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I have Molina and when I contacted my surgeons office to inquiry some information on the sleeve they had me pre-approved for surgery within 2 days and called to schedule my first appointment with the Dr. They have been great for me - I am super happy with them and so far they covered everything 100%. I did have $160 to the hospital for my endoscopy and a $40 copay for the endocrinologist. Also, if you do the sleep clinic at home not in a clinic they only cover SNAP at home sleep study company. They covered all of it but $47. Just FYI because it took me a week to get that figured out. All I had to do was see a endocrinologist, sleep study, endoscopy, see a nutritionist twice, and see the psychologist. Only 3 months for me from start to surgery I’m December . But my BMI is on the boarder of surgery however my type 2 diabetes is in the 300 even when I was 18 and 105 pounds so that’s why they are pushing it through so fast. I’ve had really high that drops real low where 911 comes. We can’t get it under control and it started with the focus vaccine in March - I had a severe reaction and was hospitalized from the vaccine. But I absolutely love Molina. Good luck with everything!!!

I had my mom with me for 2 weeks but I could have managed on my own with the kids (mine are 7 and 18months). I was driving after the first few days. I was not 100% for the first couple of weeks but the worst days were in the first week (days 2-4 were pretty rough). I would just get tired really fast and needed a nap in the afternoon. By the 2nd week I was out shopping and even went to the waterpark with the kids for 2 hours. As long as your fiance will be there some to help I think you will be fine. As far as the incision, and pain it will be like gallbladder surgery. But not having many calories (which means no energy) trying to drink my fluids and not sleeping well is what I remember being the worst part. Good luck to you!

I have worked out through my entire band journey and have found no problems when I work out however, I have really gotten to a point where I can't eat very much and I fear that my workouts are draining me of energy and I get dizzy when I stand up fast. Just wanted to know if anyone else has had this problem and is it normal. I do more weight lifting now than cardio (15 min) because I am at a good weight as of right now. I have lost 84 lbs. In a little over a year in a half. I do take my multi-vitamins and I eat about 1/4 cup to 1/2 a cup of food when I do eat.

The bad breath comes from your body being in ketosis. I've never had the "bad" breath, but I had a sweet taste in my mouth all the time back when I lost a bunch of weight real fast on MediFast. Besides adding in some carbs to your diet to bring you back out of ketosis, the best thing I know to do is drink more Water. Being dehydrated seems to make it worse. And use alcohol-free mouthwash/breath treatments for the same reason. As for your hair, I've had that happen as well, no matter how much Biotin I took. My doc told me it's your body's natural reaction to stress, in this case what it perceives to be starvation. Your hair will grow back, but it might some time. But just to be on the safe side, have your doc run some tests. As I found out a little too late, hypothyroidism can cause hair loss as well! Best wishes to you!!

Hoping for a fast and easy recovery for u Sent from my DROID RAZR using RNYTalk

A poop thread! Surgery was 10/25 and I had loose stools pre op and a fast the day before... it (poop) happened today . I'm a nurse married to a doctor so we have seen and hear about plenty of poops over the years. My premier post sleeve poop sounded like I was dropping rockets into the bowl and looked like Progresso Italian wedding Soup with extra meatballs. I feel SO SO SO much better now! Thanks for letting me share!

I too am 5 weeks post op and have been on solids for about a week. I know that my surgeon put 2 cc in my band during surgery, its possible yours did too. I can feel the solids going down and I have had 1 stuck episode that I had to bring up the food....I simply was pre-occupied and ate too fast without chewing enough. I use an appetizer spoon and fork which helps to make sure the bites are small. And chew, chew, chew and chew!

Don't do it again. :-). I did that once - too fast and too much. I just had to suffer as I wasn't able to throw it up. It's a learning experience. That's for sure. I'm on my cell phone so I can't see how far out you are.

Going on a 6hr road trip this weekend with my fast food/chip loving boyfriend. I have packed premade shakes, protein bars, soy chips etc. I hope I am ready. Any suggestions?

Well, just came from my PCP's office and I am a fuming!!! He just informed me that he considers my weight loss surgery a miserable failure and he's not going to recommend it to anyone else. I've been hovering between 216/217 For the last few days. Well, I didn't take my normal water pill that I take daily because I don't like to take it until 'm home and near the bathroom. Anyhow, I weighed 220 on his scale this morning which of course I was upset over as well. I was OK until he called me a failure at this WLS and he also said it's ridiculous if you have to keep going for fills and you're still not losing fast enough. Well, I had enough of his negative talk and blasted back that I am not a failure and considering when I first saw him many years ago I was 289. I started my lapband journey at 267 on 12/28/12. I said I've still lost weight and that is what counts. Last time I saw him 3 months ago I wanted to cry because he felt I had not lost weight fast enough (at that point I was down 37 lbs. according to his scale I'm ONLY down 47 lbs and that's not good enough. I should be losing 2 lbs a week, every week according to Dr. "DOOM"! Anyway, I didn't feel like crying this time. This time I wanted to scratch his eyes out. I've still lost 10 lbs in a 12 week period. I still haven't taken my water pill yet but taking that pill makes me lose 4 lbs like in a 12 hr period. Hey, I'm proud of my weight loss and I'm not going to let anyone steal my thunder especially my PCP! I've had many NSV's as well like fitting in smaller clothing, being able to walk more in the stores, etc . If my PCP knew how serious I am with my calories etc., maybe he'd get rid of that negative attitude of his. As far as I'm concerned my PCP is the failure! Not me! I'm still fuming but I'll calm down after awhile. They say 3 strikes and your out. Well, considering the fact he's not a BARIATRIC doctor, I'm giving him one more chance. In Nov. I'll have my 3rd visit with my PCP, if he so much as suggests I'm a failure again, that will be my last visit with him. I already have a new PCP in mind and he's about a mile from my house so I could walk there Just letting everyone considering the lapband, that I love my my band! I may be a slow loser but at least I'm losing. Don't let any doctor talk you out of it. I think all PCP's should all take a course in bariatric medicine before they judge anyone.

Yes it was the Isopure RTD. On the packet info given the bariatric coordinator its says not to drink slim fast, boost, and carnation instant breakfast for protein supplement. I can already tell that this is going to be a challenge for me!!!!!

I'm a mom, grandma, and wife who has weighed over 250 for about 18 years. I'm 48 and now weigh 265. I chose that lap band because I don't want to be unhealthy when I loose weight. I want to continue getting all my nutrients from the things I consume. I have several co-morbidities such as, diabetic for the last 15 years, high blood pressure, proteinuria, probably sleep apnea, (haven't been tested yet), high cholesterol (when I don't take meds) to name a few. I'm really tired of taking meds and I realized that I could stroke out, or have a heart attack or something and I want to be around for my kids and my grandkids. So that is the gist of my reasoning for the surgery. I hope to loose at least 70 pounds. 80 or 90 would be great. I would jump for joy. I don't want that skin hanging thing though, but I'm 5-8 so perhaps it will be minimal with the exception of my tummy. I think that's unavoidable. However, I will do what I can to alleviate as much as I can. I don't care how fast I loose, except at first I would like to quickly knock off a chunk of my desired weight loss at least 40 of it, then 1 to 2 pounds a week would be wonderful. I'm going to try my best. I have mononucleosis right now so hope that won't hinder my surgery date. I'm pretty well over the main outbreak so I'm just weak and tired all the time. That slows your metabolism, and I can't exercise without getting a sore throat and fever. Weird I'm a music minister/Psalmist. The Lord gives me songs and I sing them all over the place. My music is on www.breadsite.org in the mp3 section. Free downloads. I need to loose some weight so I'm not so reluctant to go and sing places where they ask me. Most of the time right now I think, "I'm so tired". I want to be able to keep up and LIVE!!!!! Garden, decorate, paint, sing, pack my keyboard (musical) and go wherever, chase after my two toddler grandchildren!!!. That's my goal. More than numbers my goal is to LIVE! Blessings

OMG I've read about it over & over but until you experience you cannot believe it!! Th pain from GAS!!!. I banded Tuesday and I was discharged late Wednesday evening. I had do the barium swallow test in the morning and they kept me until I had the liquid lunch & dinner to see if things would stay down. I had to ask for another form of pain medicine because the first type they gave me was too strong, I hated the side effects. They sent me home after my meals & a couple of doses of Liquid Vicodin.. But the real issue is the bloating & my inablility to pass the GAS fast enough. I mean it hurts all up in my chest my shoulders etc. I have never wanted to expel gas as badly as I do now.. I've took some Gas-X around 1 a.m and walked around the inside of my condo, trying to MOVE this stuff out.. I got on the scale and I weigh more than when I went in!! It has to be the bloatedness and the gas. Gee I' want to just fire farts out in a machine gun like way to ease some of this discomfort.. I know this post op stuff is the toughest from what I've read, so I will just fight through it. I have no regrets, but I will definitely be glad when this stage is over. I see the doctor for a follow up on Oct 11 and hope he releases me to go by to work no later than Monday OCT 17TH.. That's almost 2 weeks off work, I can't do anymore than that. Well I got to keep moving, (walking around) just wanted to update all the October Bandsters and any others that are getting ready to be banded!!! I know everyone is differentso if you don't experience the GAS issue, Kudos to you LOL..

Well, hopefully you can get a lot of your questions answered in detail at your appointment next week. I can't help you with the Medicare and surgery date questions. As for your medical conditions, most of those should definitely improve with the surgery and weight loss. Acid reflux may continue to be an issue, as it is one of the common side effects of VSG. Prior to surgery, I often had heartburn and acid reflux when I was at my heavier weights. Meaning it was definitely triggered by obesity, as is common. However, post-op, even though I'm at a lower weight now, my reflux hasn't resolved itself as it had in the past at lower weights, so I am now taking 20mg of Prilosec daily and that keeps it at bay the cvast majority of the time. I have not, however, had any issues with heart burn post-op. Your pre-op and post-op diets will be unique to your surgeon and nutritionist. Some surgeons don't require a pre-op diet at all! Some require very strict pre-op diets. That's definitely something only your specific surgeon and nutritionist will be able to help you with. As for throwing up and bowel problems post-op, again, it's entirely individual. I personally haven't thrown up once since my surgery 19 weeks ago, but some people throw up every single day. I also haven't had any problems with constipation, but for some people it is a MAJOR problem post-op. No matter what, you will definitely have a steep learning curve when it comes to getting used to how much to eat and how fast to eat. I'm 19 weeks post-op and I still sometimes overdo it to the point where I am in extreme discomfort (I feel like I'm going to burst!). With every single meal you will just have to be conscious of how much you are eating, take your time, and listen to your body.

That's your cue you are full! I remember post surgery I thot that was so wierd, but it was a way that I knew when I needed to stop! It is hard to learn to feel when you are full - you will in time. Even now, though, if I eat something too fast I get that pain - it is like something is stuck there. No fun! Kim

My wife was originally planning on having WLS (specifically VSG) after watching my successful recovery with relatively minor complications and successful weight loss. She was going to wait 6 months after my post op to see how things are progressing for me before making a decision to attend a WLS consulatation. Regardless, her latest decision is to not have WLS for a couple reasons. 1. Slimes and throwing up: She didn't like all the slimes and throwing up I went through when adjusting to the solids phase. It was mainly my fault because I am a fast eater and it took me a while to learn to "hear" the full signals. I had to learn how much to eat, how fast to eat and what types of food my sleeve an tolerate over time. Regardless, she didn't like seeing me in the bathroom so much after eating. I am better now, but still have issues with eating stringy things like roast bean or string green Beans in addition to fatty meats. Truely, it feels like dumping syndrome. I do try to explain to her that not everyone slimes and throws up and most of the time, it was my fault. 2. Auto-immune disease: She has at least 1 auto-immune disease. The one that she has requires an infusion of remicade every 6 weeks. This is one expensive infusion. It is called Ankylosing Spondylitis. You can follow the link for more details. It is basically an auto-immune disesase that attacks all the joints and there is no cure. When we talked to the surgeon during one of my pre-op visits, he said that people with auto-immune diseases might have more complications, but did not go into the details. She might also have PCOS. We do not know yet and will find out soon. This is where I could really use some advise from others. She has about 150 lb to lose as we both ended up in the same weight range at our heaviest earlier this year. Maybe it is because of life stresses? Who knows. The fact is that her extra weight may be contributing to other complications like high blood pressure, pregnancy issues, lack of desire to be outdoors like walking and hiking and on and on. There are plenty of reasons here alone that would make sense for her to consider it. She has tried manu diets (as I have), but has never lost more than 10-20 lbs on them. Atkins, weight watchers, etc. I've had fairly good results from the diets because I am very focused when something needs to be done, but then I lose my focus and the weight comes back. Hence, WLS was the only tool left for me in order to stop the up and down of weight gain and weight loss. She used to be "thin" (size 12) in high school, so I am pretty sure she remembers what that is like. She was a pretty hot girl in her younger days. In college she was slightly overweight, but still very hot and sexy (we got married then). We both put on a lot of weight in the last 12 years of our marriage. I don't hold the weight against her (never have), but I would like her to be healthy to avoid future weight-related complications. The weight does not cause her to be unhappy about her life (mainly family is what makes her happy). She is usually in a positive mood and certainly brings happiness and well-being to my life. I would like her to consider WLS because it is life-changing and truely opens up a lot of opportunities that did not exist before. However, I don't want to push her into something she is against. Any thoughts?

I use the Flintstone with iron, natrol biotin fast dissolve, natrol b12 fast dissolve, nature's plus chewable iron, nature made fast dissolve d3. Please do yourself a favor and get the biotin! It helped my hair loss. Whenever I would stop taking it I would shed a stuffed animal. I get it all from Amazon.

Thanks! I haven't had it yet but am scheduled for next month. That is a lot of good advice! My reaction is fast heart beat, labored breathing, but I don't go full out, dizziness and hives. You have both of my issues so much worse then me. I'm sorry. I know how much of a pain this is. But I will definitely try what you suggested.

When you you banded and what types of food are you eating? I am still on clear liquids being only 8 days post op. And I too, can only take in about 300 calories and worry about losing too fast. (I am down 27 pounds in 11 days.) 'Something I prayed for and boom, here it is! LOL I think if we keep up the daily protein levels and if we don't feel weak, we are okay. I take in about 50 grams of protein a day, and find that clear Isopure and sometimes unflavored Unjury really help. If you are still concerned, call your doc or nutritionist. Best of luck to you. A happy Fellow Bandster :sad: ChristyC

I am so excited I am one more step closer to have the Sleeve. I completed my Psych eval yesterday and passed.. Just talked to the coordinator at the doctors office (Dr Nick). She is going to submit everything to the insurance today. Of course she says they have 30 days to approve it. I am going to be calling the insurance company later this week and see what they say. I read on here if you keep bugging them they might move it faster. I sure hope so. She said once the insurance approves it then i can get in for my consultation within a week. Then the rest depends on what kinds of test the doctor orders and how fast i can get that done. I really want would like this done by mid February but that is probably pushing it. I have ordered my Protein samples so that i can get started on finding one that I like. I got a couple of books on life after weight loss surgery. Trying to cover everything and be ready. I hear everyone talk about the shakes for the 2 weeks pre op diet. Is there certain ones each doctor requires? I know the nutritionist would probably be the one to tell me but I just like to be prepared. Is it anything like Herbalife shakes? This is all I can think about. I really need to focus on other things so the time goes faster.. Thanks for listening to my rambling. :thumbup:

I am almost 4 years out and I lost my weight very fast!! I lost 132#'s in 6 months. Because I had stricturres and needed 5 endoscopes with 4 dialations with a ballon. It started right after my RNY, I got to where I couldn't even hold down water. This started in Nov of 2013 with my last endo dialation on Jan of 2015. Strictures are like scar tissue that closes your opening so nothing gets in or it takes a long time to go down. It felt like the food or water would sit on the top of my pouch and then went down slowly. Only to make me vomit it all back up. So I developed a Food Adversion, because I was so afraid to eat. I lived on Oatmeal, Baby Bell cheese and Cheeto's!! Which my Dr knew about the whole time. I was told that if I had to eat whatever it took to nourish my body. But up side of this is I am great!! I have finally been able to branch out at what I can eat beleive me. LOL Not one Counselor knew what to do. The one I went here in my town didn't have a clue of what to do with me. Finally, I called my Surgeon who set me up with a Bariatric Counselor. But I didn't like her anwsers. She wanted me to eat every 1/2 hour that I was awake. She had me buy BOOST High Calorie junk!! I was so frustrated!! I told my hubby that I just traded one eating disorder for another. Now for the good stuff here are my stats: HW 249 (this time I had lost down from 285's) SW 232 LW 117 CW 125'#. So I have maintained my 124# loss for 3 and 1/2 years. I really don't know if my quick weight was a probem with my skin issues or if it is my age because I had lost 135#'s during one of my ups and down dieting. I didn't have any skin issue then but I was 52 and very very sick at that time. I have had a Panni done in Sept of 2015. They removed 10 plus pounds off my lower stomach. Now thats another story. LOL Sorry that I wrote a book. I just have lots to say!! You should meet me in real life. My hubby threatened to buy a Chastity belt for my mouth. LOL When we were first married. LOL Those memories just pop up sometimes. Any how have a great Sunday. Congraulations on your journey. Look forward t following it.

Heh... that pain kinda catches you off-guard, doesn't it! I know the first time I (forgive me) vomited slime, it took me by surprise. There I was, watching TV after eating broiled fish, too fast apparently, and what I thought was a burp went all over my new LL Bean throw! What a mess. Lessons learned, indeed! Be well…

People who have NEVER had weight issues have no idea what a slippery slope it is. It starts with a few MORE pounds that what we are used to hauling around...which makes it harder and harder to do everyday things. Pretty soon it is easier to just NOT do things...and just sit...and eat...and sit...and eat...and fast forward a few years. I totally agree with Cookie..."There but by the grace of God, go I" Which is a scary scary thought!!

The only times I threw up was because I ate/ drank something too fast or had too much of it. Once you get a handle on it it'll be smooth sailing!

of you are vomiting a lot it could be a complication, or it could be that you are eating too fast, or taking too much food in with each bite. or both. or eating too much in volume. or not waiting long enough after you drink to eat. thats why its good to talk with your doctor's office. they can advise you if you need follow up with the doc. could be an issue or could be your learning curve.