Veggestyle

Hello All! My band date is November 20th! I am currently around 275 lbs, but I will be weighing myself soon since I havent weighed myself in about a month. My goal weight would be around 150. I am so excited, nervous...I can't believe the date is almost here. I was really excited to see this post, it makes it even more real! I live in IL and will be having my band done by a local surgeon who has been doing the surgery for a few years now with very little to no complications!

Hello and Welcome! I am still pre-band, but just for about a month longer until my surgery. This board is so so helpful and has been a guiding light during the decision making process and there-on. I have found basically everything I needed to know about the band with addition to medical documental type information. I hope that you find on here what you need. At this point I cannot tell you the pros/cons b/c I am not banded, but I will tell you that I cannot wait to start my new life!

Jodie...what is your myspace address??

I finally know when my surgery date is: November 20th!!! I will be having a hiatal hernia removed as well. I definitely plan to report back here and let you all know how it goes! I hope everyone is doing well! :bounce:

Hello All, I am so happy that it is fall. Fall is such a beautiful time of the year, especially here in Chicago with all of the leaves changing and the weather getting cooler. I am going to be changing pretty soon too...after much hard work and red tape...my surgery date is set for November 20th. Please celebrate with me b/c not many people in my life are supporting me right now! Thank you all for everything!

As of now, my surgery is scheduled for November 20th, the Monday before Thanksgiving. I really hope that the surgeon can stick with this date b/c it will really really work out well with my and my boyfriend's school and work schedule. I find it hard to believe that it is just over a month away...I have done so much work to get to this point and now I am facing the 10 day liquid diet... I am not sure what I am actually feeling at this point...when I think about it, for the most part I am excited and anxious...honestly I think that I am trying to bury any other negative thoughts at this time b/c it would be so easy to get scared. I am changing my life and that is such a wonderful, yet nervewracking process to go through. I feel that few people in my life actually understand...in ways I think they are nervous too about me being different, I have been overweight my entire life and I do belive that it has helped define (or limit) who I am today...

As of now, my surgery is scheduled for November 20th, the Monday before Thanksgiving. I really hope that the surgeon can stick with this date b/c it will really really work out well with my and my boyfriend's school and work schedule. I find it hard to believe that it is just over a month away...I have done so much work to get to this point and now I am facing the 10 day liquid diet... I am not sure what I am actually feeling at this point...when I think about it, for the most part I am excited and anxious...honestly I think that I am trying to bury any other negative thoughts at this time b/c it would be so easy to get scared. I am changing my life and that is such a wonderful, yet nervewracking process to go through. I feel that few people in my life actually understand...in ways I think they are nervous too about me being different, I have been overweight my entire life and I do belive that it has helped define (or limit) who I am today...

That is a great question!!! I would love to know the answser to that one too!!!

Thank you so much! I feel that I am doing the right thing for myself too, I just wish that my family understood that better. I can't wait to announce my date either, I know that it will be sometime in November!

I have finally jumped through all of the hoops that the insurance company has placed before me...I am approved for surgery and will be confirming a surgery date in the next few days! I have my final consultation with the surgeon and my pre-op lab work coming up in the next week. I can hardly believe that i have come this far. I have been having very realistic dreams of what it will feel like to have the band inside me and what it will be like to live with the band and be around others. I really hope this is the right decision for me. I really dont have my entire family's support and that makes me nervous. Today my mom said to me "why cant you just diet...you know you are going to be in pain..." and so on...:straight Wish me luck!

I have finally jumped through all of the hoops that the insurance company has placed before me...I am approved for surgery and will be confirming a surgery date in the next few days! I have my final consultation with the surgeon and my pre-op lab work coming up in the next week. I can hardly believe that i have come this far. I have been having very realistic dreams of what it will feel like to have the band inside me and what it will be like to live with the band and be around others. I really hope this is the right decision for me. I really dont have my entire family's support and that makes me nervous. Today my mom said to me "why cant you just diet...you know you are going to be in pain..." and so on...:straight Wish me luck!

...wait that sounds bad! My general doctor hardly new anything about the lapband and she never had a patient that had WLS. I was nervous about talking with her too, especially since she had little experience with the subject. However, I think since I was prepared with information and knowledge to share with her, she really understood the surgery better and why I was so interested in having it. The visit I had with her was a few months ago, and now my surgery date is about a month away and she has given me all of the support that I needed from her! Good luck!

I am so happy that the journal function is up and running again! For about the past month I have been playing the insurance "battle." I found out today that I have been approved for the surgery! My next step now is to make the final appt. with the surgeon. I am excited, nervous...I have dreams about what it feels like to have the band inside me. A lady that I work with had the surgery back in May and she actually let me feel her port. To be honest, I was kind of freaked out by how "well" I could feel it...But she looks great, already has lost nearly 60 lbs. Well...moving on..update soon!

I am so happy that the journal function is up and running again! For about the past month I have been playing the insurance "battle." I found out today that I have been approved for the surgery! My next step now is to make the final appt. with the surgeon. I am excited, nervous...I have dreams about what it feels like to have the band inside me. A lady that I work with had the surgery back in May and she actually let me feel her port. To be honest, I was kind of freaked out by how "well" I could feel it...But she looks great, already has lost nearly 60 lbs. Well...moving on..update soon!

Yeah, thank you! The journal is such a helpful resource to have! :confused:

Hello! I haven't had a chance to update my journal until now because I am back to teaching! :cool: I teach 8th grade literature and I love teaching! Well, I have had two more tests since I last wrote. One was really a hoop to jump through, while the other was the "MMPI" psych test. I was required to meet with a pyschologist and have a general psychological exam done which I was very worried about. Honestly, I do not really trust the person "analyzing" me, I feel that they tend to look too much into things, which I found out to be true during the exam. I had to fill out about 5-7 pages of "mental and medical" history which the psychologist began asking me questions about since we have never met. He looked into the fact that I was a good student and overanalyzed that! Well, the session went ok, the psychologist was a very patient, soft-spoken middle aged man who asked me a lot of questions about everything, family life, eating habits, boyfriends, drug use etc etc etc. Unfortunately, my history of depression and anxiety and an abusive boyfriend from the past I think landed me into having to take the MMPI. This test is meant to look for further personality disorders and other mental disorders. I know that I have generalized anxiety disorder already, and I hope that he doesnt find anything else! The test had a true or false format and there were nearly 600 questions!!! The questions ranged from do you love/hate you father to are there voice in your head that control your actions? The test took me about 1 and half hours and some questions were difficult to tackle both on an emotional and mental level. I now need to make an appt. with the psychologist to review the results and then talk about the report he will write up for me to send to my bariatric coordinator. He gave me the option of reviewing the report before he sent it or not. He told me that most bariatric patients pass up reviewing it, i wonder why.... I will let you all know how it goes! Take care. :croc:

Hello! I haven't had a chance to update my journal until now because I am back to teaching! I teach 8th grade literature and I love teaching! Well, I have had two more tests since I last wrote. One was really a hoop to jump through, while the other was the "MMPI" psych test. I was required to meet with a pyschologist and have a general psychological exam done which I was very worried about. Honestly, I do not really trust the person "analyzing" me, I feel that they tend to look too much into things, which I found out to be true during the exam. I had to fill out about 5-7 pages of "mental and medical" history which the psychologist began asking me questions about since we have never met. He looked into the fact that I was a good student and overanalyzed that! Well, the session went ok, the psychologist was a very patient, soft-spoken middle aged man who asked me a lot of questions about everything, family life, eating habits, boyfriends, drug use etc etc etc. Unfortunately, my history of depression and anxiety and an abusive boyfriend from the past I think landed me into having to take the MMPI. This test is meant to look for further personality disorders and other mental disorders. I know that I have generalized anxiety disorder already, and I hope that he doesnt find anything else! The test had a true or false format and there were nearly 600 questions!!! The questions ranged from do you love/hate you father to are there voice in your head that control your actions? The test took me about 1 and half hours and some questions were difficult to tackle both on an emotional and mental level. I now need to make an appt. with the psychologist to review the results and then talk about the report he will write up for me to send to my bariatric coordinator. He gave me the option of reviewing the report before he sent it or not. He told me that most bariatric patients pass up reviewing it, i wonder why.... I will let you all know how it goes! Take care. :croc:

Hello! I teach eighth grade literature. Good luck with getting your certificate! I know that it can be rather rough at times...

I just received an official letter from my insurance company that my surgery will be approved for payment!!!! Now, this is not entirely the last word b/c I do still have one more test to go through--the psych test. However, the letter states that after I have been approved for the surgery by the professionals invovled, they will approve the payment of the surgery! Yay!!! I know that the insurance aspect of banding is usually the toughest, and I feel so fortunate to have been approved. I suppose that all of the stressors of being a teacher pay off in the great insurance that I get. Thank you thank you thank you! :whoo:

I just received an official letter from my insurance company that my surgery will be approved for payment!!!! Now, this is not entirely the last word b/c I do still have one more test to go through--the psych test. However, the letter states that after I have been approved for the surgery by the professionals invovled, they will approve the payment of the surgery! Yay!!! I know that the insurance aspect of banding is usually the toughest, and I feel so fortunate to have been approved. I suppose that all of the stressors of being a teacher pay off in the great insurance that I get. Thank you thank you thank you! :whoo:

Thank you for sharing, and being so open and honest. I do find it rather odd, how you are either the "funny fat person" or the "outsider fat person." Why can't I just be Cassandra, the teacher, the vegetarian, the listener, the rocker, the one who is compassionate...? I HATE that for whatever reasons, my fat stands in my way. I have never actually had someone tell me, well you are fat so... it is almost unsaid, that is sometimes why I think that I am being unfair and I know that part of it is my own insecurities... Jodie, I totally understand what you mean though...about making friends with people and having a great time, and then they are like...well...I am going to go out now...I totally get that! What is interesting is that my very best friend is like a size zero and is Gwen Stefani look alike gorgeous and our physical differences have never gotten in the way...one of the reasons why i love her...and miss her so much now that she lives in AZ and I am in IL...:cry

Since I have last updated my journal, I have been diagnosed with a "very small" hiatal hernia, and I have also visited with the bariatric nutrionist. On Monday, I have my psychological evaluation, which I am very very nervous about. :straight I have educated myself about the hiatal hernia, but still am not totally sure what it is, where it comes from and how it will affect me. I suppose it is difficult for the surgeon to tell until he is actually operating... Unfortunately, the bariatric nurse did not know much about the hernia, which I was rather surprised and discouraged about. I hope that the hernia does not cause any problems with the surgery. The surgeon said that he fixes any hiatal hernias that he finds while in surgery, so I suppose that is two surgeries now...:cry

Since I have last updated my journal, I have been diagnosed with a "very small" hiatal hernia, and I have also visited with the bariatric nutrionist. On Monday, I have my psychological evaluation, which I am very very nervous about. :straight I have educated myself about the hiatal hernia, but still am not totally sure what it is, where it comes from and how it will affect me. I suppose it is difficult for the surgeon to tell until he is actually operating... Unfortunately, the bariatric nurse did not know much about the hernia, which I was rather surprised and discouraged about. I hope that the hernia does not cause any problems with the surgery. The surgeon said that he fixes any hiatal hernias that he finds while in surgery, so I suppose that is two surgeries now...:cry

I feel like no matter how hard I try to fit in or get along with others, especially other female friends, I am always the odd one out. We will have similiar interests, experiences, a lot to talk about and share, but I am still the outsider. I am beginning to wonder if it is my excess weight that sets me apart from my "normal sized" friends. Does anyone else ever feel this way?? :help:

As always, thank you so much for your insights. I do believe in my heart that I am doing this for the right reasons. I want to be healthier for so many reasons and I have tried so many other ways of getting there. I am NOT doing this for anyone but myself, and well, I also want to be healthier for any future children that I have. I see my parents who are overweight, and do not have a high quality of life b/c of the weight. Honestly, I have a hard time trusting people, and especially a hard time trusting someone who I feel is trying to analyze me. However, it really hit home when you all mentioned that the doctor is trying to see if I am making the best decision for MYSELF and not anyone else. I suppose that especially since I am younger they may be more skeptical of this... I have had a history of depression and abuse and I guess that I am worried that this will some how be incriminating to me and to the progress of my surgery. Your words have comforted me though, thank you.