hopefulmom25

My surgery was rescheduled from the 6th to the 11th. So I went ahead and changed it on the list.

:party:Jazzy Junes! 2 Deb, Realme, LeighDee, BIG T, Mandi Jo, Kitcatnap, Jajeanne, BanTam, Utahgirl, Strikeuptheband, katkeen, kellystidham 3 Huggie Bear, Steveamy0503, elvisfan, nicolerose, YoungNY, leepizz, Nuali 4 Sellie, jills_adopting, ebinsc, Hunzi, jlck98, Alleyoppvolley, Anewkim, Snappymonkey18, Terrier Mom, Snakerivermusic, SanDiegoPhotog :huh2: 5 Irish Ladybug, Cadets 71, LMarie_MD2b, jkpenny376, Imagoofball, Lady Zique, ttbikergirl :redface: 6 Kristybandy, Cathychatts, eagerbandim, mamamarie, luigismama, pitter, Peacedove, Shorty184 :redface: 9 Bando, gardengrl, flirtyangel, vzghj3, Hayley, CarrieC, CarrieD, Hayley, Katies, 1000words :scared2: 10 Jules, Shaxmom, rearea1222, To Be Free, twinmommie, Anglesphere, acadang, ,bandme08, Olive424, nancyb2003, Jillian68, micountryfarm aka stacey :thumbup: 11 triser72, Mowree, aalves, jdrocks226, larakathyleen, Detroitdame75, PRCowboy, hopefulmom25 :thumbup: 12 cris3, Angelyco, WannaDance,Susanm, Long2bThin, MissWilde, Jewellj1, gina s, Dee 79, Diz, Ebeth0013 :thumbup: 13 BATassbandita, elvisfan1219, KatW, cramadan, Greatlyblessed, amyz, greythope :smile2: 16 babbs 3772, Phoenix :wink2: 17 TX Diva, Apples2, 19 Imgonnaloosem, KerryConnor, Shome 18 KathyStrick 20 Rhondawood63 :eek: 23 Little Debbie, Mariamomof2, brubear, Yesindeed, sweetrepose :thumbup: 24 Snuffy65, trtobiassen :thumbup: 25 Tennessee Mom, dj bryan, Hollins2003, Sunflower00 :thumbup: 27 TexGal, nellie ray, Kalaipahoa, Susie70, kpa88, Armywife4life, lillygirl :thumbup: 30 maguirre67, Tai68, MS.MAURA NY, Brian

So my surgeon's office called yesterday and said something has come up and Dr.Woodman needs to reschedule my surgery to Wednesday June 11th. It was supposed to be next Friday, June 6th. Talk about a shocker! I haven't really had surgery before, so I didn't even think about my surgery could be rescheduled. I had childcare arranged for my daughter, plus the 2 kids I babysit full time. Luckily, other people were able to move their schedules around to accommodate the new childcare needs. Ah well, I've waited this long. A few extra days won't kill me.

I have told my my mom, stepdad, Dad, parents-in-law, husband, and 2 best friends. That's it. Nobody else needs to know my personal business. My weight is such a sensitive subject for me. But I wish that I could have gotten by without my husband, mom, or mother-in-law knowing. I had to tell them, because there's no way I could hide it from them really. Especially my husband. But they are the 3 least supportive people. I wish there was a way my Dad and best friend could have been the only ones to know. They are very supportive of me. My husband is very resentful of having to take out such a large loan (I'm self-pay) when he believes (and has told me this several times) that we're having to do this because I won't do what I'm supposed to and lose the weight on my own. My MIL is anti-fat people in general, and feels pretty much the same as my husband. That I'm just lazy and should do this on my own. My mom is freaking out right now. Everything that could go wrong and even things that couldn't go wrong are all she talks about. Anyways, didn't mean to vent there. I just wish there was a way I could have only shared this with people who were going to be positive about it, and support me.

I tried the chicken Soup unjury and was pleasantly surprised! I saved it for last, because I just assumed I wouldn't like it, but I was wrong. The directions said to just mix it with warm Water. Instead, I added it to a cup of vegetable soup in vegetable broth. I didn't even know it was there. No Protein after-taste whatsoever. After trying all the sample packets, I ended up ordering 2 full size containers of the chocolate and the unflavored. I just see myself using those the most.

Okay, just tried the strawberry unjury a few minutes ago, and bleh. It has a really strong "protein" aftertaste...

I tried my friend's vanilla flavored Protein shake, and it was nasty. I don't remember what brand it was. But I recently ordered the sample packets from unjury.com (chocolate, strawberry, vanilla, unflavored, & chicken soup). I tried the chocolate yesterday. Put it in the blender with 8 oz skim milk and some ice cubes to make a milkshake. It was actually tolerable! It's nothing I would drink for fun, or if I wasn't having surgery, but it's not too bad. My doctor's office says all of the protein powders are going to have that special "after-taste" you just have to find one you can tolerate. This morning, I mixed the unflavored unjury in a cup of Swiss Miss 25 calorie warm cocoa. It was good too. Basically tasted like the chocolate flavored one from yesterday, but warm instead of cold. I'm thinking I'm going to get the unflavored one, just because it's more versatile. I can keep mixing it in hot cocoa, or I heard it works in sugar free pudding, Jello, or anything.

I was just diagnosed with sleep apnea about a month ago. My symptoms were an extreme increase in sleepiness/grogginess throughout the day. I started snoring & gulping for air during the night. Some mornings I woke up with a terrible headache. I would wake up for just a few seconds several times each night, and wasn't sure why I was waking up. If I sat still on the couch or anywhere for at least a few minutes, I started to fall asleep. If you suspect it, it's worth it to have a study done. I feel so much better now that I'm on my CPAP at night. I'm alert and not sleep during the day, and I get really good, quality sleep at night. I feel like myself again.

Another neighbor here. I'm just outside Memphis, in Southaven, MS (Desoto County). I'll also be using Dr.Woodman. Welcome to the board! :smile2:

I'm self-pay and I had to have the same tests/requirements as those trying to get insurance approval. attend seminar psych eval nutritionist consult EKG Different bloodwork tests Lung Xray Upper GI Stomach Ultrasound Letter from family doc recommending surgery

Congrats!!!!

My doc only requires clear liquids the day before surgery, but I think I'm going to do liquids for a week just to make sure my liver is nice and tiny. I don't want to risk an open incision. He did tell me to lose 10 lbs though before my surgery.

Adding myself to the June 6th day... :thumbup: 2 Deb, Realme :thumbup: 3 Huggie Bear 4 Sellie :laugh: 5 JoannaG, Irish Ladybug, Cadets 71, LMarie_MD2b :tt2: 6 Kristybandy, cathychatts, eagerbandim ,mamamarie, hopefulmom25 :thumbup: 10 Jules, Shaxmom, rearea1222, To Be Free :thumbup: 12 cris3, Angelyco :thumbup: 13 BATassbandita :thumbup: 17 TX diva, :thumbup: 24 Snuffy65 :thumbup: 25 Tennessee Mom, dj bryan :thumbup: 30 maguirre67

Congrats on approval and a surgery date! :thumbup:

Congrats Kristiebandy! We'll share the same surgery date!

June 6th for me. :thumbup: Glad to finally have a group to fit into! Any others with that date?

I'm June 6th. Gonna check out the June 08 board later tonight. :thumbup:

June 6th! I'm so excited and scared to death all at the same time. :biggrin::thumbup:

I'll be having surgery June 6th, and total for mine (includes surgery, hospital, anesthesia, office fee, fills and office visits for a year, psych exam, & nutritionist) is a little over $18,000. That price doesn't include the pre-op mandatory bloodwork, EKG, & x-rays that I am having to pay out of pocket (extra $600). And I had to have an upper GI and stomach ultrasound, but have my fingers crossed that insurance might pay for those since I have acid reflux. Really, the prices vary depending on the doctor and location. There's another bariatric surgeon an hour south of me that only charges $15,000 for the surgery/hospital/etc, but his fills aren't included and they are $700 each. So you just have to call around to local baratric docs in your area and see which has the best price compared to experience, reputation, etc.

Maybe he's a troll? Some people get pleasure from igniting anger and responses on message boards. That's just what they do for fun. It's horrible, but I've come across trolls before. They just want to start drama, and they get laughs from everyone getting angry.

I'm so sorry. You don't deserve that. I completely feel your pain though. I married my jerk boyfriend, and now he is my jerk husband. I love him to death but he says the meanest things sometimes...

I think I'd be excited! :regular_smile: Your doc probably wouldn't put you on the liquid diet if he didn't think it was in your best interest for the surgery. So just relax and enjoy the loss. Congrats! :biggrin:

My surgeon requires an upper GI before the surgery. I think that is an endoscopy or something similar? They put you to sleep and go down your throat and look around at your esophagus, stomach, etc. I actually think it will be good to have it done and know that everything looks okay. I've always had bad acid reflux since childhood, so I want to make sure I don't have any problems with my esophagus.

So this last week has been a busy week. I had my nutritionist consult at Starbucks. She was nice I guess, but looked at me like I was out of my mind when I said I was going to self-pay. She literally stopped talking, put her papers down, her eyes got big, her mouth hung open a little, and she just stared at me for what felt like 3 hours. I know a lot of people (my husband and mother-in-law...) don't understand why I would go that far in debt for this, but I guess I can't really expect them to understand. They haven't lived their whole lives like this. Feeling like an outsider all the time. And now that I'm older (ripe old age of 25), and heavier, the daily physical pain, lack of energy, not being able to really be "me." My heart breaks when I can't play with my daughter more than a couple of minutes without being exhausted and winded. She deserves better than that, and I deserve to be able to be the kind of mom I want to be. Ah well, I'm rambling... So I had the nutrition consult. Took maybe 30-40 minutes. She had the nerve to drink Starbucks in front of me. I've cut Starbucks out cold turkey. I almost asked her if I could just take a sniff of her coffee. But that would have been weird... Then Thursday I had my first appointment with the surgeon's office. $150 to watch a video explaining the lap-band surgery :biggrin:. That was pretty much it. They weighed me, and I found out I weigh 5 lbs more than I thought I did. I thought I was at 405, but no, I am at 410. Sigh. Then I had to watch that video for an hour. Then, the lady gave me a paper with how much the cost of everything will be and the loan amount I need to take out. Yipee. Stupid employer exclusion... Friday, I had an appointment with my family doctor. I love him. He is so supportive of this decision. He had his letter recommending me for the lap-band surgery already written and typed up before he even came in the room. He also ordered the bloodwork, x-rays, EKG, upper GI, etc that the surgeon's office needs. I was so happy that he ordered it for me. That means my insurance will probably cover those tests since he ordered them, instead of my lap-band doctor. He completely understood and was very happy to do so. He said that he has several patients who have had the lap-band and been very successful. One lady was actually around my current weight, and is now down in the low 200's. He reminded me to be saving my money for plastic surgery as I lose the weight. The most interesting of all the pre-op appointments on my checklist, was the psych eval. It was on Friday too, after the family doc appointment. The psychologist/psychiatrist was very nice, and really funny. He cursed like a sailor and had really funny stories to tell (including one story about a man that liked to have sex while wearing his CPAP machine :crying:). He picked at my brain a little, but I think he could tell I'm ready for this surgery and fully aware of the physical & non-physical risks. There was only one thing that stumped me, and I've been thinking about it ever since. He said he has lots of patients that have been banded and aren't successful with it. They either don't lose much weight at all, don't lose any weight, gain weight, etc. Basically, the band just does not work for them, usually because they aren't sticking to the program, exercising, etc. He asked me, what about me makes me different from any of them. I told him that I am super-motivated and I'm going to do my very best. He replied that that's how they all felt in the beginning too. That kind of hit me hard. There are lots of bandsters that were just as motivated as I currently am with all the intentions to do everything right and lose all the weight, but they failed at it. What is going to make me different? I didn't know the answer to this and I couldn't answer him. I still don't know the answer to this. I wish now that I had thought to ask him if he had any suggestions of what could make me different from them. This question is kind of getting to me. What is going to make me different? So the only thing I've got left on my checklist is my upper GI stuff. I think that's usually done at a hospital. Someone is supposed to call me for a date for that. Even though I don't want the surgery until the last week of May or the first week of June (so DH, the teacher, will be out of school and can help out with our 2 year old), I feel so relieved to have pretty much everything done and out of the way.

So this last week has been a busy week. I had my nutritionist consult at Starbucks. She was nice I guess, but looked at me like I was out of my mind when I said I was going to self-pay. She literally stopped talking, put her papers down, her eyes got big, her mouth hung open a little, and she just stared at me for what felt like 3 hours. I know a lot of people (my husband and mother-in-law...) don't understand why I would go that far in debt for this, but I guess I can't really expect them to understand. They haven't lived their whole lives like this. Feeling like an outsider all the time. And now that I'm older (ripe old age of 25), and heavier, the daily physical pain, lack of energy, not being able to really be "me." My heart breaks when I can't play with my daughter more than a couple of minutes without being exhausted and winded. She deserves better than that, and I deserve to be able to be the kind of mom I want to be. Ah well, I'm rambling... So I had the nutrition consult. Took maybe 30-40 minutes. She had the nerve to drink Starbucks in front of me. I've cut Starbucks out cold turkey. I almost asked her if I could just take a sniff of her coffee. But that would have been weird... Then Thursday I had my first appointment with the surgeon's office. $150 to watch a video explaining the lap-band surgery . That was pretty much it. They weighed me, and I found out I weigh 5 lbs more than I thought I did. I thought I was at 405, but no, I am at 410. Sigh. Then I had to watch that video for an hour. Then, the lady gave me a paper with how much the cost of everything will be and the loan amount I need to take out. Yipee. Stupid employer exclusion... Friday, I had an appointment with my family doctor. I love him. He is so supportive of this decision. He had his letter recommending me for the lap-band surgery already written and typed up before he even came in the room. He also ordered the bloodwork, x-rays, EKG, upper GI, etc that the surgeon's office needs. I was so happy that he ordered it for me. That means my insurance will probably cover those tests since he ordered them, instead of my lap-band doctor. He completely understood and was very happy to do so. He said that he has several patients who have had the lap-band and been very successful. One lady was actually around my current weight, and is now down in the low 200's. He reminded me to be saving my money for plastic surgery as I lose the weight. The most interesting of all the pre-op appointments on my checklist, was the psych eval. It was on Friday too, after the family doc appointment. The psychologist/psychiatrist was very nice, and really funny. He cursed like a sailor and had really funny stories to tell (including one story about a man that liked to have sex while wearing his CPAP machine :thumbup:). He picked at my brain a little, but I think he could tell I'm ready for this surgery and fully aware of the physical & non-physical risks. There was only one thing that stumped me, and I've been thinking about it ever since. He said he has lots of patients that have been banded and aren't successful with it. They either don't lose much weight at all, don't lose any weight, gain weight, etc. Basically, the band just does not work for them, usually because they aren't sticking to the program, exercising, etc. He asked me, what about me makes me different from any of them. I told him that I am super-motivated and I'm going to do my very best. He replied that that's how they all felt in the beginning too. That kind of hit me hard. There are lots of bandsters that were just as motivated as I currently am with all the intentions to do everything right and lose all the weight, but they failed at it. What is going to make me different? I didn't know the answer to this and I couldn't answer him. I still don't know the answer to this. I wish now that I had thought to ask him if he had any suggestions of what could make me different from them. This question is kind of getting to me. What is going to make me different? So the only thing I've got left on my checklist is my upper GI stuff. I think that's usually done at a hospital. Someone is supposed to call me for a date for that. Even though I don't want the surgery until the last week of May or the first week of June (so DH, the teacher, will be out of school and can help out with our 2 year old), I feel so relieved to have pretty much everything done and out of the way.