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I had my surgery performed by Dr. Barry Greene in Rockville, MD. The program fee was $500 which was deducted from the total cost of the surgery. I was self-pay, not through insurance. Don't know if that made a difference. I would highly recommend Dr. Greene. If Rockville is convenient for you, check him out.

I also had to do a sleep study and was found to have sleep apnea. After I got the machine I didn't use it right away, but started about 2 weeks before surgery. The sleep Dr. had me come in and read the chip. He saw I hadn't used it that much, but was happy that when I did use it that my time of managing to keep it on was getting longer. I had to bring the machine with me to surgery and woke up in recovery with the machine and mask on. I did change masks and am now using what they call nose pillows. Instead of a full face mask, it's just a strap with two cushions that fit in my nostrils. Much more comfortable and I don't feel suffocated. Maybe you can try a different mask. Good luck and don't give up on the cpap just yet. It really takes getting used to. And there is no guarantee that the weight loss will make the apnea go away.

Day 4 and I'm feeling so much better. Day 3 was bad. Felt like I'd been hit by a truck. Today has been great. Took my first real shower, which helped tons. And TMI, had success in the bathroom!!! Sorry!! Looking forward to my post-op Dr. visit on Monday. Anyone know what I can expect with that visit? Thanks again to this board for all the info. Hope everyone is doing well. Good Luck to those with surgery coming up soon. Nina

Here I am at day 2 and feeling pretty good. The pain is a bit more than yesterday, but not horribly unbearable. Took pain meds last night before bed and I think they helped me sleep fairly well. I slept in the recliner with a pillow over my tummy. Have been sipping away on my liquids, mostly water w/ crystal light, protein shakes and broth. Some plain water for good measure. Just woke up from a little nap which was rather refreshing. Thinking of all of you who were banded yesterday and for those yet to come. The ones who came before were so helpful and certainly calmed some fears. Hope everyone is doing well. Peace! Nina

I'm BANDED!!!! Got the center @ 6:30 and was back home at 12:07. Feeling pretty good right now. No real pain, more of an annoyance. Sipping away on some broth and walking around the house a bunch. I even gave myself a shot. Not bad at all. Have to do that for 4 more days. The worst part is cotton mouth. When will that subside??? Hoping everyone else is doing well who was banded today.

Well, the day has finally arrived. I will be heading out soon for the surgery center. I don't feel nervous or scared. It's almost like I don't feel anything. I don't know if that's a good thing or bad thing. Good luck to all my fellow 10/25 bandsters!!! Hope to hear everyone's story within the next couple of days. And good luck to all the other future October peeps. Say a prayer. Nina

Sarah, Wishing you the best tomorrow. I'm scheduled for 7:30. We will all have to ck in on each other. Take Care

Ish, thanks for thinking of me. Getting down to the wire here. In about 12 hours I will leave the house for the surgery center and come home with a whole new life ahead of me. And I'm so glad to hear how well you are doing. I can only hope and pray I have the same results. Best of Luck to Kim tomorrow also and all the good folks coming after. Cheers!!

Agree about changing up your exercise routine. Another thing that you might want to try is to change up your calories per day. Example: You have 800 cals per day x 7 days is 5600 per week. Divide that 5600 up differently, like 800 one day, 1000, the next, 1200 the next, 900 the next day. Do this while still watching your carbs, fat and Protein. This was something I tried when dieting in the past and found myself stalled. It worked. Worth a try. Good Luck breaking through!!

This is a great idea. 1-Not having to worry about the seatbelt on the airplane. 2-Clothes from any store other than Lane Bryant!! 3-Not having to buy wide width shoes cause my feet swell 4-Not being the fat mom on the block!!! 5-Not being fearful of going out and meeting people for fear of what they will think of me.

Kim, what time is your surgery scheduled for? Mine is 7:30 AM. We can send each other positive surgery vibes!

Ish, glad to hear that you are doing so well and that the support is there for you. When will you see your Dr. again?

Thanks PitPat for the encouragement. It's nice "talking" to people who get it!!

Well, I have 3 more days to go until surgery. Don't know what I'm feeling. A mix of everything. I had my final pre-op appt with the anethesiologist (sp) so everything is good to go. Just wish the family was more supportive. Just hoping to get through Monday without any problems. Thanks to this board, I was able to get lots of info from reading a lot of posts. Maybe I'll post Monday and tell you all how it went.

Ish, so glad to hear that all went well and you are feeling good. Hope you get a chance to post again and let us all know how well you are doing. It's so helpful to hear others experiences. Take care of yourself.

Kim, I'm being banded on the 25th also. Very excited also. I'm on day 10 of my all liquid pre-op diet. Not the easiest thing in the world, but muddling through. Good luck to you on the 25th!!

Keeping busy is good, it will make the days fly by. We will have to compare notes on how we make out. Just found out that my surgery time has been pushed up an hour, from 8:30 to 7:30! It means we have to be there by 6:30. Kids will have to fend for themselves that morning. And Nursenic, hope you are doing well. I would imagine that the bloat is due to the gas. Hope it passes quickly.

Hi Ish, nice to meet you! You're almost there. How are you feeling with the surgery being so close? I hope when you feel up to it, you will post and let us know how it all went. Wishing you the best on Thurs. :smile:

Seems that Oct. 25th is a big day for some of us!! It is so interesting how the pre-op diet is so different for so many. My pre-op diet is strictly liquids, no food. I'm supposed to have at least 4 protein shakes per day, plus I can have broth, sugar free popcicles and sf jello. Also, water with crystal lite. The plan calls for a minimum of 70 grams of protein per day and no more than 30 grams of carbs. Then post op will be the same thing for 2 more weeks. Good luck to all!!

New here, but have been reading a lot of posts. I'm being banded on 10/25/10 @ 8:30 AM. I guess I started the journey on 8/12/10 with a Lap Band seminar. Have completed all the requirements for before surgery. I'm on week two of the all liguid diet. Some days are better than others and I have to be honest, I did eat some food on a couple of days, but didn't go wild. The hard part is cooking for the family and watching them eat. Love the shakes, hate the jello!! Well, just wanted to kind of introduce myself. Hope to be around some more for encouragement and information.