PrettyThick1

Well congrats on finally getting to this polnt! Don't worry about post-op, you wanted this very badly and because of that you will put your best effort towards doing it right! No fear here!!!

If you had a hernia, did you find out before or after your surgery was done? What are the symptoms? Did the hernia surgery cause you to stay in the hospital for a longer period?

Sending my prayers up for you; you'll be fine, dear. Try not to worry.

Welcome to LBT and Good Luck!!! I am also going through True Results (Houston) and they have made the process incredibly simple. The only problem I have is with my own lack of patience. Now I have a tentative date, I should be a little less neurotic!

Cheap...but pretty!

So the pre-op diet isn't just liquid?

Buyers remorse...I hear a lot of people say that during this phase. Hold tight, you'll be happy you did it again soon! Good luck on the mushies...maybe you need more Fluid in your band.

You should call the doctor, I haven't been banded yet but this isn't normal.

The psych eval is nothing to be afraid of. They only want to know that you are emotionally stable (no suicidal thoughts or tendancies), have a decent support system and understand the changes you are about to make in your life. Just be yourself, answer the questionnaires honestly (one is 344 questions - mostly the same, just asked different ways) and chit chat a bit with the psychologist and you're good to go. Good luck!!!

Checked out your ticker and you are doing a phenomenal job! Please share your secrets!!!

Oh my! Mine was covered by insurance, but I've heard people say their self-pay psych visit was $250.00. Which is pretty expensive for what they do (or don't do). To be honest, I don't see why the testing can't be done anywhere and submitted for review by a psychologist, it's really no big deal...344 questions on 1 test and maybe 15 on the initial form. Not $800.00 worth of testing, for sure. Keep looking around for a better rate, that's really expensive.

I know it's hard, but you have to stick to the plan. I have a friend that cheated on the pre-op and post-op diets and it caused a lot of discomfort for her, she's fine now though. You don't want to cause a delay in your surgery - which is likely to happen if you haven't gotten the 5-10lbs off you need to de-fat your liver. If you need to chew, go to Sonic (or anywhere with small crunchy ice chips) and chew on those.

Bravo for making the decision to enjoy a better quality of life! I too, was concerned about what my family and friends would say and at first I was going to keep it to myself. But you can only do that for so long because people will wonder why you aren't eating normally, how you are dropping pounds left and right and in a worst-case scenario if anything goes wrong you need your family to know. I had my mind made up and was determined not to let any negative comments keep me from going through with it. To my surprise, not one person has said I shouldn't do it...especially after finding out I was dianosed with Type II about 7 weeks ago. Once I found out about the diabetes, I knew I had to make some "drastic" changes and big decisions - I have a child to care for. But yes, tell your family and friends but make sure you explain to them your reasoning - diabetes is nothing to play with and you deserve to be happy. The Lap Band is not the easy way out, by any means but when you have tried so many other things only to get back to your pre-diet weight (sometimes heavier), then you have to do what you have to do. Baby at 32 you are just beginning to live (I'm only 4 years older than you) and this is the time when you can truly have the most fun! You are worth it, now get over the fear of telling your loved ones and make up in your mind that no matter how they feel about it you have some awesome bandsters to help see you through. Go for it and don't look back...except to see how much weight you left behind.

****Do not read if you are on your pre-op or post-op diets!**** I hope this doesn't push anyone off the wagon, but I'm just coming down from a great weekend full of fun and food. I don't have a surgery date yet, but I suspect to hear something this week. So in light of my pending pre-op diet, I took the opportunity to enjoy what will likely be my last days of unrestricted eating...for the rest of my life. It helped that it was my daughter's 14th birthday...so I treated her and her friends to a weekend get-away. We had our fill of crablegs, crawfish, potatoes, corn and lots of butter at Calypso buffet inside of Isle of Capri Casino, Lake Charles, LA. To top it off we had an amazing marble cake with butter cream icing and later had dinner at my parents house...barbeque was over flowing! I truly enjoyed all of the great food, but I'm starting to notice that I already eat a lot less than I normally would, I know it's psychological which gives me more hope about my ability to be successful on this journey. Anyway, I have my fingers crossed that I will have a definite answer on my surgery date this week so I can really mentally prepare for this change.

All insurance companies are different but by law they have up to 45 days to make their decision. In speaking with people and reading their posts, it never takes more than 2-3 weeks. If you have BCBS and your BMI is over 40 you will automatically be approved - I had a preapproval from them in 2 hours, now I am waiting on my psych analysis to be sent to them for the final approval, that takes about 24-48 hours once the package has been recieved by fax. I hope this helps!

I'm in the same boat as you...had my psych eval on Saturday (4/13), those results take about a week to get back to the center (in my case) - I called True Results yesterday and they still had not gotten them back. From that point, it takes another 7-14 days to get the appointment date. Unfortuantely, the doctor performing my surgery (Christopher Reilly) only does them on Fridays.

I'm going through True Results in Houston and unfortunately unless you call them with specific questions, they expect you to learn as much as you can independently. Since this surgery isn't new and they have had so many patients, it's kind of hard not to think we are almost "just a number" to them. Good luck and don't be afraid! My surgery is sometime next month, I'm in limbo right now waiting for my psych evaluation to get to TR so they can send the package to BCBS.

Hang in there Melly! Congrats on quitting smoking...that was MAJOR and you are now my Shero! I also have diabetes - diagnosed 7 weeks ago and it freaked me out and turned to the lap band about a week ago. Still waiting for a surgery date...which will be sometime next month. Woo hoo! Keep up the hard work and throw the fridge out if he keeps calling you!

For me, the system never allows the photo to be uploaded once I've selected the ones I want. It is also giving me lots of trouble when attempting to complete my profile.

I am also having trouble loading my photos! Good luck and congratulations on your surgery Monday!!!

Patience has never been my strongest virtue and now I feel like a stark raving crazy woman waiting for the phone to ring from True Results or the Surgeon's office to give me the date (I've guessed May 20th...hoping it will be sooner) for my surgery. I say I'm crazy because I went for my initial consult on Thursday (April 11) had all of the labs done and the psych exam finished by Saturday - fast, huh? Why does it feel like an eternity? My insurance will cover the procedure because of my BMI, but there is still a fear that somehow I will be turned down. Does anyone else have BCBSTX? How fast was your response time? How soon after your requirements were complete before they scheduled your surgery? Anything input helps...

Now I feel better . Thanks again!!!

Hi Terry: I called yesterday - both TR and BCBS and they didn't have any updates...I told you I'm behaving like a crazy woman. LOL GG

Click on her photo, that will take you to her profile page then you can read all of her posts. I'm on my way to her page now...LOL

I've noticed that so many people are wearing shirts with sleeves in their "after" pictures. My main target and problem area(s) are my arms and I want to be able to wear sleeveless shirts and dresses without feeling self conscience for the first time in my life. I wondered is this just coincidence or has the weight loss left their arms very flabby? I hear conflicting reports - some say their skin was able to keep pace with the weightloss, still others say they needed surgery. Input please...