soonergirl

Kristen, I agree - great thread. I am two weeks from being banded and feeling all of the same things. I start my preop diet tomorrow, and have found myself eating anything and everything that I am affraid that I won't be able to eat again. I have a pair of jeans that I went out and bought that I need to lose about 15 pounds to wear. I have them hanging in my bathroom and look at them often to have a visual reminder of why I am doing this. My husband has a tape worm and can and does eat huge portions - one thing that I fear is going to annoy me is sitting there waiting for him to finish huge meals while I eat a deck of cards?? Lucky &%#@&*! Why couldn't that be me??? I couldn't do this without the support of reading the posts on this board!! Thanks!

I have one of the lower BMIs - and my Dr. still has me on a two week preop diet. I don't have an issue with a fatty liver, but he still has me on this diet. He is not concerned about me losing too much weight either. 2 shakes/day that he gave me and some healthy regular meals, also no drinking for 7 days prior.

June 30th - I am really getting nervous, but still very excited. Can't wait for that broth on 4th of July!!! A little different than the usual July 4th weekend "liquid diet".

Guitarman, I am sooo sorry to hear about your puppy. I can totally relate as I sit hear in mourning. I had a shepard mix that I got when I graduated high school 14 1/2 years ago. I cam home the other night and she had had a stroke. My husband and I drove her 5 hours home to my parents farm and had her put down. It was the hardest thing that I may have done thus far in my life. She was there through all of my young adult life. I am so sorry, but so glad to hear that you have your other puppies!!!!! They make it all so much easier. My dog Boomer, a three year old brittany, much like your Sadie - put his head under the Water to find a rock for the first time last night. I think that they are just waiting in respect for their elders Thanks for sharing your story, as it actually really helped me in what I am going through. I am getting banded in two weeks, but now I am not sure if I am going to need it, as I have lost 4 pounds since I lost Mara. :ermm I am in the DFW area as well - I will have to come check out your band sometime. Porbably not this upcoming show - as I am sure that I will want to keep myself away from any temptations in the first few weeks after banding???

Thanks everyone for the feedback!!

This information is so helpful - but from a hopeful bander, my big question is do you miss them? It almost seems that no one really cares about these foods near as much now that you just CAN'T eat or tolerate them? Did this kind of thread seem kind of confusing and scary to any of you before you were banded? Were you afraid that you might just lose your mind one day and have to have something that you weren't supposed to eat? I think that I really should have no problem with giving up any of these, but di the "thought of it" kind of freak anyone out prior to banding? Thanks!!!!!

I went in for a consult yesterday, and the Dr. said that he recommends no bread, not even on a sandwhich - ever. Has anyone else been told this, is it common. It kind of seemed from some of the other threads, that many of you eat bread. Please give me your input on this matter. Thanks!

I am researching this right now as well. I have found that Dr. Benavides would just require that you carry in your medical records. The fills are done at Richardson Surgery Center at the cost of $250 - This is what I was quoted today. I also spoke with Dr. Powell's office )right next door to Dr. Benavides, who's office didn't seem as excited about taking care of patients from MX, but said that they look at it on a case by case basis.

At risk of sounding like a real lush - I wanted to share this information I got today. I like many others on the site thinking about the lap-band love beer and enjoy the weekly happy hour: I actually had a pretty lengthy discussion today with a Dr. in Dallas about the beer subject, because I too love beer and was really fearing leaving it behind forever. He said to poor the beer in a glass, let it sit in the fridge and let it lose most of the carbination. He also suggested adding a lime to distract a little from it being flat. He suggested to give it a dry run, but didn't see a problem with it if you let it go flat. (He also indicated that a lot of patients lose their taste for it) He also said that another one that he might not have a problem with me trying is sugar free Red Bull and Vodka. He said it would help to let the Red Bull sit for a while to "rest". His best suggestion was to switch to a room temperature wine - this is a drink that people tend to drink at a slower pace. I know that a lot of the postings that I had read on hear about drinking suggested moderation - I agree, but I really wanted to have a heart to heart with the reality of this subject before I made my decision. I am sure that many of you that are banded might have already shared this, but he said that the biggest concern that he had for alcohol as it relates to being banded, is that "instead of polishing off a bottle of wine to get drunk, you shouldn't need more than a few glasses". - He then admitted that he and his wife still enjoy a nice night out away from their 5 kids - so he could relate Don't mistake that he encouraged any of this - his official recommendation was still to KEEP IT TO A MINIMUM. I was so excited to have a Dr. that was really comfortable being open with me about this subject. Please share any additional real life information that might help a band-er-to-be. I look forward to your input about actually living with any of this advice!!

I have a BMI of 31.5 and Dr. Powell in Dallas has still told me that I would be a good candidate. No co-morbities either. I am still debating on whether or not to go to Mexico because of the cost for a self-pay. Good luck.

Just to offer some clarification on the entire issue of insurance in general on this issue - ( I happen to work for a carrier) 1) If you work for a large employer - chances are your group is what is called self-funded, this means that your company is actually paying the claims, not the insurance carrier. The insurance carrier is just administering the claim. The employer will actually set the rules around what is and what is not covered. The company will also approve the process that the carrier uses to determine elligiblity for this type of procedure. Only in some states are their state mandated benefits. Thus, you can have two people with the exact same situation, both with the same insurance carrier's name on their card with very different situations. (I know for a fact that Union Pacific is self-funded) 2) BCBS is mentioned a number of times - All BCBS companies are not the same, they all carry the BCBS logo, which only means that they are a part of BCBS Association. BCBS of Illinios owns the BCBS in TX and NM. Empire is a seperate BCBS of its own. Wellpoint owns BCBS in Colorado, California, MO, and 10 other states (previously known also as Anthem BCBS). 3) So- if the company that you work for, or the fully-insured policy that you have approves the surgery, then it will go to the medical review. They will often deny the claim in the first go around, but it would definetely be worth appealing in all situations. Most of the time the first refusal is automatic and NOT a decision made by an individual, but a computer that is looking at a number of different factors. Once appealed, most companies send it to a medical review board where individuals actually evaluate and make a decision about the claim. All companies and policies are different, take the time to put some research into it! Hope this helps to understand the insurance side a little better.