pandagirl

The approval issue has been taken care of. I have been approved for the consultation and my appointment with Dr. Machado is 8-14-2007. I did start the exercise program anyway. I don't want anyone telling me that I didn't try to follow requirements. Besides, the refferal co-ordinator suggested as such. She didn't think I had to do it, but couldn't say for sure. I do have my approval letter stuck to my fridge. I hope that is all on that end. Now, I have my consultation to look forward to. I think that will involve a psych evaluation and I will have to tell them about my gall bladder. I am assuming they will need blood work and all of that jazz. I wish I knew what they wanted, I might be able to start the process? Or not, maybe they have a special process for WLS? I don't know. I really wish the site for Dr. Machado had more information for pre-consult patients. I suppose they'd be overwhelmed with questions though. I am just happy to get this far. I hope that I will have the surgery before the end of the year. Well, if it isn't until January I can save more leave time?

Has anyone had thier gall bladder taken out at the same time thier lap was done? If so, what was your recovery time and were there any complications?

I went to my first supervised diet appointment in February 2007. I went to my last one on July 19th,2007. I was told that was it. I would get approved or not then get my paperwork sent to my surgeon, Dr. Laura Machado. Today, I get a call. You are approved!!! I think yay!!! They give me a number to call and I am a little confused. It is the # for the main hospital that my clinic is attached to. I call the # leave a message. They call back and want to set me up for "Bariatric Screening". What? I thought I just did that? I tell them I just went through that. They tell me to call my doctor. I call and I am told that they just started a 6 month exercise program requirement in June of this year. I have to sign up for it though I will not have to wait for the 6 months to be up, because they are not going to make me wait another 6 months, etc. But I have to sign up for it, I have to go through it even though I will probably have surgery prior, if I am approved by my surgeon. I thought this was going to be easier than Kaiser who sent me to a bartiatric seminar and never told me what to do next. My doctor was against the surgery, they who machine seemed to be against just informing me about it. I left Kaiser. I had a friend who told me that if I go to her doctor, they will send me straight there,no problems. I siad no, I want to go through the screening. I want to make sure I am ready for this. I am ready. It's been three years since I have thought about it. Two years since I seriously pursued it. Six months since I changed health plans so that I could go to a local facility and and a little over a week since I finished the 6 month supervised diet. Now this? This is annoying. I am in the middle of a learning curve and becoming frustrated. I do not want to spend another summer with my skin probllems. It is getting worse and worse and I cannot for the life of me exercise without exacerbating the issue. I have exercised though. I have changed my diet. I have changed my whole outlook on food. I am ready, I have done all they initially asked. This feels like a bait and switc even though I know they are dong this to weed out all of the people who don't really need this surgery. I know this, yet... I just want to have the surgery before the holidays. I want to start the new year with the life change. I want to do it now that I am ready not when I am beaten down with redtape. I will do as they say. I will jump through all of the hoops, but by god I hope I don't suffer more than I have to.

I went to my first supervised diet appointment in February 2007. I went to my last one on July 19th,2007. I was told that was it. I would get approved or not then get my paperwork sent to my surgeon, Dr. Laura Machado. Today, I get a call. You are approved!!! I think yay!!! They give me a number to call and I am a little confused. It is the # for the main hospital that my clinic is attached to. I call the # leave a message. They call back and want to set me up for "Bariatric Screening". What? I thought I just did that? I tell them I just went through that. They tell me to call my doctor. I call and I am told that they just started a 6 month exercise program requirement in June of this year. I have to sign up for it though I will not have to wait for the 6 months to be up, because they are not going to make me wait another 6 months, etc. But I have to sign up for it, I have to go through it even though I will probably have surgery prior, if I am approved by my surgeon. I thought this was going to be easier than Kaiser who sent me to a bartiatric seminar and never told me what to do next. My doctor was against the surgery, they who machine seemed to be against just informing me about it. I left Kaiser. I had a friend who told me that if I go to her doctor, they will send me straight there,no problems. I siad no, I want to go through the screening. I want to make sure I am ready for this. I am ready. It's been three years since I have thought about it. Two years since I seriously pursued it. Six months since I changed health plans so that I could go to a local facility and and a little over a week since I finished the 6 month supervised diet. Now this? This is annoying. I am in the middle of a learning curve and becoming frustrated. I do not want to spend another summer with my skin probllems. It is getting worse and worse and I cannot for the life of me exercise without exacerbating the issue. I have exercised though. I have changed my diet. I have changed my whole outlook on food. I am ready, I have done all they initially asked. This feels like a bait and switc even though I know they are dong this to weed out all of the people who don't really need this surgery. I know this, yet... I just want to have the surgery before the holidays. I want to start the new year with the life change. I want to do it now that I am ready not when I am beaten down with redtape. I will do as they say. I will jump through all of the hoops, but by god I hope I don't suffer more than I have to.

BMI 55. current wieght 380, goal weight 170. I've not been banded yet. I am ready for the change in lifestyle, but have been reading too much on platic surgery and am a little scared that I will go through all of this and have tons of skin hanging. It seems like the ones who only have a 100 pounds to lose have trouble and since I am way bigger then I might have way more issues regarding PS.

I think heat may be a problem. I know the unjury Protein powders shouldn't be mixed at 130 F and above. I wonder if this is why you got clumping?

I love Unjury. The unflavored has no aftertaste( at least to me) and the chocoalte and vanilla are super creamy in milk.

I am not banded yet, but have been working on the emotional aspects. I try to think of my body as a machine and realize food is only needed to keep it going. As for the emotional eating, I write, read, draw, do anything to take my mind of of wanting to eat. I think for some of us, eating is like and addiction and we should look at it that way. Of course, I am not banded yet and my feelings may change. Right now though, I have already replaced one meal a day with a protein shake and have been teaching myself to understand that it is okay to feel hungry, it is not the end of the world.

Thank you for your support. What you say is true and I logically understand it.(now) It has taken me some time, but I am here and ready to make the changes for a healthier life. :clap2:

I am fearful of being thin, but not for the same reasons. I have always been told that I was beautiful, even "for a fat girl". This sounds awesome to most, but I was raped at a young age and it took me until recently to realize that I have been using my fat as a from of protection. I have this silly fear that I am soo pretty that I will be raped as soon as I am easy to heft around. I know it is arrogant. I know that the fear is unfounded, but that unfounded fear has kept me fat since the rape. I wasn't fat before then. I was a little chubby, but very athletic. I have let go af that fear for the most part. I get that I may be attractive or not. It doesn't matter if I am.( I may actually be dog bag ugly.) What matters is that I am healthy and happy with myself. I am happy, but not healthy; I will get there.

I'm in California and I know 6 people who have had either the Lap-Band or the gastric bypass. 4 of those people had to jump through hoops for at least a year and one for almost two years before she got her surgery. Of the other two, one had to wait 6 months as you are and the other had to wait 3. I think the time factor depends on your insurance and medical group. Your Surgeon may also have his/her own time tables. Me, I am on my 6th month. I could have gone to a Doctor that would have had me in surgery in less than 3. I chose to go through the 6 month supervised diet program that my medical group requires for several reasons. 1) I wanted to make sure I knew as much as possible before allowing someone to cut into my body. 2) I wanted to make sure that all of the medical authorities were sure that I was ready for such a drastic surgery. 3) I was hoping that my insurance would cover Lap-Banding before I went under the knife. ( They do now and I am soooo happy I waited.) 4) I wanted to assess my lifestyle, my motivations for eating and the surgery and use the time to prepare for an absolute, no holds bar change of lifestyle. 5) I wanted the use the time to make sure I wanted the surgery, that I felt that I was ready for it, and give my family time to adjust to my choice. If you think 6 months is too long it might be, but some people would kill to have to only wait that long. Like most things in this life, it is all up to you. You have to decide what is best for you.

Hi! I am still at the pre-approval stage. (Blue Shield:California.) (Quickie background) Today was my last day of a six month long supervised diet. This program is new to my medical group; I was literally one of the first set to go through it. I have had many issues with this program, but being the guiney pig means my feedback will make it easier for the next group. My main concern right now is coordination between my insurance, my medical group and my Surgeon (Laura Machado). My dietician seems confident that I will be approved for surgery, yet she doesn’t have the final say. She has to send up my paperwork to another office and they will approve things. I am assuming they will speak directly with the insurance company for approval guidelines. Once they approve me then I can go see my Surgeon. My Surgeon won’t see me until they get a referral from my Doctor/Medical Group. What annoys me about all of this is that I really don’t know what I should have been working on. I don’t know what my Surgeon will require of me. I only have communities like LBT and books for reference. I am hoping that I did okay. (Actual question) :hungry: These last six months I have worked on my motivations for eating, getting in at least a little exercise a day, not eating fast-food, not drinking carbonated drinks, and finding a Protein powder that I like. Reading everything here, I do not know what to expect. Every Surgeon seems to have their own guidelines. If you had to do all over again, is there anything you wished you had prepared better for? Would you have eaten less, gotten rid of fried foods, got more exercise, tried to lose more pre-op weight? Would you change a single thing?

Congratulations!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's good to hear about people doing well with the band. I haven'thad mine yet. I hope I am as successful as you.

I suppose you can sip it slowly. :cool:

Are you asking if you can swallow?

Good luck, I hope all goes well with your surgery. And you are right, all of this will take great dedication and work.

I get that. I have been wondering if gatric bypass is easier because of the Grehlin(sp) effect. My friends who've had the bypass say they are, in general, not hungry. That aspect seems desireable though the other issues bypass brings about are not.

What was your pre-op diet?

How was the chicken cooked? I have a friend who had the bypass who can't eat chicken unless stewed and only the dark meat. Are there any other foods you have trouble with?

Hi, I am pre-op and have yet to have final approval. I've been reading the boards off and on for some time and notice a lot of issues surrounding slow weightloss and hunger. Is there anyone out there who is doing well or not having too much issue with hunger? Or is "bandster hell" going to be a part of the journey no matter what? I find myself unsure of lap band because of the level of difficulty so many seem to be having. Yet, the idea of malabsorption via gastric bypass scares me. For all of the negatives I find with the gastric bypass, they seem to have it easier. I wonder if lap band will be for me, if I am already afraid of "bandster hell". Oh, just tried unjury Protein powder today. Awesome!!!