Hello everyone on this wonderful Wednesday night! I just spent the last 6 hours catching up on my tivo from earlier this week! Gosh there has been some fabulous shows on TV! First of all, the show I have been following the entire season is More to Love!! Have any of you been watching this show!? I got hooked from the first episode when I found out it was about overweight women trying to find love! Like many of you can agree, I saw apart of myself in some of these girls and got hooked to the show! Some of them were so curvy and beautiful...and some of them not so much. Aw was that mean? Anyways, I also had to watch one of my all time favorite shows on TV, THE BIGGEST LOSER!! AHHH! This show is my guilty pleasure and I do not miss a minute of this show the entire season. I have to admit, I have been known to watch episodes twice haha! And lastly, I watched the VMA's that everyone has been talking about! And I have no comments to the Kanye controversy. It was so awful and made me furious. Moving on :)
Second order of business, I want to create a questionnaire for all of you who already have the band!! These are just so questions I am curious about and want to see what your opinions are! Some of them are going to be yes or no questions but feel free to add to the answer if you want! I am just going to label the questions with numbers and when you comment, just answer the questions with the corresponding number! I would be sooo thankful :) I love to hear all of your advice!! Thank you sooo much!
Questions:
1. Did any of you experience hair loss after your surgery? (This is something I am really freaked out about. I heard it doesn't happen often but in some cases it does.)
2. How many days do you think I should take off of work after my surgery? Or lets put it this way, how many days did you take off of work? (I work in retail so I am constantly on my feet f.y.i.)
3. From post-surgery liquid diets, the actual surgery or anything else, what was your least favorite part of your whole lap band experience?
4. For those of you who were fortunate enough to have insurance pay, how long did it take for you to get your approved letter?
5. This is random, but do any of you have Independence Blue Cross? Just curious because that is what I have :)
6. How long have you had the band and how many pounds have you lost thus far?
7. Did you have any issues with throwing up after surgery? I am a little scared about this.
8. How soon after surgery did you get your first fill?
9. How long do you have to wait after surgery before you can start working out?
10. How long after surgery before you felt comfortable enough to drive?
Ok fellow bloggers! That is all I can think of for right now :) But thank you so so much for filling these questions out!! Cant wait to hear from you all!
I have only been banded a week...so I may not be super helpful.
ReplyDelete1. I took 3 weeks off work due to the not lifting more than 10 lbs restriction.
2. I started driving after 1 week post op and 3 days off narcotic pain meds.
3. I started walking on the treadmill, very slowly for only 30 mins 1 week post op.
4. I had a great anesthesiologist and had no nausea at all.
Great Questions! I am a month banded so will answer as many questions as applicable.
ReplyDelete2. How many days do you think I should take off of work after my surgery? Or lets put it this way, how many days did you take off of work? (I work in retail so I am constantly on my feet f.y.i.)
I took a week off but I sit in an office not standing on my feet...but maybe 2 weeks would be better for you..
6. How long have you had the band and how many pounds have you lost thus far?
One month and have lost 33 pounds (including 2 weeks of shakes prior to surgery)
7. Did you have any issues with throwing up after surgery?
Unfortunately for me I threw up in surgery and my band slipped straight away. I had to have a second surgery the next day to fix it! I have had a few PB's but that only started when I was well into my mushie food stage.
8. How soon after surgery did you get your first fill?
Haven't had a fill yet but hopefully next week!
9. How long do you have to wait after surgery before you can start working out?
I have only just started doing a light work out (but I also have a knee injury!)
10. How long after surgery before you felt comfortable enough to drive?
I was driving a week after surgery
If you have any other questions, I am happy to answer anything....
Hey Kristen,
ReplyDeleteI am 12 months banded (today actually!) so have had a bit of experience:
1. Yes, I have experienced hair loss - my hair has gone down to about half its original thickness though it is alot better since I found a chewable multivitamin www.bandbuddies.com.au (I had an incident on a normal tablet so I got ultra fearful).
2. I had just over a week completely off work and then worked from home for a few days (I know, I am very lucky to be able to do that!). The main pain that I had was the shoulder pain, definitely have a hot water bottle or some such, will save you!!
3. Least favourite part of the band experience was how long it took to get to good restriction - I expected to have restriction about a month to six weeks after surgery but it took months of fills getting it right.
4. Am in Australia - different system, insurance pays up front
5. Nope, never heard of it :)
6. Had band 12 months, have lost 80lbs - have 24 lbs to go to healthy weight range
7. I didn't have any issues of throwing up immediately after surgery, indeed, proably not for a few months but the closer that I got to perfect fill, I would have some incidents. Best tips that I can give you are:
* don't be distracted when you're eating
* take small bites
* Chew, chew, chew
* don't be in a rush
8. Got first fill 4 weeks after surgery
9. I was walking (10-15mins very slowly) the second week after surgery and have built up from there - am running a 10km run in 3 weeks
10. Think I drove after surgery about 4 days afterwards - can't really remember.
Good questions, Kristen and if you don't mind a shameless plug, my bandster friend and I have started a company called www.lapbandforthemind.com and we have an eBook for sale called 'The 5 keys to Pre-Surgery Success'. We also have a fortnightly newsletter that has many tips and tricks for bandsters focussing on behaviour change.
Good luck!!
Jodie
* t
Hey Kris,
ReplyDeleteGreat idea, all these questions. Hope my answers are helpful, feel free to email or fb me if you have more.
Questions:
1. My hair has always been thin, and I was pretty freaked out about it, but it's been nothing major for me. Around June, which was 3 months post-op my colourist commented on it, and when I went in a couple weeks ago he said it's looking better.
2. I took a week off for the job I had then, before I got fired... Wow good times, eh? Haha. But I'd say at least 10 days for retail.
3. Since you don't have the pre-op hell diet I did, I would say the hardest was bandster hell, thinking "ok I've had this surgery, I've been through so much, why don't I feel different yet, why am I not losing much weight?"
4. For those of you who were fortunate enough to have insurance pay, how long did it take for you to get your approved letter?
5. n/a
6. n/a
7. Some, as I've reached restriction. But this is just PB-ing - throwing up what's in the pouch not full on violent puking. The tips to avoid it above are great, my other ones are
-don't push it. accept that there are certain things, and not many of them, that won't work with the band.
-if it feels like it's not working, trust it. I eat salads all the time. yesterday for lunch, mine felt like it was going down funny, but I was like whatever, I eat this all the time. I had a funny stuck feeling for a while that I could have avoided had I trusted my instincts.
8. one month post-op
9. I had to wait two weeks before cardio, and six weeks before swimming or weights.
10. Pretty darn quick, I didn't take anything stronger than Tylenol once I got home, so I'm pretty sure I drove on day 4.
1. No hair loss as of yet...am keeping my fingers crossed it doesn't happen.
ReplyDelete2. I had surgery on a Friday and went back to work the following Wednesday, in your case I would plan on a whole week though.
3. I had a lot of bathroom issues right after surgery, I was going about 10-15 times a day for the first week, but then it cleared up.
4. 28 LONG days....I have aetna
5. No
6. 5 weeks, and 26 lbs
7. Haven't thrown up yet
8. exactly 4 weeks
9. I started walking 4 days after, and took my time getting back to the gym. Waited about a month, but not because of pain or anything, I was just being lazy.
10. I drove on my 5th day post-op. As long as your not taking the narcotics you should be fine. It helped me to put a small pillow between my tummy and the seatbelt.
1. No hairloss for me yet. I hear it very commons and comes around the 6th mth.
ReplyDelete2. Well I had a week off but I have a desk job and it was perfect. W/ a retail job I'd suggest 2 wks just b/c the first wk is getting over the pain and surg. The 2nd wk you are super tired, worn out, weak from the low calories. It'd be best to take that week off as well or go back and do light duty if possible.
3. Least fav to me is probably not drinking w/ meals. The surgery pain, the fill pain, the liquid diets are all manageable. But eating "dry" forever, is a hard concept. I still cheat sometimes, but then I know I have to be strong when my stomach growls b/c my drink pushed my food through my band and I won't stay full nowhere near as long.
4. I went through insurance through blue cross blue shield and got the approval within 1 week, fabulous turn around.
5. no
6. I think about 11 wks and down 26.5 lbs total!
7. no throwing up for me ever. I've been fortunate to not PB, slim, or throw up. Only stuck once, my fault. you must chew chew chew! and eat slow!
8. my first fill was 6 wks out. and then every 3 wks between after that.
9. My md said walk as soon as you feel you can, and then wait 6 wks for stuff like cardio, running, ab stuff. THE FIRST 6 WKS ARE FOR HEALING AND THE MD ACTUALLY DOESN'T EXPECT YOU TO LOSE ANYTHING until after your first fill. So make peace if it's slow goin' in the beginning.
10. I was driving about 3 days post op ut I have a high pain tolerance and was off the pain meds by day 2. They say wait 24hrs after you quit the pain meds.
Oh and fyi, I was not required to do liquid or shake diet prior to surgery, just a 2 day fast before surgery. So I've never had to go through the protein shake ordeal. I'm considering adding them maybe once a day now for added protein. You will notice w/ your changed diet, that PROTEIN IS KEY! the more protein the faster you lose. The reason for this is b/c the protein goes to your muscles, leaner muscles burn fat faster. That's why men lose faster, they naturally eat more protein than women! Oh and those ISOPURE clear protein drinks taste like poo!
ReplyDelete1. Did any of you experience hair loss after your surgery? Not yet, but I hear three months is about when it can start and I'm almost there...eekk...
ReplyDelete2. How many days do you think I should take off of work after my surgery? Or lets put it this way, how many days did you take off of work? My situation was different because I had my tonsills removed at the same time as I did my band - I took 2 weeks off but I think just the band (which was SO PIECE OF CAKE compaired to the tonsils) I would have been back in 1 week.
3. From post-surgery liquid diets, the actual surgery or anything else, what was your least favorite part of your whole lap band experience? Gas pain after surgery - other then that not a thing - the tonsils sucked for the record :)
4. For those of you who were fortunate enough to have insurance pay, how long did it take for you to get your approved letter? I got mine almost immediately after I requested.
5. This is random, but do any of you have Independence Blue Cross? Just curious because that is what I have :) Sorry - nope!
6. How long have you had the band and how many pounds have you lost thus far? Almost 3 months - lost 38 pounds.
7. Did you have any issues with throwing up after surgery? I am a little scared about this. Yes, but it isn't like a real pre-surgery throw up - It really is not as bad as I feared - just a little burp up it comes!
8. How soon after surgery did you get your first fill? 6 weeks
9. How long do you have to wait after surgery before you can start working out? again about 6 weeks.
10. How long after surgery before you felt comfortable enough to drive? several days.
OHHH and my pre-surgery was 2 week optifast shakes - I thought they were yumm!! Now I drink EAS shakes and love em!
ReplyDelete1. yes, about 3 months out more hair than usual in the sink in the morning.
ReplyDelete2. Surgery on Thursday so took 11 days over two weekends.
3. Post Op liquid diet ~ so sick of chocolate shakes towards the last day I wanted to vomit.
4. Last pre op test w/psycho doc was on 5/11 had my approval on 6/5. so about four weeks?
5. No.
6. 3 months tomorrow, 30 lbs this morning.
7. No.
8. Surgery 6/18 first fill 8/3 about 6 weeks?
9. About 6 weeks, told @ first fill appt to start walking (but I already had and was doing 2 miles regularly by that appt)
10. 11 days when I went back to work that morning before my first fill appt that afternoon.
Hope that helps! ;-)
Lots of responses already! I am not far from surgery (2.5 weeks), but I will answer too:
ReplyDelete1. Hair loss - Not yet! I am being very conscious of getting in my protein, so hopefully I will be spared?
2. How many days do you think I should take off of work after my surgery? I am going to say a week. I have a sitting job, at home, so my experience does not really apply, but it was about a week before I would want to do any major standing like you do.
3. Least favorite part of your whole lap band experience? So far, the worst was probably the 3 day clear liquid pre-op diet. No protein shakes, nothing but broth and crystal light type drinks. That SUCKED! I thought the surgery was totally bearable, the pain meds worked for me.
4. For those of you who were fortunate enough to have insurance pay....That would not be me! I paid $9900 plus travel expenses. Uncool. I am going to revise my previous answer and say paying for the band out of pocket was the worst part of the experience.
5. Do not have Independence Blue Cross.
6. I have had the band for 17 days and have lost 16.4 ...ALMOST 17 lbs. 8 lbs from the clear liquid diet, the rest after surgery.
7. Did you have any issues with throwing up after surgery? No, but I felt like I was going to when I took a giant Vicodin pill for pain 3 days after surgery. Crush or split all your pills right after surgery!!!!! The other moment was when I mindlessly picked up an overcooked french fry from my kids' dinner.....Did not chew enough, and it got stuck but I waited it out and did not PB. Dumb! I did not even think before putting it in my mouth!
8. How soon after surgery did you get your first fill? My first will be 9/30....so, almost exactly 4 weeks after surgery.
9. How long do you have to wait after surgery before you can start working out? I was told only walking for 2 weeks. I cheated a little and started running, very slow, very little, at about day 12. I am not doing any weights or ab exercises until I get the okay, maybe after my first fill.
10. How long after surgery before you felt comfortable enough to drive? 3rd day after surgery. The first and second days after surgery were the worst, pain wise, so I was in Vicodin land until day 4.
Sorry, was the vomit question about right after surgery? I woke up from surgery slightly nauseous and the nurse gave me the anti-nausea med right away. The feeling went away quickly and after that it was not bad at all.
ReplyDelete1. Nope - not yet. But I have very thick (VERY THICK) hair, so I"m not sure I would notice.
ReplyDelete2. A week. I took a week's sick leave - surgery on a Friday went back the Monday a week later... (really 5 work days but 10 days total). If you can take the time, do it and let yourself heal. Especially since you'll be on your feet!!!
3. Hmmm.... Maybe the last 3 weeks where I've had really bad acid reflux. i was too tight though... they ended up taking out about 1.5-2 cc's (which is too much, but oh well)... Otherwise, it's been good. There has been a lot of MENTAL stuff (like wanting bread and knowing I couldn't have it). Also, liquids suck but they end soon.
4. I had to do 6 months pre-work with my PCP... from there, it only took about 2 weeks to get completely approved. It moved VERY quickly. Almost too quickly, but it was a good thing for me.
5. Nope.
6. I was banded Feb. 20, 2009... so almost 7 months. I'm down 57 pounds.
7. I threw up that night. But the moved me off water to the CIB too fast AND my pain pump had broken and no one knew it (3 hours w/o any pain meds) AND my IV had infiltrated my vein... so once that was all fixed I was fine.
8. 7 weeks I think
9. My doc said take the 6 weeks to heal. Walk, walk, walk, but don't do any major ab work or anything like that. I never did it before, so it wasn't a big deal for me. I would really encourage you to take as much time as you can to heal.
10. 5 days? Basically they said I was good to go once I was off the prescription pain meds.
Good luck! Email me with any questions (sarah-fogler@comcast.net).
I did notice a little bit of my hair coming out, but not big chunks or anything. It was a combination of me not taking my protein shakes like I should and I was in the process of going back to red hair from dark brown and then coloring was really harsh on my hair. Just make sure you stay up on your vitamins and protein and you should be OK.
ReplyDeleteI am at a desk all day at work, and I took a week off. I probably could have gone back sooner, but I did work some from home, so I didn't feel a need to rush back to the office. I did notice a bit of discomfort the first time I tried to drive through...about 1 week in. I have a few round abouts I have to drive through and although it doesn't sound like a lot, it caused some discomfort in my port area.
I was taking walks beginning the day after my surgery. I don't remember exactly how long before I was really working out...maybe two weeks??
Good luck with everything! I am really excited for you!! :)
1. Did any of you experience hair loss after your surgery? (This is something I am really freaked out about. I heard it doesn't happen often but in some cases it does.)
ReplyDeleteNope... still got a full head of it. My dietitian and doctors all said that as long as I keep up my protein I should be fine...
2. How many days do you think I should take off of work after my surgery? Or lets put it this way, how many days did you take off of work? (I work in retail so I am constantly on my feet f.y.i.)
I did it during my Christmas break from school, and I was only in pain for like a day. The gas however... KILLER. Honestly getting my wisdom teeth out was 100x more difficult. I really dont think you need more than a week or two to get the swing of things...
3. From post-surgery liquid diets, the actual surgery or anything else, what was your least favorite part of your whole lap band experience?
The liquid diet absolutely SUCKS. It was pure hell. LBT was the only thing that assured me I could make it... and I still cheated. Check the LBT thread about liquid diets for smoothie and liquid recipes because you will definitely need them.
... You are going to be so sick of sweet stuff so strained soup will be your best friend. Also, during the clear stage, I found stock was more flavorful than broth and a little bit of the seasoning packet from Ramen Noodles
4. For those of you who were fortunate enough to have insurance pay, how long did it take for you to get your approved letter?
about 48hrs after my Doc sent in my paperwork. Make sure you copies of EVERYTHING just in case. I had BCBS.
5. This is random, but do any of you have Independence Blue Cross? Just curious because that is what I have :)
I had Blue Cross PPO
6. How long have you had the band and how many pounds have you lost thus far?
Banded 12/18/2008.. about 42. I've fell off since graduation but I'm getting back on track for sure!
7. Did you have any issues with throwing up after surgery? I am a little scared about this.
Not at all, not even a PB. I think I had it a lot better than most actually... minus the gas
8. How soon after surgery did you get your first fill?
8 weeks on the dot!
9. How long do you have to wait after surgery before you can start working out?
They told me 2 months
10. How long after surgery before you felt comfortable enough to drive?
like 2 days, but I waited a week because I couldn't drive while on the pain meds.
I've been initially banded for 2 and a half years... but only had working band for 1 year 10 months so here goes
ReplyDelete1. Did any of you experience hair loss after your surgery?
Nope, not at all. Keep up the protein and you will be fine.
2. How many days do you think I should take off of work after my surgery?
2 weeks. I am a bit of a wimp, I felt pretty darn rubbish to be fair. I was sore for a good 2 weeks. I work as a piano teacher and am constantly bent over during my work... so I was 2 weeks off to make sure completely better.
3. From post-surgery liquid diets, the actual surgery or anything else, what was your least favorite part of your whole lap band experience?
I have had a lot of problems, but I'm sure you wont... but my worst experience was band breakage. That is VERY unlikely to happen to others, so the only other thing that has been the worst is getting to good restriction. I have been over tight, under tight and a merry dance between those for a year. My Advice, get an aftercare package where you can see your fill provider whenever you need to, as much as you need to to get it right asap. I didnt.
Its hard because your head fights you, but you must NOT fight your band. I did.
4. For those of you who were fortunate enough to have insurance pay, how long did it take for you to get your approved letter?
Self pay, sorry
5. This is random, but do any of you have Independence Blue Cross? Just curious because that is what I have :)
- dont even know what that is :o)
6. How long have you had the band and how many pounds have you lost thus far?
2yrs 7 months, 27.5lbs 12.5 pounds pre-op & 15 pounds since banding - BUT MUST STRESS have had heck of a time with it. Essentially no band for 8 months, then have had a year losing weight and then a big unfill because was too tight, so put back on a lot of weight, and then have spent this last year staying exactly the same weight because of fill under/over/under/over etc. I am back at right restriction and on a losing streak.
It works. Honestly.
7. Did you have any issues with throwing up after surgery? I am a little scared about this.
No. I Followed the plan and was fine.
8. How soon after surgery did you get your first fill?
6 weeks.
9. How long do you have to wait after surgery before you can start working out?
I have no idea... I havent done it yet ;-)
I guess take it easy and if you are back to work, then give it a shot. Dont do too much as that port is tied to your muscles... it hurts if you pull it trust me!
10. How long after surgery before you felt comfortable enough to drive?
about a week, but still a bit dodgy.
Jeez, hope that helps. Sounds a bit grim, but honestly, don't fret. You will be cool. Everyones experience is different. Don't believe everything you read on forums etc, just go with your heart and your surgeon... they are the professionals and know their stuff.
1. Did any of you experience hair loss after your surgery? Yes, three weeks after surgery I noticed huge handfulls even though I was getting 150% of the protein they wanted me to eat a day. It stopped after a week.
ReplyDelete2. How many days do you think I should take off of work after my surgery? No less than a week. I didn't find surgery painful, just the gas that came the for 3 straight days afterwards.
3. From post-surgery liquid diets, the actual surgery or anything else, what was your least favorite part of your whole lap band experience? The GAS was the worst. It stays trapped in your chest. It hurts. Make sure you get Gas X chewables ready b/c you will need it.
4. For those of you who were fortunate enough to have insurance pay, how long did it take for you to get your approved letter?
I went to a seminar on May 30th, saw the doctor the following week in the first month of June and had surgery on August 26th.
5. This is random, but do any of you have Independence Blue Cross? No, sorry. We have Tricare which is a military insurance and they paid 100% for all my visits and the surgery.
6. How long have you had the band and how many pounds have you lost thus far? I've had the surgery about 5 wks ago and I have lost 26 lbs from the pre op and post op diet. My doctor put me on whole foods and pureed foods as tolerated 2 wks after surgery. I heard from alot of people they gained weight before their first fill but I am steadily losing no less than 1 lb a week.
7. Did you have any issues with throwing up after surgery? I wasn't nauseous after surgery. I did make my self throw up the tiniest piece of bread that I ventured out and ate. It was like throwing up nothing b/c there was nothing in my stomach to puke up. The bread just felt "stuck". Lesson learned.
8. How soon after surgery did you get your first fill? My doctor said 6 wks but I will be getting mine at 7 wks because he will be on vacation during the 6th wk.
9. How long do you have to wait after surgery before you can start working out? I started walking on my treadmill about the 5th day and now 5 wks out I jog and walk on my treadmill for about 30-60 mins a day. Exercise will be the quickest way to lose weight so follow the guidelines they set out for you!
10. How long after surgery before you felt comfortable enough to drive?
I went grocery shopping on my own on the 4th day. I spent like 15 mins in the store but I drove there and back. Babysteps!