Winteranne

I am so sorry for you. I was in almost the same boat. Exactly one month to the day of my lap band surgery my appendix ruptured and was back in surgery!! Ugh !!!

I have not had a problem so far. I make sure though it's a tender cut like filet, ribeye, or flank steak and that it's cooked med rare.

Every doc is different. I did ask mine and he ok'd a fill at 2 weeks instead of 4. Good luck!

Hi Danita!!! I have been seeing a therapist for depression and on meds and it did not hinder me at all. When I got approved by insurance my doc had a 30 day window in which to get my surgery done. I have FED BC/BS and they are all different, best to ask your doctors office how soon you get scheduled after approval. I was in the hospital overnight, also a question your doc should be able to answer. I was on a 10 day pre-op diet. This too is different for everyone and varies from doctor to doctor. The pre-op diet totally sucked for me and was very hard to get through, but was the best thing for me post-op. the point from my doctor is that the pre-op diet helps shrink your liver for the surgery. I have heard of people not doing pre-op diet and having to be opened completely up aka given a zipper because they could not do it laproscopically. Again though everyone and every surgeon is different. Best to ask your doctors office all these questions. I hope though that I was able to paint you some sort of picture of what it's all about. Good luck with your journey.

Hey Crystal. One of my bandbuddies who had surgery the same day as me had tested positive for the stomach bacteria, I think it's called pylori (sp?). Our surgeon had recommended that we have all of our testing done ASAP so if anything like this came up we could be treated. Our doctor put her on antibiotics for 2 weeks and she was still able to have the surgery on schedule.

So what exactly is sliming??? Is it something that just occurs??? Is it a result of eating the wrong foods??? Is it a result of food getting stuck??? Is it avoidable??? I am having surgery on Tuesday and sliming is kinda freaking me out as I have not heard of this before, but I'm reading a lot of posts where people are mentioning it.

I'll be honest with you I made sure I had a BMI of 40 plus when I actually started my process. My process meant 3 mos of supervised nutritionist and reg dr appointments. They didn't submit my paperwork for approval until after the 3 mos and I was approved in 48hours. I have federal BC/BS. Insurance also wanted 5 years of weight history which I was freaked out about b/c my BMI over the last 5 years was always between 35-38, but evidently that didn't matter. There was no way I could afford self-pay.

I was in the same boat...BMI of 38 and no other comorbidities. And my insurance also required a BMI of 40 or more. This may be terrible, but I gained 10-15 pounds to push my BMI up and to get approved. It worked I got approved and I'm having surgery tomorrow. Good Luck with everything

What is a "PB" episode?

Hey Ashley!!! It took me awhile also to come to the decision to have this done, but I knew that I could not continue on the unhealthy path I was taking. It is time for a new chapter in my life book. My aunt had the bypass, my sis-inlaw and good friend had the lap band. I chose the lap band because it was the least invasive and could be taken out god forbid there was an issue. The first step I took in my journey was researching bariatric surgeons. The Dr. I chose has a fantastic aftercare support system with monthly support group meetings and that was important to me. After choosing my Dr. I went to his educational seminar, which covered the lap band, the sleeve, and the bypass. The seminar helped me solidify my decision in getting the lap band. From there I contacted my insurance company to see what I needed to be qualified for an insurance approved band. After that it was a bunch of Dr visits, but well worth it. Good luck with your decision Hope this helped a little.

I am freaking out about the hair loss too. My hair is super thin so I can't afford to lose much of it. My Dr. said hair loss is typically seen about 3 months post surgery, but everyone is different. He recommended I take Biotin to help with this. I got mine at the Vitamin Shoppe for $10 for a 2 month supply. Hope this helps and good luck with everything.

I am using vanilla Whey-To-Go for my Protein shakes and have been playing around with them because you are right....nasty. The guy at the Vitamin Shoppe told me the chocolate was really good, but I hate chocolate. Here's the best way I've found to drink them. 1 scoop of whey Protein 1 cup fat free milk Tbsp of Peanut Butter 1tsp splenda 1 packet sugar free carnation instant Breakfast handful of ice cubes I definitely use a blender!!! Hope this helps!!! I'm thinking they will be my lifesaver post surgery.

YOU CAN DO IT!!!! I'm on day 7 of the pre-op diet and surgery is on Tuesday. Besides almost attacking my husband for a taco and watching my beagle morph into a burrito with 4 legs I am getting through this and you will too. I totally agree with what laughing cat said about pre-op diet helping you get through post-op diet. WE CAN DO IT!!!!

Dinner for me also is the hardest time right now. My inspiration for not caving on the liquid diet is this....my sister-inlaw who had the lap band done 4 years ago also suffered through the pre-op diet, and she found that it REALLY helped her be prepared for her post-op diet and her new lifestyle. She lost weight right out of the gate, followed everything to a tee, has never had any complications, and is now at her ideal weight and able to manage her new healthy, happy lifestyle. Another friend of mine who had surgery 2 years ago, ignored the pre-op diet, and was not prepared at all for her post-op diet and lifestyle. It took her 6 months before she was able to start getting on track. I know everyone is totally different, but I think it's a good comparison for me to look at and to help me get through these final days before surgery.

I'll be honest with you, I'm on day 7 and it still sucks. Doing fine in the morning, but by the afternoon I have a headache and I just feel done. I haven't caved either, but last night I seriously thought I was gonna attack my husband for a taco!!! LOL!!! We will get through this!!!!

I too was considering self pay, but was told by my insurance company (federal bc/bs of Florida) that they would not cover any fills if I went self pay. I ended up getting approved by insurance for my surgery and was told my copay for fills will be $50 vs. $150 if I had gone self pay. The insurance process has taken a little over 4 months, but definitely worth it for the money I have and will be saving. I know every situation is different, but I hope this helped a little. Good Luck on Your Journey

Hope this helps After my consultation with the bariatric surgeon I had chosen, I had to contact my insurance and talk to them about what they required for me to have an insurance approved lap band. I have federal bc/bs of Florida. They required a letter of medical necessity from my regular doctor, a BMI of 40 or greater, 3 months of supervision by a nutritionist and my regular doctor, and a psych evaluation. I also made sure my bariatric surgeon and the hospital he was using was a preferred provider with my insurance company so that they would cover the maximum allowed. My surgeon's office walked me through everything I needed to get done in order to be approved by insurance. My surgeon set me up with the nutritionist which was a meeting once a month for 3 months. Then I went in for a 1 day psych evaluation. After the 3 months of nutritionist and doctor visits everything was submitted to insurance and I was approved in 48hours and scheduled for surgery within 30 days. My surgeon also required that I have a pulmonary clearance and cardiac clearance before surgery, all of which was covered by my insurance. My surgeon suggested a 10 day pre-op diet, but every surgeon is different. I am having surgery on July 24, 2012. And besides all the running around to different doctor appointments everything so far is going smoothly. Goo Luck on your journey!!!!

Hi Banderama!!! My surgery is July 24th, 2012 and I have started my 10 day pre-op liquid diet. Here is what I am doing, hope this helps.... I am drinking 2-3 protein shakes a day, trying to get down 48-64oz of water daily, Sugar free ice pops, soups, and carnation instant breakfast. I'm making sure that I am getting 80-90 grams of protein a day. The way my Doc explained it to me was that the importance of the pre-op diet was to help shrink your liver for the surgical procedure and to help you start getting adjusted for your diet post-op. I am on day 3 of the pre-op diet as of today and to be honest with you it sucks, but I keep reminding myself that it is needed and the beginning of my new life. Good luck to you!!!!

My Date is July 24th!!!!! Getting excited, but this pre-op diet is killing me!!! Anyone have ay suggestions on getting through this pre-op diet???

HI! Having surgery on July 24, 2012. My regular MD did my first EKG at her office and it came back abnormal, I had to have a Cardio clearance also so we had him repeat it and it came back normal. Good Luck with everything