SoCalShannon

Hi Jess77! I went to my PCP twice already. She is supportive of me having it done, but says in her experience it is tough to get the referrals approved. She put the request in last week and said to make an appointment with her for a month later. She said then I will find out if the referral is approved. In the meantime, she has me seeing a nutritionist as a backup in case of a denial. That way my medical history will show more weight loss attempts. It is frustrating having to wait so long...actually it's torture! I am the kind of person that when I make up my mind I just do it, so this wait is killing me. I really want to have it done over the summer and begin the new healthier me, but at this point I have to go through the process and pray that it ends up in my favor. I will keep you all updated. Jess77 since you are going strait to the surgeon, does that mean you are self pay? Please let me know how your appointment goes.

lleighton5 At the meeting they said that they would call in about a week. His office contacted me the very next day! You need to call them. Something must have happened. I'll send you a private message with the phone number for Naomi, the person that called me.

I would love to lose 5 pounds a month, just like you christasha. I would be very satisfied with that. Imagine the horror of gaining 5 pounds a month!!! That's what many go through pre-band. What a contrast. Five pounds is nice and slow. For me the weight crept up on me throughout the years and although I don't what it to be that slow, I will be happy with losing it over 3 years. I want to savor every pound lost the slow way and enjoy the process. Just a theory, but I also think that it gives your skin more time to adjust and there'll be less saggynes. I also have only told the people that are closest to me that I am planning on getting the Band, so I am hoping that other people will see the weight coming off slow and I can just tell them that I am eating less and exercising. Which is true; it's a half-truth, but I'd rather do that than tell them about the band, which I feel is a personal decision.

Wow Eric, sounds like your doing really good. I can't wait to not be hungry. That's an interesting point that you made about the fills. They give you a fill at 4 weeks post-op just when you are supposed to start on solids, but then you have to go on liquids again for 2 weeks. Go figure! So I guess no solid foods for you for awhile. That's a sure way to lose weight. That's okay with me as long as I ain't hungry I'm happy!

I am so happy that things are moving so quickly for you Milo. That is so exciting. For me. I went to the seminar 3/26. There I found out that they did not accept my type of insurance, so now I am in the process of switching to another carrier - thank God I have that option! It takes about 30-45 days. I am so excited about getting the band that I am now eating even more and gaining weight, which is causing me to become depressed. My doc does not require us to lose weight prior to surgery. He says that we have all been on diets and lost weight before, so he says it is unnecessary. I think I am going to put myself on a diet, becuase I am at my highest weight. UUUUGGGGGHHHHH. I need the band now more than ever!

Thanks GreenChrysalis. Congrats on your 25+ weight loss! That makes sense to me and confirms my thoughts that even thought it is a protein drink, i.e. heathy, it is still a liquid and will slip through the band. I can't wait to have my surgery. I'm gonna stock up on the protein shakes (which I love) in preparation for the pre-op and post-op diet. I will ask my doc about them for after and see what he thinks.

I agree with you jazma. I gave up soda 4 days ago and don't even miss it (well just a little). For me this is unheard of; pre-lap band bound I drank at least 2, sometimes 3 or 4 diet sodas a day. I was definitely addicted. Now, I am so ready to give it up, because I really want to be successful. I view the lap band as a BIG tool that will help me do what I never could before - lose weight! I am willing to sacrifice soda and other things if needed. Thankfully, I am not a big milkshake drinker or soft food eater to begin with. I have now begun drinking ice tea, which is actually really good. I do have one more question for you in Lap band Land: If we are not supposed to eat the more "liquid" type food post band, then why are protein shakes okay? Since liquids supposedly go through the band they should not be able to sustain the full feeling that keeps us so happy and therefore encourage overeating.

That is so interesting. I'll have to look more into that.

What exactly is the Realize band! I haven't heard about it. Is it the Inamed band?

Congratulations on your surgery and thanks for sharing your story. You waited so long, it must have been frustrating. I have been trolling this site for 2 weeks now and it is really helping me answer my questions. I am hoping to get my band by this summer. I just started the process and am hoping it happens quickly, because now that I know I am probably going to be doing this I have started eating like crazy and have even gained a few pounds. uuggghhh! Keep us updated on your progress.

I am also going to go with Dr. Mueller for the band. I read the post that says that he is stingy with fills and at first I did not like that, but I thought about it and now think that as long as you are losing why add more and risk an overfill, which to me sounds terrible. I am just wondering why you chose Dr. Mueller? I went to the informational meeting and he seemed great. We live in such a big city and have so many choices. I'm sure there are other great docs here to, so I am really curious how you settled on him.

I totally relate to you when you said that "I always think of them as a backhanded way of saying "you were so fat, now your not." I think that is one of the reasons I am choosing to have the Lap Band instead of the Bypass, because the weight loss is slower. I just don't want the attention. I don't even want to tell anybody except those closest to me that I am even considering having the Lap Band Surgery.

I like how you prepared before you were banded. I myself am about to take the plunge and give up diet sodas. I know I need to do it now before the band, because I will have enough to deal with then. I did not think about practicing chewing food more and taking smaller bites...although I have noticed how I shovel food into my mouth :cursing:. Is the PBing really bad? Do you just learn to avoid it by chewing well and not overeating, or is it something that is just a minor annoyance. Also what about the Slimeing, is that an everyday event? Or is it something that is very unpleasant and to be avoided? To me I imagine slimeing as how your mouth starts watering right before throwing up.

I went to the informational seminar with Dr. Mueller last wednesday. He seems great and I think I will go with him. Do you have any imput for me about his or his program?

I am 90% certain that I will be going with the Lap Band. I recently went to the informational meeting and the Dr. said that with RNY the hormone Ghrelin (hunger hormone) is virtually eliminated. This is not the case with the band. I am just wondering if any of you with the band already ever get hungry, but just can't eat very much? That would be torture. This is really one of my final concerns...unless anymore happen to pop up! I also just want to say thank you to everybody out there on this site. This has been my best source for Lap Band info. It is really helping make this big decision easier.