musicalmomma

Hello fellow June -`07 banders!!! There's another thread out there for 6/07 banders...but this one's been around longer. Anyway, I'm scheduled for June 1st!!! I'm so excited, as are all of you!! I'll be 39 in August and my goal is to be FIT and 40, not FAT and 40!!

Hi to all my fellow June Bandsters!!! I'm scheduled for June 1st! I'm so excited, it's hard to think about anything else!!!

:target: :Banane27:

I can only offer this.

I followed by diet presurgery because as you can see by my BMI I'm a big gal. Big gal means big liver. Your liver can get so large it makes the surgery difficult if not impossible to perform. So I encourage you to try and stay away from FAT because FATTY LIVER is not a good thing.

As it was, I had FLAT liver. That was a liver that was big, deflated and flat but still wide. It added two hours to my sugery time.

Stick to the plan.

WOW! Thank you for sharing that with me! I don't want to make things difficult for my surgery. I MUST follow a liquid (medifast) diet for one week prior to surgery. I think I'll try to do the 5 & 1 medifast plan (5 shakes - 90 cals each and one lean & green meal) for the next three weeks. That should make the week of liquid only a little more bearable.

I really appreciate your advice and your sharing your experience :target: Thanks again

My husband is the best man in a wedding two weeks after my surgery. About a month ago the bride called and asked me to play a small part in the ceremony. I tried to decline but she wasn't taking no for an answer. She wants me to wear a formal gown. I've been looking for a dress but without a girdle every dress I try looks really bad. I have been assuming that two weeks out I would still be to sore to wear one. Am I wrong? Can someone that is already banded let me know what they think.

When is your surgery? Does the bride know you're having surgery? To me it's a little selfish to ask someone two weeks out of surgery to perform duties at her wedding. If she doesn't know, are you wanting to keep it a secret? If not, tell her you'll still be in recovery and don't want to take a chance in not being able to perform your duties, so she should find someone else. If she doesn't know and you don't want her to know, I don't know what to tell you. Normally, I'd say only you know what you can handle, but in this case you really don't know if you'll be able to handle it or not. I've had laprascopic surgery before and wouldn't DREAM of putting on a formal gown and going to a formal 4-5 hour event two weeks after surgery. Maybe you should ask your surgeon about it.

Best of luck

My youngest (of 4) is now 5 1/2. It wasn't until she turned 5 that she finally stopped "skidding" her panties!! She never full on POOPED her pants, but like your son, she didn't want to give it up and held it and held it and held it!! She has finally stopped "skidding" but she still doesn't poop daily and that's a little concerning. I think I'll try the senna. Glad I read this

OH...big kid undies aren't all that expensive...so I just threw away the really messy ones....I'd rather buy new ones than try to clean a really messy pair of undies and there was NO WAY she was getting pull ups! She was my fourth and when I stopped buying diapers...it was like independence day at our house!! lol!

Hi there!

You might want to check and make sure your insurance does not have a weight requirment. What I mean is, my insurance required me to be at or less than the weight I was at when I started my required Lap-Band classes. My surgeon also gave a handout saying he would cancel the surgery if you gained 20 lbs or more.

I know with my insurance (Blue Cross/Blue Shield) they have no problem cancelling your surgery if you don't follow your preop diet/eating plan and you gain any weight. They have denied people for 1/4 of a pound gain. Some of the other people in the class didn't have those same weight requirements through their insurance, but most all of them had the same surgeon as I did so they had to follow his guidelines.

I know it is very difficult to not have that "last supper" mentality -- just remember, you will still be able to eventually eat most of the foods that you enjoy (some people even eat ALL of their favorite foods) -- you will just be eating less of it and really, once you have restriction, you'll be surprised at how satisfied you are with a lesser amount!

Hang in there and try to focus on how much better you're going to feel after you get your surgery and start your new banded lifestyle, you can do it!! :clap2:

Thanks Stacy!! I was born and raised in New Castle County Delaware and had 3 of my 4 kids in Christiana Hospital!!! Nice to meet a fellow Delawarean!!! I live in WI now

While my insurance won't cancel the surgery due to weight gain and my surgeon told me he expected me to bounce back a few pounds, like you said, I need to FOCUS!!!!!!! 8 pounds is NOT a few!!! I really NEED to practice my new habits. Tiny bites, chew chew chew, eat SLOW, etc. My goal is to re-lose those 8 pounds before my pre-op physical in two weeks. I know I can do it (and then some) by going back on medifast. SO, that's what I'll do. Thanks again for the encouragement :girl_hug:

...The hardest part for me is the mental part.

Amen to that!!! I just posted something similar...looking for some advice and support. This journey is really showing me how my mind REALLY works!!! In regards to food...my mind is NOT a pretty place! I think I am a food dyslexic!! I see healthy food and think, "I'd rather have a bowl of ice cream or a bag of chex mix!" I'm all mixed up with my views of food. Well, I wouldn't be here, getting banded if I didn't have food issues!!! I just need to work through them and this forum is a BIG help!

Way to go Cajun!!!! Just think how far ahead of the game you'll be once you're banded. You'll have instilled good habits before the surgery, making the post-op diet much easier! I'm really struggling too and blew the last month and gained 8 pounds back! I get banded in a month and have decided to dedicate this month to staying on track and eating healthy so I don't have a huge of an adjustment post-op.

Hope today is a breeze for you!!!!

Since finding out that my file was being submitted to insurace for approval, I haven't been watching my diet at all! As a matter of fact, I've even gone on some pretty mean binge and have gained back 8 pounds...in ONE month!!!

Today, I'm trying to get my head back in the right place. I don't want to have the "last supper" mentality. I'm finding it so difficult! I could use some constructive advice.

Congratz Laurend!!!!!!! :clap2: It's SUCH a relief to finally get the approval!!! I hope you hear VERY soon about a date!!!!

Ya never went off on me...but hey, we all act out of our hurt sometimes, but few of us recognize when we went too far. Good for you for taking responsibility for your words and apologizing. I'm sure everyone will give ya a break...just this once hehe

On another related note, for this very reason, I sure am glad that the "rep points" thing was removed relatively quickly. I mean, most obese people (me included) have very raw emotions and getting "bad" reviews isn't exactly supportive (and usually not constructive). Most of us already suffer with feeling judged by thin people...we should feel safe and free from being "rated" on a support forum. JMHO

WASaBubble...Congratz on breaking the plateau!!!!! Way to go!!!

As for converting to open from lap...most docs have those stats for you. If you ask them they should be happy to share

Outside of my doctor and my shrink, the only two people who know about my surgery live thousands of miles away from me and each other. I am thankful every single day that I didn't tell anyone else.

I sooooo wish I had opted to keep everyone out of my business!!!! I'm one of those open type people and didn't think of the possible ramifications (sp?) of telling people other than close family. I KNOW I'm gonna be under the eagle eye of some of those people..."can you eat that??" "How much have you lost so far?" Why o WHY did I tell people???? Oh yea, it's cuz I talk before I think!!! LOL

I'm a stay at home mom, but my hubby is also having WLS and is only telling his boss that he's been going to pre-op appointments and will let him know when the surgery is scheduled. He also let HR know he'll be out for a while and may need short term disability. No one has asked him what the surgery is for and that's the way it should be. They've really respected his privacy.

Thank you I really appreciate you taking time to help me. I will keep your posts in mind when these emotions rear their ugly head

you know, you are not even banded yet, but it appears you are already trying to figure out a way to cheat the band. you posted something on a public forum, i would ass-u-me that you wanted opinions / feedback. sorry you didnt like my (honest) answer.

No, I LOVE an honest answer. I don't like snide, sarcastic, back handed insults desiguised as "honest answers". See, you never really answered me. You asked a question. I answered it, and you came back with a sarcastic response, but not an aswer.

Then again, I do realize that we don't eat our way into this band without having some emotional pain. We all express that pain in different ways. Perhaps giving me the smack down gave you a sense of superiority. If so, I'm glad I could be here to help you feel better about yourself.

If you take a moment to read through the entire thread you will see that I realized, after people pointed out WHY it's not a good idea to do this, that this wouldn't be a good choice. I have to stop viewing the band as another diet and accept that it is a tool that will help me make a lifestyle change. I'm glad I have the next month to work on getting that drilled into this thick brain of mine!

Well, my doctor did address this specifically. In some INamed handbook thing I had to read and take a 'quiz' on.. it said Reasons to Get an Unfill: and listed 'So I can eat on vacation', and you clearly were NOT suppose to circle that. The band is not suppose to come and go to accomodate your binges. You might drop a mint on a vacation, but -to me- that's not an excuse to have to overeat! I dropped a mint on this band..much more than any vacation I've ever been on (so far). You should be learning to eat a small amount of food. Getting unfilled so you can occasionally eat more than you need to be eating doesn't sound very logical. I don't mean to sound like I'm attacking you, but why would you want to get the band done and go back to old habits?

So true, so true!! You guys are great! I feel better and better about being banded every day and that's partially to you wonderful people on this board

I doubt you'll find a surgeon to do that.

The thinking is that the band prevents this very behavior. We are trying to stop the behaviors, not find reasons to continue them.

Remember something, you'll still be able to eat 99% of the same things, just in a smaller quantity. This is the time you WANT restriction, to prevent over eating.

There are so many things we do that we think of as normal and they really aren't normal at all. This was one of the biggest challenges for me. I used to plan Snacks ahead of time. Isn't it amazing that some don't? LOL That is how I felt anyway. Snacks are IF you get hungry. Yet I'd plan mine.

With a band we eat like regular people. It's verrrrry hard for most of us (I swear, especially ME) to wrap our brain around doing things like regular folks.

I still find it amazing that normal sized people stop eating when they are no longer hungry. Aren't we all supposed to eat until we are so stuffed we can hardly walk? What if there is still lots of food on the plate? Doesn't everyone stuff themselves just because it is there?

I'm not sure I'm making my point clear. It is still hard for me to relearn basic concepts regarding eating and behaviors so I have a hard time putting it into words. But the bottom line is that we got a band to prevent the very behaviors you are asking about. It isn't as though you wouldn't be able to have those foods, it is a matter that you would eat the quantity of a regular person instead of a fat person. My doc told me on the day before, the day of, and the day after surgery that getting banded is the easy part. Life with a band and relearning behaviors is the hard part. I fully understand what he means now.

This makes perfect sense. I get all afraid that I won't be able to enjoy every day, regular food once I'm banded. I would get in this "question mode" about "going off program for vacation" and such every time I began a new diet. I never thought of it the way you put it. If and when a nice vacation is planned, I will be able to enjoy the cuisine, but in smaller portions...instead of cutting out certain foods altogether (with the exception of bad restricted foods of course).

Thanks again

oh, ok... i guess my priorities are out of whack. i wanted to lose weight with the band, not go back to my pre-band days of eating more than my body needs...

You know, your sarcasm isn't appreciated and is uncalled for. It was an honest question and in no way a suggestion. I guess I'm not an extremist...I don't see a vacation unfill as reverting back to my pre-band days.

To everyone else. Thank you very much for you KIND and well constructed advice

Congratz tachlime!!! You must be so excited!!!! :clap2:

I would SOOOOO wear that red pirate costume for halloween!!!! I'd never get out of the bedroom in it however....hubby would...well...hehe

Um, because perhaps you spent a mint on a cruise or such and want to feast for a week??? Like I said, just curious. I don't have any lavish vacations planned but the thought crossed my mind, so I thought I'd ask

This may be a repeat question and if so, I apologize...

I was wondering if any of you have had your fill taken out before a vacation they put back in after? Is this frowned upon by most surgeons?

Just curious.

First, congratz on being banded in the very near future! In some ways, I wish I hadn't told anyone. I didn't tell too many people, just people that I spend a good deal of time with. But, now I kind of wish I hadn't told them. I don't want a bunch of "how much weight have you lost so far?" crap! As far as what to tell people...I guess I'd just tell them that I'm trying to lose weight and eat more healthy. That's all they really need to know. After all, after the post-op diet, you can eat normal food. Regarding buffets? I'll personally probably steer away from them as much as possible. I have this terrible "get my money's worth" mentality...so a buffet would be torture for me.

Best of luck to you! Keep us posted :Banane27:

Eeeks... I'm so much more excited than I thought I would be... I am anticipating this SOO much... My doc just told me she submitted my case to the insurance company... and if I get approved, my date would be May 16th... However, she did mention that I shouldn't completely count on it, because they often get rejections on the first submission... but almost ALWAYS get approved the second time.

YAY!!!

:clap2: :clap2:

I know exactly how you're feeling!!!! They sent my file in on the 13th and on the 23rd it was approved!!!! I couldn't believe it!!!! I don't get my date until the scheduling nurse calls me and they said that can take up to a week because there are 10 patients ahead of me. But Dang! It's a GREAT feeling!!!! Keep us posted!!!!!

I'm sorry You must be feeling very discouraged. I wish I had some answers for you. Did the doc say WHY he's dropping your insurance? Perhaps he can refer you to another surgeon that accepts your insurance. Keep us posted (((hugs)))