cutiern

hey barbara! both reeneea and i had our surgeries on monday by dr spivak. melissa will have hers on june 9th by dr spivak. he wanted us to try to follow a low-carb diet before surgery, but if you don't stick to it that's ok. you will do fine. you are in good hands!!

the nurse told me 2500. egg beaters are starting to sound good right now. i think i'll have some in the morning. cutiern:biggrin1:

i've been sipping on chxn broth and dreyer's sf ice pops. this morning for breakfast i has some sf pudding. i'm having a hard time finishing it. it took me an hour to finish the 4 oz cup of pudding. i don't know if i'm feeling hunger pains or gas pains. tomorrow, i'll try some creamy soups and a protein shake. cutiern:biggrin1:

hey everybody!!! just wanted to say hi and that i'm home. the surgery went great! dr spivak and the crew calmed my fears. i was told to be there at 6:30 am and i was wheeled by to surgery alittle after 8:00 am.i was the second one. everybody kept saying i was doing really good in the step-down unit because i was so alert. i really didn't have a problem with the anesthesia. i was able to drink my water and i was able to go home around 11:15. i finally just woke up and i'm trying to sip on some chxn broth and water. the gas pains are starting to kick in, but other than that i'm not in alot of pain. i'm still kinda riding on the Fentanyl they gave before surgery. well, again just wanted to keep ya'll updated and Melisaa i'll PM you(and any other of dr spivak's patients) to let you know what exactly happened. talk to you later! cutiern:biggrin1:

!!!:omg: :omg: :omg: :omg: :omg: :omg: :omg: :omg: :omg: :omg: :omg: :omg: :omg: :omg: :omg: :omg: :omg: !!!i'm really starting to get nervous here!. i have to work tonight and i can't sleep at all. my mind is racing and the butterflies are churning. i keep going over and over in my head..."am i doing the right thing...what if it does not help me and look at all the money i spent...why can't i just have self-control...". i've never had surgery before (wisdom teeth removal doesn't count does it?) and scared about what could happen. i know i chose one of the best doctors around, but i can't stop thinking about this. i'm sure all bandsters have felt this way at some point. how do you calm your fears? cutiern

hi mandy! i will be banded on june 5th by dr spivak! good luck and i'll say a prayer for you. cutiern:biggrin1:

hi, sounds to me like you are having reffered pain from your ear infection and your body is trying to figure out how to fight it off. did your dr prescribe zithromax? usually a z-pak is given in 6 pill doses...take 2 the first day and 1 pill daily for 4 more days. you might need a different abx like amoxicllin (if your not allergic to pcn) or augmentin. you also might need need some steroids like a medrol dose pack to better help with the inflammation. did your dr prescribe you naproxen or naprosyn for your pain reliever? if he or she did, i would continue to take these and if you still can't break a fever take tylenol. i would recommend 650 mg every 4-6 hrs. if you are still in pain, i would ask for tylenol w/codeine elixir (if you are not allergic to codeine) and knock two birds out. also, keep yourself hydrated. report back on how things go. cutiern:biggrin1:

hey wheetsin! i decided to go with CapitalOne Healthcare Finance loan. i have 2 years @ 3.9% interest for $14,500(dr's total). the total interest on the loan is only $650. this will be better for me. i can make payments early without penalty, so i will hopefully have it payed off before two years(i want to buy a new car). i decided it's more trouble than it's worth to mess with my 401k. wish me luck, my surgery is on june 5th! cutiern:biggrin1:

hey ya'll!:biggrin1: i'm here in league city! anyone else from this area? cutiern:D

melissa, i'm soooo struggling!!! my true "last meal" is going to be this weekend...my dad is going to bar-be-que for the memorial weekend. as long as we don't gain any weight, dr spivak will not be mad with us:p . cutiern:D

hi ya'll, I've decided to go with dr. spivak and i'm going to be a self-pay patient. I was wondering how long do i have to wait after attending the seminar to schedule the surgery? Do i have to go to a PCP (i don't have one...b/c i never go to the doctor!) to get clearnace and to have tests done? thanks, cutiern

hey!! i didn't have to have anything done! dr spivak concurred that i'm pretty healthy and no pre-testing was needed. i had my seminar/consult with him on May 3rd...approved for loan on May 4th..and my surgery date is set for june 5th!!! their advise to me pre-op was to follow a low-carb diet. i'm trying really hard!!:phanvan thanks for ya'lls advise! i'll let you know how everything goes. cutiern:D

i'm supposed to be on a low-carb diet until june 5th...it's not happening!!! i just had a hellish night at work and i just wolfed down a ciabatta burger from jack-inthe-box!!! cutiern:phanvan

i have the same dr as mini_me. the total quoted was $15,700... 1. dr spivak and his assistant.. $6500 (10% self pay) 2. facility fee...................$8500 3. anesthesia....................$700 my total was $14,500 (got add'l $500 off because i'm a nurse). i'm pretty healthy, so i didn't have to have anything else done. cutiern:D

:opps2: oh yeah, i forgot...my email is cutiern@hotmail.com. email me anytime! cutiern:D

hi melissa, i will also be banded by dr spivak. looks, like we both chose a really good doctor!! cutiern:D

good luck to you!!! my date is june 5th! you have to tell me how everything went! cutiern:biggrin1:

YAAAYYYYY!!!!!!!! i called Dr Spivak's office to see if they had received my loan approval...they had. so, i was able to set up my surgery date. June 5, 2006 is my big day!! everything is happening so fast. i went to the seminar/consult last wednesday...applied for the CapitalOne Healthcare Loan that wednesday night...got approved the next day...whoo!!:drama: i'm so excited, but nervous too. the office said i would be getting all of my paperwork in the mail and that i should think low-carb until my surgery. if anyone could offer me advise in how to prepare or if any dr spivak's patients on this website reads this post, it would be greatly appreciated!! thanks ya'll, cutiern:D

hey ya'll!!! just got back from my seminar/consult with Dr. Spivak...all i can say is the man is so professional, sweet, and knowledgeable. the seminar was at 4:00 pm, but to have an appt with him that same day i had to be there b/t 3:00-3:30. needless to say, i arrived extremely too early, so i was the first to have an appt with him after the seminar was finished. he answered all of my questions. i'm pretty healthy (except for the fat!!:nervous ), so i don't have to have any tests (like an upper gi or anything) done prior to surgery. i'm a self pay, so i got a break down of everything and the total is $14,500..this includes a 10% discount for being a self pay patient and another %10 discount for being a healthcare professional. i was happy with that!! he was ready to schedule me right then, but i have to come up with the money first..which won't be hard and i have to schedule time off work. thanks for listening to me gab! cutiern:D

good morning ya'll!!!:bananadoggywow: maybe i should ask this question, because i'm still confused when it comes to this 401k stuff:confused:. me being a self-pay and all...if you were in my situation..would you take the route of dipping into your 401k? or, would you take a loan from the bank? cutiern:D

thanks for the info guys!! but, chris you have to excuse my stupidity when it comes to stuff like this, but what do you mean 7.5%? of what? cutiern

hey guys.. i'm reading over my 401k and it says "...supporting documents providing proof of your need for a financial hardship withdrawal will be required..." how am i supposed to do this??? cutiern

hi kim and melva, i was looking at my 401k the other day and i did see something on there about "hardship". but, i don't want to worry about having to pay it back. i mean it is my money and i don't mind paying taxes on it. cutiern

hi darkwing and janet, if you don't mind me asking, what kind of tests did you have to do? i will also be a self-pay patient of dr. spivak's. thanks, cutiern

Hey Ya'll, I found this website doing research on the Lapband procedure. So far, everyone seems to be very helpful and i've learned quite a bit. I'm from Houston and i will be attending a seminar/appt by Dr. Spivak on May 3rd. I'm excited because i've wanted to have this done, but i let my fears stop me. Well, also having the right insurance too (Humana sucks!). But no more!! I've decided to be a self pay. So, if any of ya'll have any insights on the procedure, the doctor, or anything else you feel is important for me to know...just holler! Thanks, cutiern:biggrin1: