Knaroz

Same had my first today no pain, but the Dr also does not disclose how much of a fill it was, was interesting

I am actually talking to a CSR about this so as I hear more I will keep this thread updated. They do have a dining plan Quick Service which is smaller meals and snacks and it is cheaper, but my only issue is that whichever plan you pick is for everyone in the group, so expressing a few ideas and seeing what the CSR says.

Yeah I would call just to be sure, from this web page "The bacterial infection surfacing in schools and other settings around the country is called methicilin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA. It is primarily a skin infection, often resembling a pimple, boil or spider bite at its onset" MRSA (staph infections) Warning Signs and Preventive Measures

If they look like pimples or spider bites call your Dr. Not to scare you but that is how Staph tends to present itself, and the sooner they find out the better. Good luck and I hope I am wrong

Since you used the phrase "Center of Excellence" I am guessing you have CIGNA insurance. They will require 6 months of Dr visits (once a month trip to the doc with a form that s/he fills out stating your current attempts etc) After that a Letter of Medical Necessity, a Psych visit, probably a nutrion class visit both of which can be done normally while you are waiting to finish the 6 months of Dr visits. After that you should be set. Now if you have been on weightwatchers or any other properlly monitered program like that for over 6 months you can sometimes submit that info instead of the DR visits and they will review but most times they want that 6 months of visits.

I see this trend a lot. And the main reason it crops up is because there are usually multiple doctors that do the seminars. If Doctor A is a bypass doc, s/he will always push the bypass and really downtalk the band. Vise Versa also applies. I really feel like there should be 2 seminars, one for people interested in bands, one in bypass and let the respective doc represent. There is no sense in confusing people that are wanting help by trying to line their own pockets by swaying their decision.

You have to remember, after having Anes, a lot of your internal organs are very slow to wake up (that is why they make you pee before you can leave lol) About 5 days post op i think my bowels finally "awoke" lol

LOL thanks. We were up at a cabin in the Smokeys and there was a hot tub. Told my wife I was afraid of the water.

Sorry to hear about the pain. As was said above make sure all liquids you drink for the first 5 days are "room temp" or warmer. I found anything from the fridge caused the sharp pains in my breastbone. I also found chamomile tea was AWESOME at making the gas pains less noticable. Also make sure you are taking 2 gas strips every 6 hours, even if you are not feeling gas pain, helps stop it from building. Also if you have someone that doesnt mind sit up in the bed and have them pat you soft but firm on the middle of you back where your shoulderblades meet, just like you would burp a baby, this helped me VERY much.

Lies!! :wub::scared2:

Yeah I have to agree with everyone above. I am sorry but I didnt like the thought of my indoor plumbing being "rerouted" permantely lol. I am liking the big numbers I see in the posts before me, and so far since July 1 I have already lost 30 (probably more go in for a weigh on Tuesday) and the nurse is just flabergasted by the numbers I am throwing up week after week. Wife aint complaining either :wub:

*high five Trose* we got banded on the same day, lol. Yes I was a big soda drinker as well as a tea drinker, could drink a 2 liter and not think anything about it, gallons of teas as well (see avatar for the result lol) But once I decided I was having the band we just stopped buying cokes, and with the tea we started a few months before surgery by starting with 4 caff tea bags, then the next time 3 caff 1 decaff, next time 2/2, then 1/3 and finally 0/4. Found this way you dont get the hardcore caffine withdrawl headaches. Plus since I was on the liquid pain killer after surgery I think that kept me from feeling those withdrawls and so happy to say since July 15 I have been 100% caffine free and loving it lol. As to your original question. Anything thing that gets added to Water (crystal light, hawaiian punch (blue), green tea, etc love those packets). When we go out to a restuarant I find ordering water, extra lemons and 2 packets of Splenda is a great free drink and is satisfing. Also gatorade is a big one

Surprised to see no one mentioned 'Egg Beaters". I find it is almost impossible to scramble them dry, but my wife is really good at cooking and tossing about a 1 teaspoon of skim milk in right at the right time and they come out fluffy and wonderful. Also the new instant mash is wonderful as well

Yeah I have heard a lot of people praise Vit E capsules. The big thing is like was said above wait a minimum of 4 weeks as any "wetness" you apply to the area (IE neosporin, creams, etc) will harbor germs and can make your scars much worse in the long term.

Yeah make sure the DR called in your RX (The liquid Hydrocodone makes the first week very bareable). Make sure you are not picking up your child as that can really hurt you in the first few weeks. Bonk your husband on the head and remind him that he needs to be nicer to you because very shortly he is gonna be in your shoes and revenge is sweet lol

Yeah I am still tissed at my anes. He told me I was gonna get to count backwards from 100 but the last thing I remember is them putting a blood pressure cuff on me lol. Who is your INS carrier? I know most of the major ones (BCBS, CIGNA, etc) have a ARP clause (Anes, Rad, Path. the people that read your xrs and lab work) that even if they are OON, they will be covered INN. Which pretty much means if your INN is 85%, then you will owe 15% of whatever the ANES charges, as there would not be a "contractual discount" since they are just flexxing it in, unlike when you go to a Hosptial and they charge 20,000 but the INS pays them 5000 and you are responsible for the 85% of the 5000.

Yeah you have to remember, until you have your first fill there is no saline in the band so there is no restriction what so ever, just a normal stomach with a "ring" on it. For the first 2-3 weeks you will never really feel hungry because of all the swelling, as that swelling subsides you will get hungry because until your first fill you still have a "normal" stomach, nothing to stop stuff from going down (unless you try to swallow that half a pork chop without chewing lol). I was banded July 15 and not until this week have a even felt really hungry. Last week I had half a sausage patty and felt like I was gonna explode, tonight I had a whole chicken breast and felt "satisfied". First thing I have learned and I try to share, when you feel hungry stop and drink a full glass of Water before you eat, about 75% of the time I am just thirsty but my stomach/brain is interpreting it as hunger. Good luck and dont worry about the slowing of the weight loss right before the first fill, it will disappear very quickly once you get that first fill.

Wow I had heard that about a straw but not about gum, that kinda sucks because I am a hardcore gum chewer Yeah like above if you feel hungry I always drink something, usually a bottle of Water (20 oz) and then reassess. Like was said above most times you are just thirsty, and even if you are not the liquid will create a "fullness" that helps

Well the good news is this is Day 3, usually the worst day for the gas pain but also the top of the mountain. Typically the gas will really disappear over the next 48 hours. I feel your pain I felt like every time I took a sip of Water I had to spend the next 30 minutes trying to burp, I did find having my wife pat me on the back like a baby (stop snickering) really helped when I just could not seem to get it to come up. Also are you drinking warm or cold liquids? I found during the first days if I drank cold stuff I had a LOT of gas/burping issues but if I drank warm things it felt a lot better. Keep your head up, there are greener pastures ahead!!

When my wife has the surgery I am gonna try to remake it using skim milk and the powdered milk and exclude the heavy cream

Well it was way high in calories but I still lost weight while eating it, I ate it with a baby spoon and no more than 2-3oz at a time and no more than once a day. We ended up giving away tons of it so cut the below recipe to fit your needs. 2 bags of frozen broc florets 1 container of heavy cream 1 bag of shredded cheese 1 package (quart) of powdered fat free milk (for protein). 1 can of fat free low sodium chicken broth put cream and cheese in a pot on the stove and put on warm to melt the cheese into the cream. Another pot on the stove put the broc and boil. When done I drain the Water and put the cooled broc in a blender. Add half the can of chicken broth. Puree til it is neon green and no chunks. Fold the broc into the cream mixture, using the rest of the can of broth to thin the soup to the consistency that you want. Add the bag of powdered milk to get the Protein into the soup.

Yeah I had 2 weeks preop and that was during July 4th lol. Went to two cookouts. Think I "ate" about 10 pounds of ice lol. Just remember, the better you stick to this, the easier and safer the surgery will be. I lost 16 lbs during the two weeks, my surgery took less than 30 min. Dr said it was the cleanest he has seen in awhile and it was due to sticking rigidly to the diet, getting the liver down. You can do it...Just trust yourself!!

Yeah they are "a you might like for a while thing", but dont buy a ton. I bought a case at GNC and needless to say I have a few left lol. The slime if you keep it at room temp is a VERY big turn off. Iced down or very cold they are pretty good but you can't really stomach that during the first week and by the second week you can use powdered fat free milk to add protein to your creamy soups. I would definitely go buy 1 or 2 try them see if you like them before you buy a ton.

Congratz on getting approved and getting ready. The first week of Clear Liquids it was a bit rough. There is so much gas in your system from the surgery that every sip you take in requires what feels like 20 minutes of burping to get down lol. It is not really that bad but the first 3 days were kinda interesting. Make sure you run by walmart and get the Gas X strips. They work awesome!! Just remember to be proactive about it, dont wait until you feel the gas to take them like I did. Start taking them as soon as you get home even if you don't feel the gas as it will keep it from building up. The first week wasnt bad as I was on the Liver Diet 2 weeks prior to my surgery (and during the 4th of July ) so I was use to liquids prior to the surgery. My wife made me this fabulous Cream of Broccoli Soup from scratch for my first day of creamy and I about cried lol. As for the amount you drink, definitely start off on small sips and make sure it is warm, cold stuff that first week hurts. I just left Water bottles out on the counter room temperature, Gatorade at room temp, and in the mornings, get you a packet of Jello mix it with the warm water and drink it. It allows you to get some calories in so you heal a bit faster and feels good on your stomach because it actually coats it plus it is very warm. Camomile's teas work wonderfully too