Lap band surgery has come down in price considerably in the past year. It is actually affordable to many people and if your insurance company does not pay for this surgery, there are many medical financing companies that will allow you to make payments on the surgery.

But there are many insurance companies that will now cover the cost of lap band surgery. The truth is, being obese can be very expensive–more expensive than having lap band surgery. Many presurgery patients suffer from high blood pressure, high cholesterol, sleep apnea, joint pain and type 2 diabetes. All of these conditions cost money in doctors visits and medications. As a result, many doctors are recommending lap band surgery to their patients that 100 pounds over weight or have severe medical conditions due to being overweight.

At the time that I had my surgery (09/05), my insurance company would only cover the RNY. But that has changed since that time. The lap band is now covered, but you must meet certain conditions to qualify. In addition, you must complete certain educational programs and preop tests. Most of these will be at your own expense. I used flexible spending to pay for most of mine and that saved me about 30 percent of the total cost of these expenses.

The best way to find out if your insurance company covers lap band surgery is to call them and ask. It will depend on what kind of arrangement your company has with your insurance provider. My insurance company paid for the surgery in full. The person next to me had the same insurance company and her plan only covered 50 percent of the surgery. If your insurance company does not cover the surgery, they may have other options that will help you lose weight. Or you may want to consider financing the surgery. The surgery only runs about $10,000. Most people pay more than that for a car. Why not consider putting the money towards your health.

For the first 2 weeks your diet will consist of protein shakes, baby food or normal food that is pureed and strained. It is important that you eat slowly and try to consumer 32 ounces of water each day. This sounds easy, but trust me when I tell you it is much easier than it sounds, especially the water part.

After two weeks, you will begin adding soft foods back into your diet. Anything you eat will have to be chewed extremely well or it can cause great discomfort as it passes through the opening in your stomach.
You will add more foods to you diet over the next month. Vegetables should come next and meats will be last. Keep in mind how important it is to chew everything well. You will soon figure out which foods will be okay to eat and which foods your body will not tolerate. Although, with lap band surgery, you have less problems with your stomach not tolerating foods than with any of the other reconstructive forms of gastric bypass surgery.

It is important to stop drinking 30 minutes before you and to wait 30 minutes after you finish eating before you drink anything. And there is no drinking during the meal. It is also important that you take vitamins so that you do not become malnourished. During early recovery, it is difficult to get all of the necessary nutrients through food because you cannot eat enough.

Things will change for you over the first year as you lose weight and your body gets used to your new smaller stomach. The gastric bypass diet is something that is temporary. While you are going through the first few months following your surgery, please try to keep this in mind. Concentrate your efforts on making healthy changes and your lap band surgery will be a success!

When lap band surgery first became available, it was hard to find it for less than $15,000. Now the average lap band surgery costs less than $10,000. For the first time, I have seen this obesity surgery being advertised for less then $6,500 and I think it will continue to drop as lap band surgery becomes more common.

More insurance companies have starting picking up the cost of gastric bypass surgery, as the cost of lap band surgery is less than the cost of obesity related medical issues. And if you are one of the unfortunate individuals that do not have insurance or Medicare as an option, many bariatric surgery center offer financing for lap band surgery.

Having lap band surgery is a big step, but this surgery is mildly invasive, normally requires only an overnight hospital stay and many patients are back to work within a week. If you are obese, especially if you have medical problems, you may want to consider this life-changing surgery. Lap band surgery cost has come down enough that it is affordable to many people.

The medical and the insurance industries have both come to the realization that the both the cost and the risk of the surgery are far less than that of being obese. You can have the lap band procedure an be home the next day and back to work within a week.

Lap band surgery is quickly becoming a solution for the treatment of obesity related conditions, such as; high blood pressure, high cholesterol, joint pain, sleep apnea and type 2 diabetes. The surgery can help alleviate these conditions, but it is only a tool and will take work by you to maintain.

For the first 3-4 days you will be restricted to liquids. I was given protein drinks and water mostly. It will be difficult to drink more than 4 ounces and you will spend a good deal of your time trying to consume the necessary nutrients in the first two weeks. After the first few days liquids, pureed foods and baby foods are allowed.

For the next 4 weeks you will consume mostly liquids and soft foods that are eaten in small bites and chewed well. The next 6 weeks you will stick to vegetables and lean protein. You should have 50-60 grams of protein daily. Avoiding starches and sugar will help you lose weight more quickly and sustain your weight loss. Otherwise your life will be mostly normal, but you won’t be strapping on the karate uniform or boxing gloves quite yet.

The following foods may always be present problems once an individual has had gastric bypass surgery:

You have to also realize that you will not be able to take pills for the first two months. You will want to have medication provided in other forms. It will also be necessary to take chewable vitamins for the first two months and you will have to take vitamins daily to avoid a nutritional deficiency. Lap band bariatric surgery can restore your health, but it will provide some challenges for the first six months. Some people have no problem with any of these foods after the first year and people who have had the lap band are less likely to have problems, because there was no reconstruction. That may sound like wonderful news, but it is this group of people that will have to take extra care to follow a healthy lifestyle.

Any type of gastric bypass surgery is a tool. It is a means to get to a healthy weight and it does that for everyone. Staying there is up to the individual. If you do not make any changes to the way you manage your health, you may find yourself back where you started.

My doctor was part of the FDA trials for lap band surgery back in 2000. While the surgery has helped many people, he seems to prefer the Roux-en-Y because he considered to be more permanent for weight loss purposes. It is more difficult to have bad eating habits and not feel the consequences through pain and possibly dumping syndrome with the RNY.

I am not sure I would agree with the term “lap band surgery failure.” If you have to have the band removed for some reason then it would be a failure. But in most cases where the weigh is gained back, a failure of the patient to make the necessary lifestyle changes is a more accurate explanation of the truth. If you think you can have this surgery and the weight will fall and you will never have to think about it again, nothing is farther from the truth. The internet is full of forums and message boards that have members that are trying to help each other maintain their weight loss or take off the weight they have regained.

Land surgery is life changing, but the potential for lap band surgery failure exists if you do not make changes that will allow you to develop healthy eating and exercise habits.

For most people the complications that result from obesity are much greater than that of lap band surgery. For other, Gastric Bypass is the solution for a life-long problem. Star Jones finally admitted to have gastric bypass surgery in this article in the July, 2007 issue of Glamour Magazine. You can pick up a Glamour subscription for about ten dollars.

The Roux-en-Y is a more invasive surgery, but it is permanent and you will have a greater weight loss than with the lap band. This surgery also has some risk factors. They include such as gastric bypass problems as:
*Death-less than a half percent
*Blood clots in the legs-usually in severely obese patients
*Leaking at one of the staple lines in the stomach-this is treatable, but could require surgery
*Incision hernia-this is treatable
*Narrowing of the opening between the stomach and small intestine-this is treatable

Some other more minor complications are:
* Vitamin and mineral deficiency (iron deficiency anemia, vitamin B-12 deficiency and vitamin D deficiency)
* Dehydration
* Gallstones
* Bleeding stomach ulcer
* Intolerance to certain foods
* Kidney stones
* Low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) related to excessive insulin production

Again, I see obesity as being more dangerous than having gastric bypass surgery. It has been 2 and a half years since I had this surgery and I did not have any of these gastric bypass problems. I actually went back to work within 3 weeks of having my weight loss surgery.

When considering gastric bypass surgery, you have to be aware of the complications that can occur as a result of this surgery. But you also have to weigh these risks against the risks of remaining overweight. This surgery can extend your life, but only you can decide if the risks of being obese outweigh the risks of having weight loss surgery.

Here are a few more benefits to lapband surgery:

See this great blog post from someone else who underwent lap band surgery at Skirt! Magazine. There are many emotional advantages that a lap band surgery patient will experience. Many overweight people have problems with depression as a result of their obesity problem, but many cannot overcome these problems without outside help. Get magazine subscription for more inspirational stories of those who overcome their problems with assistance..

Lapband surgery has helped a lot of people lose weight, but the maintenance is up to the patient. Regular exercise and sensible food choices are still required. There is a good chance you will reach your goal weight through gastric bypass surgery, but staying there will be up to you.

Before having the surgery, you will be expected to go through preop education and this will vary depending on the facility that is performing surgery. Mine lasted six months and was required by my insurance companies. It is all preparation that your surgery is successful and that you will remain at a healthy weight.

The weight loss surgery lap band is not going to be a walk in the park. Don’t get me wrong, the weight will come off easily and quickly in the beginning, but maintaining your ideal weight will still take exercise, a sensible diet and behavior modification. What the weight loss surgery lap band can do for you is give you a tool to reach a healthy weight, provided you are willing to do the work that it takes and make some sensible decisions.

Most lap band surgery centers are reputable facilities. Naturally, you are going to want to do the normal research that you would for any business you were getting ready to use. Check with the BBB, medical referral agencies, your doctor and former patients.

Many of these lap band surgery centers have had great success in helping people lose weight and regain their health. Most of these facilities have websites that do a good job of explaining what to expect if you select them for your lap band surgery.

Some lap band surgeries are affiliated with hospitals, such as; the one that I used. With the surgery being more common as time goes on, it is easy to find a reputable lap band surgeon that can perform your surgery. It is also more common to see these facilities offering aftercare in the form of counseling and support groups. This is very important, because it is this support that is going help you maintain your weight loss and it is going to help you through the first six months when you don’t know what to expect.

These lap band surgery centers normally accept Medicare, most insurance plans and have financing available for patients that require self-pay options. Check with your doctor. He should be able to refer you to a reputable lap band surgery center. Once you have the surgery, the rest will be up to you. Make use of the resources that are offered to you.

Once you have decided that weight loss surgery is for you then you will begin the preop paperwork and testing that is required. Much of this will be determined by your insurance company. Since Medicare has started paying for weight loss surgery, most insurance companies have followed suit and are now paying for weight loss surgery.

My insurance company required the following:

I also bought some fitness equipment and tried using sweat suits to drop weight.

After my insurance company had all this information, they preapproved me for surgery and then I had a preop meeting with my surgeon at which time I was given a surgery date.

My preparation for weight loss surgery lasted about a year and I am glad it did. It gave me enough time to realize that is what I really wanted. I had the Roux-en-Y and not the lap band, but the preop preparation was the same for both surgeries.

I see preop preparation changing as weight loss surgery becomes more common and lap band surgery becomes more popular. With lap band surgery being mildly invasive with a short recovery period, I see less preop paperwork and counseling being required. I foresee the medical profession considering the health risks of obesity being greater than the health risks of lap band surgery and it will be easier and quicker to be preapproved for weight loss surgery.