JaimeSTL

I was banded yesterday and I am home now. Everything went well. I lost 15 lbs on the liquid diet (5 days). I was pretty happy about that. I'm having slight discomfort, but overall, I feel okay. I have been really thirsty, after not getting anything all day yesterday and today until about noon. I'm not really hungry though, so I'm going to have to make myself eat and drink.

I was just banded by Dr. Minkin yesterday. At the seminar I attended, he said he charges $16,000, which includes pre-op visits and a year of post-op care. Good luck!

I'm glad to hear you are home and doing well, StLouisGal. I'll be about two weeks behind you. I'm so excited!!

I am having my surgery at Des Peres Hospital, with Dr. Minkin.

Hi everybody! I'm new here. I'm Jaime, 29 years old, married and have 2 kids (6 yr old boy and 5 yr old girl). I live near St. Louis. I am having my surgery on 2/28 in St. Louis. My starting weight is 345 and my goal weight is 160. I'll be happy to be anywhere under 200 though. I'm looking forward to getting to know all of you as we go through this process together.

I had the day of testing back in December. I wasn't overly impressed by the admissions staff and the cardiology department. Oh well, that won't have a bearing on my surgery. I passed the stress test and all of the other testing. I might be having gallbladder issues so I have a HIDA scan scheduled for 2/13 and if it is bad, I'll probably had my gallbladder taken out when my band is put in. How was your experience with the nutritionists at DPH? The one I met for my presurgical counseling spent about 10 minutes with me. I'm so confused on the diet. I'm not much of a cook and not very creative in the kitchen so I am having a hard time coming up with on food ideas. I've read on another board and it seems like other people eat a lot more than what Dr. Minkin recommends. How much do you and your wife eat, Chris? How much have you both lost so far? How long did you have to wait after surgery before you could start exercising? I would like to lose at least 150 lbs, but I would be even happier if I lost about 180. I'm nervous about it.

I'm new here. My name is Jaime, I live in Fenton, near 141 and 21. I have been seeing Dr. Minkin also. I got insurance approval on 1/30. I'm waiting for Dr. Minkin's office to get the approval letter and then I'll get my date then. I'm glad to hear there are other patients of Dr. Minkin's here. I really like him, and I don't say that for many doctors. For anybody still deciding on a surgeon, I would highly recommend him. Jaime