Amaris

As others have said -- So much depends on what your insurance requires. And, different surgeons have different requirements for their patients. The best thing to do is to talk over all of this with your doctor when you see him. Have you been to an informational seminar yet? Almost everyone requires that, and the surgeon or his representative should give you more information about requirements and wait times at the seminar. You said you were going to see your doc to get the ball rolling -- the surgeon or your PCP?

kentx05, if you are still up and webbing around ... I wrote a detailed post about what surgery and the first few days were like for me for my blog. You might want to check it out. Good luck to you and to the others who are getting banded soon!

When I had my phone consult on Friday, I mentioned the chest pain to the nurse. She assured me that it was totally normal and would go away on its own. Mine pain is starting to dissipate. And, I noticed, as the pain lessened, my appetite has increased. I think Davina (the nurse) said it had something to do with swelling. If so, that would all make sense. EmilyP, have you talked to your doctor's office about this? What did they tell you at the ER? The pressure in my chest was sometimes worse after eating, but it usually bothered me when I hiccuped or took a deep breath.

I confess -- I did not read all the posts up to now! Usually I do before I post, but there are just too many for me to catch up on. Sorry. I just wanted to add myself to the August Bandsters. I was banded on 03 August, and I'm doing great. I do have a heaviness in my chest that shows no signs of going away, but I'm sure it will. That's my only complaint! I was hungry for the first time today, and it took more that I expected to fill me up! I'm really trying hard not to eat when I'm not hungry, but I'm only having moderate success with that ... partly because up until now, I haven't felt any hunger pangs. I'm just trying to take each day as it comes.

Thanks for posting this, kellyodoran! This is what I am hoping will happen for me. Until I reach the sweet spot, I am expecting to have to struggle a bit with this issue. But it's so nice to read that once I reach that place, I don't have to anymore ... Thanks again! It really is inspiring.

From what I read here and there, for a lot of people the desire to eat mindlessly does eventually go away. I'm hoping we both are some of those people! But, especially at first, I think it's important to remember that it's our stomachs that are being banded, not our heads; if we're eating from head hunger now, we may very well have to struggle with that for a while afterwards. That's what's happening to me. It's not helping any that I'm not getting any real signals from my body as to whether I'm hungry or full or whatever. Good luck to you!

beachcitygirl -- Congrats on your progress! Keep up the good work! octroy -- Of course, everyone is different -- please take that into consideration! I haven't been truly hungry since I was banded, five days ago, but I still want to eat when it's not mealtimes. Not anything that's not on my meal plan mind you (full liquids for two weeks after surgery), but still ... I'm trying to fight it even though I could totally justify eating more than I am. Good luck to you!

I was a little annoyed at my surgeon, too, but then I realized that he had number better than the national average because he was so careful and thorough. That made me feel better about all his rules. Plus, as you say, it does help get the mind ready for the big change, I think. Getting my fluids in isn't really an issue for me. I have chronic dry mouth, so I drink a lot of Water. I still am not really hungry, but I'm eating at meal times just to get some food in. I am occasionally struggling with just wanting to eat -- not anything not on my full liquid diet, just to eat to be eating, though. That's a bit frustrating!

It's very interesting to me how different we all are -- and our programs! I started on full liquids Thursday. I continue to get better each day. My worst thing right now is the heaviness in the center of my chest. I spoke to one of the surgeon's nurses about it when I called in for my phone consult. She said that was the swelling of my stomach that I was feeling and that it was perfectly normal. But it sure does hurt when I hiccup! So glad to hear that you are doing a bit better. Are you taking Gas-X? That has helped me.

My support group is almost an hour and a half away from my house, and it's at night, so I don't know how often I'll make it to group. I'm looking for all the online support I can get!

Hey jamelyn! Glad to hear that you made it through okay. Sorry to hear about the hernia and associated pain. I'm still having a little trouble with my left shoulder, but nothing I can't live with. The other pain is almost gone. Hang in there -- it will get better! I guess you're walking a lot? They say that helps. Take care everyone, and follow your doctor's orders!

I'm just checking in to see how everyone is doing. I hope you all had as easy a time as I've had so far. :) :smile2: The worse part for me was some gas pains on Tuesday night that kept me from sleeping in my bed for a few hours; I slept upright in a recliner for about four and a half hours, then went to bed. I have some soreness, but no real pain. I've written a post on my blog about my surgical experience. Now, I'd better go walk! HAHA!

Hey Sabrina -- you were banded on my birthday! Thanks for the words of encouragement for all of us.

Oh, I forgot to say -- If you are using your regular blender, invest in a hand -- or immersion -- blender. They make all the difference in the taste of the shakes, at least for me and Hubby they did.

Thanks so much for the link and the recipes! I'm on Day One of two weeks of full liquids following my surgery, so will be drinking lots of shakes to get my protein in. I've discovered that a scoop of sugar-free fat-free pudding mix goes a long way in making the shakes more palatable. I especially like the butterscotch pudding mix in a vanilla shake. YUMMY!

Nice to meet you all. I'm from SoCal, too. The High Desert Region, actually. I was just banded on Tuesday! Not a lot of pain or problems, so I'm looking forward to this journey. Hope everyone else is doing well.

I am 03 August, too! I have to check in at 6:30 AM. I'm just tidying up a few things before I go scrub with my special soap before bed. I'll be up at 4:45 to scrub again and get ready for my day. Good luck to all of you with upcoming dates/appointments!

I'm so sorry you had such a hard time! I hope it gets better from here.

Good luck to everyone! Today I started my clear liquids. Not too bad so far. It will hit me after dark -- when I want to do most of my snacking! See ya'll on the other side!

I'm 03 August, too! Are you having to do a pre-op diet, or clear liquids before surgery? I've been pre-op since 17 July and have to do two days of clear liquids before and after surgery.

I can't speak to anyone else's experience with TriCare, only my own. We have TriCare Reserve Select (Hubby is in the National Guard), and I was approved within 24 hours of submittal. My BMI is in the 50s and I have several co-morbidities. I didn't have to jump through a lot of hoops -- no weight history, no supervised diet. I have heard that TriCare is one of the easiest for approval if you meet the guidelines. Call and see what the deal is. As someone else suggested, it may be a paperwork issue. PS Thanks to all the military personnel for their service -- and to the families for their sacrifices.

Congrats for making the decision to do this. Keep us posted on your journey, so we can make it along with you!

I just wanted to share my news with the whole lap-band world! I got my surgery date today after a nutrition class. I'm an August bander! Tuesday, 24 August, to be exact. Pre-op appointment with the doctor's office is Thursday, 19 August; my pre-op appointment with the hospital has not been made yet. I have a boat-load of blood tests to get done before then, an EKG and a chest x-ray. I am on my way! :cool: :wink2: :thumbup:

Good luck to you! Be sure to keep us posted on your journey!

Mine is relatively new, too, but I'm very talkative, so it's fleshing out!