NVgirl

That was freakin' funny! ROFL

I have Anthem BC/BS in Nevada. Jumped through the hoops and had approval within one working day of submittal!

So, I'm driving home from work tonight, thinking about, what else, but the upcoming surgery... and all of a sudden it hits me... I'm only 3 1/2 weeks out, not 4 1/2 like I had thought... and I had a minor panic attack. Called my best friend to set me straight! I'm not normally prone to feeling panic, but all of a sudden I'm all.. "What if I fail this too?", "Am I making the right move?" Ack!! :eek:

You also may want to get a second opinion. I know several dieticians and can tell you that they all have different thoughts and ideas about what is the 'right' way to eat.

My surgeon told me that once he gets his camera inside, he can tell who has followed their pre-op diet and who has not - and that he's had to cancel operations on the spot due to persons that did not follow their pre-op diet and it would have been dangerous to proceed. Can you imagine waking up to find out that, after all this time, effort and decision making, that you didn't get the band after all?? eek!

My pre-op diet is strictly protien shakes and 64 oz of liquid (crystal light, broth, sugar free non-carbonated drinks). There is a side note that states if I get too hungry, I may have up to 2 cups daily of (raw or cooked but NO oils, sauces, butter, salad dressing or condiments of any kind): Asparagus, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Celerey, Cucumbers, Zucchini, Green (red, yellow and orange) Sweet Peppers, Lettuce, Mushrooms, Onion, Radishes or Spinach. I suspect I'm going to be really cranky for a few weeks.. :heh:

I lost my gallbladder while I was going through a divorce about 12 years and had lost a significant amount of weight due to the stress. I felt no "oncoming" symptoms - I had severe pain around 3pm on a Sunday and was in emergency surgery by 10:30 that night. Hell, I didn't even know that I had a gallbladder up until then!

The article didn't scare me at all, as my primary care physician had discussed the issue of Vitamin deficiency when we talked about my starting this lap band journey. It is good to see some of the risks in print for others to see. I know of one person that had no clue about the vitamin deficiency issue and had some problems related to it. Janine - I'd love to keep in touch with you! I too, feel if I don't do this, my health will go down a path that will make life much more difficult!

I'm starting to get a little nervous... not about the actual procedure, but about the life changes that are almost upon me!

Anyone see this? http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17584069/from/ET/ Thoughts??

What a wonderful gift to yourself! Congrats and early happy birthday!!:dance:

I have no other co-mobidities. No apnea, hbp, etc. I was approved within one day of sumitting to insurance. My bmi is 40

I met with my psych eval guy for 1 hour and my insurance covered it.

Even though my insurance does cover this procedure, I could have self-paid to speed up the process. However, I'm glad that I've taken the time to jump through the hoops to get approved - it's given me more time to learn about how my life is going to change next month and be prepared for it.

That letter had to come from my primary care physician. I made an appointment with her the week before I initially met with my surgeon to explain what I was doing. She sent that letter and 5 years of medical records to my surgeon.

Green, you're my favorite color! Keep up the good work!!! :heh:

Bumping up, hoping for some wisdom!

Some of the comments I've read on the boards has made me want to ask... After you've been banded awhile, do you get to the point where eating "band-style" becomes second nature, or do you worry at every meal about things getting stuck, pb'ing, etc.? Some posts that I've read have made me concerned that I'll always be obsessing at each meal, more so if I'm going out to eat, and so on. Obviously, I can see that happening in the first 6 months or so after being banded, as I'm adjusting to a new way of life, but does it lessen as you get used to your new life? What are your thoughts??

I'm taking a week off work when I have my surgery, and plan on watching all sorts of weepy chick flicks that my guy won't watch with me!

I don't cook. The dietician at my surgeon's office told me that while I should learn to make some basic items, that replacing a meal with a low fat, low cal frozen meal is perfectly acceptable. She said they force you to use portion control and as long as you stick to the healthier ones, there's not a problem.

I made the decision on December 8th to pursue lap band surgery. I attended my initial seminar on January 9th, jumped through all the insurance hoops and am now scheduled for surgery on May 7th. 6 months from decision to surgery, 5 months from initial action to surgery!

I did, thanks.

Should have clarified... the idea of ME in a swimsuit killed the appetite, not the thread orginator!

Well, there went my lunchtime appetite... :faint:

Who is Bill Wilson?