ParrotheadCathy

I'm an in-your-face kind of woman. I would go to the doctor's office and demand copies be made while I waited. And if they balk, then threaten them with the AMA and the DA's office. And DON'T make threats you won't follow through on. Alternatively, you could call the DA's office first and ask what they suggest you do and proceed that way.

You need to discuss it with the doctor's office. Otherwise you could go for the surgery, wake up and find that the doc couldn't do it because your liver was still too large and therefore in the way.

Relax and take it one day at a time...and keep a short timer's attitude. What you have to do for the pre-op will end in two weeks. You can put up with it for two weeks. Pre-op visit. Sounds like you haven't had any medical screening so far. My doc required all medical clearances be complete before starting the pre-op diet and seeing him officially "pre-op", so I can't offer much here. But just call the office and ASK. Tell them you're just curious what they are going to do. You have a right to know, after all.

It's something that does happen. Call your doctor and discuss everything that's happening.

No Shelley, that's not how it's supposed to be. I would call my doctor and see about coming in asap for a small unfill. Even as little as .2cc can make a difference. I had to do that once and I could actually feel the tightness ease up.

Kim, you show all the signs of dehydration! Not good. I would try to get the doctor to see me today if I could, but at least you have an appointment tomorrow. Drink as much as you can. I had to have an unfill a few weeks back where my fill was just too much and I couldn't swallow spit, either. It only took about .5 cc for the tightness in my chest to go away and for me to feel normal again. After the unfill, I'm sure the doc will tell you to push fluids because you need to get re-hydrated. There are some new sports drinks that are sugar free and a few of those might be a good idea to help re-balance your electrolytes.

I agree with Monkey. A doctor who does bypass surgeries doesn't have the support program for lap band.....I would look around for another surgeon on my insurance (surely you don't have just the one choice)!

In that time between surgery and your first fill, you live in bandster hell. People often gain a few pounds as they make the transition from liquid to mushy food and then to "real" food. I didn't lose anything after my first fill, but after my second (three weeks after the first), it started to fall off. Have faith!

Mine was done chemically as well.

Faith, you can drink whatever is on your list whenever you want it while you are on the liquids portion of your diet. This isn't a time for weight loss, but a time for healing. The only hints I can offer are these: Ignore the broth in cans and boxes that you buy in the grocery store. Buy a chicken. Put the chicken in a large pot and cover with Water. add a bay leaf, an onion quartered (you don't even have to peel it), some carrots and celery. Season it with salt and pepper and even a little garlic powder. Cook it until the chicken is falling off the bones. Strain off everything. What you get is a rich tasty stock that will be more enjoyable. You can also cook a roast the same way and get wonderful beek stock. How many days since surgery? At 10 days I was advanced to mushy foods, which included low fat cottage cheese, low fat sugar free yogurt, cream soups, runny mashed potatoes and some other yummy things, LOL. You are in bandster hell right now .... hungry enough to eat anything and in large quantities. This is the hardest part of the whole lap band journey. The time between surgery and your first fill seems like it will go on forever. I gained and lost 3 pounds three or four times during that month. But you're making the transition from liquids to mushies to "real" food and you just have to go with it.

Three letter word, starts with a G. Yeah, gas. Dang gas pains can be killer. And it moves around sometimes, too. I recommend Gas-X strips, a heating pad applied to wherever the pain is at the moment, and WALK. Walk as much you are comfortable with. Do it throughout the day. Sometimes, when you're sitting, hold your arms over your head and move them around, too. If you've never had trapped gas, it is a startling experience and seems like it must be some terrible ailment, not "just" gas. But give it a try and let us know that you are doing better!

As Jimmy Buffett says, "breathe in, breathe out, move on". Everybody has some anxiety about having surgery. My experience: I arrived 2 hours before surgery. They took me back, gave me a bed, I changed into a surgical gown. They put the EKG leads on my chest. A very nice nurse numbed my hand and started my IV. In a little while, that same nurse walked me to the operating room and I laid down on the operating table (it was heated, which felt good because they keep operating rooms rather cool as part of germ control). I got comfortable where they wanted me and I was given a heated blanket. The anesthesiologist said "I'm going to give you something to relax you" ... and the next thing I knew I was in the recovery room. I drank a glass of Water and got dressed. My brother-in-law came back for a few minutes then he went to bring the truck to the door. A nurse WALKED me out. That's how good I felt. I got in the truck, came home, took a nap and then took a walk. What you can't eat? Heck, this isn't bypass surgery! Sticky stuff like white bread and white rice may not work for you because those things can get in a gummy ball and get stuck. I don't eat fried foods because of the fat content, but who cares about that? For lunch today (Easter), I had turkey, a little Pasta, some salad with lite dressing and a bite or two of a dinner roll...and a little piece of birthday cake. Quite frankly, I don't even want any dinner. I'm still full. Immediately after surgery, yes you are on a liquid diet. For at least part of that time, you won't miss eating solid food. You're healing from surgery and your stomach is getting accustomed to having the band around it. From there you go to mushie food. I went straight to KFC after the doctor advanced my diet and got a small bowl of mashed potatoes -- no gravy-- and those were the best mashed potatoes I ever put in my mouth, LOL. From that day, you are adding back to your diet real food. To work with the band, you'll make changes no doubt, but surely you weren't expecting to eat fried food, full fat ice cream and bags of cookies! You can eat almost anything, in moderation. I'm sorry your friends backed out on your dinner. Go tomorrow night. They didn't back out on you or the friendship, just on some plans for one evening. Like I said, "breathe in, breathe out, move on". Find your center again and relax just a little!

Gas-X Strips and a heating pad added to walking as much as you can stand, spread out through the day will help so much.

Winkie, I was told to avoid asparagus as it could cause a stuck episode...seems it has a lot of fiber in it. But if it didn't bother you, then I guess you're okay. I did 10 days of liquid post-op and then to mushie food... cream soups, yogurts and stuff like that and after a week I was to add "normal" food as I felt comfortable with it. Sounds like you're okay.

Between surgery and my first fill, I gained and lost the same 3 pounds three or four times. Right after my first fill, I went on vacation and was happy to not gain or lose. After that, the weight has fallen off consistently. Part of the gain a lot of people experience after surgery is going from liquid to mushy and more solid food. Relax. You're doing fine and it all comes together soon. This time is often called bandster hell .... where you know you could eat a lot of food and try not to because you really do want to lose. Restriction with come in increments as you get a few fills.

There are two primary manufacturers of bands. The brand name "Lap Band" by Allergan/Inamed and Realize byJohnson & Johnson. There are no differences in the way they operate or function. Most doctors use the one they think is best unless they are operating under the umbrella of "Realize" or "Lap Band". I believe the Realize band comes in a 14cc version whereas the Lap Band (I think) tops out at 10cc. I know someone who works for Johnson & Johnson. The company will give the band to the employee outright and insurance covers the surgery. Frankly, I don't know that it makes one bit of difference which one you get.

Absolutely take him to a seminar! Once he hears that gastric bypass has a 10% chance of serious complications while lap band has .01% that should help some. Then, being able to ask questions about the specific things that are scaring him should take care of the rest.

I eat dinner out at least once a week. Red Lobster, ordered lobster with grilled shrimp and a salad; ate the salad and lobster and took the shrimp home for lunch the next day. Chinese restaurant -- got egg drop soup which, at my favorite place, has shrimp, mushrooms, "egg drop" stuff, and bits of green onion, etc. and the "2 person" bowl is a meal. Longhorns, ordered a filet with a baked potato and salad; ate some salad, half the potato and half the steak and had the remaining potato and steak for dinner the next night. I never eat the bread that shows up on the table even though those cheesy biscuits at Red Lobster were really tempting. Couldn't eat dessert even if I wanted one because I am full well before a waiter asks if I want one (and I don't miss dessert anyway since I've always tried to avoid them). Other faves include broiled fish, steamed vegetables, that sort of thing. I even went to one of those burrito places and ordered a "naked burrito".....lettuce with the meat, black beans, salsa, cheese and jalapenos I would normally have ordered in a burrito. I've lost 46 pounds so far so I'm feeling good about my choices. Good choices are out there, almost everywhere. You are not consigned to eating a bowl of soup and a salad. You'll have to judge the portions and ask for a go box if you have no one to share with at the meal, but that just makes the meal cheaper since you get a second one out of it.

Tren, usually different policies with the same carrier require different things. The doc's office may have only encountered where your carrier required the supervised diet. If you haven't talked to your carrier personally, or if you don't have it in writing in your policy plan descripption what exactly the carrier's requirements are, call them to make sure.

Pete, glad you are on the road to recovery! Larry, you have to remember that the percentage of people who had problems is very low but it is good to see what kinds of problems people do have so that you have a reference. I think for everybody there is a valuable lesson in Pete's story. #1, if you can't swallow Water, go to your doc immediately and ask for an unfill. It usually doesn't take too much to relieve the problem. #2, if you have a problem, do exactly what your doctor says. And #3, i hope everybody who worries about their band slipping reads this and sees that while Pete was vomiting a great deal, his band never slipped. At my first fill, I got 4 ccs on top of the .6 that was left in my band after my doctor tested it to make sure it didn't leak before he placed it. I was fine at the doctor's office, able to drink water...but within 15 minutes could not even swallow my own saliva. I didn't even make it to work. I turned around and went back to the doctor's office. A 1cc unfill fixed the problem instantly. It's a learning process for each of us.

I can eat about 1 cup of food with no problem....more, if part of what I eat is salad. When you are no longer eating large portions of foods, you will be chewing longer. You will learn to enjoy what you do eat and you won't have cravings for more because you will feel full. Then, those situations that make you think you love eating will become more focused on friends/family because you will not be focusing on your plate. It's a whole new world. For everything that changes that you are afraid of, another change which is positive will come along.

IF anybody accuses you of taking the "easy way out", please remind them that this is most certainly not easy. You will have a lifetime of making the right food choices and getting the exercise you need, and that the band is nothing more (or less) than a tool to help you stay "on the wagon". They know you've tried weight loss more than once and they know you've failed. Tell them after the surgery, after you're starting to lose. Some people don't even tell anybody but their spouses and maybe their children (if they are older kids). You have to do what will give you the support you need. The main thing is to remind them that you've done your research, studied the options, the possible complications, etc. AND this is YOUR choice.

Never heard of that one. I'd research it more before I did it. Ephedrine can raise your blood pressure and since many of us start this journey with high blood pressure, I'd just want to satisfy my own curiosity about any possible negatives before I tried it.

Self pay should get you to surgery sooner than someone going through their insurance because there are fewer hoops to jump through. You just need your medical clearances, no time waiting for insurance to approve anything. My surgeon was not on my insurance because my insurance did not cover any WLS for any reason, so I had my PCP make the referrals to the specialists for the pre-op testing. That way my insurance covered all of that, at least.

Normally, I wouldn't even eat KFC mashed potatoes ... I mean, they're instant potatoes. But wow, did they taste good that day! Something with some texture to it. It did seem like it had been such a long time.....