Dibley Dawn

Tomorrow is the big day for me. May 4th, I will be banded. At times in this journey it felt like this day would never come, but here it is, just on the other side of the sun going down and coming back up again. I am scared, I am optimistic, I am worried and I am hopeful. It's been an interesting journey up until now and I can only hope that it gets better from here. May 4th, here I come

Every surgeon is different. my pre-op diet consists of protein shakes (5 per day) supplemented with broth, jello,popsicles and lots of water. after surgery it will be pretty much clear liquids only. i'll be able to have 2 protein shakes per day, diluted if they are too thick, plus the broth and drinks with an approved amount of calories. i will be having mostly V8Splash and Fuze because that is what i have stocked up on. you should maybe call your surgeon's office and see if there is an approved list of drinks/foods that you can consume post op. this liquid pre-op diet hasn't been a walk in the park, but i definitely am not as scared to go to an all liquid diet after surgery as i would have been had i just gone cold turkey. as much as i have griped about it, i'm glad i did it. tomorrow is the big day for me....though i am having 2nd, and 3rd, and 4th thoughts about it. i'll just keep having 2nd thoughts about it until my mind gets back to "yes, let's do this"

me too, me too, me too.....trying soooo hard not to freak out right now. part of me is ready and part of me is scared. to. death.

I figured you did, but just in case nurse535 doesn't have the same restrictions, she should check. i really wish all doctors would just do the same thing. it's kind of annoying that they are all so different.

You should definitely check with your surgeon about adding fruits to the shakes. mine said absolutely not...so just make sure you check.

I don't really have a lot of encouraging words for you per se because I haven't actually had the surgery yet, but I will say this...I am also on the larger side of what most posters here seem to be. The good news is you will be encouraged by your liquid diet because you will most likely (if you can stick to it) be under 600 by the time your surgery rolls around. Also, the larger you are, the more weight you will probably lose during the first year, so keep that in mind. I have an insane amount (to me) of weight to lose, over 200 pounds, but I know that unlike the bypass or the sleeve, the lap band is going to be a longer process....If i can lose 100 pounds in this first year, I will consider that a success....if that is all i ever lose, i will still consider it a success. . best of luck to you in your surgery, please keep us posted on your progress.

2 more days for me. At this point, it kinda seems unreal, like it's not really gonna happen.

I have United as well and they approved me right away. The thing that took the longest for me was jumping through all of the surgeon's hoops. they wanted a psych eval, a nutritionist consult, a nurse consult and a letter from my primary care physician. I made as many appointments as I could all in 1 day and on the date I actually met with my surgeon I was able to schedule the surgery for 3 weeks later. My surgery is on Wednesday of this week. It really happened fast once I got the ball rolling.

I hope my surgeon finds my surgery easy too. I have not cheated at all on this liver reduction diet, even though the desire was strong...especially with Easter thrown in there. but I stuck to my guns. I just have to get through today and tomorrow. Hopefully I have lost enough that he will still do the surgery. I'd hate for him to get in there and then decide that my liver isn't small enough and just refuse to do it. I don't think i could do this diet for another 2 weeks.

they mean your Primary care doctor. Most surgeons would operate on pretty much anyone as long as they are getting paid. your general doctor would need to give the OK. if you think your general doctor won't approve, then go ahead and call the surgeon's office and ask them if they can recommend a Primary Care doctor for you to get authorization from. But if your BMI is over 40, most likely your PCP will say it's ok.

every surgeon is different, and depending on if you have to jump through insurance hoops or not, it might make a difference. I was scheduled about 3 weeks out from the day I met with my surgeon, so for me it happened pretty fast. i'm getting my band on wednesday. it's sooo close.

unless you are a self pay, you should contact your insurance company to start the ball rolling. figure out what they require, then contact your primary care physician and see if she will write a letter for you to say you need the surgery. then you should contact the surgeon's office and see what they require. my surgeon required a psych eval (using one of his psychiatrists) a nutrition eval (using his nutritionist), a nurse consult (yes with his nurse). my insurance required only that i had a bmi over 40 and nothing else. you should really start with your insurance company and then go from there. at my seminar, they gave me a checklist of everything the surgeon would require. i just went down the checklist and got it all done.

it's not too late. my BMI was above 60 too. thanks to this 2 week liquid pre-op diet, i am in the upper 50's now, so you'll have that to look forward to. my surgery is next week....OMG NEXT WEEK>>>>STARTING TO FREAK OUT...ok, calm down, my surgery is next week and after reading a lot of pages on this forum i feel more confident now and not as scared and I know there are others who were as large as i am who have been successful. I can do it! thanks for your replies, all of you.

I think the mantra that I am going to repeat to myself is ....it's in the past, don't beat yourself up, just move forward from here. the liquid diet ain't easy. i am on it right along with you and my surgery is May 4th, so believe me, I know how hard it is. But even with the band, you are going to inevitably eat something that you shouldn't, or eat too much of something, or eat the slider foods that go down easy. don't throw the baby out with the bathwater though, it's in the past, don't beat yourself up, just move forward from here. say it with me....it's in the past...you get the idea. if you linger on the "but i messed up so what's the point?" you will miss the point. obviously i am getting the band because i have been messing up my whole life. it's hard to change a lifetime of habits and go from 60 to zero. but for the most part, you did the right thing. focus on what good things you did. don't beat yourself up, just move forward from here. you can do this!

Well, you are female, and it is surgery, so....you're not exactly lyin'

Just as an update, for anyone who is interested, I SAILED through the meeting with the awesome garlic bread and didn't take any. i had a salad with delicious tomatoes and cucumbers and no body seemed to notice that i didn't have the Pasta or 10 pieces of bread like i usually have. of course, it helps that i currently have a sinus infection and can't breathe through my nose, and therefore can't SMELL the delicious garlic bread, but i know that it's there and that's usually all it takes. i'm patting myself on the back. 4 more days of this pre-op diet....yay

...oops, double post....please ignore

I haven't been banded yet, but here is what everyone else has been saying: you are only 17 days post op, this time isn't really for losing weight, it's a time for your body to heal. you might even gain weight if you have gone from a liquids diet to a mushy and then solid stage. just use this time to really chew things and heal up. you won't get that "full" feeling until after your 1st fill. most people say they don't get it until their 3rd fill. so just keep doing what you are doing, keep a food journal, walk as much as you can until cleared for exercise and keep trucking. you are doing what you should be doing.

My surgery is next week and I am using Dr. Fielding at NYU. he's (according the the press) one of the best in the country. i can report back and let you know how it went. So far, everyone in their office has been very nice and easy to work with.

I had SEVERAL last meals. I had them for about a week solid! what can i say, i was in panic mode. my surgery is May 4th and I don't know how much weight i gained during my last week of meals, but i'm 15 pounds below what i weighed at the last visit to the doctor's office, so that is what counts (for me). i'm glad i had that quality time to spend with burgers, pizzas, steaks, fajitas, etc...i will cherish those memories of the last time i was able to eat without chewing first.

Hi Lee, Just stopping by to say hi. I also live in NYC and my surgery is on May 4th. i'm trying to lose about 1,000 pounds...at least that's what it feels like i have to lose. I'd be happy with 100, but over the moon if i could lose 150-200. I have lots of pounds to spare and I'd willingly give them to anyone who wants them

I am not allowed to have fruit or a meal on mine, i'm liquids only....plus, I have zero energy to do any kind of exercising. i basically go to work, sit at my desk for 8 hours, then come home and sit on the couch. it takes all the energy i have to make it to the subway and back. I have lost 15 pounds as of this morning. i think the poster above has it right, you are in starvation mode and probably building muscle from all the exercising. i am only losing Water weight, and not 'real' fat. i have had so many liquids, i'm floating. although i have lost 15 pounds, i will probably gain most of that back when they pump me full of fluids during surgery. i really don't consider this 15 pounds a real weight loss. it's just the excess Fluid i have on my body (plus, i have a lot of weight to lose) just go easy on yourself for the next 4 days. there will be plenty of time for real weight loss. the goal here is to shrink the liver and not to lose weight. you are going to be fine. May 4th, here we come!

I'm taking a week off from work, but I guess people just assume I'm taking vacation. Nobody has asked me about what my plans are or where I might be going. I guess if they ask, I'll just tell them I'm gonna take a "staycation" and lay around my house for a week. that is the absolute truth, sorta kinda. Only 5 more days of liquid diet....i think i can, i think i can, i think i can......

seriously, if it weren't for those sugar free popsicles, this diet would be in the garbage can. i sooooo look forward to mine.

Yikes, it's less than a week away. I'm scared right along with you!