jennifer1

wow this post makes me really nervous. i am self pay and i signed a waiver that stated if a hernia was found i allowed the surgeon to repair it. i have a contract stating what my cost is and what i have paid so far. they bettter not start and mess with me cuz i will fight till the end!!!

soooo glad someone asked this question. i too was wondering how the choose the size. i figured give me the larger band cuz i dont wanna max out on fills and still need to loose. good to know it is based on the size of my stomach and not how much weight i need to loose. thanks guys for the info!

Well i start my pre-op all liquid diet tomorrow. I will admit that i took this weekend to have the last of my favorite foods, one being pizza. This is the one food that I dont think i'll be able to have ever again cuz of the bread componet. And I'm ok with that (i think)! LOL! so I am going through the fridge tossing everything out that is isnt a liquid at this point or that wont keep(frozen) till i'm able to have it again. I'll have a moment of silence and i toss all my comfort foods in the trash! I tried to get my sister to come raid my fridge but she wont and i think it's cuz she doesnt want me to hae the surgery. Oh well! Not trying to be cold, but i'm doing this for me. So with that said I start the liquid diet tomorrow, so i'll check in if i havent passed out by the end of the day! LOL

even though i live in Chicago i just wanted to wish you well on your journey!!!

sounds like you're on your way! keep it up!

WOW! well i'm not married so what i have to say may not mount to a hill of Beans...lol...i can understand you being after to tell your husband and i'm sure you didnt feel good about not being honest with him, i mean this is a huge life decision and adding that stress i'm sure didnt feel good. We're are not hear to judge you but support you and offer advice. I do think you need to tell him and just be prepared for whatever the outcome is. you know your husband better than any of us who have never met. him.. i pray you get the courage and find the right words to explain to your husband your decision. Best wishes!

congrats! sounds like you're off to a great start....giving up the coke i'm sure was not easy..so you know you have to strength to do this. i stay buried in these forums to keep me going! welcome and best wishes!

congrats! sounds like you're off to a great start....giving up the coke i'm sure was not easy..so you know you have to strength to do this. i stay buried in these forums to keep me going! welcome and best wishes!

Hun, i would listen to your doctor. Yes people on here can give you advice, but unless they are your MD then for certain things I would take what they say with a grain of salt. SMH at some of the responses... best wishes in your journey!

Ok i'm sitting over her boo hooing all over my computer as I read your post. I'm sooo pissed cuz i typed a reply before and lost my internet connection!!ugh! long story short i have often wondered how my role is going to shift cuz i've played the funny fat girl role all my life. I will be the first to comment about my weight or crack a joke cuz if i do it first it's no longer funny or hurtful if someone else does it. it was my defense mechanism. i love this forum and the support it offers. i can come here and chat with people whom i've never met and will probably never meet, but i can share my deepest feeling concerning my weight with! Love you guys!!

Well my pre-op testing was yesterday. Let me start off my saying I HATE DRIVING IN DOWNTOWN CHICAGO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Cabbies and biker's really irritate me and just the traffic and overall overcrowdedness!!! (is that even a word! my sister(the teacher would probably kringe if she saw that)! anywho! got to the doctors office and only 2 people were in the waiting room. I pay my deposit($$$$$$) and complete some more paper work. Once I get called back I go thru the norm of BP, temp, height and weight. Yep BP was high 147/98, which is high for me, but they dont seem concerned and feel it's "white coat syndrome". lol You can call it whatever you like as long as it doesnt stop me from getting banded!! Get blood taken(not that bad), and EKG , talk to the anastesiolgist(i can never spell that, but ya'll know what i mean..LOL), and I can say i'm not to thrilled about the intubated thing, but I know i have to have it. Went back out the to waiting room and there are close to 20 people waitng! WTH!!! are they giving away lap bands now,...sign me up! found out the doc was running late so i had to sit another 20 minutes for my barium swallow. he comes rushing through the door. i get called back and in like 2 minutes its over. I stand in front of the xray like machine. take 3 big gulps of this white stuff and bam that's it. As I look over the papers I was given there is a 0 POUND WEIGHT GAIN CLAUSE! WTH is this. well apparently if you dont weigh the same you did on your pre-op testing(done 2 weeks before your surgery), there's a chance they wont do the surgery. i asked for clarity and it's like if you gain like 10+ pounds. Ok not sure how you would do that if you're on a liquid diet for 2 weeks, but apparently someone has done it or they wouldnt have to say it. Ok i've rambled enough! SMOOCHES!!!

Day 4!!!! i'm so jealous! I have to do 2 weeks!!!!! I start monday and get banded on the 20th! so excited for you..So since you go first you know i'll be bugging you about what to actually expect!!! LOL! Have a good weekend and happy mother's day if you are a mother!

My surgery date is may 20th!!! Good luck with the psych eval( that sounds weird, not really sure what to say)!!! LOL!

I dont know what the "situation, but RUN!!!!! That sounds way to fishy to me and the fact that they want to discount a medical procedure like that. I would advise finding some place else. I'm getting banded at Day One Health with Dr. Elli in Chicago, maybe you could see if they take patients that werent originally banded by them. Best wishes!

Oh Jen! I'm sooooo sorry to hear that. I have hypothyroidism adn i go for my pre-op testing on tomorrow and i'm praying for no glitches in my schedule for my surgery date on the 20th. But yeah it is best that you dont get in OR and have something go terribly wrong. I hope everything gets back on track soon.

Well tomorrow I go for my pre-op testing: blood work, EKG and anastesiology clearance(not sure what that means). Also this weekend I'll go grocery shopping for my wonderful liquids i get to have for two weeks. It' kinda cool that i get sugar free fudgsicles...too bad it's not summer time though! I feel like this is becoming more and more real now that I'm going for the pre-op testing. I have a whirlwind of emotions, but none of them are regret or turning back. I am moving full steam ahead!!!!

welcome to the site. i havent been banded yet, so i dont have any advice on that end. and i start my pre-op diet (2 weeks liquids) next week. so follow my blog and maybe some of your questions will get answered in my everyday ramblings! LOL

Ok since I found this site I am obsessed. I used to log on to Facebook whenever I got on my laptop, but now it's always here first. I'm not only obsessed with the site, but with the whole process period. I'm so excited to finally be getting my band and just wish the day would get here already. I cant seem to think of anything else. Right now i'm not sad about the food i'll be losing but the health i'll be gaining. It seems that all my friends that know wanna "eat with me one last time". they act like I'll never be able to eat again! LOL! i understand where they're coming from though! LOL! Just thought I'd shar my thoughts.

Years ago I mentioned the surgery to my doctor and her response was "oh sweetie if you eat right and exercise you will lose weight"! ummmmmm why didnt i think of that! ugh!!!!! so needless to say I'm getting banded on the 20th and she has no clue. i got around her cuz i'm self pay..now while she didnt really try to discourage me from doing it, she wasnt exactly the lap band cheerleader. if you have to have a referral from your PCP to start the process for inusurance I would consider changing PCP's and getting a second opinion...Just my 2 cents. Best wishes!

I'm sorry you didnt get the support from your mom, but i'm in the same boat. In my family I only told my mom and sister and neither was very supportive. So what have I done...focused on the friends that are supportive. Yeah it hurts that my family isnt on board, but this isnt about them it's about me. I've contemplated this decision for 5 years, prayed and i have a peace about it. People who have never struggled with weight just dont get it no matter how many times you explain it to them. I say if you have a peace about the surgery and you feel this is what's best for you go for it. You will find plenty of support here, cuz WE GET IT!

OH WOW!!!!!!!!!THANKS FOR ALL THE LOVE SUPPORT AND COMPLIMENTS GUYS! I want to start journaling through my pics and take one on monday when i start my pre-op diet and the day of surgery and go on from there. Hard to take a good pic when i live alone, but i'll figure it out. Last nite I went through the before and after pics and was inspired even the more. I 'm so excited and cant wait to start my journey, well i guess i kinda already have! LOL Thanks again everyone for your support. Please those of you who havent been banded yet if you ever wanna email me more private questions i willl be an open book.

Hello, My name is Jennifer. I am 36, live in the Chicago area, single with no kids. I work as an Occuapational Therapist on a traumatic brain injury unit. I have been reasearching the lap band for over 5 years. I've been obsessed with this site for 2 months and just found this whole blog thing! LOL! Well i'm scheduled for surgery on May 20th in chicago at Day One Health with Ddr. Elli. I start my pre-op diet on May 9th. I am sooooo happy I'm finally getting this done. It's so sad that my family doesnt support me, but my friends do. so between God, this site and my friends i think i can make it. I look forward to this new journey I am embarking on. come and follow me.

i hear you on the eat things you know you wont be able to eat again. i get banded on the 20th and start my pre-op liquid diet on the 9th. So it's pizza this weekend. I have been tryn to stay in the gym at least doing some cardio, and have actually started to feel guiilty about the food i've been eating. i'm praying that a good sign that i finally have a mental change that i know i'm going to need to be successful with the band. Best wishes!

congrats on getting through your first day. i start mine on monday..sooooo i'm having my favorite! pizza this weekend, my last hoorah! LOL

i wish you a successful sugery and minimal discomfort and a speedy recovery! mines is the 20th,,,cant believe it's almost here. best wishes...and check in to let us know how everything went when you feel up to it