PRE-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A

ok, so i am 2 days away and am very very nervous. Me, my husband and my best friend decided to get away for the weekend and go to San Antonio to visit my husbands brother. we made plans to go tubing down the river and go out dancing.. you know just hang out. all was fun but the hurdles i had to jump was crazy!! do you know how hard it is to be 23, not to drink when out with your buddies?? its very difficult! but i didnt. as far as my pre-op diet goes. i was so proud of myself until about 3 am ssaturday night. we stopped by whatabuger after dancing. this little hill billy place wasnt serving breckfast so eggs were out of the question! so, yes i was starving and i did it...…

:confused2: I was wondering if there are any other Widow's out there?

I keep reading about fills with fluroscopy and fills without fluroscopy. I have no idea what this means. Can anyone help me?

I have my surgery scheuled for Sept 17th. I am really excited, but recently ran into a person that told me-- I hope they don't postpone your surgery like they did her friends due to a "fatty liver". Does anyone know anything about that.... and if so-- what do I need to do in order to prepare so that I do not face the same obstacle. Thanks!!!

I have been meaning to ask this and then I forget! But, I have a 6-1/2-year-old son, which means if he gets sick....I get sick...And twice when he has gotten the stomch flu I have gotten it and I usually get it worse than anyone else. Once I had it so bad when I went to the ER I had purple splotches on my face and the veins in my eyeballs were busted. The ER doc looked at my husband and then at me and said, "who has been strangling you." I said, No one. I have been vomiting all night long and dry heaving. So, this is my MAJOR apprehension. I am terrified when I get banded I am going to end up with the stomach flu and end up with a slipped band, because I tell ya, wh…

OK,Was approved on Thursday and was very surpised! So need lotsa info on pre-op .Whats good and things I should stock up on for before and after surgery! Thought I would have alot more time to prepare!! thanks CHA CHA:blink:

I'm not sure if there's anyone like me but I don't like a jiggle in my butt, stomach and boobs so all of my under clothes are support everything (panty girdle's and minimizers). I was wondering though, the day of surgery with all the incisions would it be wise for me to get some cotton granny panties and wear a cute sun dress that's loose. Suggestions welcomed.

Hi Everyone - I am getting banded next Thursday, August 28th and I just started my pro-opt Medifast/300 calorie diet. I notised I'm getting headches and I'm cranky. It can't possibily because I'm not getting enough protien; I'm following what I need to do exactly. Is this just the initical shock of not eating like I'm used to? Did this happen to anyone else and will I feel less cranky as I'm more days into it? Can anyone tell me what it's been like for them? Katiegrrl

by Aetna -- have furnished 3 years of weight history -- saw my doc on Thursday and he's sending in the request for approval for my lap-band surgery. My husband is still against it, but will support me if I'm adamant about having this. Doc says not to be surprised if they refuse it initially -- then he says he'll have to get on the phone and "remind" them that I've done everything they require. But I can't do anything for at least 5-6 weeks anyway -- I had emergency surgery to remove a portion of my colon on July 1, so he wants to wait at least 12 weeks until he does this surgery. Hopefully the two won't conflict with each other! BTW, Would someone tell me how…

:biggrin2:Hello i am new as of today. My doctor has sent a referral to the band doc. So wanting for them to call me. I would love any advice or talk in general I am nerious but excited sure hoping I can do it. I am 5'2 at 225. I am courios about the whole procedure. starting with first visit what hoops you have had to jump through. What kind of healing time after surgery. I have joined a gym in June I go 5 days a week. My right foot has planter fiskeyilist (spelling wrong) So limited to what i can do. I have tried ever and all diets end up at same place. So hoping I can do this. I want to just be healthy and active I simply cant do it at this weight..

Hi All! I know I can ask my doc about this and I will, but I wanted a concensus.... I'm doing a fairly long pre-op "atkinsesque" diet to shrink my fatty liver, consisting of 2-3 low carb shakes, lots of water, and "palm sized" lean protein (only fish turkey or chicken) and some low carb veggies. What I was wondering is...I'm going NUTS! Do you think I could chew some sugar free gum, just to get rid of the ick taste in my mouth? Plus it gives me something to gnaw on besides my chair arm. I don't want to blow it; and I CAN tough it out if I have to. Had I followed his rules properly at first I'd have been banded 8/11, so I don't want to cheat. Just wondering if,…

Well, I'm to be banded Sept. 12, and starting to think about stocking up for pre and post surgery. My Dr is saying a two week pre surgery diet. Protein shake for breakfast and lunch, small meal with protien and veggies for dinner, no red meat. I'm thinking hmmm... if I had a regular life and schedule that would work. I'm up 16-18 hours or more a day with overtime, I work a swingshift too. This is really gonna suck!!! I'm starting to wonder how I'm going to cope and have any energy with that little food in such a long time span. Like right now I'm on afternoon shift. I've been up since 7am when the 2yr old gets up, went to work at 3pm and I'll be hear until 3am, th…

hi my band was placed on July 3rd and I am new to this community. I am very anxious see what others have already accomplished and want to learn and do well with my band.

Oh my, I started out with a bang. I have researched and thought about my skinny jeans, etc. But- I am starting to freak out , and I haven't even been to a seminar. I will preface this by saying I am already an high anxiety person. How do you get over the fact you have this forgein thing in you? I read that the fills can hurt. And you know all the other risk. Please , I need some reassuring.:confused2:

I am on the liquid pre-op diet for 3 weeks. Anyone know if it is ok to drink Propel water??? It has lots of vitamins in it but I think it has a tiny bit of sugar too. (about 30 calories for about 24 oz.) It sure is good

I am getting banded on Oct 9th. Going in for preop with the surgeon on Sept 8th. Wish it was all happening tomorrow but after waiting since Feb to go through the whole process, I guess I can wait a while longer. There are so many different results I have read about in the blogs, I wonder what is an average weight loss for say one month???

I started my Lap band journey in March 2008 and yesterday was told I was approved by my insurance and they were ready to schedule my surgery for Thursday, September 4th!! I have learned alot on this website and I'm looking forward to the continued support that I know I'll receive here. And I hope to offer support to those who are in the midst of their pre-surgery journey.

I have been thinking about some things about my insurance and my doctor. I have not gone to my doctor visit yet, but I do know my insurance does cover this type of surgery, but I still have to have an H and P, psych eval and nutrition evaluation. But, what bothers me is I talked to my insurance to find out if they cover the psych eval and the nutrition eval and they said they did. However, I am going to have to pay 200.00 for the psych eval and 200 for the nutrition consult, because apparently the doctors in the surgeons office does not take the insurance? Also, I am going to have to pay for my doctors preop diet supplements and and the postop stuff they want their pa…

My husband is a federal employee and is considering switching to Federal BCBS next open season, either Oct or Nov. Does anyone know if MS BCBS covers lap band surgery and, if so, what are the requirements? What was your experience? I just had my first visit at Dr. Avara's office in Ocean Springs last night. Setting out on my 6 month worth of visits with a local FP. I have a BMI of 40, not diabetic, not been diagnosed with hypertension. I don't want to HAVE to life threatening illnesses for insurance to pay for this surgery....that is why I want the surgery! Argh. :thumbup: Thanks so much!

I have to wait untill Oct. to see my surgeon for the 1st time....It it Oct 22nd yet?

99% of my Questions have been answered. I have one that I am curious about. Is there something you know now, that you didnt know before the surgery that would of been nice to know about? Something or a topic that has yet to be mentioned or mentioned very little. Kinda like "what to expect when you are expecting.. the band"

I GO THIS COMING THURSDAY TO HAVE MY LAP BAND SURGERY.. I WAS DOING FINE UNTIL I STARTED READING STUFF ON HERE THAT SCARRED THE CRAP OUT OF ME. I ALMOST WANTED TO BACK OUT OF THE SURGERY BUT I REALLY NEED IT. I HAVE BEEN OVER 300LBS FOR TO LONG AND I HAVE ALWAYS FELT LIKE THIS WAS AN ANSWERED PRAYER FROM THE LORD FOR ME.. DOES ANYONE HERE THAT HAS HAD THE SURGERY HAVE ANY COMFORTING MESSAGES TO HELP TAKE AWAY THIS FEAR..

I have my surgery on September 16th, my brothers birth date. I am expected to go home the same evening. I won't have to be there until 9:30/10am, and be in the or by 11:30. I'm so blown away... I only started this journey May 6th of this year. Teri

Just curious. Are fills covered by most insurance plans - if not what is the out of pocket cost for a fill? I am paying for my procedure and up to 10 fills are included in the cost of the package. :confused2:

So I had my second of 4 required appointments with the psych/cognitive behavioral therapist.. This went much better and I tried to keep our conversations about my eating habits, and not wonder off into the past as much and felt better when I left.. I told her about how I was really put to the test this past week with my stress eating when my father wasn't well.. I had to really hold it together and not freak out so that I could do what needed to be done.. I also had to ask for help from the rest of the family and do some delegating,, and then brace myself for the replies and not let it get to me..I did it!! For the first time probably in my life I was able to let those hu…

So far all my docs (including nephrologist and endocrinologist) have said go for it. I'm also type 1 diabetic. Anyone know if either of these conditions will cause me not to be allowed the lap band?

I just returned from the info. session and I definitely fit my insurance's parameters so I scheduled my appointment for the medical evaluation and first part of the psych for September 11. :biggrin2: My program is pretty strict, though. I have to do Optifast for a month before surgery (good thing I did the whole Optifast program 2 1/2 years ago so it won't be that much of a shock) and they require an overnight hospital stay. I have weekly meetings for a month before and after and then monthly meetings on top of a boat load of visits with the exercise specialist, dietitian, and therapist. One good thing is that they do allow coffee I was told today that my surgery w…

Hi all Is caffiene allowed on the pre-op diet?

hi all had my band fitted 13 feb 2008 did ok on pre op diet 15lbs off now another 2 weeks on liquids not feeling hungry yet but could do with some ideas on the fluids so that they dont become boring . had surgery in united kingdom any one else out there from good old U K keeping positive if only a bit sore early days yet i know need your hel:thumbup:p thanks lyn

I bought some Optima Slim Fast Shakes yesterday. I think there is a difference between these and Slim Fast Low Carb shakes. Difference?? Do I need to take the Optima shakes back and exchange them? Thanks in advance for your help. Becky (day 2 of 21 day pre-op diet):smile2:

i am exactly one week post-op today. if you are thinking about getting this surgery make sure you are completely prepared. i thought i was and im miserable. i feel fine i dont have any pain at all really. you prepare yourself and think your ready to follow all the rules. well let me tell you i am miserable because all ive been eating is applesauce and pudding because i am on the liquid diet. im pissed off at everyone and i shouldnt be but i am. seriously think about it and make 100% sure that you are really ready for this. you would never realize how many food commercials and advertising is for a tasty mcdonalds cheeseburgher

I finally got my referral from my PCM today. Now, I need to go meet with the Bariatic team. I attened the seminar. SO now I guess I just wait to see what the next step is. I really hope this goes smoothly and we don't have any problems with Tricare. Wish me Luck!!!! Teresa :smile2:

Woohoo! I got my approval letter today! Needless to say that after months of jumping through hoops and then seemingly endless waiting I am thrilled! Gonna go pack for the hospital.......(joke :smile2:)

I am having surgery on Oct. 9th. I have two more tests to do. When getting my pre-op orders. I asked about smoking, I smoke occasionally, they told me stop smoking 6 weeks before surgery, and stay away from second hand smoke, as it will show up in my preop blood work and they will not do the surgery. Any thoughts??

I just got a call from Jessica the dietician. I had called yesterday to ask if the Surgeon's office got my application and what I needed to do next, blah, blah, blah. So, she said they got 15 applications the night of the seminar and Linda is the person in the Surgeon's office who will be calling with dates for the Dietician, Psychologist, and Lab work and she is on vacation this week. Dr. Carroll will look over the application to make sure I am qualified for the surgery. Jessica told me that she looked over my application after I called and thought it looked great and that I should be getting a call next week to start making appointments. After I get the call with the …

My question is how much effort should I put into my 3 month supervised diet? I am feeling very motivated and want to give it my all. I have two reasons to think maybe I should take it easy. The first one is I'm 5'6" but the MD measured me wrong and documented that I am 5'7.25"(I told her she was wrong and she argued with me). I had the dietitian remeasure me and she agreed that I am in fact 5'6". She said she would change it, but if the insurance company gets a hold of the wrong height, it really changes my BMI:angry:! So my second concern is that my starting BMI (assuming we use the 5'6" for my height) was 42.1, now after losing 6lbs it is down to 41.6. So if I lose 10 l…

Has anyone had or going to have surgery with Dr. Ortiz?

Hey everyone. I have a quick question that I have not been able to get a clear yes or no from anyone... I know that drinking alcohol is waasted calories and wasted room once banded, but I was just wondering if I will ever be able to go out and a drink with my friends ever again? I am very serious about this procedure so please don't think that I am not. I just am curious if I will be able to have a drink at my wedding one day you know? Cassie :confused2::cool2::smile2::w00t:

I am so bummed. I was supposed to be banded this month. But we had to change it until sometime in September, because I have a ulcer. )-: Anyone else get postponed. I hate this waiting. I have done all the other steps. I am so frustrated, i hope they call and set the date up soon. :smile2:

Hey everyone I have been searching like crazy to get some info on people who have gotten banded and the surgery experience. I have never had a surgery so I am freaking out about the whole thing. Is this normal did every one else get the pre surgery jitters I am extremely excited about getting it and have been looking forward to the surgery for like a yr but now that it is literally hours away i am freaking out and wondering do i really want to get this done? I have always been a big baby about things but I am honestly so scared and just hope i wake up after surgery and i cant feel anything while in surgery.If any one has any advice please get back to me asap and also plea…

Hi I was just wondering if anyone had aetna insurance its a ppo and I have the Aetna select plan where I can only go to in network providers. I am in the process of getting a network deficiency because there is no doctors in network that perform the sugery in my state at all, so my question is how is aetna it has been a nightmare so far trying to deal with them. How long does it take for them to approve and also does anyone know if I went to the doctor every month sometimes 2 times a month for 7 months and got my vitals taken and was put on weightloss pills if this would qualify for a medically supervised diet I also have gym logs to confirm I was working out.

I'm wondering if you can help me out here... I'm really confused on who I should tell and who I shouldn't tell. I'm booked for surgery in September. I don't know if I should tell the whole world, or keep it to myself. It's not as well known here in Canada as it is in the U.S., so most people don't quite understand this whole procedure, so if I start telling people, they might be less ignorant, but then I might be exhausted from trying to explain it all (I'm thinking of making my own information pamphlets just to hand out). I think I'm still wondering myself if I have to deal with the fact that I failed at everything else, and whether people will consider me to be a …

Hey everyone. I haven't even gotten as far as posting my intro yet so I'll give a little background info here. :thumbup: My name is Randi, I'm 23, and I have 2 beautiful children. Two beautiful children who assisted in adding almost 60 lbs to my body over the past 4 years. (gulp) So I tried to read to the FAQs, but honestly, I'm just way too ADD-ish to focus long enough to get through it. I blame exhaustion. Soooo basically, I'm 23, 5'3 (almost), and just over 280 lbs. (ugh). I want to look into getting the lap band because I have yo-yoed back and forth between 210 and 280 since I was 18 and can't ever seem to get less than 210 and I can't seem to keep it off once I …

I just got scheduled today for banding on Sept. 22nd. Had to go with the other surgeon in the practice because my doctor's schedule is too full. I like him but he wants to do a few more tests - the heart stress test where they don't use the treadmill but inject you with something that stresses your heart. Anyone had this? Plus I am dealing with breast cancer - 6 years out and go for my yearly mammogram Monday - always waiting for the other shoe to drop. VERY STRESSFUL!! Plus a visit with a dermatolgist in Sept. to look at something on my arm that I hope doesn't turn out to be skin cancer. So, lots on my plate and I am worried about the surgery. I am a widow and I d…

I am having surery on October 9 and my doctor did not give any major diet changes before my surgery. I do have to reduce my caloric intake and start exercising more, which I am, but my firend that had it last December said that she ate Jack in the Box the night before and my boss said she was on liquids for three days before. What have you found to be best?:confused2:

I'm on day 5 of my pre-op liquids only diet and I am having terrible headaches. They are lasting most of the day, starting around 9am and only getting better when I go to sleep. Any suggestions on what might be causing this and what I can do to help besides taking tylenol? Thanks!

I attended the free seminar and a support group on 08/13/08. I mailed in my application for the surgery on the 14th. I also went to see my PCP on the 14th and got referrals for all the doctors I will have to see for the surgery. However, I haven't been "approved" by the surgeon's office yet for the surgery. My insurance company doesn't require me to do anything. Their only requirements are; 100 overweight, 35 BMI with co-morbidities, 40+ BMI, no smoking, over 18 yrs old and under 60, and the hospital has to be a "hospital of excellence". I have Harvard Pilgrim Health POS they will pay for everything as long as I have a referral from my PCP. I only have to pay for doctors …

My doctor told me to be on clear liquids 1 week, then thicker liquids 1 week the solid were ok, I CAN EAT SOLIDS OK, WHY DO WE NEED TO STAY ON LIQUIDS FOR SO LONG. NO ONE HAS YET TO EXPLAINE THIS TO ME.

Does anyone else feel the way I do? I am currently going through the nutrition portion of my preop. I have 2 more sessions to go. Initially, I did really well with losing the required weight that I needed to. Now I have crept back up and gained some but did manage to drop down 2 pounds to basically my starting point. I feel like Mrs. Pac-Man -- I know I have to follow my eating guidelines, but it is almost like I am in a panic to eat everything I can so that I don't miss anything. The problem is that I don't feel good about it afterwards and I am down on myself for acting like this. I keep saying today is a new day, but I end up messing up either with portion cont…

HI! This is my first post, but I have been "lurking" for a few weeks. I decided about a year ago that I wanted to be banded, but I talked myself out of it and thought I would do it on my own instead. So, here I am a year later just a big as before and a year has just "wasted" away! A month or so ago I told my DH and mom that I wanted to have the surgery and started the process. My doctor started the approval process and I am just waiting to hear from the DR if I am approved to start the next steps. My insurance requires a 6 month pre diet. So my initial thought was to just take it easy and not lose to much weight. Because I am only 20 lbs or so from a 40 bmi…