three sixty six

good luck to you, lynn! your surg date is fast approaching. are you getting it done at christiana or st francis (i'm going to st francis). headed to chrias now for another class! keep us posted on the next week's events!

I'm 25 y/o, live, work, and go to school in Wilmington. I'm originally from NJ. Hoping for surgery in June. Probably self-pay. I'm going through the process now - already had my cardiologist appt, bloodwork, chest x-ray. Have appts for EGD, psych eval, and pulmo. How soon after getting this stuff done do you think I'll be able to get a surgery date? I like to plan these things. Anyone else in the Wilmington area? What support groups are available to us?

hey there! I'm a pt of Dr. Irgau's too :biggrin:

Is it true? No more beer for ever and ever? I had my initial consult on Friday. "You'll just have to learn to like wine," my doc said with a chuckle. Anyone a beer drinker like me? Are you banded and still drink it?

three days? that's IT? i have to do 2 weeks!!!

anyone know of a good online store for those plastic retainers? my tat shop doesn't have the hoops for my cartilidge... thanks! btw, when i drop this wt, im SO piercing my nose. :biggrin2:

in Delaware we have a choice between 2 hospitals: 1 is about $22k and the other is $17,500. Naturally I chose the $17,500. The hospital has a great reputation. $17,500 includes 11k for the hospital. Above $17,500 is a $550 "program fee" that covers the classes, seminars, etc. The price does not include all the pre-op doctors. So far, I've seen a cardiologist, and had bloodwork. I need to get an EGD and chest x-ray, see a pulmonologist, and get a psych eval - all not paid for out of that $17,500. My insurance has a policy exclusion so I'm self-pay.

i've been "obese" since i was 8 years old. Other than the pediatrician I had at that age, NONE of my PCPs have ever told me to lose weight. i think that's a bad thing. if you think for one second that your doc is judging you, get a new one! shop around. set up appts for consults. don't settle.

funny you should mention it! i just bought it. i've already read LapBand for Life and another book I loaned to my mom (so she can understand this too). I also picked up K. Ali's book "Fighting Weight." I heard WLS for Dummies is a great tool!

..just got off the phone with the surgery center. they finally reviewed my 17-page packet (they require all new patients to fill one out before they get an appointment) and my appointment is set for next friday. I attended a WLS seminar in December, and the doctor that presented happened to be a different doctor in the group than the doctor I had previously wanted (I had hoped to get some face time with the Doc at the seminar, but he wasn't there). I got an appointment for the doctor I haven't met, but I'm wondering.. if I have a consult with him and I don't get that same warm & fuzzy I got from the doctor who presented (who answered all twenty-seven of my questions), is it cool to switch? I still really want to meet this guy. I can't decide!

the doctor was great! i felt really comfortable with him. i ended up keeping my appointment with the doctor i hadn't yet met. i'm so comfortable with this surgery center, i could see anyone there and be 100% happy. he was very thorough, explaining the process, how the band works, etc. he even had a model of a stomach on his desk with a band and he filled an unfilled it so i could see how restriction works. very cool! i asked some questions and he had great, thoughtful answers. i didn't have a lot to ask, thanks to you kind people on these boards! i just read and read and read all day. so, thanks! my doctor says i'm very well-educated on the subject :biggrin: now i'm scheduling some other docs: i have to see a cardiologist and get a tube down the throat (i forget what that's called) to check out my digestive tract. yeah! i need to set up a psych consult as well. i start the WLS classes at the center next week. we're right on track! i hope to have surgery in june, when school is out for the summer (i'm in law school now). the only hurdle right now is insurance. the policy provided by my employer has a bariatric exclusion, but you better BELIEVE i am fighting it. i need strength for this fight, but i'm not backing down. wish me luck!

see, this is why pictures rock. Bet, you look AWESOME! You should be so proud! Can you tell us what size you started at, and what size you are today? inspirational!

hey there. haven't been banded yet, so i'm at my heaviest right now.. anyone experience a toilet, erm.. sounding like it's cracking when you sit on it? i know this is a weird question.. but i'm at work and my regular loo that i use every day just started making this sound when i was on it ! it sounds like it's gonna come off the wall! is this possible? can i really make a toilet come off the wall? it's the industrial kind with nothing underneath, only attached to the wall.. what are the weight limits on those puppies? sorry for the strange question, but now i'm afraid to pee!!!!!!

i talked to our HR person (the most un-fun convo i've had in years) and she was VERY sympathetic. she told me what other floors had "nice bathrooms" in our building to use until ours gets fixed. turns out they recently had that loo replaced. i feel better, but i'm still afraid to pee at work!!!!

got my first consultation with the doctor this morning!! wish me luck :redface:

hi Patty! I saw your post about the show being on this weekend, so I raced home and set it to tape. i watched it yesterday. it was GREAT!!! great job representing bandsters - even though I haven't been banded yet, I feel like part of the family, and you made the family proud!!! excellent piece, and way to go on your success!

hi there! i've been reading posts on this site for weeks now. finally decided to start participating. i'm from delaware. i've attended one WLS seminar at a local surgery center. i've been reading lots of books on the lap band. this week, i sent in a huge packet of paperwork to the surgery center so they can evaluate it and see if they'll make an appointment for a consult. right now, my insurance probably won't cover a lap band so i'm saving up to be self-pay. my goal is for surgery in june. looking forward to talking with the bandsters on this site! cheers!