LindsaySue

So I have been planning band surgery for 5 years now. Back in 2007 my insurance didn't cover it and I could not afford it. Back in 2008 I could afford it but issues with the overseas clinic I was going thru prevented me from going thru with it. Now my insurance will cover some and we can afford the rest and after 6 months of pre-surgery diet it looks like I am finally going to get this done. Now I have done a lot of research over the years and I feel I am pretty well informed. I knew there was success stories and not as successful stories. In my head I was thinking "I really want this and I am a practical person, and this is going to work for me because I am tenacious and will make it happen" However 2x in the last few months I have come across banded people that barely lost any weight. And now I am alarmed and I am thinking "Hmmm, maybe that will be me." I bet those other people wanted it just as much as I do so what makes me different? Who is to say that after all the classes, and appointments, and the time, and the money, that I still won't lose weight? I really appreciate this moment of self-doubt. I want to go into this with my eyes open. To be confident, yet not cocky. But will I be able to this?

BTW thank you for the stats. Its reassuring that low end of the average will still put me at normal weight. I will put in the work and hopefully will be part of the stats

Thank you all for the advice. I will let you know that one of the persons I spoke to said she didn't keep up on her fills. So I will learn form her mistake and make sure to keep going in for fills until I hit that "sweet spot" I hear mentioned so often. I guess I just wanted to hear that the doubt is normal. Sounds like it is. Its just a big deal and a life changer and I want to be the person that makes it happen. I am just going to vow to myself to keep going in for fills, keep going to support groups and try to remember why I am doing this. Thank you. Maybe next time I post it will be with a surgery date!

I currently live and work in Kuwait and I JUST got back from Dubai for my pre-surgery tests. I am getting banded in Sept but because of my tight work schedule I needed to do some of the pre-surgery stuff done now. So Dr.De Bruyne is doing my banding. He visits Emirates Hospital only 2 days on certain months so book early if you want him to do the surgery. The number for Emeriates Hospital is 971 4 349 6666. Dr. Batrouni also does the surgery and I did get to meet him and seemed nice. I am paying cash so I don't know about insurance. The full cost is 34000 dhs. You will need to put a deposit of 5000 dhs when you come for your inital consultation. They will do ultrasounds on your abdomen, an xray, blood tests, and you will have to meet with the anestheisologist and a psychirist( no comments on my poor spelling please). If all is well for about a month prior they will ask that you be on a low fat restrictive diet so hopefully your liver is a small as it can be pre-surgery. If your liver is too fatty and big they might not be able to complete the surgery so it is worth it to follow the diet to the letter. The night before the surgery you will need to fast COMPLETELY. That means no food AND no Water for 12 hours before the surgery. If any water or food is present during surgery it may get inot your lungs so its best to take that very seriously. Also you will be given a Nexium tablet to take right before you start your fast. After the surgery you will be on a completely liquid diet for several weeks. Then slowly progress to mushy foods. They will advise to eat slowly and chew throughly to break the food into as small pieces as possible like baby food. Then about every month there after you will need to come in for fills and to check on your progress. Dr. Batrouni said they prefer you go slow and steady with weight loss. Depending on how big you are already you will drop off quite a bit a first then about 2-4 kilos every month after that as long as your puttng the work into your diet and excercise. I hope this information is helpful. Give Emeriates Hospital a call and they will be happy to answer all the rest. If you are interested I will soon be posting my progress on this forum. My pre-op diet start in a few weeks. Good Luck and I hope everything goes well for you.

Ok I am not really looking for advice. I am more looking for sympathy. I am "practicing" my no solid diet so that it's not such a shock when I have to do it post-op. OMG it's rough right now. All I am doing is running to the bathroom and I feel a little fuzzy tonight. I am eating yogurt right now to get rid of the feeling and I doing much better but can anyone else relate this right now?

Oh thank you for this. I really needed to hear that someone else felt that the diet was challenging but I am glad to know that it can be done. I get banded in Sept I just hope I can handle it

From what I've seen every clinic has different approaches to the diet. I put posts on this sites before and they all say the same thing, every doctor is different. My pre-op diet is just low-fat. My post-op diet will be clear liquid only for a few days before gardually increasing the bulk of the foods I eat. I don't know what is right and what is wrong but I would follow your doctors advice before any others.

So who out there is getting banded in September? For me it's September 26th.

I know what you mean, those soldiers...we love 'em but they are a little hard core in the exercise department. I work with the military, all day, 60 hrs a week. I have gotten similar comments. "You can march with us tomrrow morning" or "we'll have you start with 20 situps and work your way up". I appreciate the motivation but I'm obese and I have 10 years on most of them. I can't do more than 1 situp now let alone 20. I guess the best advise I could give you is to arm yourself with some ammunition from your nutritionist and trainer. When he offers to do your food log say "Oh thank you but my nutritionist already has a log and specifically asked me to fill it out daily" or "My trainer wants we to start out slow so I don't cause injury" Let the professionals advise be the polite way to say "no thank you".

I agree with kspeaker but I have another thing to add. Be patient. I started my journey back in early 2006, my insurance wouldn't cover it, it was 15,000.00 and my call center job just wouldn't allow me to pay cash for it. It took additional schooling, a career change and then waiting for enough vacation time to finally make it happen for me. That is over 3 years to make this a reality. I am sure it will happen for you as well just be patient and keep finding ways to make it happen.

I am not getting banded until Sept so my doctor and I haven't really gotten to the subject of the pre-op diet. Right now we are just doing the preliminary tests and financial stuff. I am curious what the pre-op consists of and when did you have to go on it? You guys are scaring me with this talk of fatty livers. How do you know if your liver is too fatty for surgery?

Thanks for the info guys. I WILL follow the instructions my doctor gives me. I am already cutting down on soda (and before surgery quit all together), quit smoking, I am eating smaller portions, chewing tiny bites, taking the skins off of fruits and veggies, drinking at least 64 oz of Water and getting in cardio when I can. I've been pre-paring for this for over a year and I don't want any showstoppers to be something I could have prevented. Thanks again.

Someone describe the pre-op diet to me. I am not getting banded until Sept and I am curious what the diet entails and how long did you have to be on it.

I am kind of a newbie. I started way back in 2006. I went to a seminar, I got my consult but found out my insurance wouldn't cover it and the price was over 15,000 and I just could not afford it at the time. In 2008 I got a job overseas and could now afford it but I had no vacation time as a new hire. This year I have the money, I have the time and it's actually cheaper for me to do it over here than in the States(yes I know the risks involved with it, no preaching). This September is when I am getting it done. I finally have a date! I am so very excited and just wanted to share my excitement. Yeah!

I was going to get banded from Dr.Chua and his staff but I am currently working overseas and it is much cheaper and more conveinent for me to do it here. I heard lots of good things about his office and if I was home I'd be going there. I'm going to get banded this fall so keep posting your progress to keep the rest motivated. Good luck!

I live and work in the Middle East and I want to get Lapband surgery somewhere close by. I am looking for a good, reliable, affordable reccomendation on a surgeon somewhere in the Middle East, Asia or Europe. My husband thinks we should go back to the States for the surgery but it will cost several thousand more to do it in the States than somewhere aboard. But this is also my body and I only have one so I want an outstanding surgeon not just a cheap one. Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

Thanks, I will look into Malta. Anyone else out there got any suggestions?