I feel stupid

I am a newbie and not exactly computer literate (stupid) so excuse me if it takes awhile for me to get this.  I attended a seminar given by Dr. Wellborn back in Sept. and was really excited and then found out that my insurance has an exclusion for any WLS for any reason, that really put me in a state of depression, now I have decided that I will do this even though I will have to borrow the money.  I have signed up to attend a seminar by Dr. Baker and another one with Dr. Wellborn and I am really torn between the different types of surgery.  Lap Band is real attractive just because it seems so much less of an invasive approach.  I would like to hear from you who have had the surgery and also your opinion as to the surgeons.  I hope to be hearing from you. Thanks

I love Dr. Baker and I love my Lap Band! I wish I had done this years ago! I haven't had any complications. 

It's work and it's up to you as to how  hard you work, but it's so worth it!!

Thanks for the reply ! you may get tired of me before I finally get this accomplished. With a lap band what and how much do you eat in a typical day?

Ask away!  Lord knows I've asked my share of questions & still do.   As far as eating, I eat pretty much what I want,  but I try to choose the healthiest thing I can.  I used to be a big ground beef eater.  Now I'm  more about tuna & chicken.  I like soups, stews, pinto beans.  Warm soft things go down best, but as long as you chew well, most things go down. I average about 1/2 to 3/4 cup per meal. 

HEY ARE TALKING ABOUT YOU EAT 1/2 TO 3/4 CUP FOR THE WHOLE MEAL OR PER ITEM I MAY BE TOTALLY SCREWED!!! HOW MANY FILLS HAVE YOU HAD AND ARE YOU GOING TO HAVE ANY MORE? OBESE 1954

Hi! First of all, nice to have you onboard! I used Dr. Wellborn for my LapBand surgery. He is an excellent doctor and I really look forward to seeing him every time I go for a fill. He is very encouraging and always praising your successes. His wife is so nice. She usually does my fills. Also, his staff is wonderful. They are so helpful and supportive.  Like you, my insurance has a clause where WLS is not covered. I am a public school teacher and I have Blue Cross for public school employees. I know that some Blue Cross policies cover it but mine did not. I ended up paying out of pocket for the surgery and in my opinion, it was well worth it. I would do it all over again in a heartbeat if I had too!  I have not had any problems at all. Some people get things stuck frequently but I have only been stuck one time. I ate a bite of steak and it took a few minutes for it to go down and it hurt pretty bad but as soon as it passed through the band it was fine and the pain went away.  I can eat pretty much anything I want. Like Amy said, soft foods go down the easiest but Dr. Wellborn and his team prefers that you try to eat denser foods that will stay in your pouch longer to keep you full and better satisfied. Eat lots of protein and drink water!! I had my surgery in June 2007. Since then I have lost about 85 lbs. I am so excited. I have tried diet after diet through the years and I was skeptical to say the least but so far this surgery has been amazing. I feel so lucky to have had it done.  Well thats about all I can think of now. Feel free to ask as many questions as you need to. I will be more than happy to help you in any way that I can. We can talk through posts like this one if you like or you can private message me. I will tell you anything that will ease your mind or help you in any way! Good luck!   Karen

Thank you so much for all the good advice, I am scared and excited all at the same time and it makes it much better being able to talk to people who have already "been there" Mary

HOW MANY FILLS HAVE YOU HAD.  I HAVE HAD 3 SINCE MY LAP BAND IN OCTOBER I GO BACK FEB 6TH AND MAY HAVE ANOTHER ONE, MY 90 DAYS ARE UP SO HAVE TO PAY FOR THIS ONE IF I DO.  ABOUT HOW MUCH DO YOU EAT PER MEAL? ARE YOU TOTALLY SATISFIED OR FEEL IT COULD BE ALITTLE MORE FILLING AT TIMES, THANKS OBESE 1954

Obese 1954---       I have had five fills so far. I used Dr. Wellborn and the first 18 months worth of fills are included in the surgery price. I am glad of that because I am self pay and fills at $100 a visit can get pretty expensive. It is my understanding that different people require different amounts in their bands to feel satisfied. The first three fills that I had were pretty tight for about a week and then I felt like I could eat more and was less satisfied. The fourth fill was better. It seemed to last about 3 weeks before I started to notice that I was not staying full as long and I was also snacking more. The last fill that I had about 2 weeks ago is still super tight. I can barely eat anything but that is how I want it because the weigth is really coming off. I hope it stays this way for a while. I also should mention that I probably should have went back for fills more frequently but I used willpower and just didn't eat. I was not hungry like I was before surgery but I could tell that the band needed tightening because I was looking for little things to snack on here and there and also I could eat bread and they say that when you can eat 1/2 a sandwich with untoasted bread then it is time for a fill and I could do that with no problems!! It has been abotu 7 months sicne I had surgery and I have only had five fills. I know some people have had a lot more than that. I think it all depends on the person. You have to find the right "fill" for yourself. It may take you more in your band or less in your band to get you where you need to be in order to be full and satisfied and losing!  How much have you lost? How much can you eat? Hope some of this helps. Feel free to PM me if you have more questions about fills or other things. I can never seem to get tired of talking about the LAPBAND. It seems like I could talk about it for hours because it really has been a life changing experience for me!   Karen

I'M SO GLAD YOU  EMAILED ME BACK THANK YOU CAUSE I HAVE NOONE TO TALK TO AND DONT KNOW WHERE I SHOULD BE WITH THIS THING.  I HAVE HAD 3 FILLS EACH WERE 1 CC A PIECE HE SAID THAT WAS THE MAX AMOUNT FOR A FILL, DR GIBBS  COVERED OUR FILLS FOR 90 DAYS THEN WE HAVE TO PAY AND THEY ARE 175.00 EACH. I'M SUPPOSE TO GO BACK  FEB 6TH THIS COMING WEEK FOR ANOTHER FILL BUT I WILL HAVE TO START PAYING AND I FEEL SICK ABOUT IT YOU WOULD THINK THEY WOULD GET YOU TO WHERE YOU NEED TO BE BEFORE THEY CUT YOU OFF.  YOU SAID YOU COULD ONLY EAT HALF A SANDWICH I CAN STILL EAT A WHOLE ONE AND SOMETIMES 2 IF I'M STARVING.  IT SEEMS TO WORK FAIRLY WELL THE FIRST 2 WEEKS AFTER A FILL THEN ITS LIKE IT ISN'T WORKING. I'M GETTING DISGUSTED IN IT, I WANT TO SNACK TO MUCH, I WAS GOING TO USE DR WELLBURN  BUT THE WEEK BEFORE MY SEMINAR THEY CALLED ME AT WORK AND TOLD ME THEY WEREN'T TAKING MY INSURANCE ANYMORE,  FED BCBS I WAS DUMBFOUNDED THIS IS THE BEST INSURANCE I'VE EVER HAD. GIBBS CLINIC TOOK IT AND GOT IT APPROVE.  THANKS SO MUCH FOR YOUR INFORMATION I GUESS I WILL TRY TO GO BACK THE 6TH AND JUST  LET A BILL GO UNPAID TO PAY THIS I'VE COME TO FAR TO GIVE UP NOW.  DO YOU THINK YOU WILL HAVE TO HAVE ANOTHER FILL OR DO YOU THINK THIS IS WHERE YOU NEED TO BE AND HOW MUCH DID HE PUT IN AT EACH FILL THANKS SO MUCH OBESE 1954