roziecakes

Aaaannnndddd we're back. Just got back from the hospital. I'm shocked and amazed at how good I feel. I'm going to go post my story now in the surgery stories thread. Good luck to all other June 8th folks (and everyone else of course) I was thinking of you!

I am self-pay, and I had one. It was explained to me that most of the pre-op stuff, including the psych eval were to make sure that I was ready for the surgery physically, mentally and emotionally. What I gathered is that my doctor wants me to succeed; and people who are not prepared mentally will not succeed, and they will have then wasted their money and time. I'm not saying you're someone like that, but I do think it's important to get evaluated by a professional.

I'm surprised at how calm I feel about the whole thing. I guess part of it is that I really trust my surgeon. He is a friend of my stepdad's; (my stepdad is an ICU nurse), and he has an excellent record. I feel really excited, and I keep daydreaming about all of the things that I'm going to do to make my life better; and all the things I'll be able to do when I'm healthy. My partner, Greg, however, is freaking out. He thinks I'm going to die, and he's worried sick. Poor thing. It doesn't help that I traveled from Oregon to California to get this done, and Greg can't be here with me because he just started his new job last week, so he can't take any time off. I'm grateful to have my mom and stepdad as a support system while I'm here.

My pre-op diet was similar; I was given a goal of losing 20 pounds (I lost 25 total); and was asked that I take approximately a month to get there, but as long as I needed. I was told to call the doctor when I was getting close to the 20 pounds. I was on a 1200 calorie regular food diet. Once I got close to the 20 pounds, I called them, and they gave me my surgery date; and was told that a week before the date to be on liquids; with Clear liquids the day before. My non-liquid diet consisted of a ton of vegetables (most out of our garden, woot!), lean meats, protein shakes; and no breads, limited on other carbs like oatmeal and Pasta. Then for the liquid diet, I had pureed soups, yogurt, sugar free pudding, Protein shakes, vegetable juice. Today I've had some sugar free Jello (NASTY, but I'll do it), some fruit juice, vegetable broth, and Water. Hope that helps give you an idea of what I had to do.

I still can't believe my surgery is tomorrow! This has been a process a couple of years in the making for me between saving money and finding the right doctor, doing pre-op stuff, etc etc. Wow ! It's really happening

I had a hard time the first week of the pre-op diet too, and then it was somehow like something just fell into place, and a pattern started, and like you say, it's all about listening to your body and what it needs and wants. I also have given up coffee and diet pepsi now as well, since I figure it's good practice for afterward when I really can't have it. The other great thing I found about the pre-op diet was that I actually did really start losing, and each pound lost I felt a really great sense of pride, like "yeah, this really is the next stage!" I actually lost 25 pounds on the pre-op diet. Tomorrow I switch from full liquids to clear; and then Wednesday is the day!

I posted in the other June thread, but I'm getting banded on the 8th at 10:30 in the morning. I'm really looking forward to it. I've had my bout of nerves, but I'm excited now. I really feel like I'm turning a new page!!

Go here: http://www.tickerfactory.com/ezticker/ticker_designer.php?type=3 Then go through the steps, and at the end they give you some code to paste in your signature.

I, like the original poster have not told everyone that I know about the surgery; and I think that's okay. It's amazing to me though, that some people who I really trusted have been so negative! I am so sorry that your personal trainer is so completely ignorant; and I think your email was well-written. Go you for standing up for yourself!!!

My surgery is also on June 8th, and I'm getting nervous, mostly it's a happy nervous; I can't wait to be empowered to change my life. I wish I had done this when I was 18. You will do great! Good luck to you and to all other June 8th surgery folks. I'll be thinking of you!

Me too! Exactly the same time!

Haven't been on in a while... I've been working three jobs lately! Ick! So anyhoo, I thought I was going to be a May bandster, but I am now scheduled for June 8th! I'm leaving for California tomorrow, I have one more consult on the 7th, and that's it! I'm so ready. Ended up losing 25 pounds on my pre-surgery diet

I am so glad that this thread exists. I have always been someone who has strived very hard to be healthy, and I was truly embarrassed at first when a lap band was suggested to me. I had been living with the myth that it was okay to be fat, and that even though I was fat, I was still healthy, it was a myth and a lie that weight affected health, and that it was better for me to be an empowered fat person than someone trying to lose weight. Well... I'm so glad that I finally started thinking for myself. No, I'm not as healthy as I could be. Granted, I'm healthier than a lot of other people who weigh as much as I do, and I am fairly active; but not like I could be. I can be so much healthier and fitter, and I can do so many more things if I lose weight. And it does affect my blood pressure, my blood sugar, and my reproductive health. It's true. When I made the decision to work towards getting the surgery, my partner was discussing it with a supposedly good friend who immediately went on a huge diatribe about how I had a "Barbie Fantasy" and I shouldn't give in to what the male dominated society wanted me to look like. She told me I was making a horrible decision. And then there are those who say it's a cop-out, and the easy way out, etc etc etc. The truth is, that deep down we KNOW what our bodies need. I know that my body needs to be lighter so that I can do the things I love. It has NOTHING to do with how I look, or any Barbie fantasy or anything like that. There will always be nay-sayers, whatever we do; whether it's because of jealousy, ignorance, or fear, or for whatever reason. Just do what you feel in your heart, mind and soul is right for you. That's what I'm doing!

Yeah, my surgeon has me on the diet to shrink my liver, but he also said that he requires it to see how committed folks can be to change their lifestyle. It makes sense to me; but I could definitely see that it is a surgeon's preference. One difference I can see after reading this board for a while between my surgeon and others is that my surgeon actually advises against protein shakes, and encourages other kinds of high protein foods. I find that interesting... I personally can't see what's wrong with protein shakes.

I am also a self-pay, and trust me, I've been mulling over the money issue in my head over and over again. I just bought a new car, I want to make all kinds of improvements to my house, and travel, etc etc and then there's bills, and oh no... I get myself into a big spiral. And then I realize that this is a conscious choice that I'm making for my health, and that if I can't be healthy, I won't be able to do all the things that I keep thinking about wanting to save the money for. I really think that paying for the surgery now will help save me money in the long run.

I will try this with chicken. Thanks for the recipe!

I am 99% sure that I'll be getting mine in May. I just had my pre-op medical and psych clearance, plus clearance from the nutritionist. Now, my doc just wants me to lose 20 pounds, and I only have 8 more to go! I'll be heading back in after those 8 are gone, and then the date will be set.

Hey hey, this is my first post outside of the introductory post that I made... I'm really glad that someone brought this up. I have been mulling over the same thing, and have come to this conclusion: It's like any other private / semi-private part of my life. I think that it's a need to know basis. I have shared what I'm doing with my partner Greg, my parents, sister, and my best friends. Other folks know that I am going to be getting surgery, but I haven't told them what it's for, and I don't think that I need to. Other people I will probably just not say anything. Of course, if I'm asked I'm not going to lie, but I'm also not going to just broadcast it out to the whole world. I feel pretty okay with that. Hope that provides some insight.

Thank you for the welcome! I don't have my surgery scheduled yet, but I have been given a ball park estimate of mid-may. I only have a few more pounds to lose before I go back to the doc for the final consultation. I'm really looking forward to this new part of my life. It's been a long time coming!

Hi everyone! I'm really excited to be here. My name is Rose, and I'm a pre-op lap band patient. I'm working on losing 20 pounds before surgery, and I'm really excited about the journey that I'm undertaking. I feel like this is the perfect tool for me to finally attain the goals that I've been trying to reach for years. Currently I weigh 369 pounds, which is down from last year's high of 390. I started my pre-op diet a week ago at 374. I've struggled with weight my entire life, and I'm probably the heaviest person in my entire family. I really just want to be healthy and to do the things that I love to do like hiking and playing sports (I was actually the only girl at my high school in history to play on the football team!). I already have a pretty decent self-esteem level, but I realize that I love myself enough now to really take charge and control and responsibility for my health. It's really important to me. I suppose I should also mention that I am 6 ft tall, so my BMI is over 50. Also, I have PCOS (diagnosed at age 17, part of why I have no children), and hypothyroidism big time. I take 300 mcg a day! I was also diagnosed with type 2 diabetes at age 17, but haven't taken any meds for it in 3 years, and have been controlling with diet. My last HGa1c was 5.6, so I'm doing pretty good with that! I'm really looking forward to getting to know the other folks on this board, and I hope to learn a lot here. I'm really grateful that a forum like this exists. I'm not new to internet forums, I'm a moderator of another forum (spiritually oriented), and a frequent flyer on a forum for my favorite hobby, Geocaching. Who am I otherwise? I'm 29 years old. I live in Junction City, Oregon with my partner of almost 9 years, Greg. I am originally from Northern California. I'm a web developer by trade, and I work for a GIS (Geographic Information Systems) company doing front-end development, and also regular websites. I love to garden (we grow a lot of our own vegetables!), and I love basically any outdoor activity. As I mentioned, Geocaching is my favorite hobby; it's a GPS scavenger hunt. I also love movies, and to read. I adore karaoke and I love to sing. Again, I'm looking forward to participating on this forum. I'll probably do some reading first, and then participate slowly. Thanks all! =^..^=