ElfiePoo

I guess I must be reading a different thread because I haven't seen anyone 'judging' anyone else. . .

My insurance company did not require a medically supervised diet before they approved me. I just found out today that I will not be required to follow any special diet before surgery other than the usual 'nothing after midnight'. I think I'm still going to do a liquid fast for a week prior to surgery just because, in the past, a week long liquid fast made me feel less 'bloated'...which can't hurt going into any surgery. .

Get rid of the oreos. Clean out your cupboards and get rid of the 'junk'. Spouses and children don't 'need' the junk either so no excuse there. I don't know if it will help you, but when I'm stressed, I clean. Helps with both the mental and physical aspects of stress/anger. .

I've been reading through the boards now for a few days and I'm curious...and concerned. Some people have been saying they didn't receive their first fill until 3-5 months after surgery...and that they are expected to eat incredibly small amounts as if they were filled. Why so long? If I remember correctly, the doc in my seminar said they do not fill during surgery but will most likely do the first fill within 3 weeks of the surgery (after swelling has gone down) and then check on a weekly basis to add or remove fill based on what happened that previous week. Why are others having to wait so long for that first fill? .

Thanks for the responses. I wondered what people did for follow-up when they had the surgery in another country. .

:wink2: .

Ask them what's 'enough'? I wish lap banding was around when I was 200 pounds and 35 years younger. I would've done it in a heartbeat because all I had to do was look as far as my mom and her aunts to see where I was going to be in 30 years (despite repeated dieting)...and I am. .

I wasn't referring to you, but to Mystify's doctor. .

Congratulations, Mystify! .

Just a thought...are you going through a surgeon who has *lots* of experience with banding? I ask because it almost sounds like your surgeon is ambivalent towards the band and doesn't have a grasp of the realities regarding overweight people and their dieting history. I specifically looked for a bariatric surgeon. Not only do they have vastly more experience in banding (and less apt to 'oops'), but they also have a better understanding of how we (overweight people) 'work'. .

roflmao. .

LOL...and no I'm not laughing at you. I'm laughing at the bonehead who thinks losing 82 pounds is proof you can do the rest of it without the band. As someone told me earlier. The band is the tool that not only helps in losing the weight...but also in keeping it off.

Lori, I also used to drink a lot of Water during the day and always had a glass nearby. Then they diagnosed me with diabetes and once my blood sugars were corrected, I had to remind myself to drink my water...although I think I still drink more than the average person. Life after band should be 'interesting'. .

I'm already a cheap date (according to my husband). One drink and I'm under the table...so I rarely drink. .

I actually had 2 psych consults. After I did the first, which my insurance paid for, I found out this woman takes 3 weeks plus to get the report to the clinic. Since I'm really under a deadline here since I'm supposed to be travelling to Bulgaria in January, I made an appt with another psych and paid cash. In both cases, there was this long form to fill out, asking the usual...do you ever feel like killing someone, etc. Of course, I answered 'no' even though that morning my 17 year old son came dangerously close.:wink2: Then we 'chatted' for about an hour. Now, if they're as good as I am :redface:, they were able to discover quite a bit about me just by chatting. We talked about what I do for a living, about my kids and husband, about what I expected to get out of this surgery. Basically, all they're trying to ascertain is whether or not you are going to be able to handle the massive changes that come with losing your weight. Both put me at ease right in the beginning by telling me they were not there to keep me from having surgery. They were there to make sure it was a positive experience. No need to dread it. .

In my seminar, one of the women asked if we'd be required to go on any special diets pre-op and we were told no. Just the usual pre-surgery no eating after a specific time. If you go on a liquid diet fast for 1-2 weeks (and I have), the first thing you notice is the incredible sag you get within days. I might only have lost 2-3 pounds in that time, but my body looked and felt like I'd lost 10-15 lbs. Perhaps this liquid phase helps with the poofiness on the inside as well, making it easier for them to install the lap band. All I know is, if they tell me liquids pre-op, then liquids it will be...even if I have to sew my lips shut. :wink2: .

Thanks! I'll check it out. .

Where do you get Isopure and are certain flavors better than others. Also...does it contain soy? .

I don't know but it sounds almost as unattractive as watching someone chew their meat and then spit it in a napkin because it's too difficult to swallow. It's why I chose not to go the bypass route...but I see a number of people here who have the lap band and do the same. I'd never heard of 'sliming' or 'productive burping' until I came to this board and am having to rethink the whole lap band thing if this is what I have to look forward to the rest of my life. .

I haven't known insurance companies to show too much common sense in that regard. Let's face it, if they truly cared about the cost ratio, wouldn't they stop fighting so hard to pay for the surgery at all? I don't hold all the statistics, but logically it seems that $20k (roughly) is a lot less money than the alternative of 20-60 years of obesity related medical conditions just for one individual. Then again, perhaps they're playing russian roullette and hoping the person loses their coverage through loss of employment or something else and they won't have to pay either. Actually, I didn't just ask to advance the debate. I was curious (maybe part of my profession) how people prioritized the use of pot in relation to the band.

The low carb slimfast doesn't have the sugar, but only has 10gm of Protein. I wouldn't mind a better alternative, but it seems like everything contains soy.

The fact remains that the part of the brain that deals with judgment and decision making is not fully developed until the early 20's. This was not a derogatory comment, but one based on science. Am I being derogatory if I say that a person with only one leg has only one leg? Same thing. I absolutely agree with you that marijuana is illegal for recreational use because of politics...but that doesn't change the fact that right now it is still illegal. Here's a question for those of you who do smoke marijuana. If your insurance company required that you take regular drug tests both pre and post op for an indefinite time...would you refrain from using?

I read an article that reported the results of a survey that asked 'would you rather lose a limb or be fat' and the answer was ' lose a limb'. One of the fears I've had about losing this weight is that I will become a mean, self-righteous, vain person who will forget that beauty comes from within...not the digital readout on the bathroom scale. If the choice is between being a nasty, self-righteous vain person and fat...I'll take fat because there are worse things than being fat. .

What does this have to do with the conversation at hand? Now I have to ask myself why someone who supposedly lost 139 lbs is resorting to bullying behavior and attacking someone else about their weight? You know what you just did is a defense mechanism for an insecure personality? Goodbye Flyguys...life is too short to waste on nasty people. .

Last time I checked, the guards weren't bringing the marijuana in to the facility in their lungs or bladders and then exhaling or peeing on the prisoners. Therefore, it stands to reason that 'carrying' the marijuana in would not compromise their drug testing. I'm beginning to think you're either operating under the influence (judgment impaired by marijuana) or I'm dealing with a youngster (judgment impaired by brain not being fully developed yet). In either case, I need to move on to more important matters. .