PSJ71

I surely will, Iris. You know everytime I see your name, I think of that Goo-Goo Dolls song from the movie City of Angels. )

Hi Cleo's mom! Thank you so much for your reply. They do have an answering service. I am really excited I found out that he is doing the one-incision procedures now and if I do well on my preop diet (starting Saturday) and my liver has shrunk and it is good and soft and mobile, then he will do the one-incision procedure. I would love to just have one incision.

Yes, I am most definitely going through with it. I have been going through all of what was required since September beginning with the seminar. I will be at the hospital at 6 a.m. on July 7th! My next steps before surgery is going to be some preadmission testing next week sometime. As well has having a vena cava filter placed, just for precautions. So, I am good to go )

Oh! I forgot to post that, huh? lol Well, I asked the question and he told me basically when I felt up to it, but not to get too rigorous LOL And if it got to be too uncomfortable to stop. :thumbup: Well, (duh) LOL :thumbup:

Well crap!! lol I'm sorry, I thought I read you got approved :thumbup: I can be so dingy sometimes!! My eyeballs are tired tonight, at least that is what I am going to make my excuse to be LOL I haevn't tried Sparkpeople I will try that. I have an example menu they gave me today and I thought I might try that and see how that works. I can't wait to see us turn into hotties!! ) :tt2::thumbup::tt2::wub:

Hi Iris, My appointment went well. I now know what time my surgery will be. I go in at 6 a.m. on the 7th and surgery is scheduled at 8:15 a.m. My doctor also told me that there is a good chance provided I follow my preop diet to a T and my liver is nice and soft and small that he will be able to do the single incision lap band procedure!! :thumbup:) I am sooo excited and keeping my fingers crossed on this one! I told my hubby I wish I could have the single incision one. So, hopefully, if everything goes well, I will. ) :thumbup: I start my preop on Saturday. I just got back from the store and bought enough stuff to get me started. I hope I lose some good weight after suffering with the liquids:tt1:

Hey TopTier!! I see you were approved!! :thumbup:) Isn't that the best feeling in the world?! Congratulation to you!! What did your preop diet consist of? I have to start on Saturday and I have to get 130 to 150 carbs a day and 50 to 60 grams of Protein a day, mostly liquid. I can have some low fat cottage cheese.

Hi All, I went for my preop visit today. I learned that I will be injecting Lovenox everyday for 10 days. Also, while in the office, he went over recommending a vena cava filter to have done prior to surgery to "catch" a blood clot should one arise and break off and go the the lungs or heart. Has anyone had one of these placed prior to surgery? I know they will and can be taken out at about 6 to 7 weeks after surgery. I am so excited though. I am scheduled for July 7th at 8:15 a.m. and have to be at the hospital at 6 a.m. :thumbup:) Starting preop diet on Saturday, that's going to be the tuffy! :thumbup:)

Glad that I gave someone a smile.... Better than a frown. )

July 7th here! :blushing:)

I forgot to answer the question about a fill. A fill is when the physician injects saline into your port just under your skin that is attached to the band, in order to give you restriction.

Hi! If you choose to self-pay everything would go much quicker. If you have a primary care physician, I would definitely speak to him/her about what you are wanting to do. If you choose to go the insurance route (which is what I am doing), be prepared to go through a lot of "hoops" for them. I was lucky in that I really have no comorbidities other than obesity with a BMI of 47 and sleep apnea. It has taken since the time I visited with the bariatric coordinator in November until now to get my testing, following a 3-month supervised diet, and approval 7 to 8 months. I would start with your primary care physician though. Good luck and do lots and lots of research!! Good luck to you and if you have any other questions, don't hesitate to ask. This board is a great resource!

Hi all, I am going for my preop visit tomorrow and wanted to know if anyone can give me some ideas on what questions to ask? I have a list and I will post it, but please feel free to add to it if you can think of anything. I have decided to go with the Realize band, but I am going to talk to him about it further. So far, my questions are as follows: 1. When will my husband and I be able to resume sex? 2. Which band are you most comfortable placing? 3. Which band seems to show obtaining quickest restriction? 4. How long should I take off work? 5. Which band has shown more complications that he has placed with tubing, ports, etc. 6. Hair loss? As I said, if you guys can think of anything else, please let me know. Thank you bunches!

I am pretty sure we aren't supposed to lift anything any heavier than 10 pounds, or so I have read. I have my preop appointment with my doctor tomorrow and have written down various questions to ask him and this will be one of them. Wow!! You only have a week and 2 days to go!!! I have 14 days to go!! What's funny is the lady Theresa that was operated on in the video, she became pregnant not long after she was banded and had her baby in November 2008. She has videos on youtube under the user name Drmalley. Those are interesting as well. I decided to document my progress on their as well. I figured it would be a good way to keep myself accountable on my journey. :blushing:) Let's keep in touch and let me know how your surgery goes!! :confused:)

I know what you mean. I wish I could have had him as a doctor. Not that mine isn't good, but I just like Dr. Malley and the way he relates to his patients.

Hi Lalida, You know, I was the very same way growing up. I am 37 now, but I remember being a teenager and being overweight....not fun. I think it's great you have decided to seek help through the band! I wish it would have been around when I was at least in my early 20s. ) Okay, first thing's first, visit your doctor and explain to him that this is very important to you, as you will still have to follow a diet and exercise even with the band. If he won't support you, then I would suggest seeking a new doctor. This is what happened to me. My family doctor said whatever I needed from her to have the band done she would do. My insurance required a letter from my primary care physician stating some of my history on it, etc. I faxed a sample copy of the letter to her, and waited 3 weeks, and she never wrote it out. I took the advice of the bariatric coordinator and used the template of the letter and wrote the letter MYSELF to make it easier for her to look at and make any corrections needed. Still, 2 months later, she never did it. So, I knew it was important for me to have the letter, so I asked my bariatric coordinator for a list of names of doctors that they knew of that accepted patient's and would continue to see patient's after banding. I changed doctors and got what I needed the very day I went to see him. They got my letter to my surgeon BEFORE the office closed that evening. So, if your doctor won't support you, find one who will. Good luck and please keep us posted! :biggrin:) Paulette

You really should contact your doctor. If you are having problems breathing you should really contact him, as this is not normal. I haven't been banded yet, but if you can't feel if you need to go to the restroom that isn't good. Also, having watery stools would be normal because if you are only taking in fluids, then that is pretty much all that is going to come out. Please do contact your physician. It's better to be safe than sorry. Take care,

Hi Mrs. Wilson: If the doctor you choose is anything like my doctor, he will ask you what surgery you want; however, along the way with deciding on the lap band, I almost convinced myself I wanted the RNY, even though I really didn't want my inside rerouted. Anyway, I told him I wanted to change my mind and he flat out asked me why. Then we talked about things I wanted to do, such as my husband and I want to have another baby and he told me I should stay with my decision to have the lap band. I just wanted this weight to fall off as quick as I could, but I am now VERY comfortable with my decision to stay with lap band. Also, on my first consultation with him, my BMI was right at 49.9. He said I was right on the cusp of when he recommends RNY. I have lost down to a BMI of 47 now within the last few months. Anyway, sorry I posted too much, but I just wanted to say that you might be able to tell your doctor which surgery you want and then you guys can go from there. Good luck to you! )

OMG, bless your heart! No wonder you are starving! I am going to have to follow a liquid diet, but I know I will be able to have broths and sugar-free drinks and Water unlimited and sugar free jello. I know I will have to limit sugar free popsicles and sugar-free, fat-free puddings. AFter you make it through this diet, I should think you will be VERY successful with your band. Good luck to you hun, stay strong!

Hi Car, I have Aetna PPO, but usually when the insurance companies want you to follow a 6-month or 3-month doctor supervised diet, they most definitely want you to do these. Reason being, is they want to see how committed you are to being able to adhere to what is needed for success after banding, as well as (at least in my clause in my insurance) they feel if there is ANY weight loss during that timeframe, that helps the risks of the surgery go down. Look through your clause in your insurance and see if they won't accept a 3-month multidisciplinary diet. This is the one I opted for and did it with my bariatric surgeon. It's really not as bad as it seems. I am actually thankful I went through that, because it helped me make a habit of logging things I eat and keeping accurate track of my exercise and eating habits. Good luck to you!

Oh heck Octillo, even if you did post on the wrong area. It's okay, it was good to read your story ) Is your diet mainly liquid? I will be starting mine next Saturday! A week from tomorrow. If you need any moral support please feel free to drop me a line, cause I'll be doing a liquid diet in about week. Man! It's gonna be hard, but soooo, soooo worth it!! :tongue:

This comes as a birthday present for me. Not intentional but it just falls that way. :tongue:) My birthday is July 1 and I will be banded on July 7th!!! Weeeee!!! Cant wait!

Hi 10, Sure! My doc is Dr. Russell Gornichec. I almost went with Dr. Keith, but I went to a seminar for Dr. Keith and Dr. Gornichec and decided to go with Dr. G. We are neighbors it seems. :tongue:)

LOL Could be better that way not knowing I guess LOL

Thank you, Monkey. I will probably do that. I told my husband today that I had decided on Realize, but I still have to meet with my surgeon on Tuesday for my preop visit. I had asked him about the Realize C band and he told me if I wanted one he would put it in, but he didn't like them. Later, I spoke to a nurse and she told me the reason some docs don't like the C band is because they are harder to put in. Other than the C band, my doctor told me it's like picking Chevy or Ford. So, from what I gather, it's just whichever you want. (shrugs) But, I will talk to him about it more when I see him on Tuesday and I will ask him which one he is more comfortable using. Thank you again/ :tongue:)