daisydoodle

Tropicana.... You are borderline on qualifying. But before you get disappointed, let me tell you that I was also, and I was approved. During my first consultation, I was told that I qualified by my doctor. I remember feeling so nervous (and even a little bit guilty) as I looked around the waiting room and saw people that weighed at least 100 lbs more than I did. As long as you are committed to doing this for MEDICAL reasons (being healthy!) and not solely for cosmetic reasons, then I think it's definitely worth your while to have that consultation. Be prepared to document very specifically all of your weight loss attempts in the past. Since you live in DFW, you should be able to attend an informational meeting that will answer most of your questions. (I'm not that far away from you in Shreveport.) Good Luck with everything.

Mine is at 8AM on Monday.....CST. So you'll be ahead of me! I'm really happy to know that I've got a partner in crime! Will you be staying overnight in the hospital? Hey....go to the chat room so we can talk more!

Me too! My date is Monday, the 28th and I'm so excited I can hardly stand it! Like you, my doc did not require fasting before surgery. We should keep in touch and compare notes!

I'm having my lapband surgery on Monday, the 28th. Anybody else close to that date that wants to go through this together? I thought it would be cool to have a bandbuddy that was experiencing the same things as me at the same time. Good luck to you all. This board has helped me in so many ways. Thank you to all that post regularly and share your life.

Hi Sharon, I have my surgery a week from Monday, on the 28th. I'm so anxious I'm about to explode!!! I'd love to hear about all the little things you are experiencing as you go through them. I've got some questions for you.... How long did you take off of work? On a scale of 1-10, how much pain/discomfort are you in? Are you taking any Rx for pain? (Can you tell that I'm a big baby with the pain??? I just want to know what to expect.) What surprised you the most about the surgery? Did you spend the night in the hospital? Where did you have your surgery? Congratulations...I'm right behind you! Take care and get some rest.

I have mixed feelings about it all.... I found this board because I was uncomfortable with the yahoo board and google led me here. I remember seeing these real faces and heart-felt posts. Instantly, I knew this was my new "home" for my band journey. So in a way, I'm grateful. Sorry for those that don't agree.

I believe my biggest hurdle will be learning to eat without drinking. Currently, when I go to a restaurant I finish my beverage (iced tea, water) before I even get my food. And then I always guzzle down another glass while eating. I've been trying to practice eating without drinking since I'll be banded in a couple weeks and this will be my new way of life. But I gotta be honest, this scares me more than changing my portion sizes and food choices. Is there anybody else that felt the same way?

OK, I love this board and since I will be banded in less than 2 weeks I plan to stick around for quite awhile. But first I need some schooling in Message Board 101. Here are my questions: -How would you make a thread "sticky?" -What does "Rep Power" mean? -What makes a thread "hot?" I'll be a pro in no time! Happy Valentine's Day!

I'm with you, Jammin'! I have my surgery on the 28th of this month and I'm scheduled for first thing in the morning. My doc told me if all goes as planned, I will be home that evening! Come on, surely there's someone on this board that went home the same day! Y'all are making me nervous now.:nervous

First off let me say that I am no psychologist. But something in your post reminded of an exercise that I did at a seminar one time. We were instructed to think of someone that we absolutely COULD NOT stand working with. We were told to write down the three characteristics that we despised most about them. And then the instructor told us that those were the three things that we were most ashamed of in ourselves. Weird, huh? This same thing could apply to why you feel that way about "fat people." And for the record, I'm the same way. I subconsciencely view it as a weakness in the other person. Soon to banded, and armed with more information, I find myself being more compassionate. Good Luck!

I have to say that I used a yahoo bandsters board for quite some time before I discovered this one. While I did get some good information on that board, I was often discouraged by the fact that they got WAY off topic and sometimes were almost critical of posts. This site is TRULY what it was designed for: support and information. Don't get me wrong, I've had more than the occasional chuckle reading some of our posts, and I enjoy the entertainment "fluff" that we do from time to time, but for the most part I love this board because it's positive, caring, and non-judemental. Thank you to all that post. I'm still new, getting banded on the 28th....and I intend to use this board throughout my journey!

I just had this HUGE sneeze and felt every muscle in my body tighten up (especially around the tummy) and then release. And then it hit me-----Big sneezes with the band????? Does it feel any different??? Two weeks from being banded, and inventing new questions to ask!!!!!! Go figure!

Oh I'm so excited! I'll be banded the end of this month, and quite honestly I've requested Sushi as my "last supper." It's very encouraging to know that I'll still be able to enjoy it in the near future! So tell me, just the fish-no rice at all right? Did you even try to use wasabi? Congratulations to you.

Ok, before I go venturing out to buy these Protein supplements for my liquid stage, I'd love your input on what tastes good, what has no taste (and can be mixed with stuff), and what makes you want to gag just thinking about it again. My nutritionist gave me these options: broth Plus nectar Nutra/Pro Designer whey Protein Procel Upcal D plus Proteinex Vita 4 Life Pro-Stat 64 EAS Advantage Edge Whey Protein Shape Up Complete Nutrition shake unjury Protein Supp powder BioPlex Whey Protein Met-Rx Protein Plus Carb Solutions Protein shakes Slim-Fast low carb Naked Food-Juice Optisource High Protein Drink Don't get me wrong, I'm appreciative by all my choices. I'm just a little overwhelmed and don't know where to start. Thanks

Okay, no giggles on this one...... But if you don't wear a bra, don't the "girls" kinda flop down on your tummy? I mean I don't want the boobies rubbing on an incision! And I'm just not a "dress" kinda lady. If I wear some big sweatpants will the elastic in the waist rub in a place that's tender? Am I overanalyzing this? (that's my specialty!) Maybe I'm just so darned anxious that I'm obsessing over everything!

This is for all the Louisiana bandsters that aren't true Cajuns! I'm from Nortwest Louisiana and my doc is George Merriman in Shreveport. So far my experiences with him and his staff have been EXCELLENT. My surgery date is Feb 28th. I'll post more then. Until then, I'd love to hear from anyone that may have used him. He's historically been the best bypass doc in town and just started doing the bands recently. I think I'm gonna be #75 or so. Happy Mardi Gras!

Hee, hee....Did I get your attention? Well, this is a legit post. I just wanted to know what everyone wore home from the hospital. My doc says "loose fitting clothes." Well, if all of my stuff wasn't so darn tight, then maybe I wouldn't be needing this surgery so bad. Seriously, sweatpants? Should I go out and get something that's really loose? Just wondering? I'm gettting sooooo excited!

Ok, surgery is a couple weeks away. I've got quite a good list from my nutritionist of what to stock up on before surgery for my liquid phase. But if you had it to do all over again, what would your last-trip-to-the-store grocery list look like to prepare for after surgery? What items did you wish you had more of, and what didn't you use? Thanks. I'm sure this will help me alot.

Brandi.....are you breastfeeding? Sorry to be so personal, but I wondered if the band had any effect on that? Way to go LITTLE MAMA!

It all depends on what kind of policy that your company holds with UHC. I have UHC and was approved without any problems. But my husband's employer's policy DOES cover bariatric surgery. You need to speak with your company's benefits manager and get more information from them..... Good Luck!

Please tell me what to expect....I am having my pre-op EGD next Thursday. I'm told it's no big deal, but all of a sudden I have this incredible gag reflex just thinking about it!

Ok, you are my bandster role model. I"m getting banded in Mar of 2005 and want to get pregnant once I get pretty close to my goal weight....I figure I need to wait at least a year. All the info that I have researched has said that bandsters still have successful pregnancies, but seeing the pic of your beautiful, healthy baby boy speaks volumes. Any advice you care to pass along? Congratulations! I know you aren't going to have much time to post!

Even if you're not a CPA, I'd appreciate your advice. Obviously, I plan to have a great deal of unreimbursed medical expenses in 2005. So I am keeping very careful records. Here's my question: Can I include the protein supplements required by my doc after surgery as a medical expense? Are there any other things out there that I could also include that I may be overlooking? Thanks for your help. Just think all the tax money I save can be spent on a new bathing suit in 2006! Hee, hee.

I finally got my insurance approval in the mail Friday. (Yes, I've been stalking my postman for quite some time!) Last week, my PCP gave me pre-op clearance and sent me for all my fun tests....tomorrow I have my psych eval. Once my surgeon gets all of this info, he will schedule me for an EGD. I should have a surgery date within 10 days of that. So what I'm getting to is this: I'm looking at the end of Feb for a surgery date. I would love to have an online buddy that is on close to the same timeline as me. We could go through it "together." I'm 31F, live in Louisiana, married with no children. (Hoping that once I reach my goal weight, I can pop some out!) I'm one of those with a borderline BMI. I'm 5'5" and 220lbs. Anyway, is there anyone out there that shares some similarities and wants to go through this thing together??? Kind Regards, Daisydoodle