Amaris

I haven't been banded, but I have been given my pre-op diet by my surgeon's office. Two Protein shakes a day (100% whey isolate), and a small, very low carb dinner -- three to four ounces of protein and a green veggie like broccoli or green Beans. I can put half a banana in each shake if I find they are not filling me up. I'm not supposed to snack, but if I am just too hungry on the plan, then I can add a boiled egg, some low-fat cheese, or some lean deli meat in between Breakfast and lunch, or lunch and dinner. This is for four to six weeks, because of my size. Good luck with your pre-op diet and with surgery!

What part of California are you from? I live in the High Desert (SoCal). I'm hoping to get banded in late August by Dr. Krahn. I'm pretty excited, too! Good luck to you -- I hope everything goes well for you!

Congratulations on getting banded and doing so well! I jumped through my last hoop today, so I'm just waiting on insurance approval. Hoping to get banded in late August. It's so encouraging to hear from people who are happy with their decision and for whom things are going so smoothly. I hope I'm so lucky!

Froggie, thanks so much for your input. I have experienced that let-down before, but I had not considered that it would happen after surgery. Thanks for the reminder! Congrats on your success! Every success story I hear just gives me that much more confidence that this will work for me, too.

I sent Dr. Krahn's office an email about program fees. I sent it after they closed, so I won't hear from them until tomorrow. They are really good about answering email promptly. When I hear something, I'll let you know!

I don't even have a surgery date, and I'm feeling all these emotions! I can't imagine how much more intense these feelings will be as my surgery date is set and then draws closer! I've only told six people. I have two luncheon dates during my pre-op diet -- with people who don't know about my decision. I'm dreading them, but I'll come up with some solution! Yes, Hal, thank you for responding to this thread. I'm going to do your exercise when my nerves hit fever pitch!

I am using insurance (TriCare), but he is out of network for my provider, so I have to pay a $4000 cash deposit. I have not heard anything about a program fee. I think I'll be emailing them and asking about that. I've been to two seminars, and had my initial consult and program fees were never mentioned! Have you been to a seminar yet? Let me know if you have any other questions.

Hey Dawn! Thanks so much for your encouraging story! I am much heavier than you were and I'm on all kinds of meds for co-morbidities. Even so, your story really encouraged me. I'm looking forward to being off my meds -- or at least having them drastically reduced. Thanks again for sharing your story!

Congrats on your decision! I'm still waiting to be banded, but I know I've made the right decision. Good luck going through the process! That's a long time to wait before you can have your psych eval. Did you get on a waiting list in case there's a cancellation?

Congrats on your success! I live in the High Desert in SoCal. I am going with Dr. Krahn in San Bernardino. I hope to be banded in late August.

Thanks so much for your kind responses. I had my nutritional consult this afternoon, and now I AM STOKED! I really liked the registered dietitian who did the consult, and I got some good information from it. That was my last "hoop", so after the nurse reviews and signs off on my chart, it will be ready to submit to insurance. When it's approved, I have to go to a nutrition class and then I get my surgery date. I think I'm going to start on my pre-op diet just as soon as I can get the shakes. Town is about 30-40 minutes away, so it may be a few days before I can do that. In the meantime, I have a couple of "last meals" that I want to have (isn't that sad? but it's true!), so that I'll be psychologically more ready for the pre-op diet. Thanks again for your encouragement! I look forward to getting to know you all better!

I introduced myself several months ago, then my plans got way-laid and I stopped visiting the site. My husband lost his job in March, so I had to delay surgery. Luckily, our insurance didn't come from his primary job, so I still have access to excellent coverage (Tri-Care). Because my doctor isn't "in network" for my insurance company, he requires a $4000 deposit; with Hubby out of work, that just wasn't possible. Unfortunately, Hubby is still out of work. My mother made her transition last month and the administrator of her estate (my sister) wants to give me the money to pay for this. I'm so grateful. Like many of you, I haven't told a lot of people about my decision. I think maybe six! I never told my mother, and didn't intend to. I always felt that she wouldn't understand or that she'd accuse me of taking the easy way out. My weight has been an issue with her all of my adult life (actually, it was an issue with her before I was even really fat!), so I think it's fitting, in an ironic way, that her money be used to pay for the surgery! I have done almost everything that my doctor's office requires before submitting to insurance. I have a nutritional consult on Tuesday, and I hand in my clearance letter from my PCP. The doc requires a four to six week pre-op diet for someone my size, so I'm hoping for a late August surgery date. I meet the published requirements for my insurance company, so I'm not expecting any problem there. My major concern about the surgery isn't the pain or the recovery time. My major concern is whether I'm really ready to make the commitment to my health that I know I need to make in order for this to be a success. I talk about it almost constantly with my best friend, and I also talk about it often with my husband and therapist. Reading the posts here help. Thanks so much to everyone who does post on this site. I have gained so much valuable information and inspiration by reading your posts. Keep'em coming! :thumbup:

Michelle -- What book? I just finished Weight Loss Surgery with the Adjustable Gastric Band by Robert W. Sewell and Linda Rohrbough. It was very informative and had lots of personal stories. My husband and I are going to a seminar on Thursday. He has a few pounds to lose, but not enough to qualify for this surgery. I think, though, that my new approach to food will influence him to make some healthy changes in his life. Good luck to you!

Thanks so much to everyone for their contributions to the list. I'm going to create my own and read it everyday for inspiration. I so related to what you wrote, and will be happy happy happy when we all reach our goals!

So glad to read that your husband has gotten on board. I am fortunate in that the few people I have told have been very supportive. Congrats on finishing your pre-op testing. Hope you get a surgery date soon! Good luck to you!

From what I understand, they actually give you meds to prevent you from throwing up, immediately post-op because throwing up would be so bad for you. After that, I think it's a matter of how you eat for most people (I haven't been banded yet, so have no experience to speak from). If you eat slowly, take small bites and chew thoroughly, throwing up shouldn't be a problem. There is something called a "productive burp" that some people experience that involves tightness and spitting up, but not really throwing up. It's are for me to explain, because I haven't experienced it. Are you reading blogs of people who have had the lapband? That's a great way to learn what it's like from people who have had the surgery. Check out my blog and visit the links in my blogroll. I only have a few so far, but most of them have blogrolls that are much longer!

Hi Michelle! I don't know much about MediCare; you're best bet would be to call your contact and talk to them about it. For most insurances that I've heard about, you must have a BMI of 35, with co-morbidities, and you're right on the borderline of that. Keep us informed as to what you find out. Best of luck to you!

Congrats on getting a consult date! I'm still waiting for mine -- hoping to be banded in February, though. 1.What is your current and goal weight? 325/153 2.What is your surgery date? Not scheduled yet. 3.What is your age? 45 4.Where do you live? CA 5.Where are you having surgery? St. Bernardine Medical Center 6.Who is your Doctor?? Dr. Krahn 7.Insurance or self-pay? Insurance 8.What was you "deciding factor" for having this surgery? My health is steadily deteriorating because of my weight. I want to live a nice long life with my wonderful family.

Hi Noura, Thanks for sharing your story. I am hoping to be banded in February so I appreciate hearing about other's experiences. Hope you find the restriction you are looking for!

Hey Deb! I'm also hoping for a February date. Insurance can be rough from what I've heard, so just hang in there and do whatever they ask you to do. Jumping through hoops can be frustrating, but sometimes it's the only thing you can do. Good luck with your process!

Congrats to both you and your wife! I'm looking forward to a February date -- I'm considering it a date with destiny!

Congrats! Love to read about those NSVs!

I have chosen not to tell very many people -- in fact, I haven't even told my mother! She lives 1300 miles away from me and would just worry and obsess about it. I may tell her after surgery, or I may not. I may just tell her I'm thinking about it to see what her reaction is and use that as my guide for telling her or not. Of course, if I tell her I'm thinking of it, then I start losing weight, she'll be able to figure it out! Although I appreciate that the more people who know, the more people I'd have to be accountable to, I have spent my whole life under a weight-loss microscope and I choose not to do that this time! While I want everyone's support, I don't want to deal with their scrutiny or expectations at this point. Maybe once I start seeing some success, I'll want everyone to know. I'll just have to wait and see. I will say that of the five people who know that I'm considering this, I've had no negative experience with telling. Everyone is supportive, encouraging and curious. As someone else said, telling is a personal decision. You just have to do what feels right to you. Good luck!

Thanks for the info on the different TriCare offerings. As I already mentioned, we have Reserve Select, so we will be having some out-of-pocket expenses -- plus my surgeon is out-of-network, so those expenses will be a little higher. But, when I checked on the TriWest website, there are no doctors in-network for at least a 250 mile radius! I just got a doctor's referral Tuesday, for which I was grateful. I knew my primary care doctor would be supportive, but since I'm just establishing with him as a patient, I was afraid he'd want to watch me for a few months, get to know me better, or put me on some kind of a diet to prove I couldn't do this myself. Instead, he just smiled and said, "Sure" and set about writing my referral. I was so glad! I just have to finish filling out the 14-page patient profile and get it in the mail -- then the surgeon's office will make an appointment for me, and we'll get the ball rolling! I won't make my final decision until I've met with the surgeon for a consult, but right now, I'm really leaning toward YES! DO THIS!

I have BiPolar Type I, and some anxiety. I went to my seminar today and I asked the surgeon afterwards if it would be an issue. He says it shouldn't be, as long as I was stabilized. He did say that it could influence which type of procedure I could have (he does both gastric bypass and the band), because of the absorption of my meds. I was already leaning toward the band, so that worked for me! I am reading a book on adjustable gastric band surgery by Dr. Sewell (forgot the name of the book and I don't have it with me, sorry!), and he does mention that it has been considered that clinically depressed patients wouldn't do as well, on the whole. I believe that the book goes on to say that that hasn't been substantiated. At any rate -- good luck to you! Let us know what happens!