sleepyjean

Rats. I guess I kind of knew you would all say that but...well...DAMMIT! Why does every part of this have to be so difficult?

I can relate. I made up my mind 6 months ago that I was going to do this. But now that I have a date and my pre and post op appointments scheduled, I'm getting scared. I don't care about dying - after all if I die, I'm not going to know it. I'm scared mostly that something might go wrong with the surgery or that I don't have it in me to do what I need to do. It's easy to say how committed you'll be when it's months away and you don't actually have to <i>do it</i> yet. I worry mostly that I am a lost cause and will somehow manage to screw this up and I will be obese forever.

I've given up wearing lipgloss because with all the water I'm drinking, it wears off really fast. This stinks because my lips tend to be dry and plus I <i>like </i>my lip gloss. I thought about using a straw to drink, but we're not supposed to do that because of the air that gets swallowed. Has anyone come up with a way to do this without reapplying 500 times a day?

it keeps freezing up on me too!

I'm a Cookies and cakes kind of girl. Little Debbie cakes are my nemesis. In the past, I've been able to give up that kind of stuff and have found that if I can last 3-4 days without it, then the craving for it lessens. But this time I'm having trouble. I'm not hungry, but I just have this urge to eat something cakey like a brownie or something. It's that urge to put something in my mouth which I guess is how I got this big in the first place. Anyone have any tips to help me get through this week? If I can last a week, I can beat this, I think. And I have to beat it or I'll be really screwed after I get banded. Thanks all

Tomorrow begins my 30-day countdown to surgery. :high5:I'm going to use this next month to ease into the eating habits I'll need for the rest of my life - that means more protein and more veggies. I plan to cut waaaay down on carbs, which will be difficult because my diet consists mostly of overprocessed carbs. I can do protein. The trouble is, I <b>hate</b> vegetables. Except for corn (which doesn't count) and broccoli. Squash, green beans, okra, peas, asparagus, cauliflower, spinach - yuck yuck yuck. If evil had a taste, it would taste like a vegetable. (Probably brussels sprouts.) :speechles Are there any reformed veggie haters who can help me out here? I'm afraid I'm going to have to start taking wheatgrass shots or something equally vile.

I had a similar experience. The thing I like about my program is they approach it as if the decision has already been made - you ARE going to banded and you ARE going to lose weight. As a result, the meetings with the nutritionist and the social worker focused more on preparing you for all of the changes and getting you started making small changes right away. They were conversations more than evals.

whoa...am I a topic killer or what?

Vines, I'm sure just about everyone knows this, but I don't: what do you think is causing you to be a turtle? It scares me a little that we can get banded and drink the protein powder and exercise and do everything right, but can't lose more than 1lb per month. What's blocking you? What does your doctor say? I'm getting banded in about a month and am trying to prepare myself mentally for all possible outcomes.

When I first started pursing the band, I had a bmi of 39. A low bmi plus my absolute determination to get banded = last supper syndrome. I ate and ate and ate, gaining about 25 pounds in a shockingly brief period of time. I finally came out of it in January and haven’t binged since. To tell you the truth, I'm kind of sick of food altogether and looking forward to the liquids phase. I haven't been making great food choices, but I'm not bingeing at all. Right now I'm working on making better choices because the choices I'm making now are 100% based on convenience (e.g. skipping lunch because it's a pain to pack it or to go out and wait in line somewhere, then going through the drive thru after work so I can eat in the car and be done by the time I get home so I can do other stuff.) I haven't been exercising at all. I was really having a problem with that because the rapid weight gain has put a LOT of stress on my body. (Back pain, leg pain, footpain, etc.) I am 31 but I feel 81. I can barely walk half a block. Plus, it's also a mind thing. I keep thinking of exercise in terms of what I <b>used to</b> be able to do. I used to be able to do 45 minutes of aerobics or walk 45 minutes and the thought of even trying that right now is overwhelming, so I don’t try. BUT! I had a revelation over the weekend. I bought a pair of pants to exercise in and on Saturday I put them on and put on my tennies and was able to walk much longer than usual. Yesterday I went on a ten minute walk around the block. It was hard, but I did it! I'm going to do my best to do that every day from now until May 1. I think that helps with the mental thing and with the waiting. Now I feel like I'm doing <i><b>something</i></b>, not just waiting around for my surgery date. I'm doing a lot of work in that area. The great thing about Cedars-Sinai is they take the weight loss as a done deal. You ARE going to lose weight. So they focus on ways to live your life post band. I had to see a social worker as part of my eval. The social worker really wanted me to think about how I've handled weight loss in the past (very badly, hence the regain) and what obstacles I might face this time around. I will have to overcome a lot of challenges in order to make this THE LAST TIME I am ever obese. I have a lot of issues. Unfortunately, I am one of those who is battling depression (I'm on meds for it) and I have very low self confidence and self esteem. I don't have any friends here and am completely isolated socially (all my own doing. I’m too fat to look at myself so I don’t want anyone else looking at me!) I'm used to being invisible. I LIKE being invisible. I also tend to be an obsessive all-or-nothing type of person, so whenever I slip in terms of food and exercise, I don't just fall off the wagon, I jump off and run the other way. These are all issues I've had for a long time and they're not going to change just because I'm losing weight. In fact, things are going to get a lot scarier for me. In the past I have not been able to handle all of the changes. So if I want to succeed, I have to do something about all of this. Planning for it in advance is a luxury that I fully intend to take advantage of. The day after I met with the social worker, I went out and found a great therapist. I've been in therapy before and it was mostly me talking and crying with no real end in sight. My new therapist is very goal-oriented and we are focusing on the things that will ultimately be most difficult for me. It's only been a month, so I still have all of those issues, but I feel like I am making progress and I am confident that when the time comes to deal with these things, I will be able to handle it. If have to pay someone to hold my hand through this process, then dammit, I will do it! So, in a way, it’s a good thing to have five weeks until my surgery. The waiting sucks, but it’s nice to be on the other end – waiting for a confirmed surgery date, rather than waiting for insurance approval! At least I know I'm definitely going to have it and I know when. These next weeks will give me time to ease into the changes gradually, which I have already started to do. I won’t lie though, I wish it were sooner! And sadly, I am looking forward to it as a week away from my job!

Amen, sister! I am SO freaked out by needles and the whole catheter thing - eek! But the needles will only hurt for a few moments. Obesity has hurt for 15 years!

A couple of people here recommended Body Fortress. I tried the vanilla. It doesn't taste like a milkshake, but it's not too bad. And bonus! - it actually smells like something yummy. Totally drinkable. And only $12 for a big gigantic 2lb container of it (at Wal-mart). Something that size is probably $25+ at GNC

My dr. doesn't do the pre-op diet thing. You just have to drink clear liquids the day before and fast between midnight and the operation. What is the reason for the pre op diet?

Me Me Me!! :clap2:

It comes down to this: which is worse - that long list of "possibles" or spending the rest of your life not as you are now, but heavier, older, and sicker?

Had I been in that situation, I would've given him the old one-finger salute. Screw him. A year from now, you could have diabetes, sleep apnea, and high blood pressure.

I would <b>never</b> let someone who has done so few bands operate on me. Experienced surgeons know the nuances. They know how to stitch the band in place just so. They know how to operate in such a way to minimize scarring. They know the best place to put your port. Because they are experienced, they are better able to evaluate whether you need and fill or unfill and if so how much. They know how to recognize the signs of erosion and slippage and they know what to do about it. Regardless of whether it's heart surgery, brain surgery, "female" surgery, lap-band surgery, it doesn't matter to me. It's just not worth the risk. You don't know that he thinks that, you could be projecting your anxieties onto him. However, if that <b>is</b> what you believe, do you really want a surgeon who has already made up his mind that you're going to fail? :faint: You're stressing about this before you know if there is cause. Have you asked superdoc about his aftercare program? Ask him for references. You may feel stupid doing that, but it's your body and your life that's at stake here. This is not a decision you want to make based on someone else's offhand comments. Is he kidding? This is major surgery. You could become disabled because of it or even die. Never never never make an important life changing decision because someone tells you to "trust him." He should earn your trust because he's a good surgeon with a good reputation. Trusting him shouldn't be a leap of faith.

It totally sucks that they denied you. You should get hold of ReneBean. She beat the tar out of Blue Cross and they gave in!

I think in the long run, banding is actually more expensive than GB - at least in some cases. When I first started looking into this, I wanted to have it done at UCLA. I did a lot of band research on their website and it was only two months later when I finally had all the paperwork to submit, that they said they don't do banding anymore. The woman I spoke to said the band requires too much follow-up care. I understood that to mean that it's too expensive and doing adjustments and stuff is a big pain for surgeons to do.

I'm not getting banded for six weeks (all because my PCP can't see me until 4/20 grrrrr.) For those who are already banded, how did you prepare? And is there anything you wish you'd done beforehand to help yourself get ready? One thing I've been thinking about is starting to exercise, but even just walking, I can only get halfway down the block before my feet legs and back start to hurt really bad. Any suggestions - especially for other ways to start exercising - would be welcome.

Welcome to the crew! This is a great place to get lots of info.

Holy crap - did you see that one guy on the TX laparoscopy page? <b>101 pounds in five months???? </b>Surely that's a misprint.

Anything can work for one or two people. But if this worked on a widescale basis, the internet would be rife with success stories and people would be lining up around the block to have it done. But they aren't, are they?

I'm not going to kick your butt. Everyone else has already done it for me. You know what you're doing is wrong. You know that you're eating too much. You knew going into this that behavior modification is part of the deal. You knew all of that, yet you came here and admitted it to all of us, <b>knowing</b> what the response would be. Seems to me like some part of you - no matter how small - wants to cut it out and do what you're supposed to do. Listen to that part of yourself that wants to get your act together. I know you can do this.

You've got a lot of support on the side of "this change is hard for your husband, he feels threatened, you deserve better, etc." side and I think that's totally valid. I understand that you are making an incredible transformation and your'e proud of your progress (which you should be!). I also understand that generally speaking, people don't like change. But I'm going to play devil's advocate... You are part of this equation. Is there a chance that your behavior is contributing to this? Did your husband give you lots of compliments before the surgery? Are you expecting behaviors from him that he did not demonstrate in the past? I think sometimes we have to accept that something that is a big big deal for us, simply isn't as important to other people, even those closest to us. Is it possible that you've become a little..."high maintenance?" Do you talk about it all the time? Do you tell him about other people's complements as way to prod him into complementing you? Do you ever complement him? Is it possible that you are so focused on what he's not doing for you, you haven't thought about maybe what you aren't doing for him? Is it possible that he's just sick of hearing about it? The fault for disagreements is usually shared. It rarely falls 100% on one person or the other. I'm going to borrow from PhotoNut because I can't think of any way to say it better than she did: "I'm not telling you that you don't deserve to be happy. But I am telling you that we often make big mistakes when we focus too much on what WE DESERVE. I offer you my thoughts as a possible help to you. I don't expect you to defend yourself or even provide more personal information about your marriage. I'm not judging you, so please don't take it that way. I'm speaking from my own experiences.. if they don't apply to you, then just forget my post. Best of luck to you in this situation. I mean that sincerely."