Kellster

I bet it would help you feel better mentally and maybe even physically if you put yourself on a pre-op diet. Something similar to what you see others doing. That way you get a jump-start too, and you start getting used to the bandster routine. Good luck, whatever you choose to do! :thumbup:

Hey guys and gals... If you're looking for good Protein drinks, the one I recommend is Worldwide Protein Plus. They sell it online, in Vitamin stores, but best of all - at Trader Joe's!!! It comes in a soda-type can and man, it is delicious! I pretty much assume protein drinks/shakes/powders/supplements will taste like protein, but these taste soooooo good. 1 can has 35 grams of protein, 160-170 calories, 2 carbs, and 1 g fat. And you don't have to mix it, just grab and go. I don't know about you all, but I'm going crazy prepping for this two week diet and then the post-op diet. My super-organized/OCD side is coming out, I even have a spreadsheet with all the info. I can't wait!

I probably should know how much I pay for insurance... but it comes out of my paycheck pre-tax so I haven't a clue, lol! I wish I still had Blue Shield HMO, it was cheaper and easier overall. But when my work changes, so do I.

Yayyyy congrats to those who are getting even closer! The Protein bullets that my roomie (who was banded 3/8/09) uses are called New-whey 42 and can be found on www.idssports.com. You get 42 grams of protein that comes mostly from whey and caseine and only 176 calories.

To be honest I didn't really follow a diet. I just met with a dietician once a month for 6 months, and we talked about different ways of thinking about food, mindful eating, portion sizes, quality of food, etc. I did learn a lot but I didn't follow a caloric limit or specific food plan. Overall I lost 4 lbs, which is good for a morbidly obese person who wasn't really trying... usually we gain weight. My best recommendation is to go to the appointments, learn how to modify your behavior, and prep your MIND for the surgery. You might lose some weight, but once you have the tool you'll be ready to lose a bunch of weight and keep it off!

It's a protein supplement that usually is fruit-flavored, gives you 42 grams of protein, and comes in a test-tube looking thing. I've heard the best way to take them is to mix half with crystal light or Propel or some flavored water. It's a great way to get protein (essential to body functions) but not get calories.

Wow... my first post. It's amazing to see how far I've come since August 08. I'm now in the final countdown - 20 days til surgery!!!!

Skinnybyrd, I totally relate! It's finally real after the whole 6 month diet, and the waiting for ins approval, and now it's like a 3 week crash course in surgery prep. I've been holding back excitement waiting to get approval and now it's running wild! I think they only thing I haven't really thought about is how I'm going to pay the out of pocket... yikes. Insurance covers 80% I think. Just another question to add to my list!

John, good luck! My Aetna people told me they had up to 15 business days to review it... but I called every single day, finally got the name of the nurse that was reviewing my file, and even faxed her a letter pleading my case. Keep us updated!!

I've come up with a few so far... but I too want to ask any possible questions and am not sure what to ask. Although I feel like I've done so much research that I pretty much have all my questions asked. This is what I've come up with: Do you use glue or stitches? When can I return to cardio exercise (more than walking)? When can I start doing sit-ups and core exercises? When can I start weight training? Am I getting the Realize or Allergan (AP) band? Will I be taking blood thinners before/during/after surgery? What size band will you put in? How much do you usually put in at the first fill? What side are you putting the port on? When can I have sex? Should I be aware of any limitations in this regard? Do I have to do any sort of bowel prep or is that for bypass? How soon can I start applying Mederma? If steri-strips are used, when should they come off? Should I take them off? I am 99% sure I'm staying overnight, but it has to be 23 hour stay (less than a day), does that mean I have to leave at 5am since I arrive on surgery day at 6am at the hospital? Should I bring Protein bullets, etc. to the hospital to supplement their crappy food? If you can't tell... I'm an inquisitive gal so I'm sure I'll come up with more.

Yeah the "last supper" syndrome is hard to kick. Even though I've somewhat overcome that... my friends/family are now wanting me to have a last hurrah with them before the pre-op diet. It's kinda funny, actually. I'm already ready to let go of eating foods that are not great for my body but they're like "ONE MORE TIME!!!"

Hi Jackie! My insurance is Aetna PPO Choice II. I had to do the six month physician supervised diet and prove that I was obese for 2 years (easy as pie for that part). That, along with the surgeon's recommendation and they psych clearance were all my insurance needed for approval. The upper GI, bloodwork, pre-op physical by my PCP, and EKG are all tests required by Dr. Quilici before he'll do surgery. I didn't have to do a cardio stress test or endoscopy or other tests because they weren't necessary for my situation. It took two and a half weeks for the insurance people to approve it all, and once I got the approval my surgery was scheduled for three weeks out. Now comes the mad rush of pre-op tests and stuff. Let me know if you have any questions or anything for Dr. Quilici's process or insurance, I feel like I'm more of an expert than the staff is at this point. The journey ahead may seem long, but boy will it be worth it!!

Hey everyone, I'm having surgery 5/12 @ Cedars Sinai, and wanted to see if there are any other Mayo Banditos from Cali. I live in Pasadena, and was orignally going to be banded by Dr. David Martin @ Huntington Hospital, but he's out of network for my insurance. So I found Dr. Philippe Quilici, and I am excited to have such an experienced and proficient surgeon poking around inside of me. And is it just me... or is every freeway in SoCal decked out with numerous Lap-Band billboards? My BF and I laugh every time we see them or hear that horrible 800-Get-Slim jingle on the radio. Although I'm excited that the word is out that LB works!

My surgeon wants me on a two-week, 1000 calorie/day liquid diet. In prior appointments, the staff told us that Dr. Quilici prefers two weeks because most obese patients have a lot of belly fat, and a lot of fat in their liver - which is right on top of the stomach. The liver is a big organ, and is full of blood vessels so shrinking it as much as possible will help avoid any complications or lacerations during surgery. Dr. Quilici has been doing bariatric surgery for a while, and has found that when he makes his patients do the two week diet, the amount of issues with fatty livers are greatly decreased. Whatever I have to do to be healthy, have a clean and quick operation, and heal faster - I'll do it!! Now to get on a normal exercise routine... I feel like now that there's a light at the end of the tunnel, I want to actually get there faster. Amazing, isn't it?

May 12th for me! 8:30am bright and early!

Hip, hip, hooray!!! After 8 long months, I've FINALLY gotten approval to get the lap band!!!! I got the call today and called back like 5 times so I could schedule my surgery. May 12th is officially my "B-day" (band-day). Woohoo! I've been in hurry-up-and-wait mode for so long, now it finally feels real and it's GAME ON! I've gotten most of the pre-op appointments scheduled, now I want to go home and clean out any food that isn't band-friendly. Holy crap, in a little more than a week I'll be starting a liquid diet! My surgeon wants me to do two weeks of liquid before surgery, and the funny thing is that I'm excited to start it so I can start the weight-loss journey for real! I can't wait to get to know all of you and go through this journey together!

So I just found out my surgeon's office submitted for ins approval this past Tuesday... I'm hoping that since I've been obese for so long and did the 6 mo diet and all that jazz, that I'll get approved no problem. Please keep your fingers crossed for me! And I'm still hoping for a date in April, all I have left are a few pre-op tests and the pre-op liquid diet and I can do those no prob, right??? Weird part is that I totally dreamed about recovering from surgery last night. In my dream I was sleeping and then woke up and had to walk around the nurse's station (what my surgeon requires while I'm in the hospital). Holy crap it's almost real now! :confused:

Yay congrats! Keep up the good work and keep us posted!

Hey all! I'm still hoping for an April date (the sooner the better), but since I'm just applying for approval in the next couple weeks, I might end up in May. So I had to pop in and say hello! I just can't wait!

Hey everyone, it's great to meet you all! I'm excited to take this journey with you. I'm still nervous that I might not get a surgery date in April, but I'm optimistic! I have my last dietician appt tomorrow, then my surgeon sends in for approval and I should know hopefully sooner rather than later! In any case... I'm Kelly, 28 years old in So Cal (Pasadena to be exact). I'm single with no kids, but I did recently start dating a wonderful man who is supportive of my weight-loss endeavors and thinks I'm beautiful at any size. :thumbup: I'm 5'10'' and currently about 354 lbs, size 22/24ish. I've been obese for at least the last 10 years, it all started after I stopped playing year-round sports in high school and decided to focus on my studies (and keep eating the same junk!). I've tried tons of diets and weight-loss attempts, but started thinking about the band in 8/08. I'm way excited to take off this weight for once and for all, get back to playing sports, riding rollercoasters, shopping at more than 2 stores and best of all - skydiving!!!!! I've been too chicken to skydive at my current weight, afraid the parachute won't hold me (silly, but true). I love the beach, I want to learn to snowboard, and I can't wait to travel around the world now that my booty will fit in an airplane seat comfortably. The possibilities are ENDLESS! Woohoo! :thumbup:

My roomie was banded in March and her scars don't look bad at all! Of course, keeping them clean and dry in the beginning helps, and then you can always apply Mederma after they heal. I'm a clutz and Mederma always works for my other scars. Plus I'm taking Biotin (a supplement) which is supposed to be good for your hair and skin. Anything that can help, I'm tryin!

Yeah I'm sad about no gum, how can I conquer ye ole oral fixation? I've also heard that gum increases air intake which isn't good. Keep up the great work Bandster Bunnies! I'm getting close to finallyyyyy submitting for approval. Keep your fingers crossed!

I'd like to get on that support group action too! I'm going to the 3/18 group at Providence St Joseph's to meet the requirement that Dr. Quilici has for pre-op, but I'd like a long term support group just for the band. My roommate just got banded, we live in Pasadena and are committed to making a change in our lives - a support group would really help with that. I have a high BMI (51ish) so Dr. Quilici seems to think bypass is better for me. However, I'm only 28 and don't have any other health problems besides obesity, and I prefer lapband over bypass (for MANY reasons), so I'm stickin to my guns and going with the band! Slower weight loss is ok by me, that means less saggy skin, less hair loss, and hey - it's adjustable for life! Come on now, bypass is just scary compared to the band in my opinion. :thumbup: Ok I got off track, but in any case I'd love to attend a bandster support group!

Hello Bandster Bunnies!!! My roommate just got banded and she and I constantly talk about Non scale Victories (NSV), and I thought I'd start a thread for us to share what we're looking forward to beyond seeing the numbers drop on the scale. I have a bunch, but the ones that pop into my mind most often are: *Buying jeans that don't have stretch in them *Not having to pull my pants UP and pull my shirt DOWN when I stand up *Fitting nice and easy into airplane chairs, Starbucks chairs, bistro chairs, etc. *Playing sports again *Going swimming and enjoying it *NOT shopping at Lane Bryant anymore And just now I came face to face with one... **Actually weighing what I state on my driver's license!!!! I bumped it up to 200 a while ago, and to even be down to 200 will be a HUGE milestone. WOOHOO, I can't wait! :thumbup: What are some NSVs you all are looking forward to?

Hey people! It's getting close to April and I don't have approval or a date yet, but I'm still holding onto hope that I can get banded in April!!! I have one more visit to complete my 6 month diet, and then it's pre-op stuff from there on out. I just want it done NOW!