pennreporter

When attempting to qualify for lap-band surgery, since I was a lower BMI patient, the only thing that would get insurance to pay was if I had sleep apnea that required a Cpap machine. When I told my daughter, she was like, well, I could have told you you have sleep apnea by your snoring...oh, geeze thanks...I knew for some time I was sleep deprived. I would pull over at rest stops to nap. Since losing 70 lbs I no longer have to use the machine, which I'm not going to lie to you...I hated it, but it made a world of difference in the amount of sleep. It's better to have it diagnosed than not. I had to do the two-sleep study routine also. Second time with the cpap machine.. good luck and don't beat yourself up over it. I don't know where you are on your weight loss but it will get better hopefully as you lose weight. I lost 3 inches in my neck within the first four months after surgery. Not sure what it is now since I don't have to follow up on it anymore Trisha

well, I'm on day five of no PB'ing or vomiting. I'm thinking it's accepting things that I just can't eat, like crackers, Pasta, and certain vegetables. I was able to go out tonite and have salmon (3 oz and brought the rest home) and half a baked sweet potatoes. So right now all is good. Maybe canceling appt if I stay good until Monday. Was very tense about going out to eat since I hadn't been out since Xmas Eve and had issues. So maybe things are looking up Trisha

OMG, that sounds just like me except mine has been 3 months. I have an appt Tuesday, but since I made the appointment I have been very careful to stay in my comfort zone (cream of wheat, chili, popcorn, ice cream, even got some salmon down last night) and haven't had a problem. But this seems to be the cycle...I have days of throwing up, make the appt, then everything is fine for four or five days, I cancel the appointment and then I start having bad days. go figure. I'm sure it's not psychological but that I get over confident on my eating ...but I'm not canceling this time. I am going to go out to eat dinner tonite and see how it goes. But I'm the same way...when it's hard to get food down, well, ice cream always makes its way...so baaaad choices. Glad to hear it's better. I'm hoping I can convince doctor only to take out no more than .5 cc trisha

Wendy's is my go-to food because I'm in a different location every day and almost impossible to take any hot food with me. A small chili, no cheese, no onions, no crackers, one packet of hot sauce and you're around 200 calories...too much sodium...and I ask them to try to put in more of the liquid than beans. They frown at me but oh, well. Trisha

My go-to food when I'm out for fast food...Wendy's small chili, no cheese, no onions, no crackers, just hot sause, slowly eaten. It works for me, under 200 calories, good on Protein and for me satisfying, but I take a full 45 mins to eat by reading a newspaper at the time. Trisha

My daughter was not at goal, within 20 lbs, when she had her lower body lift. Initially when she made the consult appointment, the surgeon made the comment that he liked for his patients to be at goal, but when he assessed where she was, he agreed that she was ready. She did the lower body lift, breast lift, a yahoo lift (use your imagination) and fat implants into her butt. Lot of work but amazing results. Dr. Lomonaco from Big Medicine on TV did her work. She still has one more procedure and some touch-ups to the original work that needs to be done. Even though it wiped out her savings account, she'd still do it again. Trisha

I had surgery on a Monday, had to stay overnight because of sleep apnea, went back to work the following Monday. Daughter flew down to Houston from NYC on a Sunday, had to watch a video on Monday, surgery on Tuesday, flew back on Friday, worked on Saturday. Her job is much more physical than mine, hair colorist so up on her feet. I'm a court reporter and the only issue that I had was lifting all my equipment. Otherwise I could have gone back sooner. But my surgeon also had a procedure where he sucked all the gas back out. So I didn't have the gas issues. I took pain pills for the first few days but mainly because they knocked me out and I could sleep. Pain really just felt like I had gone to a bootcamp exercise program and done way too many situps. Port was a little tender at first. Elastic binder to wear around mid section helped with sleeping on side trisha

I will have 2 or 3 good days and then a couple of bad days where nothing seems to want to go down. Finally have an appointment to have .5 cc removed. I feel I could eat a little healthier. Because it's hard to get solid Protein down other than chili and Beans, I will eat more ice cream than I should, especially once I've thrown up. I at least buy it in the little cups to control portion amounts. there seems to be no rhyme or reason why something I ate today, I can't eat tomorrow. But I'm getting close to goal weight (20-25 lbs) and would be removing some fill then anyway. I've tried for four months to make it work, thinking I was doing something wrong, which some of it was me (drinking fluids too close to eating), but when pudding won't even go down... good luck to all trisha

The part that annoys me on the comment is that she would say you need to work at it. I don't know anyone...ANYONE..that is overweight, much less had surgery, that hasn't worked at it. Who among us haven't been on every diet in the world. I've done them all. I've lost the same 50 lbs until it became 90. I know my insurance/surgeon wouldn't do the surgery unless you've tried other means. My daughter had her band before me. She's 39 and she had been overweight from the age of 5. I was taking her to doctors then. So she had 35 years of working at it until the psychological effects were becoming crippling. I had my band on June 1, 09, my daughter on 2/1/08. She's lost close to 100 lbs and reconstructive surgery and has probably met her life partner. I've lost 67 lbs, 25 more to go, but my perks are normal blood pressure, cholesterol, no sleep apnea, no joint aches...and it's not a free ride. It's still work. I do tell people and I don't care of their reaction. They need to have walked in our shoes before they can judge. I WOULD DO IT AGAIN in a heartbeat and would recommend it to anyone rather than a lifetime of health issues. Trisha

I'm crying uncle! Finally decided to make appointment and have some fill taken out but only if the surgeon will promise to only take out .5 cc. I'm at 7cc and just too erratic on food...what I can eat one day gets stuck the next day and too many "stuck" issues. But I'm within 25 lbs of goal and feel like I could eat a little healthier with less fill. right now, can't eat chicken in any form. Can eat beef if it's ground in chili, no pasta, which I don't have a huge problem even with that, but it would be nice to be able to eat some veggies. Right now I drink V-8 juice to get at least some veggies in. I've made several appointments, but then I'd have 4-7 good days and would cancel appointment or it would take 3-4 weeks to get an appointment so I'd think well, if I can hang in that long, then maybe I can "manage" it and wouldn't make the appointment. So my last fill was in September and i've struggled with way too much throwing up. Weight loss has been okay but because I have so many stuck issues I eat stuff I shouldn't , like ice cream. I at least buy the ice cream cups to manage my portions. Wendy's chili or home-made chili always go down, so I eat quite a bit of that...figure I'm at least getting quite a bit of protein in. Trisha

my daughter's PA who does her fills doesn't use a numbing agent, but also uses a very small needle and they've done thousands of fills. My doctor at the time I had surgery had only done five bands and the needle is a horse needle. So I'll take the numbing agent. Works for me. :smile2: trisha

I can't agree with you more, Indo...the ccs is such a variable thing, especially depending on the size of band you have. I have a friend that was so determined that she just had to be at 6 ccs in the Allergan band. But both times they put her at 6 from 5, she had almost complete blockage. But when I would talk to her she would talk about the restriction she had at 5cc and it sounded like she was pretty restricted. It was just something in her head that she had to have 6. I personally think that whatever level of ccs you're at that allows you to have some restriction and lose weight and be comfortable is what works. I know that I'm borderline too tight and need to have some taken out but it's so hard to get an appointment that I keep trying to work with it. My better days are more than my uncomfortable days. So you will definitely get more fill but if your surgeon/doctor is more conservative, don't worry about that. There's no wrong or right. We didn't gain the weight overnight, and it won't go away overnight. I've given myself at a minimum a year and I think that is going to work but if not, it's no big deal...it's still less than what it was before the band and if I can never eat another slice of bread or a sandwich, that's not such a bad thing...:rolleyes2: Trisha

Teryn, don't beat yourself up. There's always going to be a few set-backs. But you're not at restriction yet at 3ccs. So you don't have the added help of the restriction to help with the bad eating habits that got all of us in trouble to begin with. It will get better. Before my last fill, it was a wonder I lost any weight. I had very little if no restriction, so I could just eat anything I wanted, as fast and as much as I wanted. Like I said, it's amazing I lost any, but knowing the band was there guilted me into not eating 3 tacos...lol. I do understand missing your child. Mine is 39 and I'm just now having the empty nest syndrome, even though she's been out of the home for years. When I first moved back here (east coast from the west coast), I would see her maybe three weekends out of the month. She lives in NYC. Now that she's lost all of her weight from being banded, she now has a significant other. So I'm lucky to see her once a month and then it's only for a night because she's running off to Philly to see him. So the holidays were especially hard really for both of us. It's an adjustment for her, too. But had I not had the restriction from the band, me and the tortilla chips and salsa would have caused some trouble... So hang in there. Keep yourself busy and those few pounds will be gone. With pretzels, most of that is probably from all the sodium and retaining water. Good luck and it will get better with each fill. Trisha

Congratulations!! If you move to the Poconos, do your research on where to live. Closer to the NJ border you get, the better the weather. I'm by the Tobyhanna Army Depot and we're a good 10 degrees colder (and icier) in the winter. There's more shopping/restaurants/traffic also that way. Lots of weekenders here and weekends can be maddening until you learn when and when not to venture out. By then you won't need a fill doctor at the rate you're going I'm at 30 lbs to goal, depending upon where I decide my goal is going to be. Initially I had thought I'd be happy with 160. Well, not so much anymore. My goal now is a size 10. So it will be whatever weight gets me at that and I've given myself a year but it clearly will not take that long. Again, congratulations for how well you've done. Trisha in da Poconos

I agree on the Realize web site...so not user friendly. I think Allergan has one now but I haven't been to it. My daughter has the smaller Allergan band. My surgeon (HMO) had supposedly made the switch to Realize and was told that was all they were doing. Well, I found out later that wasn't true. They had another facility that had just started doing banding but they weren't a Center of Excellence which is another thing my insurance required. So I didn't have any choice except to go with Realize. But I'm sure their decision to switch to Realize was also a financial incentive. I have no doubt they got a better deal from Realize than Allergan. I've often wondered ...since my insurance company paid for the surgery, if the band slips at some point, do they still cover it again? Well, I won't even put that out there...don't wanna jink anything...lol trisha

My daughter had hers done in Houston by Dr. Spivak, truly one of the pioneers in bringing lap-band to the US. No pre or post op diet except for a day before and 3-4 days of soft foods after. His cost was 12k. But I seem to remember seeing out west in like Utah or Colorado it being done at about the same cost of Mexico, like around 6k. If you have to go to a fill center to get follow-up I think it's between 1-200 bucks but you really only have about 3-4 fills, depending on how aggressive they are. Trisha

I don't know anyone personally that lost 14 lbs first week. I lost about 10 lbs the first 3 weeks and then not a lot until I started getting fills. The recommended weight loss is 1-2 lbs on average per week. Depending on if you exercise or not or how well you keep your Protein count up will make a difference. If you drop your calorie count too low and your protein is not up to as close to 70 grams a day, your weight loss will not be great because your body thinks it's starving. You also can't go by anyone else. This journey is different for every single person. Every fill amount is different, every sweet spot is different in what it takes to get there. My daughter has been banded before me. So I knew going in what I was in for but we've had different results...all good. Just remember, that four pounds is four pounds you didn't have the week before!!

My co-pay was 3k, plus deductibles on the gazillion tests. My daughter had to self-pay, but opted not to have it done in NYC, which was like 24k. She went to Houston where it was 12k. Trisha

congrats to you both!! What a way to start out your year. My pre-op process was about 9 months, with two sleep studies and then the six-month insurance required jump-through-the-hoop process. And I'd do it again in a heart beat. Good luck to you both. My daughter and I are both banded. We're realllll cheap dates for a dinner out ...lol Trisha

I've only had 3 fills and the hospital where I go, all the surgeons do the numbing agent but, my gawd, you should see the needle they use. I've went with my daughter who is banded also and her doctor uses a little needle and no numbing. But my surgeon/hospital has not done many bands so if they feel the need to numb, numb away Trisha

Don't beat yourself up too much. If you've lost 40 lbs since surgery, you're really right on target. The recommended is 1-2 lbs per week. It's only been 21 weeks or so since your surgery. Like anything else, there will be ups and downs. It took a long time for the weight to get there and it will take a while to come off. I'm horrible about the sweets but because I'm so restricted, the only sweets I can eat is chocolate and ice cream...can't do cake, pie, etc. So I buy only the ice cream in the little cups to at least control my portions and I'm working on restricting the chocolate. I was able to drink soda but that's kind of gone away because of being too restricted. I have a lot of time off for the holidays so I'm also trying to get my butt in gear to exercise. That's my hardest stumbling block. You'd think since I have so much time that I'm NOT eating anymore that I could find the time to work out...but Noooo... So you have a big hug from me...get back into the WLC which may help on motivation. Trisha

I haven't been on here in a while. My port is not only very feelable but also very noticeable. I have the upper abdomen roll also, which is very weird because I didn't have that before, while lower abdomen is getting flat. I'm sure if I got off my lazy butt and did some ab exercises it would help..lol. I'm kind of in bandster hell. I'm finally crying uncle after 3 months and have an appointment next month to remove .5 cc from band. It's very hard to get into the surgeon and have made a couple of appointments and then canceled because of work schedule. But the throwing up is way more than I should be doing, plus I just don't feel like I'm eating very healthy because, of course, what goes down is not what I need...i.e., chocolate, ice cream, popcorn...gawd forbid I get a piece of chicken down..: I am losing weight and feel like I'm where I should be allowing for the fact I do almost no exercise. I'm at 64 lbs pre and post op weight loss...and who knows where it would be if I was get on the stationary bike instead of using it for a winter coat rack.. Good luck to all Trisha

I'm a firm believer in positive thinking. So just put it out there that your insurance company covers lapband and you will be approved. I even had to gain like 10 lbs. My insurance required that you lose 10 percent of your body weight in the six-month process. So I knew that I could really be borderline after losing 10 percent to still be in the BMI range. My primary care dr even told me to put rolls of quarters in my pockets. I even told them I was only 5-4 and they never questioned it. Anything I could do to be within the guidelines. Had the sleep study done for sleep apnea, which was really the only thing that got me approved. So start the process and at least find out what your insurance company will and won't pay for. That will give you at least a starting point. Keeping my fingers crossed for you. But, had mine not approved, I would have been going out of state somewhere to self-pay. Mexico was an option but there are some states out west that it's almost as cheap as Mexico now. My daughter paid 12k for her and luckily her local doctor agreed to do the follow-up/fills for her because she knew the surgeon who did the surgery. Good luck!! Trisha

I'm not close (Poconos, PA) but had surgery 6/1/09 at Geisinger in Danville, PA. Loved my surgeon but Geisinger is still of the thinking that the band is not the best route to go. They are very much of the mind that bypass is the only way to go and do not like to do the band on anyone with more than a hundred pounds to lose. I was at 90 lbs and really had to jump through hoops. NO REGRETS!! Good luck. Trisha

I didn't have documented proof of weight loss attempt. My insurance/hospital had a weight loss program that I had been in for a few months and then quit and then decided to go through the six-month process. I don't know how stringent all insurance companies are on this issue. But it's safe to say you won't know until you start the process. Even if you have medical records documenting overweight issues going back, that might help. I think most of them are concerned that this is an ongoing issue and not just where you've gained weight recently. Most insurance companies are more concerned with the other issues...BMI, comorbidities...than anything. I was a low BMI patient and really had to jump through hoops but if you have a primary care physician that is in your corner it will definitely help. Even just contacting your insurance company and asking them what are all the requirements in order to get approval. In hindsight, if mine had not been approved, the cost has come down so much in other states I would have been paying cash in a heartbeat. My daughter had to pay for hers and went to Texas to one of the top surgeons in the US. Good luck with your decision and the process. Trisha