My Banding Journey

Today is 3/21/06. I am trying to have patience as I go through the process of getting a band. I started this process more than a month ago!

I had thought on and off over the past 2 yrs about seriously having WLS, but chickened out because all I had ever heard about was the gastric bypass surgery and I didn't want to go that route unless I had to. Last Nov. 05 I heard about the adjustible lap band procedure and looked online to get more information about it. Then the holiday hit and life got crazy and so my weight got put on the back burner for a bit. The beginning of Feb. I called my Dr. here in Mora and asked her to refer me to a hospital that did the adjustible lap band procedure and she referred me to Abbott.

The next day, a nurse from Abbott's bariatric unit called me (Joanie Callahan) and gave me some tips on how I can get the process going along quickly. I needed to visit with a dietician, have an up to date mammogram (done 9/05 ), an up to date pap and exam (needed to do that after 3/7) a visit with a physcologist, and attend a meeting at abbott. The next one was 2/25 so I signed up for that class. I made an appt. with a dietician for 2/13, but he forgot about our appt so I had to go in again on 2/14. He was very nice and apologetic about it. I made an appt to visit with a shrink, but the first available date wasn't until 3/14 so my plans to get this done asap were put on hold a bit longer.

Craig and I went to the informational meeting on the 25th and I knew it was defiitely what I wanted to have done. I came home and filled out the paperwork and sent it back the next day. On the same day that my appt was with the shrink (Dr. Caven) I got a call from Abbott saying that my insurance had approved the procedure so they wanted to set up an appt. to meet with the surgeon. Woo Hoo! That date was set for 3/29 with Dr. Schlosser. I'll have to drive myself down there and back but figure I may as well get use to it and just do it!

Yesterday, I started a cardiac diet that I had done last summer and had good results with it. My beginning weight is 280 pds. The heaviest I had ever been in my life and never want to go any higher than that. My ideal weight is 157 at the high end and I would be extremely happy if I made it to that goal 120 pds - its doable. Out of curiosity I weighed myself this morning because I could tell that I wasn't as puffy as I was the day before and I was down 4.5 pds. I know that its is mostly water weight - I retain alot of fluids and will be so happy when that isn't an issue anymore. My plan is to do this diet this week and next (its a 3 day diet) and then when I meet with the surgeon hopefully I"ll be able to schedule surgery and start on the liquid protein diet.

Thats all for now.....