JaxBandster

Hi Bling You will be very happy to know that there are many live support groups in the DFW area and also a VERY good on line yahoo group. I don't even live in Texas and I am a member of their group because it is so good and so supportive. That group and this group have helped me so much in preparing for my surgery and my new life. The yahoo group is DFWBandsters. Good luck in your journey!

I had one appt with the nutritionist so she could explain to me the food program that I would be on both before surgery and after surgery once I get back on "real" food. I am on a high protein, low carb plan (30 gms a day). Was your doctor referring to something more extensive? If you are trying to get insurance to cover a portion of your procedure, you may have to be under a medically supervised diet for 3 to 6 months depending on your insurance. If you are self-pay, you don't have to jump through those hoops.

Just a word of advice, be very careful and dilligent about reading the labels on your drinks. I guess K20 is high in protein is very high in carbs as well. So is Muscle Milk. Make sure you take that into consideration when calculating your daily food intake. If your carbs are too high you will sabotage your weight loss.

Good luck Debbie and welcome to the bandster way of life!

I haven't been banded yet but from my understanding your full feeling is different than it was before. It is important to recognize that feeling so you don't overeat and PB. I also understand that after your surgery you will initially have some restriction from swelling, but that when the swelling goes down so does the restriction and you enter what is known as Bandster Hell. That period of time between surgery and before you get your first fill that will begin to help you feel full. I guess this is a very difficult time for many bandsters and you just have to suffer through it. I have heard that eating a lot of Protein will help ease the hunger pains. Make sure you keep your carb level low as you will end up putting on weight. It sometimes takes several or more fills to get to your sweet spot. During this time you need to depend as much as you can on willpower and sheer determination to succeed. Once you get to your sweet spot then the band will help you to stay on track.

If you go to support groups, in Geographical Regions, and narrow down the location to US/Florida, you will find a support group for Jacksonville Bandsters there. There are a few of us at the moment. We are all hoping to get together maybe in February just to have our own small support group and of course have our on line support here. I am also going to Dr. Cywes. Wednesday is my pre-op appt. Have already done the nutritionist and weight counselor appt. Just waiting on my EKG report which hopefully I will have by Wednesday. My surgery date is on February 7th at the Surgery Center in Jax Beach. I am self pay so am opting for the Surgery Center over the hospital in order to save a few thousand bucks! Hope to see you all over on the Jacksonville group!

I had a major gall bladder attack (rushed to the ER cause I thought I was having a heart attack). Pain was severe in the middle of my chest then radiated around the left side. Definitely sounds like it could be gall bladder. Did they do an ultrasound on you?

Hi! I don't have my band yet but I would suggest taking down the carbs. My doctor has me on a low carb diet pre-op and I will continue the same diet once I am able to resume solid foods after surgery. I have lost nine lbs in one and a half weeks and it was mostly all fat and very little Water weight. I know that you and I are at opposite spectrums of the journey but like one person said, sometimes it helps to change up your eating patterns as your body gets set in its ways. I keep my carbs around 30 gms a day so it isn't as strict as the induction phase of Atkins but I still really have to watch what I'm eating. Absolutely no bread, rice, Pasta, potatoes or anything sugary. Try it for two weeks and see if it helps. Good luck in reaching your goal!!!!

My doctor also has me on Bariatric Advantage chewable multi Vitamins and the chewable calcium tablets. They want me on 1000 mg of calcium a day and they say that the Multivitamins have the highest calcium content around. They recommend the calcium in case I don't get up to 1000 mg between the multivitamins and my daily food intake.

My nutritionist told me to get the chewable Multivitamins from Bariatric Advantage as they have 600 mg of Calcium which they say is more than just about any Multivitamin. They also told me to get the chewable calcium tabs in the even I didn't consume anything during the day that contained calcium. They want me to get in 1000 mg of calcium a day. Hope this helps

Also, continue to watch your carbs. Eat your Protein first, then veggies then carbs (if you have room). Even if you have the band, if all you eat are carbs it will impede your weight loss. After I get my band and move back to real food, I will still be on a very low carb diet of 30 gms of carbs a day. I won't be able to move that number up until after I've lost all my weight and even then I will need to keep it at around 80. I am one and a half weeks into my pre-op low carb diet and have lost a little over nine lbs and that is eating almost all the meat and veggies I want (i.e. no restriction from band). Try it and see.

LOL, I did that in my early 20's (25 years ago), had a good time, made a lot of money. Might even have done it again if I were young and had the body for it but those days are over.

LOL, that's funny. I was in a public restroom today and went into a regular stall and thought to myself that I needed to added "not having to use the handicap stall" to my list!

I recently found out from my insurance provider that you can get a supplemental private medical insurance which will help offset costs of surgery even if the surgery is voluntary (This included plastic surgery). My insurance is Allstate and the policy is offered through American Heritage Life which Allstate owns. To provide an example of the benefits, for my premium of $84 (which is the most expensive) I will get back $720 for my ambulatory surgery (hospitalization less than 24 hours). I will then get back $130 per office visit. 30% of my anesthesia expenses will be reimbursed. For the surgery itself, I will get back anywhere from $72-$1,800 depending on the surgery. That's a pretty good return for my $84. The policy can be terminated after one month so depending on how long it takes you to get your surgery, you could only have to pay for one month. My surgery is in less that three weeks so I should be able to do that. My agent said that she can write policies in most states and that if she can't she would be happy to refer to an agent in that state. She is very nice and I am sure that she would be happy to discuss the particulars with anyone who wants to give her a call. She is not high pressure or anything. My agent's name and number is Karalee Sievert 904-819-0595 Hope this helps someone offset co-pays, deductible or self-pay expenses.

I went to get my policy today and found out that it can also be used to supplement an existing insurance policy. Nice to know if you have a co-pay and/or deductible.

I made this list when I was trying to decide whether I wanted lap band surgery or not. 1. Don’t want to look pregnant 2. Want to look good in jeans and leather 3. Want to be able to get up from the couch without needing a crane 4. Tired of GERD 5. Want my feet to stop hurting 6. Want to be able to fit into theater and airplane seats comfortably 7. Don’t want to be fat Karen riding Fat Bob (my Harley) 8. Don’t want to be embarrassed 9. Want to be able to tie my shoes, shave my legs without effort 10. Want to be able to shop in the regular size departments of stores 11. Want to be able to exercise with Annia (my Rottweiler) 12. Want to be healthy 13. Don’t want to be a fat woman in a bathing suit 14. Want to be able to get myself up off the floor 15. Want to make a good impression on job interviews or business meetings 16. Want to FEEL sexy 17. Want to be able to sleep without having to be inclined 18. Want to look in the mirror and think “hot” not “slug” 19. Don’t want to be heavier than my husband 20. Want to be able to have tummy tuck

Brooke, I haven't gotten my band yet (my date is 02/07/08) but I've read a LOT and I would recommend following your doctor's instructions to the letter and to be completely honest with him/her and yourself. Take things VERY slowly whether it be drinking liquids, trying new foods, or sitting down and eating. Lastly, ready everything you can get your hands on. Good luck!

That's the diet I'm on. 30 gms of carbs a day not including green leafy veggies. I've been on it less than a week. Went in for my 2nd appt today and I've lost 8 lbs! Holy cow! They also said it was most all fat and very little Water weight. Between this and the liquid diet two days prior to surgery my liver should be in FINE shape! :huh2:

I started a high protein/low carb diet last week in preparation for my Feb 7th surgery. I have to stay around 30 carbs a day. Not quite the Atkins Induction phase, but close! The one thing that saves me is that I don't have to count the carbs in green leafy vegetables so I can eat lots of salad (just watch the dressing) and load it up with cheese and ham (look for Cabot Cheddar Cheese 75% and 50% low fat, 75% is better for eating straight, 50% is good for cooking with and it melts!) In one week I have lost 8 lbs!!!!! If you look hard you can find all sorts of things that are really low in carbs. I had to laugh today when my husband came up to the check out line in the grocery store with a bag of pork rinds! Absolutely no carbs at all. Atkins Carb Advantage shakes are pretty good as are the EAS ones. Drinking a lot of water will also help to keep you full. Hope this helps!

I spoke with my insurance agent again today. She informed me that it is a supplemental health insurance policy and that it is done through American Heritage Life which Allstate owns. She said that I could give out her name and number and that anyone from any state could call her and that if she wasn't licensed in a state she could definitely refer to another agent. I will at the very LEAST get $500 plus $130 per appt. The ambulatory surgery rider varies depending on the doctor's report but could be as much as $1,800. I figure that is worth a $61 premium. My agent's name and number is Karalee Sievert 904-819-0595

Went to one of my pre-op appts today one week after beginning my pre-op diet and I have lost 8 lbs!!!!! Wow! I thought that it was just water weight but she informed me that the scale said it was mostly all fat and very little water. I'm really amazed. Of course, if I could stay on this kind of plan and never be tempted by food again I wouldn't need the band, but I know otherwise after repeated successes leading to repeated failures. The band will keep me from reverting to bad habits and keep me on the straight and narrow. ALSO!!! I asked the doctor about riding after my surgery and he said that as long as I'm not too sore and as long as I'm not taking pain medication then I should be able to ride in 3 or 4 days!!!!! Yahoo!!!!!!!! :tt1:

Thanks for that information. I will check into it. Hopefully, I will get employed soon after my surgery so I can get coverage again. I don't mind paying out of pocket first as I was planning on doing that anyway, but knowing I can recover a portion of the costs is nice.

PB = Productive Burp It is a burb that includes food, usually something you just ate, that is caused by eating too much or a variety of other reasons. I believe there is a list of acronyms somewhere on the forum.

Once I find out the exact name of the policy I would just find a local Allstate agent and see if they offer it. I was really astonished when she told me about it. I had gone to her in order to obtain a copy of an EKG they performed on me a few months ago when I was taking out a life insurance policy on my husband and myself. My doctor said he could use the EKG the insurance company did in lieu of my having to pay for another one. I'm really glad I had to contact her or I would have never known about it.

My insurance company is Allstate. All you have to do is fill out forms and pay the premium. I would imagine that other insurance carriers might have similar types of coverage though. I will try to find out the exact type of coverage (and plan name) tomorrow when I speak with her again. She actually had two types of plans to offer and was going to see which one would reimburse more and get back to me.