dennii25

Name, real or screen~dennii25 Age~38 Goal weight for January 29th~155 Weight on January 1st~164.8 Dietary goal for January~ Exercise goal for January~ Personal goal for January~ Date banded~6/30/2010 Total weight loss since banding/pre op diet~80 What is your goal weight for the coming year145

Mine is to the right, out of the way I think it depends on your MD's preference.

I agree with the advice to call your insurance company yourself, but if they confirm that there is a 90 day wait, I would do whatever I had to to get the fill now. Why even have the band if you can't have it filled? By 90 days I had good restriction with only two fills. It would be torture to wait 90 days. I'm cash pay though.

I tried to hide it at first because I was afraid this would be another thing I would fail. Now that I've lost 65 lbs. I have told my family and coworkers. It's kind of hard to keep saying you're just dieting when you tried and eventually failed every diet known to man.

Mine are $200 and I have had three fills and one unfill so far. The first three were covered in the cost of the procedure. I'm happy with my restriction now, so hopefully won't need another fill for a while. People who choose this surgery really need to think about future costs even if they are not self pay. You could lose your job or insurance could change, etc. I work with a girl who has gained her weight back, has not been to the doctor and says she can't afford to go. Her lap band was covered by insurance at the time. She would have been better off getting another procedure that doesn't require costly follow up.

Count me in!! I love these challenges, they help me so much. Thanks for setting it up.

It's probably water weight and will come off as soon as you get back on track with low carbs, more protein. I had to have an unfill at the beginning of December and I tried to be really good about portion size, but I did indulge in all the xmas foods. So now I'm getting back on track too and already can see a difference in the scale.

You sound like you need a fill and then you will start losing again.. Go to the doctor, don't feel embarrassed, they see this all the time. The last time I was at my surgeon's getting a fill I met two women who at first I thought they were there for consults to get the band. We all got to talking and they had both been banded several years ago and did not really follow up so lost a bit and then gained it all back. They were there to get started again. That's what you need to do. You will feel a lot better, I promise.

Of course I think you should follow your MD's instructions, but mine says not drinking diet coke is a myth. He even explains it on his dvd that explains each surgery. He shows scientifically how the carbonation cannot cause a slip or stretching of your pouch.

Once you get them on, they are comfortable, but getting them on in the first place is a workout. I would not have been able to get them on right after surgery, but now I don't think I would have a problem. I'm just waiting for the weather to cool off, too hot here still.

This scares me so much. I work with a girl who did the same thing, got down to size 6 and is back to 200+ now. She hasn't been back to her surgeon in over a year. I think she feels ashamed. I also met two ladies in my surgeons waiting room. I thought both were there for consults to have surgery done, but when we got to talking I found out they were both lap band patients who had gained their weight back:scared2:. The common denominator seemed to be that they all stopped following up with their surgeons. Gosh, I hope I don't do that, but I completely understand the strugle and I know comments don't help, it just makes them feel more ashamed.

I love my magic bullet that I got at Costco for about $50. I use it every day, take it on trips, love that it comes with lots of cups and I think it makes great shakes. I also like the easy clean ups.

I personally have switched to Iced tea, but when I first saw my MD, they gave me a DVD explaining all the bariatric surgeries, patient success stories and myths. One of the "myths" discussed was that carbonation can hurt your band or stretch your pouch. The surgeon explained that because sodas are liquid they pass right through the band and therefore cannot stretch the pouch on top of the band. Of course they said no regular sodas because of the sugar. Prior to my surgery I drank most of my diet coke with meals and now that I haven't been doing that for a month, I think I have kicked the addiction. In the future though, I won't worry if I want to have a soda.

Hi, I was just banded on June 28th. I have a baby, almost one year old who I still breast feed. I spoke with one of the anestesiologists. He said that the anesthesia is not in your milk once you no longer feel the effects of it. The same is with alchohol. If you have a drink and feel tipsy you should not breastfeed because the alcohol is in your milk at that time, but once you feel normal, then your milk is ok. He said to be really safe, wait for 24 hrs to feed your baby. That is what I did. I had Csections with both my babies and breastfed them immediately after I came out of the OR and while on pain meds in the hospital with no problems, and that was when they were newborns, so I would think if it was not safe, they would not have encouraged it. Because I paid cash for the Lap Band, I was able to go first at 0730, and home by 1400. So I fed my little guy before I left for the hospital and then I started again the next morning. He is older than your little one, so only feeds in the morning and before bed, but I had some frozen milk just in case he seemed to need it. He was fine about it all though. In regards to supply, I think everyone is different and you won't know until you have the surgery yourself. I would recommend you talk to your surgeon and research for yourself and then decide on what makes you comfortable. Good luck with whatever you choose to do.

Hi, one tip to get your protein is to stir in a scoop of protein powder into your yogurt, pudding, oatmeal, soup, etc. I just had a vanilla sugar free pudding with one scoop of vanilla protein powder. That counts as one of my shakes for the day and it feels like it's a treat. I am still hungry a lot, but I knew that was to be expected until I get my first fills. I'm just hoping time passes fast until I can eat real food agaiin!!

Congrats!! Good luck!

I paid $13,000 total and I got it in writing. The positives are that you get through the process quickly (I saw the surgeon on June 4th and had surgery on June 28th), you get to shop around for the best surgeon and hospital (you aren't forced to go to a not so experienced surgeon chosen by your medical group). I have Aetna HMO which requires 40+ BMI for several years or comorbidities. I don't have any comorbidities and I have been at 40 for 1 year but 200+ lbs for 5+ years. I just didn't want to wait any longer and gain any more. There was a whole year long process that my medical group required before they would even submit for approval. This included a diet which I know I would lose weight over the short term and they would use that to deny me. I am changing jobs which will have Kaiser insurance and I already called them and was told that if I have complications they will be covered because they cover WLS and cover pre existing conditions. There is also insurance you can buy called BLISS that will cover complications. Your surgeon's office should be able to give you information. They told me that I didn't need it because I have Aetna which covers WLS and therefore complications even if I didn't use it for the original surgery. Also, the surgeon will probably have information about financing programs. I personally charged mine to two different cards and will pay them off with my savings. That way I get points on my cards. They had no problem doing it that way. Good luck. When you think of what we pay for a car, this is a bargain and a better investment in the long run.

Where do you live? There may be programs in your area that are reasonably priced for cash pay patients. I paid $13,000 total and charged it all to two different cards that I will pay off with my savings. You can also get a loan, there are companies that provide loans specificaly for medical procedures. Your surgeon should have information regarding financing. A good thing about paying cash is that everything goes very quick, you get to choose your surgeon and hospital, and you don't have to worry about jumping through all of the insurance hoops. Good luck.

Hi, I have both of those and I hardly use them. What I do use, several times a day is my magic bullet. You can get one at Costco. They are small, perfect for making smooth protein shakes and when I travel, so easy to pack and take with me. Easy clean up to, I just rinse the blender part off and wash the cups in the dishwasher. I'm being banded next week so have been on the protein shake pre op diet. Good luck.

Hi, could you please say what Dr. you are seeing??? I too am in California and want to make sure I don't go to the same office. That is just awful.

Hi, I am getting banded on June 30th. I can't wait, but am scared too. I am self pay so pray that I am not making a mistake. I hope there will be a lot less of me in one year.

Hi, I just got scheduled for June 30th. I am self pay $13,000 with Dr. Owens in Orange CA. Anyone else in CA?