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Hi everyone, I had my band surgery 6 days ago. I am having pain right at my port area (which is between my ribs midline and sternum when I take a deep breath in. It is not associated with eating and is constant from when I wake up until I go to bed. I tried advil bc i figured it was the inflammation from the port that may be pushing up against my ribs and lungs and that does seem to help. Did anyone else experience this and will it go away? I see my doctor Tuesday for a follow-up but I could use some peace of mind that this isn't just happening to me!

I am still preop but I went back and forth for 2 years! At first I was going to get the bypass, but it made me feel extremely scared to have my insides re-arranged per say. I immediately went with the sleeve after looking more into it. Also, I like the sleeve bc I would lose weight a bit slower than the bypass. With slower weight loss you can control the amount of extra skin by working out in different areas. All I can say is do your research. Even look at the bad things that can happen so you are 100% fully prepared. You will be nervous, you will have doubts, I think I have them every other week!! Just keep in mind the end goal, happy, healthy, and able to live a normal life.

Wow, I started burping tonight......I am so excited that I don't have that rumbling torture in my stomach and agony of trying to burp but I can't bc I was swollen from surgery. Oh and I go full liquids now.....butternut squash Soup for dinner. Sitting lovely as can be!

I don't want to discourage you, BUT BC/BS of Tennessee has been a real pain for me. I have been fighting with them since last June. Feel free to pm me. We'll need each other to get through this. Whatever you do...don't give up.

I am not sure about the whole lightweight thing. I feel the same as I did pre surgery. I probably had my first drink 4 months out at a reunion. I don't drink very often. I don't drink carbonated beverages and even though so many people on here think that it is BS (and so do I) I still can't help wondering...What it the Doctor's are right! So I just don't drink them which eliminates my favorite drink - Champagne! I am drinking this weekend for a bachlorette party.

I posted the first time u told us ur story, nd it still saddens me that ur still blaming urself for her decision. As one posted, she wudve left eventually bc love: 1 Corinthians 13: 4-13. Please read this verse now, nd if this is NOT what she offered to you, then PLEASE, find a way to heal. God has told us how to love nd whom to love and if its not balanced, no matter how many years uve been together, u will not last bc its not possible. You can only be who u r, nd expect the same from the one u choose to love nd be loved by. You can NOT force som1 to Love u the way u love them but u can CHOOSE to find the one whose willing to give it their all. You sound like a giver, one who gave most in the relationship, so tell me Long, y not start giving to urself? Giving urself time to heal, time to grieve, time to live a healthy life, time to love who u r nd what u have to offer. Y give her the power over your circumstance, y give her ur tears, y give her the satisfaction of hurting you nd not apologizing for it, why? Please read that verse and forgive urself for not giving to urself. It's ok to be sad but take that feeling and go to the gym, do somthn healthy, take some kickboxing, just use it to re energize urself. You can not change the fact that u had this surgery, you can change HOW U LET THIS CHALLENGE manage you! U had part of ur body removed to make a better you and it wasn't ur HEART, its still there and beating nd waiting for u to let it heal and move on to what God has in this life for you...the best, nd trust me, she's out there. But give God the glory nd pray that He'll help heal you from this, He will, nd I'll pray for you as well. Dee Dee P.s. just curious, were u always overweight in the tens yrs w her? If so, perhaps u spent that ten years thinking how some1 cud b w u at that size nd perhaps she made u feel like she was doing u a favor being w u. That being Said, if that's the case, it stands to reason y u feel so guilty about the surgery nd blaming urself for her meanness. It's like emotional abuse, nd it takes time to heal. A person n an abusive relationship, altho knowing its wrong, has a hard time thinking they are worthy of greater love bc the abuser suppressed them so much. So now u have to learn to rethink that u are worthy, whether big or smaller, you are worthy. Don't b afraid to let the new you shine on the outside too, ull be surprised at how happy ull b. Again, get some prof help to help u peel it bck, and get to the root like another said. you can do this.

I PREFER them, but have a hard time finding good ones at the stores I frequent. I want to be concerned about grass fed beef, free roaming chickens, etc. However it IS expensive to eat this way and sometimes the budget needs to be kept in check!

OK, I have Anthem and the doc just told me my out of pocket costs would be around $6000. I live in the Bay Area. Can anyone advise on this? Thanks, E :smile2:

I'm sure you are feeling better now. But I'll just share that I TOO was surprised how much it hurt post-op....only bc I thought this was a "nothing" operation. I was challenged by standing up from laying down and bending to pick up. Didn't take long - I'm back in the garden, back reaching deep for laundry, etc.

Good thing that's not the case here in tx! My son will be 6 mos when I have mine.... I'm using an iud as bc.

Well Tuesday, after posting my garden pics blog after dinner, things got a little crazy around here. One of the couples going to the concert with us/old neighbors that moved close by was in the area (birthday dinner out for one of their teens). They called us and we invited them over. We invited another couple (going to the concert) over, had drinks on the patio (perfect weather) and discussed our plans while all the kids visited. The last couple (going to the concert) was returning from vacation that evening and we got a call that an Uncle in their family had died (expected, Hospice had been there). After about four more calls back and forth we found that the viewing would be during the concert, so they couldn't go. Then we got a call from DS1, that he'd been in an accident; no injuries. I always hesitate to share negative things about my kids here, but I will just incase it keeps someone else from having an accident (or your kids). He works with one of his good friends and after work his friend was performing in a band at a local bar (they have events scheduled on occasion just for underage teens, no alcohol). He was following his friend's car through the parking lot to park (probably too closely) and looked down 'for a second' to tune his iPod…friend stopped, DS1 didn't (even with hands-free phone calls there are too many distractions in cars these days with all the electronics...FYI we've always limited the number of kids he can drive and he's supposed to set the iPod to a playlist before he leaves and phone is supposed to be on speaker and only for important things). Bottom line is the friend's car had a higher bumper with a long/large trailer hitch and my minivan's front end (must be made of cellophane) was no match (minor damage to friend's car). He was going between 2-5 mph at the time (that was the prediction of the auto-shop manager the next day, as the airbags would have gone off if he was over that for the kind of accident he had, and they hadn't deployed). So that evening we spent some time sorting that out. Somehow (LOL) we also ended up with everyone's kids spending an overnight at our house, so there was popcorn to be made and sleeping bags and fresh pillowcases to be rounded up after the parent's left. We spent yesterday morning getting kids fed/home, then lunchtime calling; insurance, the friend's father (DS1 called to apologize, etc.), the rental car place, and we took my minivan to the car shop (5-6K or possibly totaled; and yes, DS1 was there at each step to hear it all); the hitch punched into my minivan killing the radiator and A/C fan (maybe more) and wrecking the hood, front end/bumper and front side panel…ouch! DS1 is going to be paying what the insurance wont (we made a deal with our kids that we'd pay for their first accident only). He had a similar wreck just about 8 months ago at the stop-light right in front of his workplace. DH's car that time…a bumper miss-match with a tall SUV in front as they were all stopping for the light "she made a hard stop sooner than he expect" and even though he was down to under 10mph DH car went under the other car's bumper (can you say TAILGATING!). Again, the SUV had hardly a scratch, but they almost totaled DH's car. Insurance yesterday said 'Didn't he just have this same kind of accident?' 'Ummm, yes, just a different car.' AHHHH! I know some of you'll think we're the strictest parents (we all do the best we can), but I'll tell you anyway (and no, he didn't get any consequences other than a long talk for the first accident, but the second time it becomes carelessness)…we'll only be letting him drive to/from work, but with us in the passenger seat for awhile to 'coach/tune up' his driving skills (punishments always seem to punish the parents too don't they...can't wait for the late night pick-up when the restaurant closes), and no, he won't have the iPod (or even the use of the radio or phone) in the car for awhile even when he returns to driving…we need this one to 'hurt' as he doesn't really have an appreciation for just some money coming out of his savings account. We'd also had already been talking to him about getting a second job as he wasn't getting enough hours at a restaurant, so we forced that issue yesterday and he called and got rehired at his old job (retail store). Of course it's not the hassle or insurance rate going up (it will) that we care about; he just needs to learn the lesson now before he or someone else gets HURT or worse…that's our real worry. Driving is a privilege and he's gotten over-confident in his abilities (we've seen that watching him drive recently…he started off as a careful driver, but now he's gotten complacent after driving for 3 years and needs an attitude adjustment). He needs to take it seriously and understand the responsibility of driving. We've had several sit-down discussions with him and I'm sure well be talking more about it on the way to PSU tomorrow (fun, fun, fun...NOT). In the afternoon we ran and got things for our tailgate and got ready. We thought we had someone set to take the now extra set of tickets, but that fell through less than an hour before departure. So more scrambling with others trying to find friends to go and finally the concert attendees suggested we take our daughter/BF (about 10 min. before departure). I grabbed DD some clothes in case they could come and off we went (the neighbors picked us up and had fully decorated the car and had bought us all kinds of whacky stuff to wear and display at the tailgate. We had a great time people watching (a major spectator sport at this concert) tailgating with the neighbors (I ate some sub (VERY carefully) and none of the sides we took, but I did have a two Corona's/Lime as it was all we had there (with some Gas X, and yes, my doc says carbonation is OK after a certain point post-op...and I nursed them forever...the tailgate is longer than the concert at JB). DD/BF got to the concert about ½ hour late (she had to work until 7pm), but they had a great time too (virgin Parrotheads). We danced, we sang, we had a blast…Buffett was awesome as always! What a way to celebrate our 50th birthdays! TERRIBLE phone-camera pic attached of us doing the Big 5-0. We picked up a rental car for me today and I'm off to pack for our orientation overnight at PSU tomorrow…it's been a busy, sometimes very stressful 48 hours. *Portion of Post Deleted for Lap Band Book

Medicare did not have any prerequirements. My secondary is BC/BS Federal Employee Program. They required the usual but did not require the 3 or 6 month diet documentation . I had to see a pulmonologist, a psychiatrist, a cardiologist and my PCP. I sailed through all the tests and BC/BC sent approval in less that a week from when the paperwork was presented to them. I have been on a doctor's supervised diet on my own. I have been doing the Optifast program because I needed to lose weight before they would do the surgery. My BMI had to be below 60. This was a requirement when I was thinking of pursuing surgery at another hospital. But I changed when I found out the first one was not a Medicare approved center. They are in the process of getting approval. I am thankful for that though. It made me go to another consultaion meeting at the second hospital and I liked their doctor's so much better. I am very pleased with whom I have chosen.

I finally got through to Florida BC/BS. They said it was submitted to the correct place and that it's undergoing review. Hopefully will hear good news soon! I'm soooo ready for this!! :-)

I am 35 and have been struggling with my weight for over 10 years now. I was scheduled for sleeve today actually. My father was against the surgery in general, but accepted my decision and has been trying to be supportive. He wanted to meet the surgeon and have a lot of questions answered. We went in to see surgeon on Thursday and I came out more confused than ever. They basically all (mom, dad, and dr.) ganged up and made me feel that band is soooo much safer and a much better option. Truthfully, I never even read up on the band because I didn't like the idea of having something inside me forever and was not comfortable with the idea of it slipping and having to come in for adjustments (fills), etc., so I dismissed it completely initially. After that appointment on Thursday, I came away feeling like the band was so obviously the way to go, but every time I thought of having that thing inside me it brought me to tears. Obviously I had to make a decision fast bc they had to make sure to get the approval for the switch from my insurance and my surgery was scheduled in four days. I was so confused and felt so much pressure to decide that I thought it was not the right way to make the decision, so I have postponed the surgery and I have two new dates tentatively set in February depending on which surgery I choose to go with. I have to decide by the end of the week. Can you all please tell me your stories? Successes, failures, revisions, etc. I want to hear it all so I can make the most informed decision. I am still hung up on having the band in me forever, but I believe I will get over it if I really feel it is the best option. One thing that is for certain, is that the band is many times more safe (in terms of the surgery and chance of death) than the sleeve. But if the chances of success overall are lower and I will end up having the sleeve in a few years anyway, then I don't want to do that. I welcome any comments. Thanks in advance.

Before my surgery, I had to get an exam done by a bariatric counselor. They talked to me about how I felt about giving things up, or how I plan to succeed. I am a mental health professional so I told them what I knew they wanted to hear bc I wanted the surgery (I know.. I know.) But after surgery, I felt like there was some unresolved issues with food, much like yourself, and so I'm doing the process to go back to the counseling center. Honestly, looking for eating disorder counselors might be a good first step for you.. because overeating is a disorder.. I imagine most people think "eating disorder" and imagine anorexia or bulimia. Which isn't 100% the case. Mood disorders is something completely different. When you talk to a therapist, you get to interview them first. You have to make sure that THEY are a good fit for YOU. Even if it's just to go 1x a month, I bet it'll be helpful. If you don't feel comfortable with them, then ask for a change. You can request a specific gender if you'd like. Look at their credentials and see how long they've been in practice. healthgrades.com is also a good place to get some reviews. Making a call will also help you establish how they'll treat you. Trust your gut with it. I know you've had a bad experience in the past, but that doesn't mean that all experiences will be bad. I had a horrible exp in college with a therapist and swore I'd never go back. Now I've been in therapy for 3 years now and it's changed my life. Good luck!

OMG for ONCE I am glad to see the reporter not repeating that bs about the band not working as well as RNY. Kudos to Dr. Liu

Ooh I loveee my BA shakes bc they're so thick. I think it's made the two week preop diet better. Are you telling me that feeling will change after surgery??

I stopped mine 2 weeks before surgery because it increases chances of blood clots, however the surgeon said it was not necessary to stop...my pcp just recommended it since I was concerned about blood clots. I got married 2 weeks after surgery so per my surgeon, I started bc 10 days after surg and used condoms as well since its not good to get pregnant within 18 mos of banding. I hope this helps. Good luck in surgery. I hope you will love your new life when you are done like I do!

For those of you who are all healed, losing, but winning how much can you comfortably eat at a time? For a typical Breakfast, lunch and dinner? BS as I read through all of my nutritionists info, it was hard to comprehend when it stated "only one to three bites". LOL! I mean, yes, I understood, but I thought to myself "really? 3?". Now, a few weeks post-op I KNOW what TWO bites are!!!! Hahahaha! Wake up call! (For those who have not yet had surgery, "two bites, means 2 nibbles off of a baby sized spoon!" I know it gets easier and better in time, and I know our tummies are 3-5 ounces once healed and unswollen... but I am curious to know what the "Bariatric Regular" diet looks like in terms of volume? Thanks! sabrina

Dec 30, 2013 was the day i thought my weightloss journey would change my life for the better. As soon as i awoke, my life was changed, i was in excruciating pain in my chest that they thought i was having a heart attack. I ended up staying for 1 week n a day. It would've been longer but i was scared of getting a feeding tube do i forced myself to drink. To make a long long story short, I'd end up having an egd monthly, upper gi 3 times, sent to specialists to figure out what happened to me. I've been on so many meds, throwing up most nights anything that I'd eaten that day to present, acid reflux an understatement ! Ph tests, swallow test, had 3 different surgeons see me. Finally, lots of continuous praying, i was sent to the surgeon that was suppose to do the surgery initially. After 3 months of her investigating, she decided that i need a revision. So here i am, starting all over again with the stages, minus 85% of my stomach. To this day, i can still only drink about 32 ounces of liquiq per day, forcing that. It hurts to drink, eat, swallow my own saliva, i hate to think of eating or drinking. I lost 83 lbs, put back 10 bc i started eating rice, although it hurt, it was less painful and simple to cook wo wasting it bc i can't eat it! I gave up on exercising and even caring. I told my doc that as well. She's very kind and hard knocks at the same time. There will be 2 surgeons, i am scared, she said id need a drain, i might be cut instead of scoped bc of possible scar tissue from vsg, and a higher chance of leaking. Wow, seems like i can't catch a break. Please pray if you don't mind. I just moved up and fixed thanksgiving so that i could try and eat with my family. Dec 4th, im discouraged but trying to be hopeful. God willing, this will make things the way they should have been b4, if not better! God bless you all and gl. Thank you for reading my story. I hope to have good news postop!

Hi my name is Kirsty and I am getting banded on Nov. 28th in Victoria BC. I am getting very excited iand doing the happy dance at the same time.:wink2:

I agree that I would not take an I dont know answer from your PCP.....but your lap band doc is prob going to say it is gas pain. Your right it would be odd to have gas pain 2 weeks out but not impossible. Also it could be some sort of pain due to where your port is but if it is not near your port then you can rule that out as well. (the port should also be attached to your abdomen wall not your costocartilage (or muscles over your ribs bc they are thin muscles) Again not impossible for your doc to have done that for some reason. Refered pain from organs on the left is your spleen but unless you have had problems with that before you can rule that out as well...... Another avenue that is prob important to look at is a rib out of place. Question-does breathing make the pain more noticeable/worst/ or relieve it? Most people dont think of this because this is not what an M.D does. Bc of the surgery your body has been pushed around and the gas that your rib cage is not used to can push a rib ever so slightly out of place and cause an unbelievable pain. This can be relieved by a visit to a chiropractor usually with one adjustment with instant relief of pain. Just thought I would give you some things to think about!!

steve - i am VERY new to this process as well. i actually just signed up for this website today. but what i did FIRST was consult my insurance company about the requirements/criteria from them. i then worked from there. my insurance company requires u to be a BMI of 40 or above OR a 35 BMI with a comorbid condition, under a doctor supervised weight loss management program for 6 months, and doctor's documentation proving i've been at a BMI of 40 for atleast 3 years. So, once I got that information, I researched weight loss doctors. I am going to my first appt tomorrow, and that is when i'll let him know I'm interested in the Lap Band surgery. I've also gathered all the information from BC/BS to take to my doctor as well. then, i called the doctor i want to do my lapband and scheduled a seminar with them. presently, that's all i have done- but that's what i did to start my process. keep us updated!

I ended buying a can of unflavored isolate whey protein (vegan type) I would put a teasp in my coffee, in my hot teas, in my small soups, in sf pudding cup..it took me a few wks to get my required in. I couldnt sip on water much bc of the esophagus spasms I had for 2 wks...there are also protein shots you can get. cvs carries them...you'll get there. by my 6 wks I was gagging on shakes as well..I did also drink the pure protein shakes I did well with those but I did try the adkins an it was gross! it made my tummy cramp so I thru them out! I am 5 months out an I still eat on the pure protein bars an a few other brands when Its just me an dont feel like cooking.

see that's what i thought - it was the ENDING BMI that counts prior to paperwork being sent to the insurance company - not what i am now.... but True Results says that the only BMI that counts is at the beginning.... although i really like dealing with the people at True Results..I think they are feeding me a line of BS....after the 6 months they still get paid - and I'm out of luck if i go below the 40 BMI....I swear - i hate wigging out about stuff like this, I talk with my insurance nurse today and i'll double check with her - so i can have the 'correct facts per my insurance requirement' and not true results facts...