Astrasmom

Hello all you wonderful people! I am half way through my pre-surgery steps. I go to see the nutritionist next. I went to a support group and heard from people that have had the surgery for 18 months and more. The "food getting stuck" thing kind of scares me.

Laurie:eek:

Funny you should mention this. I'm 3 weeks in myself and that's what they were talking about in the support group last night too. And then there were people that said they never had problems. I told my husband that it's good that I hear this stuff because I learn from it. I can't say that you will never get stuck but if you follow the 'RULES' you should be fine. Biggest thing is learn how to chew. Don't be in a hurry to get the food down because you will forget to chew chew chew and it will get stuck. We all tend to get talking or get wrapped up in other things and we forget to chew. We are always in a hurry. Just remember the rule of chewing and putting your spoon/fork down inbetween. Don't let it scare you away. Let it be a learning experience like it has me.

Hello, I began this process a year and a half ago. Last January i began to lose weight and i have lost 111 lbs. My surgery is Monday. I think i am ready, i hope so. It's been a long journey. Wish me luck. WF

Good luck to you. And Kudos for losing 111 lbs. If you can do it on your own, you will have NO problems with the band. You will be doing great in no time.

did u have medicaid? or a different insurance. I have completed all of the tests n classes n they say Im at the last part the approval

I had BC/BS. However once you get through your tests and classes it shouldn't take long now. Even with my insurance once I got done with all of the tests and classes that I needed to have done (which was 6 months) it took them about a week to send me the approval letter.

Thats only 50lbs and I need/want to lose more than that! My pre-op bmi was 40. Has oneone else been told that they should only lose 50% of their excess?

My doctor told me that if you follow the lifestyle you should lose about 50% of your current weight in the first year. But as everyone said, it's up to you how much you lose.

I have Kaiser SoCal HMO, and I don't know who I'm supposed to ask first for the surgery; do I ask my PCP or do I have to find a surgeon first? It's also the time of year to renew our insurance and I've been reading that it's easier to get it with BC/BS, should I switch first then start the process? My BMI is 43 and I'm tired of being overweight! I've been trying since I was 11 to lose weight and nothing has worked permanently.

I want to get this process on the ball but I don't know where to start. THanks guys! :biggrin:

You first have to call your insurance company to see if it's covered and then your PCP. I have BC/BS and I will tell you that they were great. I was required to wait 6 months though. I had to go through several tests. But as I said in another forum it was worth the wait because I got 6 nutritional visits and I really learned alot.

Welcome Shonte and Kris. My insurance was BCBS and they required a 6 month waiting period. I really didn't have to go on a monitored diet but I did have to go through several tests before I got here. As I tell everyone else. They waiting period REALLY sucks but the results are worth waiting for. I'm 42 and have an 18 and a 21 year old sons and I was banded on Oct 23, 2009. I am feeling awesome.

Good luck with your insurance companies. And even if you have to wait. It's ok. Personally I liked the 6 month wait because I got 6 visits with the nutritionist and I learned quiet a bit. :biggrin:

My papers were submitted to my insurance on october 28th 2009 and I havent heard anything yet. I have medicaid insurance so I really dont know how long the process takes but my nerves are all over the place. I have a lot going on next month both of my children b-days r n december and then its christmas... I really want to have this procedure before christmas Im just so tired of carry this extra weight around. I talked to a young lady who also had medcaid and she sd that she got her approval in a week and we both r from chicago. Im sooooo excited then I get frustrated because its like Im at a stand still and I dont knw what to expect. I cant wait to be banded so that I can show my before and after pics as well as have a story to share.... Please help me stay encouraged, and if you have any knowledge on how long this insurance thing will take leave comments .... until then be safe and sty blessed....:biggrin:

The waiting period really sucks but the results are worth the wait. I had to wait 6 months for my insurance to clear me. I had to go through all sorts of pre-op procedures and a 2 week diet to get where I am today. I was banded on Oct. 23. Don't worry you will be here with us soon on the losers bench and feeling great. I wish you luck.

Hiya I am 26 years old... I have been drinking pop ( soda) since I can remember, My parents are big pop drinkers too so I was brought up around soda..

So I gave it about 10 days ago and had a terrible headache for 5 days, I broke down one day and had a coke.. Well i totally fell off the bandwagon this week and am back to like 2 sodas a day... I drink tons of Water, (before i gave it up and probably more when i gave it up)

Any advice to how to make it easier?

It's not the coke you are withdrawing from. It's the caffeine. I know many people have coffee but my nutritionist told me that for every caffeinated drink you have it takes 2 glasses of Water to replace what your body has lost. Caffeine dehydrates you because it's a natural diuretic. Before I was banded I drank diet pepsi all of the time and coffee. I gave it up cold turkey. I went through the shakes and the headaches but after about a week it was ok. My suggestion is try Crystal light. Especially the fruit Punch. If that doesn't work then try some Ice Tea. Biggest thing is you can't think about it the soda. Which yes I know it's easier said then done. But from what I am told the carbonation will cause problems down the line.

By the way, coke will eat the paint off of your car, can you imagine what it's doing to your insides? :tongue_smilie:

Okay I live in hickville and the nearest gym is an hour away ( wouldnt know where to start if I had a gym to go to) As of now I walk a mile and 1/2 every day but thats about it. What can i do at home to work some muscle? If anything? If I did drive to a gym where should I start.?

I use the Wii Fit at home. There are also tons of DVD's on the market that you can do at home also. And walking is good for you. You can increase your speed as you go along. I will never be able to run but I'm at a brisk walk right now. That burns calories.

I'm being banded on Thursday and I'm wicked nervous now! My doctor has given me recommendations to be on Clear Liquids for 1 week, full liquids for 1 week, puree for 2 weeks and then mushies for 2 weeks..... I won't be on a normal diet till December .....

If you can't make it through the full liquid phase for the week. I cheated one day and had a small plain yogurt (NO FRUIT). It held me over. And I was fine. I'm on pureed now for a week and doing fine. I should be on soft food next week.

ABSOLUTELY. I am a little over 2 weeks post op and already down 36lbs. I would do it over again in a heartbeat.

Getting banded on Nov 24, looking to see what did you eat the first days after.

Thanks

D

Every doctor is different. I was on clear liquids for one week and then moved onto mushies last week. I'm on this for another week or so. Then I will move onto regular food. The mushies you can eat just about anything as long as you puree it. I have been sticking to chicken and fish because they have the highest Protein.< /p>

What kind of exercises are you guys doing? I will be banded on December 7th and I want to know what you guys are doing so that I can go out there and do it as soon as I feel able!

I started off with walking the day after my surgery. Short distances. And when I started feeling better after a few days I walked longer. I try to walk at least 2 miles 2-3 times a week. I also use my Wii Fit as much as possible. Today I started back in the cardio room which I will be doing 3 days a week for 30 minutes. I tried the elliptical but I'm not quiet ready for that. I need to lose more weight first. I did however walk on the tread mill for 30 minutes at a pretty fast pace.

WALK WALK WALK as much as you can until you feel better. I am not allowed to do weights for another 3-4 weeks.

Good luck with your surgery.

Ok count me in. I had my surgery on 10/23/09. I'm already down 36lbs. Even though I know I won't be losing it as fast as many people because I am in "banders hell" right now, I would like to at least lost another 10lbs by Christmas. My co-workers have made it a habit to get me to the cardio lab and work on the machines at least 3 days a week for 30 minutes. I'm using my Wii fit as much as possible and walking at least 2 miles inbetween the days I'm not on the fit or working in the cardio lab. I look forward to hearing about everyone's progress.

HI EVERYONE IM NEW IN THIS FORUM ,

IM DUE FOR MY SURGERY AT THE END OF THIS MONTH, AND IM VERY SCARE OF IT, I JUST HAVE A QUESTION TO THE PEOPLE THAT HAD GONE TRUE THIS SURGERY ALREADY, DOES IT WORTH IT? WOULD YOU DO IT AGAIN IF YOU NEW WHAT YOU KNOW NOW? I JUST DONT WANT TO REGREAT IT, MAYBE BE IS ME OR MY CONSCIUS, IM SCARE OF MAKING THE WRONG DECISION :smile2:

ABSOLUTELY. I had mine on Oct 23, 2009. I've already lost 36lbs. I'm able to move around. I'm able to exercise. I have more energy. And biggest of all I am not hungry. I'm able to go into a restaurant and order Soup while my family pigs out on foods that I loved and it doesn't bother me anymore. The first week is a bit painful. Not over powering though. After that it's smooth sailing. It's a learning process and a definate lifestyle change. This is the most important decision I have made in my life and I would recommend it to anyone. I have tried every diet you can imagine and I've already passed what I lost in Weight Watchers. This time I will be able to keep the weight off instead of gaining it back. This is not a diet or a quick fix. You do have to work at it. The lap band is a tool to help you. And as i said it's definately a life style change for the better.

Good luck to you.

I wish they had this surgery when I was 18. I definitely would have gotten it done then. Don't knock your parents though because myself being a parent of an 18 and a 21 year old, we are just worried about our kids. Any kind of surgery is scary. But knowing what I know now, and going through the lap band surgery 2 weeks ago, I would definitely recommend it to my children if they needed it.

Parents sometimes just need to be reminded that you love them and that you know they are only trying to protect you BUT you really need to think for yourselves at times. And WLS at a young age is awesome. You will bypass all the complications in life that comes with the extra weight. And ultimately you will be saving your life.

The best of luck to everyone.

Ok I'm sure you have been asked this question many of times. Please explain to me what exactly "Bandster Hell" is. Does everyone go through it? What happens?

I am following the strict diet of mushies that my nutritionist put me on. I am weighing all of my food and taking my Protein Shakes. I'm not eating anything inbetween. I'm really not that hungry....of course I haven't lost anything this week and go back to the doctors on 11/16. I don't have my first fill for another 4 weeks... so is that "Bandster Hell"?

And while I'm here..off to another topic...can you feel if your band has slipped? How do you know if it has slipped?? Sorry 2 questions for the price of one..lol

Yeah i was just wondering like i went to my doc.(surgeon doc) appointment yesterday... and funny thing is i had surgery on 10/08/2009 and had a docs appointment on 10/13/2009<for a checkup.. and i weighed the same amount as i did yesterday.. i was highly confused!!! but yeah

so how much did you guys loose your first 2 weeks... either way im happy... i just gonna start excerising more and now im able to go to the gym since everything is closed!...

Hi. I was banded on 10/23. Since surgery I have lost 19lbs. Before surgery with the preop I lost 11lbs. Together with a total of 30lbs. I just started mushies on Monday and haven't lost anymore but as I am told I probably won't until after a couple of fills because this is the healing process for me.

Hi everyone! I have reading this board faithfully and it has helped me prepare for my new life. I was banded yesterday in NC by Dr. Enochs. I have some pain by my port site and had some nasty heartburn earlier today. I called the Dr. and he said it was ok to take Pepcid and that worked great! I had no nausea (I was so afraid of that) since they gave me that patch that goes behind your ear. I slept on a bed wedge to be on the safe side. I am getting all my fluids with no problem. I do have some throat pain like a sore throat..which is because they had some trouble getting that tube down my airway during surgery.

I was up and walkin right away and it was so important to do those deep breathing exercises after sugery. I coughed some from that and could taste/smell the gas they used to put you out.

I hope to post more of my improvements as time goes on. Thanks for being there!

Congratulations. I was banded on Oct. 23. Give it about a week and you will feel as good as new. It's great that you are walking. Keep that up. It will definately help get rid of the gas that you experience. Take things at your own pace. And don't be afraid to ask questions. The only stupid question is the one not asked.

I just started. I added my goal for Turkey Day.

Ya I’m as regular as I can be. I do think it is due to be being hungry. The anti acid worked for a while and it came back. I had lunch and it went away but now it as returned and my stomach is growling like crazy. I see you are from LEH I’m in Gloucester Twp.

More then likely it's the hunger pains. I get really bad pains when I'm hungry. It's a different kind of hungry pains then before I was banded.

You are my neighbor. That's cool. When did you have your surgery?

I am getting banded soon!! I am excited and scared at the same time!!

Any words of wisdom for me? Any ideas for things to eat when on my liquid pre-op diet?? I start that on Dec. 2nd... :smile2:

Don't know if you have your Protein shakes yet but powders?utm_source=BariatricPal&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign=CommentLink" target="_ad" data-id="1" >unjury chicken flavor protien powder is great. www.unjury.com

Also I lived on sugar free Ice pops. In all honesty I hated the pre-op diet. Keep telling yourself that you are almost there. Each day is one day closer to your surgery.

My words of wisdom to you are. Remember you are in this for yourself. Don't listen to any negative things that people might say to you. I was banded on Oct 23 and I feel awesome. My pain is all gone now. I have more energy already. I've lost 20 lbs since my surgery. 30 lbs all together with the pre-op diet. You will do great. Don't be afraid to use your pain medication as needed. Be sure to walk as much as you possibly can to help with the gas and to prevent blood clots.

Good luck to you and if you have any question don't hesitate to ask. I'm no where near being an expert but I did do the surgery part. :thumbup:

Last few days I have been getting bad gas pains that won’t go away. I just ate 2 anti gas tablets and no go. I just started my soft food stage and only had 1 meat so far but this started back in the puree period. Are I just hungry and its causing this as my stomach makes some pretty crazy noises or is it something more? Also I have not had my first fill yet. Still 2 weeks away from that appointment.

Forgive me for being forward but are you moving your bowels regularly? I have read many people have to take stool softeners. But it could be that you are just hungry. I know my stomach really hurts when I'm hungry. Sometimes I think it's gas pains but after I eat something or drink my Protein Shake it goes away. From what I am told this is what is called 'Banders Hell'. It's the time between your surgery and your first fill.

I have Aetna and they reqiure three months of PCP monitored diet, psych eval, etc. Well, on Sat during my first visit to my PCP, she looked at me like I had two heads and told me that she doesn't get reimbursed for "weight loss visits". Then she said that she can't get reimbursed for the EKG they did because there was no reason to have one done (Pre-op is not a reason). After a lot of explaining, I convinced her to see me 2 more times (self pay) and she said that she would see me just to agree with whatever the nutritionist is saying.

So for my other visits (abdominal ultrasound, bloodwork, chest x-ray, etc.) do I have to "fake symptoms" so they will cover it? I have an open access plan, so getting the PCP to make a referral isn't an obsticle (thank goodness because she's doing minimal work on this). I need to know if Aetna will pay for my other visits to specialists.

In my experience with Aetna, my suggestion is to call them because Aetna tends to make their own rules. Make sure you argue with them if they require you to get these tests inorder to approve your surgery then there is no reason for you to have to pay for them out of your own pocket. That's crazy.

Hey Everyone....This is my first post! trying to figure this whole site out! Heres my brief story: I am 23 years old. I am a registered nurse in a surgical ICU. I am working towards becoming a NP. I have been heavy most of my life, and finally going to get WLS. I am getting banded 12-4-09 and It seems like forever away!!! I start my pre-op diet Nov 24 and nervous about feeling SO hungry. I am not afraid of surgery, but I am nervous about getting food stuck afterwards....I have been reading posts from people and it has me TERRIFIED! Do you really have to chew your food for a really long time before you can swallow?? I am just looking for some advice and words of encouragement, and any tips you can give to get me through the liquid diet, surgery, and life after surgery!

Thanks in advance!!:thumbup:

I was banded on Oct 23. I feel AWESOME. I have lost 20 lbs since surgery. All together from the pre-op diet until now I have lost 30 lbs. I am starting to get some energy. I'm able to exercise now like I couldn't do before. To be honest with you, I HATED the pre-op diet but I made it through. Ok so I cheated a couple of times with a peice of cheese. Nothing huge though. The liquid phase wasn't that bad until 2 days before I started mushies which I am on right now and I'm really not hungry at all. My pain is all gone. I was on pain pills for about 3-4 days after I came home from the hospital. I didn't use much pain medication in the hospital. I walked alot after surgery in the hospital. I only had to stay 1 day. It wasn't that bad. The barium that I had to swallow the day after surgery for my X-RAYS was horrible.

You learn how to chew slow. My nutritionalist suggested that we use baby spoons to eat so that we don't get large portions in our mouths at one time. I usually take about 30 minutes to eat my meal. If you eat slower the hunger stays away longer too. And the protien shakes aren't that bad.

This is the most important thing that I have ever done in my life. I am so happy that I went through with it. I had several supporters. I work in an alternative school and we have a staff of 11. They all knew about my surgery and they support me. My family supports me. My husband is starting to come through. He was hell at first because he didn't want to see me 'cut open' again. In 2001 I had open heart surgery for an aortic aneurysm. So he didn't think surgery was necessary and that if I just went on a diet I would lose the weight. After telling him over and over again I HAVE DONE THE DIET THING, he finally stepped back. He's now pretty supportive of my surgery. I have struggled with weight for most of my life and I finally got tired of feeling the way I feel. So I knew I had to do something if I wanted to live.

My advice as someone else said. You are doing this for you. If you feel comfortable telling people them go ahead. In my personal experience I've only told a few select people. I'm sure when I start losing more weight people will ask and I will more then likely tell them.

Second advice is once you do get banded. I weigh EVERYTHING. It helps to keep yourself on track or you tend to take a bit more then you should.