeah, I drank. I'm not a heavy drinker, but I do enjoy it. Empty calories are the one issue. I'd been a rum drinker for years -- rum and Diet Coke is about 60 calories per drink. The no soda thing doesn't really apply to this because once you add alcohol, the carbonation fizzes out in a hurry. I just don't drink it as soon as the bartender hands it to me. Smoking can make the healing part take longer and you don't want that. And, frankly, if you quit for 4 weeks, you're past the worst so just don't start again. Your PCP can help you quit. There are prescriptions that help, the Nicoderm thing has helped a couple of my friends quit....just think of it as an investment in your now brighter future!