Search the Community

It is possible. I was approved within 2wks. It would have been less but it sat on someone's desk for a week and a half even though I was calling daily to confirm that the process was progressing...when I got someone on the phone who told me the truth that it was sitting for a week and a half and had not moved he immediately escalated it and it was approved within 24 hours... My suggestion to you will be want the insurance documents are turned into your insurance company call them on the third day after you sent them and call them regularly and ask them what stage in the process your document yet I only say this because I used to work for health insurance companies and I know how the pre certification process can go it is not a priority for the nurses is not a priority for Provider Relations they will drag it out so be diligent about following up on your documents. Remember you have support here do not be nervous stay in prayer and everything is going to work out exactly how it's supposed to.

You may be feeling the port-- the edges of it anyway. I have no idea if my food sits in the top pouch or moves on through, but I would imagine it moves through. Honestly, surgeons are all over the place on WHY the band works. Some say it is the small pouch, others say it is the band putting pressure on a nerve that controls hunger, etc. I suspect well-chewed food moves through. I can't see why it wouldn't (my band isn't all that tight, but it gives me satiation). Stalling in weight loss after you start regular foods again is normal. However, your part of the equation has to kick in at that point. If you continue to eat large volumes, you are going to increase your chances of a band slip or a esophageal prolapse. Shoot for "not hungry" when you eat, not "full". Get small plates and never eat off a regular sized one again if that's what it takes. The hardest part of all of this is figuring out the behavioral stuff that we have to contribute to the process-- and I agree, it is hard! Don't beat yourself up if it takes you a bit to figure out-- just don't give up!

Hey Everyone, I am less than 2 weeks away from my surgery and have spent the last hour reading everything negative I could about life with the lapband (call me a crazy). I recognize complainers are always more vocal than satisfied people so I take it with a large grain of salt. The only major concern I have is what you can eat after you have gone through the healing stage. I have read that some people can eat very little in the way of foods. My expectation is that I wll be able to eat much less and have to avoid a couple types of food, but should be able to eat most foods if I eat slow, chew a lot and eat a lot less. For example I used to eat for breakfast, 4 scrambled eggs, bacon, and 4 slices of toast, and a large glass of milk (I guess that's why I gained so much weight). My future expectation is that I could eat 1 scrambled egg and a slice of whole wheat bread or some oatmeal. For most people s this reasonable. I realize that everyone is a little different but I am looking for the most common results.

so im freaking out had surgery on 7/24/2017 and lost 10 pounds in a week then gained 4 pounds and it has been the same way for the past 3 weeks I have pcos and the advantage of this surgery has been that I got my period for the first time in the pat 7 months my clothes are a little bit loose but the scale is not moving and this weeks is my first week eating solid food am I doing something wrong.

@MauiLolly omg TELL ME YOUR SECRETS lol what is your diet like that you have stuck to when you went from 203 to 190?! I'm dying here....it's gonna be 3 weeks almost since I've been at 203. Also, what exercise are you doing? Please help meee maybe I'm not doing enough with my food and stuff

I am four weeks post op and was doing great. no problems at all and then starting 2 days ago I started really having gas pains really bad in my chest area. it hurts to even drink Water. it feels like when you take a big drink of coke and get that pain before it goes on down. I went back to just liquids today to see if maybe it was just irritated. has anyone else had this problem ---- and any advise before I call the doctor tomorrow.

Heaviest 210 (I'm 5'4) SW: 195 CW: 178 Yeah I'm seeing what you mean a bit as that third week only lost 2lbs vs the 6lbs week 1 & 2 Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I'm only two weeks out, but a salad sure sounds amazing! Congrats on the weight loss too!

Just take things 1 day at a time. I went into my surgery thinking I was going to be down 100 pounds after a month. (I was pretty disappointed.) It's a process and an early stall is most likely due to your body needing to catch up. I would still take the chewable vitamins because you stomach is still healing and will have a big problem breaking down solid pills. Just do your best and try to rest.

Hi Paula and welcome to this site. You will meet many nice folks here that can provide you all the information you need. As for me, Oh yes I would do it again and I am so happy I did it. I had been looking into weight loss surgery for about 10 years but I never really discussed it with anyone. I went to about 4 or 5 different seminars at various hospitals in town but I guess I just wasn't ready. My husband talked me out of it twice. Finally last summer it hit me... I had been fighting this obesity for most of my adult life and not only was it not getting better, it was getting worse. I could not get a grip on it. Nobody in my family is overweight so they did not understand and at family get togethers I always felt like the elephant in the room. So one day while researching diets and weight loss on the website for the local teaching hospital, up popped an informational advertisement on WLS. I made a call that day. I went to see my PCP and she was all for it but directed me to another facility and another doctor who had more credentials in the WLS arena. I go an invite to their seminar about a month or two later and that's when the process began. Many tests were done to ensure I was healthy enough for surgery and then the pre-op diet before surgery. My insurance company mandated a 3 month physician monitored diet before they would approve. Thought there can be very real complications with any WLS, mine was pretty text book. I had the surgery on a Monday, went ho on Thursday and I have progressed according to plan. I just had my 5/6 week check up and I have been released to do anything I feel up to and to eat anything I can tolerate. Life is good. I'm losing weight (I did have a two week stall) and my clothes are starting to fall off of me. I have closets full of clothes in smaller sizes I can wear so not time to do too much shopping yet. I didn't want any complications so I did exactly what the doctor said and I could not be happier. Social situations can be sticky at times but when I remind myself that my health is my priority it all gets put back in perspective. We still go out to eat at restaurants with friends and my husband and I share a meal. I didn't tell any of my friends or family I was having the surgery so they don't know and by sharing meals no one is the wiser. Some times my daughter goes out with me and we will share a meal. Both my hubby and daughter have now lost weight too so they are keen on sharing our little secret. I would never tell someone to jump into this... but if you are thinking about it, do your research and find out everything that is involved because it is a permanent alteration to your stomach and will only work if you make a life style change. Weight can always come back but if you alter your life style and your choices you will be fine. Go to some support groups at the surgeons office prior to surgery to give you an idea of what's going on and buy some books on WLS and read them a couple of times. Read everything you can on the Internet and go in to this as informed as you can be. My only regret is that I didn't do this 10 years ago. I wish you all the luck in the world in whatever you choose to do. Janet

well after the mandatory 3 month diet/exercise appointments all my paperwork will be submited next mon/tues.:thumbup: i have humana insurance and my patient advicate tells me it might take 3-4 weeks for approval! tell me it isn't so! i read this site alot but have yet to hear from any bandsters who have humana insurance. Anybody out there have humana and maybe can tell me how long the approval will take.

I noticed you were recently banded- I was banded about six weeks before you. I am not restricted at this point so I can consume 1 C of food rather quickly- but that doesn't mean I should!!! My dr. is really encouraging me to "practice" many things that I will HAVE to do once I reach restriction- eating slowly, chewing thoroughly, eating 3/4 - 1 C of food, and not drinking with meals.

My surgeon allowed us to try iceberg lettuce at 6 weeks out and other veggies at 8 months out. Take it slowly and introduce cooked veggies first and then the raw veggies one by one. Also, go by your surgeon's timetable since that's always best. The more fibrous veggies like cruciferous cauliflower, broccoli etc, can be harder at first. Also, raw carrots. Don't eat celery until your surgeon okays. The strings can get caught in your staple line.

Hi! I am so glad to have found this list! I am a few weeks away from banding (July 23). I'm 53 years old, 5'3" and 206 pounds, a self-employed mother of one, and vegetarian. My main excercise is "aerobic knitting" (which hasn't helped get the weight off at all!). I'm looking forward to learning from all your experiences. Ellie's mom

Ok, I was sleeved on June 27th. I lost 13 pounds on the two week pre-diet. As of this morning, I'm down 35 total. However, I've been at that for the last week now. I had my two week check-up last week and was upgraded to the "mushy" diet. I can't figure out why I haven't lost anymore. The only thing that I can think why is that I'm not getting enough Protein and Water in my day. To be honest, I am doing the best that I can. I never was a water drinker throughout the day prior to surgery. I am having a real hard time with this. I am so tired of drinking that the thought almost makes me nauseous. I feel so bored with the things that I can have and sometimes I just plain don't want to eat or simply can't swallow anything more. The next thing is that I'm having trouble swallowing pills and Vitamins. I had always been able to take pills with no problem before surgery. Now, I just can't get them down. I've switched my vitamins from chewable ( made me gag!) to a regular multi, but I throw that up because of the size and taste. Is my lack if energy coming from these issues that I'm having? I went back to work this week after being off for two weeks. I barely made it through each day. I had to rest between clients and even had to come home a couple times and sleep and then go back and finish my day. Any advise would be appreciated!!! Feeling kinda down.

Obviously you're doing the surgery because that didn't work out with you. Surgery isn't easy. I had mine 2 week ago and I have to monitor everything I eat. Finding the right foods, stopping yourself when you've had enough, timing everything, etc. It's not easy and if they'd done any kind of research or asked anyone about it they would know. If you think this is right for you, don't mind what anyone else thinks.

Hi everyone! I've been lurking for a few weeks now. I've been thinking about getting a Lapband for about 2 or 3 years now and I finally got tired of the ups and downs of dieting and started the process. Last week I went to my Primary Care Physician and he refered me to Lap Band surgeon. My BMI is 41. Had high blood pressure until I lost 50 Lbs and exercise daily. I have high Cholesterol and a family history of heart attacks at a young age. After seeing my PCP I went to a seminar that the surgeon was putting on. The seminar was very interesting, met a few nice people there and got a lot of info from the Doc and Staff. I was told that my insurance was one of the "easier" insurance companies to deal with when it came to LapBands. I then scheduled my Psych Evaluation. I called my Insurance company and went through a whole list of questions that the Surgeons office had gave me to ask them. I have to be approved by the insurance company after all of the referals and first meeting with the surgeon is over. So in about a week and a half I have a Psych Eval and then 3 weeks after that I have a meeting with the surgeon. I'm not to sure how long the approval process will take. The insurance company does not require a diet plan. Just wanted to say "Hi" and blow of some of this stuff that I have been milling around in my head for awhile now. Jeremy:smile2:

Congratulations! I hope you have your surgery date sooner rather than later. It's so hard to wait! You could spend your time waiting for surgery designing your new life. Toss out the junk food. Make grocery lists of healthy foods for your liquid weeks, mushie weeks and after. Make an exercise plan that you can stick to and that gets more challenging with time. Ditch any clothing that is currently too big. Plan a new (or expand a current), hobby to help to keep your hands and mind busy and away from food. Explore this website for advice and recipes for healthful living. It's not easy, but it's soo worth it! good luck,

I totally understand because I've been feeling/doing the same...except I'm almost 4 weeks post op.

No change at all. I only had skin to remove. The band took care of the fat! If anything, I'm bigger, but it's only been a few weeks and I'm really swollen.

I've been at what I consider "optimum" restriction for well over a month. Yep, there's a heck of a learning curve. Some people might say my band is too tight, but I am WORKING with it and adjusting and listening to what it tells me. Yes, I PB several times a week. It's odd, but a lot of times it happens when I take the first few bites of a meal. Everything gets clogged and that little bit comes up....and then I am FINE for the rest...providing I take it VERY slowly. Don't know if my esophagus clutches up or what. Generally the feeling that I get is after about 4-5 bites I get the tiniest bit nauseated feeling. The hunger goes away BAM and no matter if it's chocolate cake (not) or cottage cheese, I can push it away without a second thought. Some people would consider that too radical for them, but it works great for me. When I got my fill, the nurse said that the idea is to drink some liquid and feel it hesitate just for a "nano-second" and then go down. Then you have optimum restriction (providing it doesn't change). Generally, if you can eat things like bread without problem you probably need a little bit of a fill, or if you feel like you can eat a "large amount" (that is a "post band large amount", not a "preband large amount").

Do you have one incision that is big compared to the others? That is where the port is. Mine is on the right side, directly below my breast, below the ribs. I am about 5 weeks out from surgery right now and can just barely begin to feel the port.

Hi everyone. I have posted once, but been a reader for about a month when I started this journey seriously. My surgery (VSG) is scheduled for Wednesday, the 21st here in Austin, Tx. You all have helped me get to this point, reading of your own personal journeys and reading the support you provide to one another. Such an awesome group! Per my surgeon, I will spend one night in the hospital. My surgery is scheduled for 10:30. I have never had surgery so this is a new experience for me. Surgeon has me on a two week pre-op diet of a minimum of 70 grams of protein and no more than 30 grams of carbs daily. The carbs have been the roughest. I have been close most days, but been more at 40 rather than the 30. Any doubts I'm having feel like anxiety rather than legitimate questioning of whether this is the right thing to do. For the first time in my life, I feel like I am doing something just for me. Wish me luck and please add me to your prayers. I'll let you know how it goes....Diane

Good Luck to you and be sure to let us know how you're doing. Hopefully I'll be about a week behind you...keeping my fingers crossed. I, too, have never had surgery and it's kinda scary. I'm sure we'll both do fine though!

I often visit the Main Chat Room of ObesityHelp. The site has great information and its chat room gets a lot of traffic. Recently more and more pre-op and newbie Bandsters have mentioned that they feel like the O.H. ChatRoom is "Anti-Band." I have no problem with a primarily-RnY Chat Room (I have more in common with someone who had RnY than I do with someone who has never had any WLS) but I admit that as more Bandsters come in, I do hear more anti-Band or ignorant-about-the-Band statements. So I spend time with chat room visitors, giving authentic band info. Well, I've taken more flack in the last couple of weeks from the Bypassives - which is what I call the rabid fanatics who insist that any surgery other than a bypass type is worthless - who have given me heck for standing up for the LapBand. Well get this. Our own Dr.Pleatman (whose rather ambivalent feelings about the LapBand has been well documented here :rolleyes ) was in the Chat Room earlier tonight. Basically, those in the chat room were privy to hearing a WLS surgeon who grudgingly performs some bands, to enumerate why he doesn't care for the bands. (Gee, who is it who is paying this doc to do their bands when it's obvious he has no faith in LapBanding? He seems like a very competant surgeon, frankly, but if he prefers RnY bypass, why doesn't he just perform all bypasses, like many other WLS docs only do? I never understood that. Maybe those pesky LapBands are good business, eh?) Anyway, a Pre-Op visitor came in and asked the surgeon - "I'm torn between the LapBand and the RnY. Any suggestions on questions I should ask my doctor?" And Pleatman said Oh, great. Just what they wanted to hear. I do respect his opinion, but talk about fuel for a fire. Oh well, the Bypassives were so excited to hear that. It made their day. However, they didn't get to enjoy the moment long. See us poor, misinformed LapBanders :mad: were thankfully upstaged by Dr. P making a comment that doctors who only perform Open Surgeries (like Open RnY) are doing it because they aren't well trained on Laproscopic technique. WHEW! Did the sparks fly when he said that! I just sit back and watch them argue amongst themselves on that one. :guess See next to the "Bypass is better than band" constant refrain, another great ObesityHelp ChatRoom rivalry is the "Open Surgery is better than Lap Surgery" debate. Man, do they get fired up about that argument. :phanvan I don't get it - why can't everyone just be happy about their surgery? I respect all Weight Loss Surgeries - and if one didn't work, I'm glad there are other choices. But there are always those who like to argue that their way is the only way. But in between bickering, there is genuine concern and positivity towards Weight Loss Surgery. Sometimes though, It's like a Soap Opera - but in real-time and via the Internet. That's why I call it "As The World (of ObesityHelp) Turns..."