outside*looking*in

Hello fellow January Bandsters. I have my appoinment with PCP Thursday so he can clear me for sugery. Had my phone interview with the nurse last week (don't get this since I already spoke with the doctor during the consult). So, all that is left is for me to go in have my x-ray, ekg, pysc consult and nutrition class. I plan on doing all of those things when I return from my vacation on 1/5 and hope to schedule surgery for near end of January. Doc's office said that should be no problem. I am glad that I have the holidays to distract me. Otherwise, I think this would be like being pregnant and waiting for the last 6 weeks to pass until you can finally have the baby.

Wow! I FINALLY get to talk to someone from St. Augustine. Thanks so much for the reply. I will be getting band sometime in January by Dr. Kopmann. I have never had an opportunity to meet Dr. Marema. I am sure he is nice as I have heard nothing but nice things about him. I have been curious as well about what I should be eating and the changes I need to make before and after surgery. I am self-pay and as soon as I get the financing set up, I can start all of my appointments. I can't wait to follow your progress. Best of luck! And keep posting.

I was wondering the same thing....Not about what you can eat AFTER a fill but should you go in with an empty pouch or eat normal? Will it make a difference in the amount of restriction you think you feel? I have read that some people are told to drink a sip of water just after fill, will it make a difference if you go in with somthing already there?

Hi - I was wondering if the three of you could answer a question I have. (I have been looking around and you kinda spoke of my question - I am sorry if this is what they call thread stealing:blush:) I am going to be banded in Jan. Lately I have been wondering about some of the bad habits I have (as mentioned above) I tend to eat now when I am not hungry, push myself to stuffed when I am full, just eat for no reason...... I notice that I do it in waves and less often than more. I don't want to sabotage myself and the band. Do any of you know if the band will help in those areas? How do you stop yourself from doing these bad habits? Thanks for any reply. Also, I hope you are able to find a fill doc soon.

Goal......? I think I still have mental FAT block and I still can not imagine myself as a thinner person. I guess I want to just be able to do things without having to first stop and think if my weight is going to hinder me. I am looking forward to the little rewards of "hey - I can now do that with ease and before I would have not been able to or would have been afraid to try" :tongue2: Update. Spoke with self-pay staff from doctors office and they said that once I fill out the paper work and get approval, the ball could roll really fast and I could get surgery in December. I said I prefer to get it at the end of Jan to get past the holidays and a vacation we are taking after Christmas. So I am sticking with my January Buddies:smile2:

Right now, I am still holding my breath! I had my consult just over a week ago and now I am waiting for the follow up call from the doctors office. It was supposed to come last week but I guess with the holidays they are a bit backed up. I feel like I am eating anything that is not nailed down! I would love to know what "diet" plan I am to follow before my pre-op diet. I have to get an EKG, X-RAY and stamp of approval from my PCP for surgery. If the stars align, I will have my surgery in late January.

I asked this question to my surgeon during my consult last Friday. His response is that he prefers the REALIZE band for two main reasons. A) The port is larger/wider so it has a larger "target" area for fill injection :ohmy: The Band material itself is a softer more plyable material therefore it is less prone to erosion. He feels that the Realize band made improvments from the Lap-Band, although he did state that there is nothing bad about the Lap-Band. I remember during my seminar that he said their practice was involved in the FDA study for both Lap-Band and REALIZE band, and they prefer the REALIZE. He said a few others but I can't remember exactly what he said and I don't want to give bad info.

Holy Cow....12 MEETINGs with a nutritionist~~! That is crazy. Is that required by your ins? I guess a little part of me can understand a few meetings. I usually have motivation to do some sort of "diet" and since making this decision, I have NO MOTIVATION at ALL! Just curiuos, what type of nutrition plan do they have you following before you start a 2 week pre-op diet (if you are required to do that)? I feel like right now I am so confused by what is right and what is wrong... weight watchers vs. low carb, south beach vs. atkins, all of those diets have me confused about what I should be doing before hand to prepare for life after the band. Maybe I need 12 meetings with the nutritionist! Best of luck.

I guess you can see that it varies. The biggest factors will be insurance vs. self-pay, health condition (will have have to go through extra pre-op testing for various things) and how soon you can get in for all of your appointments. I had a consult 11/20/2009, I am self-pay and I have to do minimal testing (Psych, ekg, chest xray and note from PCP). I asked the surgeon if he thought January would be an okay time to do it and he said that would be more than fine.

Wow - thanks for sharing. You hit the nail on the head about "dieting is like holding your breath". I have never heard it put that way before but that is EXACTLY what it is like for me. Thanks for that.:biggrin:

Okay - so, I went to my consult. It went very well! Doctor was very nice. The only pre-op testing I have to do is get a pysc evaluation, cleared from my primary doc, EKG and chest x-ray. I am hoping to get my PCP to figure a way to get my ekg and x-ray covered by ins. I asked the doc if he thought January would be good or if it was too soon and he said Jan should be fine!:thumbup: I also asked him about getting the BLIScare ins since I am self pay. He actually said that he does not really recommend it for band pts, more for bypass pts. But, he also suggested I speak with their ins/self-pay people. I am expecting a call from them this week.

I am posting this because I had such a hard time gathering info on these doctors. So, if in the future someone wants to know my experience, they can find it. I went to the seminar, it really peeked my interest, I looked into the Gastric band more by reading the forums, internet searches and attented a support group meeting of another practice in Jax. I was leaning toward U.S Bariatrics because its close proximity to my home, professionalism and most importantly it is a, "Center of Excellence" approved center. I decided to check out one of their support group meetings before making an appointment for a consultation. Here are my feelings based on the 1 meeting. They may change in the future. Upon walking in I was surprised at how many people were there (at least 60!). This was way different from the SG I went to in Jax (I really meant to go to a seminar, but got the support group instead, my fault) there were only about 15 ppl in that one. The U.S. Bariatric is so large because ALL of their pts, no matter what bariatric surgery they have had, attend the same meeting. I did not really like this. I wanted to talk to someone about the BAND and I was not sure who to talk to. It seems too crowded and the people in front of me were talking to whole time so I could not hear the nutritionist or questions from others some of the time. I feel the pts have different issues and need to discuss things that are more specific to their needs. I will see how it goes in the future. So, I made my appointment for a consult. I got in rather quickly with no problem. I met with Dr. Koppman. HE IS SO NICE! We went over medical records that I brought. He asked me which procedure I was interested in and my reasons for that particular procedure. I explained that I wanted the band (because less risky, and I don't need to drop weight fast since I have no other health problems at the time) and he felt that was the better choice for me. He sat with me for near 40 minutes explaining the band and answering each question I had. He was very imformative and professional, yet at the same time so friendly I felt I could ask him anything. I felt vvery assured when I left that I had made the right choice. Also, I found out that he went out of the office after talking to me and found my husband outside (watching the kids) and sat and spoke with him for a few minutes. This made my husband really confident with him as a great guy, not just a great doctor. (I had sent my husband to the seminar the night before my appointment so he could hear the info himself and feel comfortable. He had introduced himself to Dr. Koppman that night) I will continue to post as I go further along in the process for anyone who is considering this practice.

Just made the appointment for my consultation. It is this Friday. Whoohooooo! Finally the ball is rolling, may be slow, but at least it is rolling. Are there any questions you had wished you had asked during consult but didn't? I want to ask anything I can (especially since I am forking out $295 for the consult):w00t:

Wow Hummingbird - that was FAST!!!! I was thinking I was trying to get it too quick in Jan. I guess it all depends on how busy your doctor is. I know when I called about setting up an appointment for consultation I could have got in that week so it may move quicker than I expect. I have to get my husband to take time off work just so I can go to appointments (we just moved here and have no one we know well enough yet). I really do want to wait until after the holidays though. I don't want my family to put up with me and my "bandster hell" during the holidays. A couple of months is fine for me.:biggrin:

I am wondering how much time it has taken for you all to get a surgery date from the time of your first consultation (not seminar) as a self-pay?? I am trying to get in for a consultation this week or next and I am hoping to have this done by mid-Jan:thumbup: Wondering how long the process if testing and what not will take.

I will be self-pay as well. I have similar questions and would love to hear from others. In my area I have found that the cost is just over $17,000. This will include fixing any problems with the band or surgical site for 1 year after surgery and the first year of fills. At the seminar the doctor mentioned something about "special ins" for future surgeries if needed. I have not had the consult so have not been able to ask more about this. I think that is one of my biggest fears, having to pay for future problems. It does feel bad asking my husband to pay so much, but, I look at it this way. I will be a healthier wife and mom and I have rarely ask for anything around here. So, I can drive my mini-van for 5 more years instead of getting a new car (mini-van is paid for and works fine) and instead, get a new me!

I have the same thoughts. I am very pre-op. Have not even had my consult yet. But, when I was talking about doing the surgery with my husband (who is also over weight) as a thought on why I maybe should not get the surgery he said, "won't you miss, like, not being able to gulp down a big glass of water or something?" I said, I think I am willing to give up gulping if it means I will be leaner and healthier. We are an overweight family. I don't know how "thin" people think about food. I notice my 11y/o scarffing down food and it worries me. I wonder if I will learn to let go of old "fat" ways of thinking and eating and be able to learn and teach my family the new "thin" way of thinking and eating.

I was wondering if those of you who have lost most, if not all, of your weight have ever had a "thin" person say something really rude or off about the size of another person? Something that you KNOW they would have never said in front of or to you at your previous weight. How did you react? Or - what do you find are the most annoying comments to you about your weight loss?

I will be self-pay as well. I am going to sit in on a support meeting and then if I am happy with what I hear, I guess my next step will be to set up a consult with the doctor. I have NO CLUE how long the process will take after that. I may end up in a Feb thread. I am having a hard time finding someone on this board who used the doc I am thinking of going with.:drool:

Okay - Here goes..... I have always had experiences at night when I sleep. I wake up and find people stading over or next to me. Mostly they vanish after I blink a few times and I think it is just my eye's adjusting to the dark. Once,about 15 years back, I woke to find a girl about the age of 7y/o standing next to my bed. I blinked my eyes a few times and she did not disappear. Finally, I sat straight up in bed and she slowly vanished. She resembled me as a child. I just knew it was a child I had lost at birth years previous. Since then, I pay better attention to those standing next to me or hovering over me. I also recently moved to St. Augustine FL and had always heard about it being a "haunted" city. My husband, children and I were out exploring and driving around one day when we decided to drive past the Lighthouse. We did not stop just did a drive by. As we went past I noticed a couple of kids sitting in the HUGE oak trees in front of the LightHouse. I just figured they were out there playing and did not even think it worth mentioning. A week or so later I was cooking supper and my husband was wathcing an on-demand program that was talking about St. Augustine. They got to talking about the lighthouse and then talked about how sometimes people have reported seeing the children that were killed on the property SITTING and playing IN THE TREES! I had always heard about the Lighthouse being haunted but had NEVER heard anything about kids in the trees!

Hi - I am thinking that January will be my time. I am self-pay so I will not have to wait on ins or ins-diet. I go to a support meeting on Thursday to talk to some of the patients that the doctor has worked on. I have already been to his seminar. I guess from there it is a consult and the pre-op testing. So, however long it takes for those appts and then surgery. Maybe February if the process of appointments take longer. Btw....I am NOT telling most family and friends. My hubby and 11y/o know and my mother (since I will need a sitter for my 2y/o) I don't want to feel like I am under a microscope to lose weight and they are just waiting for me to fail, again:bored:.

I know this doctor is looking out for my interest. I can get that. Unfortunately, I just moved to the area and this is only the 2nd time he has seen me. He has not seen me struggle for the past 14years as my old doctor has. I guess I just get tired of the lecture no matter what I go in for. You have the sniffles???? Oh, well it must be weight related....:sad: I know I have bad habbits that have to change. I am scared that I will go through this and eventually fall into bad habbits. I wonder if eventually I will think like a thin person and not a fat one. But I HAVE to do something.....I would LOVE to exercise....and can't wait to join and try different sports. That is what I like. More competitive exercise. I will get this done. It the mean time, I may have to look for a more understanding PCP. Maybe I can ask the weight loss surgeon for a recomendation.

I always retain Water whenever I get into a pool or near the ocean. I can actually see it in my lower legs and ankles. Look for other NSV... don't give up the exercise, it is hard to get motivated to start. Your scale will show your efforts soon. Great job for getting to the gym!!:sad:

Okay - so I have been tossing around the idea of the band for months now. Doing my research, going to seminars and such. Today I had an appointment with my Family doc and wanted his opinion on the lap-band. He gave me a few sentences about it is a fine process for those who have really tried all other methods (which I have) then asked me if I exercise. I admitted that exercise is my downfall and I have difficulty finding an exercise I can stick due to feet problems and can't do the water exercise since I get horrible nausea after being in for 1 min. Anyhow, I know there are things I could do and HAVE in the past. I have kept 40lbs off from prebvios efforts. Long story short he begins to tell me how HE is up at the crack of dawn to exercise and if I would just add exercise to my diet I will lose the weight. So I know I need to exercise. But has he ever tried to exercise with an extra 150lbs pressing on his ankles and knees! Believe me......I would LOVE to exercise. I hope one day I can do those challenges I read about on here but now I get tired cleaning my stinking house and chasing the 2y/o. So am I not getting it or does my doctor not get it? I left the office not really clear on his opinions toward the surgery. :sad: