Long2BFree

Halibut is one of my favorite fishes because it's not fishy tasting but 'meaty' in texture. ... I think we will have fish for dinner.

Great job Sunshine! What is a mini gastric bypass? I'm not familiar with it.

Thank you for the replies and reassurance that everything will be okay. I'm so worried that something I say or if I start crying will hold me back from getting the surgery before I go for more counseling. When I talked to the psych on the phone he sounded very nice.

I do know that my doctor has performed several corrective surgeries for patients who initially had their bands placed in Mexico. I'm sure there are good doctors but I'm sure there are some bad ones. I just hope people get educated before having surgery and not just go solely based on recommendations. Now, as far as people who work for some of these doctors posting on the forum, my thought is that they should be required to clearly disclose this information with each post in a signature block or some place in the post.

Sorry I can't answer your question but wanted to say that I hope you are doing better.

I have an appointment on Monday and am afraid to go because I will probably start crying if questioned about certain things. I'm afraid that the psycologist will say that I need several appointment before he will refer me for surgery. Yep, I'm one of those people that hold things inside of me and eat for comfort. I'm trying to take steps to learn to deal with stress and feel losing weight will give me the confidence to get out of circumstances that make me unhappy. I know it won't cause my problems go away but if I could just gain the confidence to move on life would be so much better. Has anyone told the psyc one thing and then after surgery decide to go for counseling?

It's much like what CoolCrystal posted in the way that they hook all of these wires up to you to monitor how you are sleeping. My center even had a monitor in the ceiling so they could monitor movement and a microphone so you could talk to them and they could talk to you and also listen to your snoring. After a certain period of time of sleep they will come in and place you up to a CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) machine which is really hard to adjust to so they can see if you sleep better with it. To help you with sleeping, you should avoid caffeine on the day of the study. Wear comfy jammies and don't drink a lot before you get there because it's a pain to get up and go pee with all of the stuff attached to you. They should ask you if you are awake and feel alert enough to drive home. You will be tired afterwards because it's much like being in the hospital when you are woke up throughout the night. You definately want to go home and take a shower to get all of the glue out of your hair and off of your skin.

Yay for you and having such a good appointment!

I too was 11 years old when I started going to Weight Watchers. My mom just recently told me that she used to laugh when she dropped me off at the meetings. Talk about cutting with a knife. Anyway, the best advice I can give to you is to attend the meetings with your daughter, participate in the plan and help her prepare foods. There is nothing worse than feeling alone when dealing with weight at this tender age. Tell her she's beautiful and love her unconditionally so that she has a good self image of herself. Reward her successes with non-food related rewards.

You could also be having diarrhea from the dairy products you are ingesting. My nut said some people develop a sensitivity to it after surgery. You can try lactaid milk or soy milk and see if it subsides.

I like JC but I wonder if you would be getting all of your protein in and I would think that you would be wasting a lot of food because your pouch can only hold so much food. JC food is expensive and they generally require you to purchase a certain amount of food in order to stay on their plan.

Make a commitment to only eat a certain way and stick with it. Once you feel some accomplishment you probably won't feel so emotional. Did your doctor or nutritionist give you some guidelines on what you could eat? If not, call them and ask. If you are eating things your shouldn't and too much you might be stretching your band and putting yourself at risk for slippage. Hang in there. YOU CAN DO THIS!

It sounds like a good idea about freezing your own popsicles but you should check with your doctor or nutritionist about using juice and pureed fruits. Though they are healthy option compared to regular popscilce, they would add a lot of calories that most doctors and nutritionists are trying to avoid. How about freezing Crystal Light instead?

My doctor says if someones dies from surgery it's from a blood clot and not the surgery itself. He's done hundred of gastric bypasses and Lap-Band procedures and hasn't lost any patients. I do know that I will die without the surgery because of my health. Am I scared of surgery? Yep, I am. I've had 5 surgeries and am scared each time.

I have Optifast shakes and also have a shake that is 30 grams of Protein. I tend to stay more satisfied with the Optifast but I do add a little bit more Water to it and place in the blender with lots of ice. Can you have Crystal Light? Perhaps adding some unflavored protein powder to it will help you out. Can you have SF popsicles and Jello?

I like the Equate shakes better than the Slim Fast ones but they aren't low carb and don't have enough protein so I can't have them. :thumbup: They are 220 cals, and 10 grams protein, 3 grams fat adn 40 grams carb

I called two other doctors on the list and received a call back from one of them. He charges $300 so I decided to go with him and cancelled the other doctor. I thought I would like a female doctor better but talked to the one I switched to and he seemed really nice. I'm also surprised that his appointment is 2 hours vs. 1 hour for the more expensive one and he said that he will file my insurance paperwork even though I have to pay him up front.

I thought it was high. The $400 is probably paying for the high rent in Santa Barbara. I think I'll call a couple of the other doctors.

It's good to hear that you are doing so well and enjoying the little bit of free time before you return to work. It sounds like you have a great sense of humor!

I received a letter from my surgeon telling me that the next step is to get a psyciatric evaluation along with names of five doctors. I called to set up an appointment with one which will include an hour appointment and then she will submit a written report to my doctor. The charge will be $400 out-of-pocket. I called my insurance and they said they will most likely not cover it because the psycs that don't accept insurance billing normally haven't gone through the steps to be accepted by insurances. I call the surgeon's office and ask if I could chose someone closer to home and was told I could but they had to be board certified and have a PhD. I was unable to find anyone with these qualifications. What I'm wondering is if $400 seems like a normal charge for this appointment or is it high? Thanks!

I can't wait to hear how you did.

I have IBS and my doc said I can have LBS. In fact, since I've been on 5 shakes per day and one meal it hasn't been acting up. Strange.

I don't really have any advice for you. I only have a mask that goes over my nose but I have to keep my mouth shut or else I feel like I'm sufficating. I've never been able to sleep with it on when I have a cold, cough or am stuffy. In fact, I rarely am able to sleep all night with it on except when I'm super tired.

Here's another thread on the same subject... http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f178/do-i-dare-have-drink-57023/

I've told my immediate family that I'm getting banded, my mom, 2 of my cousins (who have had great success with the band) and four people at work. I wouldn't have told work but I'm the only person who does my job and felt it was only right to tell my employer that I am going to need approx 2 weeks off of work for surgery and all of the pre-medical appointments that will be coming up. I've missed a lot of work the past few years due to medical issues related to my weight so the boss is on me not to miss. So far I haven't encountered any negative remarks, but I can tell my mom is worried because my step-dad passed away in February from cancer and she's scared.