kagead

I was banded just over a week ago and have no trouble taking any of my pills including a decent sized capsule. As for the diet progression post-op, mine is as follows Week one: full liquids Week two: mushy foods (anything the consistency of applesauce) Week three: soft foods and progress from there While I don't think you made a mistake getting the band, it sounds like your surgical practice may not be the best fit for you. You may want to search around and see if there are other offices you can work with even though you have already gone ahead with the surgery. Good luck to you- kagead

I did not have to do a liquid diet pre-op and my surgeon said my liver was perfect. I did 10 days of high protein/low carb per his instructions. It was very easy to follow and made the one week full liquids post op much easier, IMHO. Good luck to you, whatever you decide! kagead

My mom has been banded for 3 years and the "pasta" that works best for her is gnocchi (small potato dumplings.) She tops it with Marinara, pesto, meat sauce, garlic and olive oil, etc. They go down pretty easily and she gets the full experience of eating Pasta. Most grocery stores carry gnocchi and Trader Joe's has some very good ones in the pasta aisle. Hope this helps! kagead

Neauzart, I had another thought and sent you a private message. kagead

I was just banded Monday at Northwestern so I'm not sure who takes fill patients only, but you might want to try Mercy Hospital, Rush and UIC Medical Center. All 3 do the band and all are in the city. You can also try Evanston Hospital. Not in the city, but not too far. Good luck! kagead

I just had my surgery on Monday. No problems at all except for an unexpected asthma attack post op. Not sure if that was from the vent or the anesthesia, but I did need a nebulizer treatment in the PACU. I told them I was having trouble getting a deep breath and they confirmed my oxygen level was low. Once I had the treatment, I felt a million times better. kagead

Like you, my insurance will pay 80% but my deductible is only $250. One thing you did not mention- do you have an annual maximum out of pocket? Mine is $3,000, so I know that the most this will cost me after all my copays and deductible is another $3,000. I have about 1/2 in savings and have already spoken with the hospital and they will work out a payment plan for the balance with me. If you have started on the "program"- going to nutrition classes, having tests run, meeting with the shrink, etc. you will find that you are chipping away at your deductible through those visits. Your insurance company will have you pay those bills in full and will apply your payment to your deductible. I just had my surgery on Monday, so I am waiting for those bills, along with the ones for my pre-op testing, to start rolling in. Hope this helps- kagead

Since I was just banded on Monday, I obviously don't have any restriction and pills are no problem for me. I've take Tylenol, my BP meds (one is a fairly big capsule that can't be crushed or split), my Pill and allergy meds. I did switch to a chewable Vitamin, but may try to go back to a regular one. The stool softeners were gelcaps, so if you are worried, those might go down easier than a regular tablet. Good luck! kagead

I am 4 days post op and finally had some "success" at 6 this morning. I only took pain meds in the hospital and haven't even had Tylenol since Wednesday morning. Colace was part of my discharge instructions but since I've never taken any type of stool softener before, I was taking the bare minimum dose rather than the recommended dose. When I took the recommended amount, it took about 12 hours to work. Good luck to you! kagead

I did not have the same experience as you (and I am so sorry you are going through this!) but this is what I'd do: 1. Call the referring surgeon and tell him/her about your experience 2. Meet a 2nd PCP before you do any tests 3. Meet a 3rd PCP if needed 4. Meet another PCP until you find one that is on board Your PCP will (hopefully) be treating you long after you have surgery and they need to be supportive of and informed about the band. My Dr. is not incredibly informed, but she is supportive and had been very receptive to any information I have shared with her. If your insurance company has a good physicians referral service, call them up and tell them you are looking for a PCP that specializes in weight management and/or "women's issues" (if you are female!) Hopefully this will put you on the right path. Good luck to you! kagead

I went to my seminar in November and had surgery on Monday. My surgeon has a very busy practice and doesn't schedule surgery until insurance approval has been received by the office. I had my consult with him at the end of March, waited 2 weeks for his letter of medical necessity, another 2 weeks for BCBSIL to approve me, another week for the scheduling person to call me and then 4 weeks for surgery. Hang in there, it will happen. kagead

Hopefully this will make you feel a bit better- I had my surgery on Monday and according to my Dr., my liver was "perfect" and my preop diet was NOT liquid. I got in about 1000 calories per day. Stick with it and you will do great! kagead

I was banded Monday afternoon and can't believe how great I feel. I live alone. My sister stayed the night with me Tuesday after I was discharged from the hospital, but I've been on my own the past couple days and nights. I'm sore, but that's it. I have a good tolerance for pain and heal quickly in general. I stopped taking the pain meds in the hospital and switched to Tylenol. I haven't had any since yesterday morning. That said, every single person is different. I was not really nervous or scared going into my surgery and other than high BP, have no other health issues that would have elevated the complication risk that is already there. You have to do what is right for YOU. I can tell you all day long that "you'll be fine and so glad you did it" after all is said and done but the truth is this is a HUGE decision and you have to feel comfortable about it going in. Nerves and fear are understandable, but if you are fearful to the point of considering canceling the procedure, perhaps now is not the right time for you. Wishing you strength and success no matter what you decide. kagead

I have an individual policy with Blue Cross Blue Shield of IL and my surgery was covered. BUT, I recall reading posts here about others who had individual BCBS policies in other states and they were NOT covered. The best thing you can do is figure out which private policies are available to you in your state of residence and go to each of them individually. FWIW- my BCBSIL policy did not require me to be with them for any period of time before they would cover the procedure. They have a 3 month supervised diet requirement (among others). The psych evaluation was covered at 50% and none of the nutritionist services were covered at all (2 private sessions and 4 classes.) I have a $250 deductible and a 20% coinsurance payment for most procedures. My maximum out of pocket per year is $3,000. All told, I think I will end up spending between $3,000 and $5,000 out of pocket for everything involved with the surgery and that is with one of the best individual policies they offer. HTH- kagead

Banded on Monday and feeling pretty good overall. Very sore but the gas pains aren't too bad. Like everyone else, been struggling to get in the Protein shakes and liquids, but keep plugging away at it each day. I'm on full liquids until Tuesday and then move onto pureed foods (anything that is the consistency of applesauce.) I see my surgeon and the nutritionist on the 30th and will find out about diet advancement then. Congrats to those on the losers bench and good luck to those waiting for the big day! kagead

Was banded on Monday and am surprised at how good I feel. I had an unexpected asthma complication post-op which resulted in an overnight stay, but once that was under control I was really fine. Very, very sore, but not too bad at all. Once I got up to my room at the hospital I was very restless so I pretty much walked the halls all night. When the nurse practitioner came in to release me, she said she knew I was fine to go home because she had seen me walking since she had arrived on the floor 3 hours earlier. :devil_smile: I had very little shoulder pain and most of my gas is intestinal. Gas-X has helped a bit. Never filled the pain med prescription. Took Tylenol in the hospital and when I came home on Tuesday. Took 2 Wednesday morning and nothing since then. Been walking and walking and walking. My sister spent Tuesday night with me and left yesterday morning. I live alone and have been fine. Glad to hear everyone else is doing well and best of luck to those of you who are counting down the days! kagead

Good luck to you- my surgery is tomorrow as well. I lucked out and my pre-op diet was high protein/low carb so it was very easy. I have to be at the hospital at 12:30 and surgery is scheduled for 2:15. Hoping all goes smoothly and I'm back home tomorrow night, but there is a chance I'll end up having to stay overnight. I'm not really nervous but rather anxious to finally get this thing GOING. See you on the loser's bench- kagead

I don't buy it at all. I am single and live alone. There is no one else here to share with me. When I entertain and have something tempting left over, it goes right to the doorman and the guys who work in my garage. Everyone is different. Some people can be happy with just a bite or two and some cannot. If it is something I can take or leave, I leave it. If it is something I can't resist, I leave it. The ONLY time I will indulge in something really tempting is if I am out with a group and we decide to share a dessert. I'll take one spoonful or forkful and will be fine with that, but I'd never show the same restraint if I ordered a dessert for myself. kagead

You can make a great meal out of Soup and an appetizer. I'd be more uncomfortable ordering a full entree and leaving most of it behind, so I'd rather have a smaller portion to begin with. I'm not banded yet, but I do this already and have never been questioned about it. (BTW, I live in Chicago, which is a big "food" city and it is almost impossible to date without eating out at some point.) Good luck to you! kagead

Unfortunately there is no such thing as "average." It is completely dependent on insurance requirements (if you are using insurance), policies of your particular practice, how busy your surgeon may be, your overall health and the like. Insurance is covering my procedure and I was not required to lose any weight prior to surgery (some people are, and that can obviously extend the time between consult and surgery.) I had to do a 3 month supervised diet, meet with the nutritionist one on one, attend 3 group nutrition classes, meet with my PCP at least twice, do an Upper GI, a psych consult, have a bunch of blood work, and an EKG. I went to my seminar in late November and had my initial meeting with the Nurse Practitioner in my practice the first week of December '09. I will be banded on Monday, June 14th. All in all, about 7 months from start to surgery. Good luck to you! kagead

MaggieB gave you an accurate description so I'll answer your 2nd question. My experience was hospital gown, bra off but I was allowed to wear my underwear. kagead

I have suffered from heartburn for years and like others have mentioned, sometimes weird stuff will cause it. When I had my initial meeting with the NP she asked me if I had heartburn or reflux and based on my answer she ordered an Upper GI. A small hiatal hernia was diagnosed, but my Dr. said he won't know if it will require repair or not until he "gets in there." He did warn me that for many band patients the heartburn and/or reflux do get worse DESPITE the hernia repair. My surgery is scheduled for Monday and I'll let you know what happened. :tongue2: Good luck to you- kagead

Someone asked the nutritionist about this in one of my classes and her response made sense to me. This may help someone else out there, too. Very often the kids menu is chock full of unhealthy options- chicken fingers, mac and cheese, burgers and fries and the like. In addition to this, there really isn't much variety and the food isn't very tasty. She suggested simply getting a regular entree and packing up the leftovers. If this is not possible, order an appetizer and a side of something like a salad or Soup or vegetable. She added this point, "You'll be eating smaller portions so make sure that every mouthful is a great one. Get food that you will ENJOY." For many people, eating out is a treat, so go for something delicious. I am on the road approximately 2 weeks out of the month and eat out very frequently. I generally do soup and an appetizer now so I imagine that will continue after I am banded. Good luck to everyone! kagead

Do a search for "bandster hell" and you will find tons and tons of threads discussing this situation. Until you get a fill, you are working on willpower and it can be rough. As a caveat, my Dr. warned that some patients do not get restriction until 2 or 3 fills in so depending on how aggressive your Dr. is with the schedule and the amount s/he gives you, you may not have real restriction for a while yet. Good luck to you- kagead

Every Dr. is different. I am being banded on June 14th and started my preop diet today. It isn't restricted to liquids- it is high protein/low carb. Post op week 1 is liquids (full liquids, not clear) Post op week 2 is mushies As for the weight loss post op. I was told by my surgeon, nutritionist and about 500 people on this board alone, "DO NOT expect to start really losing weight until you have had a couple fills and you have restriction." Depending on how often and how aggressive your Dr. is about fills, this can take a few MONTHS. Not days. MONTHS. This is not gastric bypass and the weight does not start falling off immediately post op. Do a search on this board for bandster hell and you'll get an eyeful. I am sorry if your Dr. did not prepare you for this. It seems to be a huge problem out there. kagead