mich

The same thing happened to me and it surprised me. I felt much worse in recovery than I thought I would. The pre-op waiting at the hospital was anxious torture (sorry, maybe a little dramatic) and then the horrible groggy in and out of reality feeling in recovery. All I could think of was, this sucks so bad, what if I have to do it again for a complication! No, this sucks! I'm just trying to let that go and trust that this will be a great journey. I am home today and feeling very well, compared to yesterday. Remember the saying don't borrow trouble. So for now I am practicing gratitude for where I am and trying not to over think things. One day at a time. Good luck!!

Thanks, that was great to watch. I haven't seen that "green zone" restriction chart before. Do you have a link for that? I would love to see it close up. Congratulations on your weight loss!

Hi Orea and everyone getting banded tomorrow! Good luck to all of us!

My kids are 6 and 8 now, so I cant help you with sharing a similar experience. But I just wanted to offer some support. I nursed my kids for years and believe breastfeeding is a wonderful and amazing thing! I would suggest contacting a local La Leche League LLLI | Home , they often help moms who have to have surgerys or fast for medical tests. From my own experience, I think if your daughter is eating other foods she shouldn't have any problem with lack of nutrition for the few days you can not nurse her. She will probably want extra food and liquids. As far as your milk supply, pumping when you can't nurse, and then nursing as much as she wants to when it is safe to resume, should keep your milk supply just fine. There is another organization, The World Health Organization, that recommends breastfeeding for 24 months or longer. Personally I think nursing for any length of time is a benefit, 2 weeks or 2 years. I only mention this because I hear from a lot of moms that stop at 12 mos because of the American Academy of Peds recomendation. I think this is a very conservative reccomendation because the USA is not as breastfeeding friendly as other countries. Any way, good luck with your upcomming lapband! My operation is next week and I am getting so nervious!

I also love this stuff! I'm always looking to learn more. I plan to take arnica before and after surgery to help with healing. I don't use a lot of homeopathy, but for this I will.

Sorry, I typed August by mistake. I hope to attend the July 24 meeting. I was thinking at the meeting I did attend, why it is they don't have seperate meetings for lapband and bypass. Or at least have a leader/speaker for each. The man running the meeting had bypass. Do they sometime have a band patient run the meeting? I did find it supportive for the life changes and food program aspect. But much of the discussion involved dumping and other things I am not interested in. It sounds like they do a lot of bands at Umass. I wonder how hard it would be to start up a band support meeting?

Hi all! I just wanted to post a quick update. I decided to stay with the Umass program and things have been progressing well. I met with Dr Kelly and Robin, both are super nice. I also received my insurance approval :wink_smile: and a surgery date of July 30. I didn't make it to the June meeting but I was at the May meeting. It was my first support meeting and I liked it very much. The only thing that bugged me was one man who said you would be better off going to weight watchers than getting lapband. I don't know his story, maybe he was a conversion patient, he has bypass now. I can accept that it's now for everyone, but can't he just say "It wasn't for me" instead of being so negative? Is the next meeting August 24? I hope to be there.

Hi all! Congratulations to everyone getting banded in July. After a very long process that started in September 2007, I have my surgery date!! July 30!! I'm amazed that the hospital program took over 10 months. but my insurance approved me in 1 day. I have seen many threads over that time for monthly bandster groups. Now I get to join in! Good luck to all of us!:wink_smile:

Wow! Is this true? Thanks for the post, this is the best thing I have read all day. Not that I glad to hear about people dying from a tub slip, but you know what I mean, perspective.

I agree, everyone will have a different experience within the same program. I never intended to dissuade someone from attending the Umass program. I also want clarify that I said It seemed like they expect me to loose 2 pounds a week like someone who was on South Beach. No one in the program ever mentioned South Beach. I said this because at the second of the 4 weekly required classes I lost 1/2 a pounds. The woman weighing me in said something like "I guess we'll take it" and when a woman weighed in and had lost 2 pounds the group leader said "Now this is what we want to see" I am also glad to hear that you were told your loss could be as little as 2 pounds. Again my experience has been different. When I called to book my last psychologist appointment. The woman on the phone who gave me an app date looked at my chart, saw I was down exactly 2 pounds from the intake with Dr G and said "Well you better make sure your weight is down by then" Congratulations on your banding at Umass and I'm glad to hear you would recommend it.

Thank you so much You are right, I am getting way ahead of myself. I was not told I need to loose a set number of pounds. It's just all this talk (from the nutritionist and psychologist) of 10% that has me freaked out. There is no way I can loose 10%. But I can loose a few pounds by Monday. So I am going to just focus, calm down, and be confident that I can do this. I will be talking to her about the phone comment. Can I ask, how have you found the after care? Are you happy with the fill schedule. Are the surgeon's office workers and staff helpful or nice? I hope that comment was a fluke, but I am still worried about more negative comments in the future. Thanks again for your reply.

Thanks for the posts. For now I am going to try and stop worrying about what might happen. The doctor did not tell me I need to lose a set number of pounds. But everyone else wants to see 10%. I tend to take everything said very seriously, but the way the info I get keeps changing I would not be surprised if I go Monday and they say I'm all set, moving on. I also decided that this would be a good time to try out my liquid nutritional supplements I got for pre and post surgery. I started yesterday, shake for Breakfast and lunch, then a reasonable dinner. Tonight is the seminar for the new program. I'll check it out, ask my questions, see how the drive is. I will also continue doing 2 shakes and a meal. Then when I go to the psychologist on Monday I will see how it goes. I will stop trying to borrow trouble. I can do this. I will get there. Can you tell I am working on being confident? :biggrin: Thanks again

Thanks for your post. I am so torn, I also feel like I should change programs. The new office seems so nice and positive, I am starting to think this will be more of a success factor that the short commute. But I can't stop wondering if I am just looking for an easier way, the "shorter line" syndrome. Or am I just banging my head on the wall trying to fit myself into this program that does not seen to fit! Thanks again and Congratulations on your success!

Congratulations!!!:thumbup: Wishing you fast healing! I am really feeling down about this whole Umass process and would love some advice is you can spare it. My psychologist/ readiness letter appointment is next week (Monday). I am only down a few pounds since my initial intake appointment in November. When the woman on the phone gave the appointment last week she said "Well you better make sure your weight is down by then" Her negative words are spinning through my head every hour and I have not lost an ounce since that call, not surprising really, the reason I am willing to have surgery is because of my 20 year diet failure. Anyway, I am frustrated because I know it's important to loose weight before surgery to shrink your liver and make the operation safer. I know I can do this with a liquid diet before surgery. But It seems like they will not let me move on and meet the surgeon until I loose weight. I could do liquids now and be down by Monday, but I worry it will only be a short term loss and that I will be back to normal when I do meet the Dr. and then it will look like I gained! Any advice is welcome... I am also considering switching programs and posted about that in the main forum. But I would love to hear from you folks who have been or are going through Umass. Thank You.

Last September, after much research and thought, I started the Lap band process at a local hospital. Umass in Worcester MA. I knew the process would be 6-12 months long (Umass said 6mos, Lapbandtalk members said 12 mos) and that they had done around 350 bands. It is also $350.00 in program fees (plus $250 for the nutritionist that my ins denied). In the end I decided on Umass because it was only 10 minutes from my home and I thought the convienence and ease of getting to appointments was worth the long wait. My problem now is that I am getting more and more frustrated with the way the program is run. Along with all the conflicting info, many of the people I speak with seem very negative to me. At first I was told I will need to loose weight before surgery. I thought, 2 week liquid diet, shrink liver, I can do that. Then after many variations on that I am now at the point where I need to loose weight just to meet the surgeon. The program is divided onto two parts. Part one is 2 seminars, medical doctor app, nutritionist app, psychologist app, 4- weekly classes, then back to the psychologist. If you have lost enough weight, the psychologist will write a "readiness letter" and then your file will be sent over to the surgery dept. It has taken me since last September to get to the last psychology/ readiness letter app, it is next week. When I called to book this app, the woman on the phone was giving me a hard time because my weight was only down a few pounds, after she booked the appointment she said "well you better make sure your weight is down by then". Needless to say, that womans voice has been repeating in my head every hour and I am pretty sure I have gained 2 pounds in the last week because of the stress I am putting on myself. That is when I started looking into other programs. The reason I am willing to go as far as surgery to loose weight is because I suck at dieting, but they will not even let me meet the surgeon until I prove I can diet! I am attending a seminar, at another program 1 hour away on Thursday. I have talked with the new office a few times and everyone is so nice. They are a 3 month program, then follow up appointments every 2 weeks. I am going to see how it goes at the seminar. The main consideration, besides all the money I already paid to Umass, and the long commute, is that I will need to change insurance if I want to join the new program. I am unsure if my new insurance will cover Lap band in a brand new client. Thanks for reading my long saga, any advice is welcome!

KathrynRose, I just realised we were in the same September seminars. It's nice to get more info on how long this process actually is. I was starting to worry I would not get banded until September! But 6 weeks (if it's still the case) from surgery consult sounds great. Also good luck on becoming a foster parent!

Hi! It's so great to find people going through the Umass program. amm.imperial, congratulations on your surgery, glad your feeling well. Kathrynrose congrats on your surgery date. I was in the March classes and I was the only bandster there. It was depressing at times, people would talk about a friend or who ever who had to do a conversion to bypass because the band "does not work". This was all said in the first 2 weeks. At the time no one had said what surgery they wanted. Then on week 3 the leader asked each one of us what we were going for so she could give out the correct papers, and I was the only one who said Band. I missed the last class and I'm doing a make-up class tomorrow. Maybe this group will have other Bandsters. I did not know the surgery's were at Memorial? I also didn't know that they were doing the Realize band. Things I have wondered about, but had yet to ask. Do you know where you will go for fills yet?

Thanks for posting this. I am going through the UMASS program and I'm not enjoying it at all. It seems they expect me to be able to diet well and loose weight at a rate of 2lbs a week! And If I can not prove that I can do this than I'm not a good canditate for Surgery. They talk and talk about how this is a lifestyle change, but want me to drop weight like I was on South Beach. Anyway, I am over halfway through and I really wanted to work with Umass because I live in Worcester and I'm happy not to have to commute an hour to Boston or Norwood. We'll see... Good luck to you and I'm glad you are happy with Dr. Glasgow.

Thanks so much! This site has been so wonderful. I have been lurking for months and have learned so much. Redtulips. I totally agree about not waisting this time. I also have been thinking that any weight lost now would stay away after lap band. And you are so right that the food I am eating now is making me feel lousy. I hope that posting and thinking about this will get me moving in the right direction. My first appointment will be the end of this month. I hope after this it will start to feel real. Maybe that will get me going. Sherilynn, I will be enjoying the holidays! :hungry: Hopefully with in reason, but I do know next year will be much different. My big problem now, is that I want it now!! That whole instant gratification thing. Thanks all for the support!

Hi all, I am at the beginning of what I'm told will be a 6 month process to get a band. I have done the required group meetings and my first appointment is the end of November. It looks like I will have to wait until April 08 for the band. Anyone else have a long wait? This is miserable!! I seem to have decided that I can go ahead and eat whatever! I have gained more weight in the last month. At this rate I will be 30 pounds heavier before I even start! I can not possible have this 'last meal syndrome' for 6 months!! I am now the biggest I have ever been and I am miserable! I need to pull myself together and start now! Even if I lost 20 pounds by April I would still be over a 40 BMI and would qualify. And then how nice would it be to have a head start. I seem to be stuck in this weird waiting and eating zone. I would love any advice on how to make it through this long wait. Thanks!!

I don't know what happened to the last post? Weird? Congrats!!!

Congratulations!! <img src="http://www.LapBandTalk.com/images/smilies/clap2.gif" border="0" alt="" title="Clap2" smilieid="217" class="inlineimg" /><br /> <br /> Sounds wonderful, something for me to look foreword to.

Thank you for the info. Smyly, congrats on the weight loss! I am sorry to hear the program wait is so long. I was also looking into the Boston hospitals, they seem to have much shorter waits. I know this is a big step and a major decision. I'm not trying to rush it, but 3-5 months sounds much better than 7-10 months!! The first Umass seminar I will need to attend is this Thursday. I am going to start there and see how it goes. I really would like to do this in Worcester, it would be so much easier to get to appointments and I think there would be a lot less stress involved if I did not have to drive into Boston. Child care for an hour appointment in Worcester, or 3 hours with commute time to and from Boston. Easy to see why it might be worth it to wait for the later date. Do you go to the hospital for the fills? How often do they do it in the Umass program? Thank you!!

Thank you so much for all the replies!! I'm so nervous that I am just doomed to be fat forever, but I keep trying new things. Will the lap band be another failed attempt? I hope not! But I suppose, whether you think you can, or you think you can't, you are always right.

Thanks, I have GIC Plus plan and BIDMC is in network but I was assuming the doctors were also, I will remember to check. So BIDMC worked with you to meet the outpatient requirement and discharged you in 23 hours? Good to know. I did call my insurance and was told weight loss surgery is paid for on a case by case approval basis. I printed out the info form (7 pages, wow!) and will start working on that. Another question, I rarely drive into Boston (I'm in Worcester) the traffic makes me nervous. How difficult is the commute/ parking? I'm hoping my husband will drive in with me for the info meeting, for the meeting and also to make the drive easier. Thanks again!