triser72

Good luck tomorrow morning! We'll be buddies for a day - my surgery is at 9:45am. I'll be thinking about you and hoping for the best!

Of course, my DH knows (or I wouldn't be doing this)...but I told my close friends first and the reaction has been good. Then, as school has come to a close, people begin asking "What are you going to do this summer?" To my students, I said "Absolutely nothing." Then I joke with them and tell them that I may become addicted to soap operas again or maybe reality tv. I have told a few of student's parents - reaction was good. To some of my co-workers that are close to me, I have told them - again reaction was good and encouraging. I was surprised to learn that my boss had LB surgery in 5/07! I am not telling my own mother till I have lost a significant amount of weight - I don't need her negative rattle before the surgery. We told my in-laws last week - once we had a definite surgery date - they were surprised and skeptical. Which is PRECISELY the reason for the wait. It limits the amt of time my mil has to be negative.:biggrin2:

I guess a lot of us are in the same boat - uh, yeh, that's what lbt.com is all about! Okay, so no pre-op diet here either. Yes, the portion sizes are getting smaller, drinking more liquid food all the while wrapping my brain around this concept, and I am completely bored with food. So, instead of thinking about food....and all the decisions I have to make for my life to revolve around it....I got a mani/pedi yesterday, I am getting a full body massage tomorrow (plus it's the last day of school and that alone is cause to celebrate). Then Friday night, I am going to Taste of Texas for a steak dinner. Monday is a well-woman exam, Tuesday is psycho-therapy (because my brain short-circuits everytime I think about having to put myself on a bed so they can operate and I have never ever done this before), and Wednesday - WLS!!!!!! Life as we know it....has a new way of living!!

YES! This surgery is for you! Go forth and conquer!

No kids here, either...just the two of us...my husband can cook but cannot make a decision when it comes to eating or preparing a meal. I am a good cook, he loves my cooking, and I love the taste of my own cooking! It would not bode well for me to cook anything in the first 2-3 weeks. So, at the advice of my therapist, my DH has to fend for himself. One of the reasons I am an emotional eater is that I keep doing so much for others, and neglect my own health/well-being. So, this surgery is for me. Re-learning how to eat is for me. Learning what to do instead of eating is for me. I will do this for myself and the world will not come to an end because I didn't cook for my husband for a few weeks.

Cathy - I was scrolling through this thread and saw "It's June!". I thought "What?!?....oh yeh, it is!" YEAH!!!!!

Ooooooo....I was thinking about the books, but I forgot about 1/2 price bks! Gotta put that on the errand list!

Most teachers count down the last month of school - in 13 years of teaching, I have not done so. I mean - I love school! - I am crazy, but I have been this way since I was 6yo.. That being said - I am counting down the days till my wls - 17 days till the newest chapter/season/act of my life begins! :biggrin2:

I am a middle school choir director in Houston TX. Actually in the northwest suburbs of Houston. I have been married for 5 years to a wonderful man. We have no kids, but we have two cats - Linus and Lucy.

Thank you so much! I appreciate you sharing this experience!

I love this thread almost as much as I love the Before/After Pics thread!!! I will not miss.... rolling off the couch. my car leaning to one side and bouncing up/down as I get in and get settled. the sinkhole that I create every night in my bed. wearing out clothes, shoes, and toilet seats within in a year of purchase. feeling like I am 65yo in a 36yo body (or is it the reverse?). the way people look at me when I eat. the quantity of space that I consume. my chest rolling into my chin when I lay down. the sweating in between my thighs when I wear a skirt. the price of plus size clothes. waddling. entering a building with mirror windows and being ashamed to look at myself. the swelling in my legs. the fear of being diabetic like my mother and her mother. constant fatigue. sitting sideways in chairs with arms. having only one or two pairs of shoes to wear and insisting that they have shock absorption. the size of my arms. the size of my front end load.

YEAH!!!! You finally got a band date!!! w2g!!!

All of the preop stuff took 4 days total. 2 of which were appts with the surgeon, the other 2 were nutrition and psych eval.

It's a Wham-Bam-Thank You-Ma'am kind of process now! I did my 2nd pre-op appt with Dr. Balette today. We set the date for June 11. I went ahead and did all of my preregistration for the surgery - pre-admissions, bloodwork, chest xray, ekg. Now, it's time for get ready for surgery and lots of life changes!

June 11 is my LB surgery! WOOHOO!!! I am so happy! And I found out that I lost 3 pounds - didn't expect that to happen. I went ahead and pre-registered myself for surgery, so I am good to go............... I'll be banded by Dr. Balette in The Woodlands.

Thanks for this site resource - very informative!!

I think that you have struck GOLD!!! w2g!! I'm in!

DaisyMay - thank you so much for sharing your experience! At 36, I have never had surgery, so your realistic testimonial helps ease my nerves quite a bit!! Thank you and I hope things are still going well!

Yeh, I tried checking online - it's not possible. Once the doc sends the pprwk - give the insurance about a week, then start bugging them. Claims and Care Coordination are separate entities of UHC and don't use the same computer system. Claims will tell you one thing, but it's Care Coordination of Dallas that you need to be talking too. Call your Customer Service number on the back of your ID card and just go through all the teleautomation till you get to a cs rep, then ask to speak to Care Coordination of Dallas. They'll patch you through. You can't find their number on the website either.

I have a student whose stepdad is a PS and they are going cash only b/c health insurance companies are paying them "pennies" for procedures. The insurance cos. discount all the rates, so the docs inflate the prices....and so it goes.... My husband's psych is charging him $5 for every prescription refill that has to be written - they call it medication mgmt and the insurance co. said they can't prohibit them from doing it. If we want the meds, we pay $5 for a med tech to write the prescription on a pre-signed piece of paper. Insurance on a Conveyor Belt......good times.

Lady zique - I have UHC Choice Plus through a Houston area school district. It's covered 80/20 for me and very few hoops to jump through, and my surgeon has not added any additional hoops either. I went through Memorial Hermann - it's a one stop shopping outfit for wls and UHC provider. My psych recommended MHHS b/c they have a excellent reputation for good post-op patient care. I went to the wls seminar at the end of February, met with surgeon in mid-March, did the nutrition class at MHHS and psych eval that same week. The surgeon's bariatric coordinator submitted everything on April 2 - she said UHC takes 2-6 weeks for approvals. UHC recognized it in their system on April 8. UHC Care Coordination of Dallas verified approval with a precert. # on May 7 and my second pre-op appt with the surgeon is this week. I am hoping to set a surgery date when I meet with him. Good luck!

I paid $175 for a social worker/licensed counselor to do my psych eval.

One of my favorite quotes (that I picked up from Reader's Digest about 20 years ago) is "People change and forget to tell each other." With wls - things will change, so you just have to keep talking about it. As you lose weight, keep talking about how your perspective changes in all parts of your life. Her perspective is changing, too. Confronting her - good for you! The fact that she responded honestly - even better! Only good can come from this situation. Don't let go of a good thing.

Is the Realize band the one that is 360 degrees and 10cc's or more?

It is good that you got some clarification - Thursday must have been a very confusing day for you! I think it is a good thing that the psych wanted to be available to you post-op. It's a major life change, so it warrants "going forward" discussions.