Melinco

I ordered "Eating well after weight loss surgery" by Patt Levine & Michelle Bontempo-Saray and it should be in tomorrow. I can't wait to use the recipes.

I'm totally self-pay and my costs were just under $15,000, which included $65 for evaluation with dietician, $275 for the psychologist, $5,000 for the surgeon, $7,500 for the surgery center, and $1,275 for the anesthesiologist. The $200 initial consultation fee was waived as I attended a seminar. My fills for the first year are free. After that they are $50. I know that there is a surgeon in Denver CO who charges around $9500, but if you don't live near, then you'd have to find someone near you to do your fills.

I'd try the Mucinex D. The pills aren't too big, if I recall correctly. They help reduce the congestion in your head as well as with any that is in your chest.

I think this is the reason that a lot of people ask for a to go box right away and pack up half of it, so that they can't sit there and pick on it! Or, if you are cooking at home, serve all the plates from the stove, and don't bring the serving dishes to the table. That way you can't get an extra serving without having to make effort. Stay strong, we'll learn all the tricks of the band yet!

Update below on my ticker (can't remember exactly how far along I am).

I'll be getting my first fills next month (was banded 12/17). I set up both of my appointments for 4:00 p.m. so that I only miss an hour of work (luckily doctor is only like 10 minutes away). Side note, my doctor does the first two fills within a week of each other as he said the first fill doesn't last long, and he wants you to get to the green zone as soon as possible. If you've had fills before, which time of day do you prefer to get them done due to the after effects? Or does it really matter? Since I've not had a fill yet, I'm just wondering what to expect afterwards. Thanks in advance for your input!

Both Mucinex and Mucinex D (like PP said) are great for getting that gunk out of your chest. In fact, one man at the support group I went to last week said that he takes the Mucinex regularly as he gets lots of sinus drainage and that helps thin it out so in the mornings he doesn't hack up a huge loogie (sorry for TMI) that has built up in his pouch. The Mucinex makes it thin enough that it goes through the opening into the lower stomach. Plus, the surgeon actually told him to do this. Good luck with it! Colds suck no matter if you're banded or not. I hope you have a quick recovery.

Just back from lunch. I could only eat less than 1/2 the salad (it takes forever to thoroughly chew romaine lettuce!), and one bite of a spring roll. The rice paper was just so hard to chew up. In fact, I have a feeling I probably swallowed a piece of it that didn't get thoroughly chewed. I actually ran out of time eating (we get an hour for lunch and it took about 12 minutes to go and get it and come back). I had to concentrate so much on the chewing that I didn't even get to read during lunch. Oh well. Thanks again for all the suggestions. I will make sure I have left overs or something planned from now on!

Thanks for all the ideas. I definitely won't be doing a hamburger and fries. I decided to get the salad I mentioned earlier from the Chinese restaurant next door as well as the spring rolls. I figure, if I can eat the rolls, I have at least 3, possibly 4, meals out of this. If not, then I'll give them to my husband tonight. By the way, the chicken in both the salad and the rolls is boiled, not fried, so it is very tender.

I didn't list local eateries (like Chinese or Mexican food restaurants). Although I got to thinking that a Chinese restaurant just down the street has a Spicy Thai chicken salad that has romaine lettuce, sliced red and green bell peppers, red onion, big chunks of chicken breast, and a really good spicy dressing (not a cream based dressing, actually kind of similar to an Italian dressing). I haven't really eaten too many salads yet, since they are quite watery (you know, from the lettuce) but am thinking this might be a good alternative. They also have chicken spring rolls (not the fried kind) that contain chicken breast, fresh cilantro, cucumbers, rice noodles, all wrapped in fresh rice paper, but that may be too much (too much food as well as too many carbs and not enough Protein - although they are really yummy and actually pretty healthy in my pre-band days) - plus I'd be a bit concerned of being able to really chew the rice paper well.

I had my surgery on 12/17 and took off the 17th through the 12/27, returning to work on 12/28. Granted, I was able to take advantage of the holidays (we were closed 12/24 & 12/25 - we're closed on weekends as well). I probably could have gone back on 12/24 (if we were open), but not really before then. I defnitely could not have gone back before 12/22 as I was still on high power pain meds and was unable to drive. I'd recommend talking with your doctor. My doctor sent me home with a pain med pump that delivered the pain meds directly to my incisions, and I was not allowed to drive while I had that in. I also had other pain meds I was taking which prevented me from driving. So find out what his protocol is for pain meds, and that will help you decide when you can return to work. Also think about where your incisions will be and the kind of clothes you can wear. I found wearing my bra pretty irritating. Good luck with it! It really won't be too bad.

As of this morning I'm down to 259.6. My goal is 254. So only 5.6 pounds to go. Yeehaw!

I can attest to being able to move during twilight. When they did the egg retrieval during our IVF, I was under twilight. The time they went to get the first egg, I apparently felt it and moved my leg, about knocking the RE down! So yeah, part of being under GA is the fact that they "paralyze" you so you are unable to move.

I spoke with my sister in law who is an OR Rn. I asked her if it were possible to do the lapband using twilight and she said no it isn't. The reason for this is that when they fill your abdomin with the gas, it prevents you from breathing, thus the reason for the tracheotomy. They don't do traches when you are under twilight. It has to be general anesthesia. I think there may have been a couple other technical things she said, but it went over my head. I made it through despite the fact that I had a reaction to the paralytic medication. It effected me a lot faster than they thought, and unfortunately, I remembered it (the effect - not the surgery).

When I was checking with my insurance carrier, Aetna, who my employer uses (and self-funds), they said that while WLS is NOT covered, they would cover any complications, as long as it is not coded WLS. For instance, say I get sick, begin puking violently, and end up in the ER. As long as it isn't coded weight loss surgery (which it wouldn't be) it will be covered. Now I know that if for some reason I have to go in and have the band repaired, I'm footing that bill. My best advice is to become very familiar with your insurance policy, asking what is and is not excluded. Don't be afraid to ask for a copy of the certificate of coverage or summary plan document, where all of the exclusions are listed.

I didn't vote for any, although I guess I could say it was for my health. The main reason I got the lap band to lose weight is so that we can pursue our dreams of having children. We will need to use donor eggs or embryos, and in order to reduce the risk during pregnancy caused by my weight, I need to lose about 100 pounds. So while the looking good, fitting better in seats, better overall health are all bonus, trying to have a baby is the main reason.

Hi everyone, I think I'm identifying something that isn't agreeing with my tummy, that I never had a problem with before: iced tea with lemon! Has anyone else has an issue with this? I don't think it's the tea, I really think it is the lemon, as I've had hot tea with no problems, and iced tea with no lemon, no problems. When I drink it, I can actually feel a discomfort in my stomach. Is this common? Thanks!

No, I'm on solids. I had my lunch today, waited an hour, drank my water first, then went and got an iced tea with lemon from Sonic (since I can't drink any soda). I only took a couple of sips (not with the straw) and I could feel it.

My doctor said not to be surprised if I gain some prior to my first fill, and he said not to worry about it. It's normal. Once we start getting our fills, that's when the weight will start to come off. So I sing, Don't worry, be happy! (Ducking for the shoes being thrown at me!) :smile2:

There have been a couple of meals at a restaurant where I've taken the tiniest of sips twice during my meal. But if I'm eating at home or here at work, I don't drink anything until it's been an hour after I've eaten.

My doctor actually prescribed Aleve to begin using once my Celebrex ran out. I used it for about a week to 10 days. Now I just use Tylenol.

I had to keep a small pillow handy so that if I coughed, sneezed or laughed, I could grab it and hold it against my tummy. Otherwise it hurt! This lasted for little over a week. I think it's pretty normal.

When using scales to measure liquid, you have to be careful, as a liquid ounce by volume is different than the weight of an ounce. Let's think about it. A US gallon of Water weighs 8.3454 pounds. It contains 128 Fluid ounces. If you divide the 8.3454 pounds by the 128 fluid ounces, that equals 0.065198. Which means each liquid ounce weighs 0.065198 ounces. So when measuring for a recipe, you must make sure if it's calling for a fluid ounce (which you should measure in a liquid measuring cup) versus an actual weight where you'd use a scale. Hope this helps!

Hi Teresa, I didn't read any responses before I posted, so I thought I'd come back and respond to yours. My surgery was at 7:30 am in an outpatient surgery center. I was discharged at about 1:15 pm, and home shortly after. I was self-pay. I don't think you should be scared. You should be prepared, though. Make sure you have ALL of your prescriptions filled prior to going into the surgery. Know when you're supposed to take them, how you're supposed to take them, and whether any of them need to be refrigerated (I had to take a liquid antibiotic for the first week after surgery and it had to be refrigerated). Make sure you have your surgeon's number (mine insisted that I give him a call - regardless of time of day - if I had any questions or concerns). Take a pillow with you for the ride home, some comfy clothes (preferably something that zips or buttons up the front), and slip on shoes. My doctor installed a pain pump in my abdomen, which I took home with me, that delivered pain meds directly to the incisions. This helped with any abdominal pain. He also gave me a nasal spray pain med to help with the gas pain. So I think if you are properly prepared with all the Rx, pillows, liquids, etc., that you'll need, you should be okay at home.

I had my surgery in an outpatient surgery center and did not stay the night. I've never had surgery before, so I wasn't sure what to expect, as far as recovery goes. However, I think I did fine. My husband was there to help me on and off the couch, on and off the toilet, the first couple of days. He sat right outside my shower as I sat on a step stool covered in a towel as I showered. I was able to walk in the peace of my own home, and just be comfortable (as much as possible). So no, I don't think it was necessary for me to stay overnight in the hospital. However, each surgeon is different, and I suppose if you're having the surgery done in a hospital setting, maybe their insurance requires an overnight stay due to liability issues.