hserra

This is my first blog entry, and I am kind of excited to report my journey, even if it’s only for me! :smile: It is such a great way to catalogue this journey, and reflect past feelings. So for anyone reading, welcome to my journey, I hope you can help provide excellent insight, suggestions, or just want to shoot the breeze! Well, it's that time, I have had all my favorite foods, and now I am ready for my Pre-op diet. My surgeon has us on a 10 day clear diet, no sugar, no caffeine and no carbonation. We are also allowed 3 protein shakes: 100% whey, 30grams protein, less than 200 calories and less than 6 grams fat/sugar. This continues for four weeks post-op, then we can drop the clear liquids and one protein shake, but we have to have three weeks of pureed foods, which I am not looking forward to, as I don't like mushy foods, I find them kind of disgusting, and all I can think about is the nasty smelling baby food that is one of those chicken or beef dinners with some vegetables. But I am sure by that time; I will be so thrilled for any other flavors, which I won't mind. I am definitely getting nervous. I wouldn't be so bad if my husband wasn't going to be out of town the week before and after my surgery for some work training that he was not able to get out of. I know it makes him nervous that he won't be there either. I am getting very excited and very nervous! I have already lost 3lbs while eating all the "naughty" foods for one last hoorah, so that was kind of exciting. Only a week and a few days to go! Sept. 17, 2010 - Banding Day!:smile:

So I am so sad right now. Found out my husband, my biggest support, the love of my life, HAS to be out of town the week before, during, and the week after my surgery. I have my Mom coming to my house to take care of me and my daughter, but I want my husband there! I am so sad, but understand that he needs his job to pay for this, it's just really disappointing!

I started this Journey with my Orientation Meeting on April 8th, and now I am approved, scheduled for September 17th at 5:45 am, and I am currently completing all of my pre-op testing. Today, actually, I had to do all the fun EKG, Upper GI, and Chest X-Rays, next week is the Pulminary Function Tests, and other respiratory test, then a "written consent" from my PCP, my 6hr Pre-Op Class on 9/2, then it's the liquid diet until 9/17!!! Couldn't be more excited, I have my husband, parents, and a few aunts (all who know) all supporting me, but it's really great to have people here, who are going through the same things, and experiencing relatively same ups, downs, and inbetweens, people to laugh, cry, conslut and comfort with, and other things that people in our immediate support groups may not understand unless they are/have gone through this. I am so excited to begin this new chapter in my life, and I am excited for everyone else who is taking on this challange of becoming healthy, happy people! I can't wait share in the delights of surgery with you all, to mumble and groan about the liquid diet, the pain after the surgery, and then the feeling of taking hold of our futures! Yay!

OOOH my gosh! I have a Month and 6 Days until my surgery date, haven't even started the liquid diet, but am in the mist of all the pre-op testing, and I feel very out of it, mentally, I am to excited to focus, to nervous to focus, and then too excited again, I too, am very unproductive at work! Wait until I get to a few days before the surgery!!!! Good Luck with your last days!

Thanks for the great advice! That's what I figured I might have to do, just keep going to new PCPs till I find one I like, which I liked him, he was a good doctor and doing the stuff he probably should be doing, but he's on his office's diet thing, and so, he's kind of got blinders on, if you know what I mean.

So I recently moved to a new city (okay like a year ago), and I had yet to find a Primary Care Provider. I had already initiated the Lap-Band route, I have gone to the seminar, met with my surgeon and have undergone the Psych Evaluation. All said that I am a perfect candidate and this would be a great thing for me. So next is to go get a PCP. I went to the office that my Surgeon reccommended me to go, assuming that they probably have a fairly good repitoire with each other. So as I am talking to my "new PCP" I realize that he is trying to steer me in a different direction, which is fine, his office started this new "Medical Grade" weight loss food diet, and he is trying to encourage me to try this. I very calmly explain that in my old city, I poured thousands of dollars in a "Medical Grade Weight Loss Diet" and as you can clearly see I was unsuccessful. So after a while of me explaining that Weight Watchers didn't work, two other "Doctor Supervised" diets didn't work, working with personal trainners didn't work, he said, he was still trying to push for that stupid diet in his clinic. By this point I am in tears...so what does he conclude, I am mildly depressed, and if I get on a mild antidepressant, then maybe I would start to loose weight, and be happy. SERIOUSLY???? I am a happy person, I am just 100lbs over-weight, and I want to live my life NOW! Not mess around with this crap "diet" I KNOW isn't going to work for me. Basically, I had to do blood work for him, to determine other factors we need to address before he would give me his blessing on Lap-Band. Which I guess is fine, I am a new patient, I get that, but he also wants me to under go a sleep Study, which my surgeon deamed as unneccessary. So, I don't know how he would bill it, and I don't have the money to pay out of pocket for all this stuff, my surgeon bills things so that my insurance will cover it. Anyway, my point being...should I go to the other doctor my surgeon suggested for a "second opinion" and am more likely to have better results getting approval from him, or should I just go along with this first doctors advice? Any suggestions? Anyone else go through something similar? It's just so frusterating to have these people who don't know me, make a decision like that for me, I know he wants to be thorough, and again, I understand that, it's his job, but when I have everyone else saying that this is going to be a good thing, all he kept pointing out was people from Lap Band and Gastric bypass get mal-nutritious and their hips start falling off...ooh and he said, "Well if you can't control it now, what makes you think you can with a band?" I AM JUST FRUSTERATED!!!! Thanks for letting me vent!:thumbup:

I don't know, I have only had one doctors visit, and the psych eval. then they will submit my request, and then go from there, they aren't sure if I need to do the 3 month diet or not, and as I was under a medically supervised diet last year for 4 months, it may count. So, it's anyone's guess at this point!

I know exactly what you mean! When I was younger and more Athletic, I loved pictures, but when I started putting on weight the photos were less frequent, now I use excuses to avoid them, I think most my friends/family get the hint and don't push it, thankfully! I also plan on the before and after photos/measurements, it's the best way to visually see your progress!

I guess my biggest problem is that I have always had a very high sweet tooth, and have grown up on carbs, so I am just worried about what I am going to eat, because I am also have hypersensitive taste bud syndrom or am considered a "Super Taster" and I can't eat anything too salty, spicy, etc., I just really like bland foods (hence Carbs) and sweets because it is a taste I can handle, and after the band, yeah everything in moderation is fine, I just know, that carbs, like breads, noodles, and sugar are big no no's because you don't loose the weight with those, so I am concerned about what foods to eat (haven't met with a nutritionist yet), but in the mean time, I almost feel like I am mourning the foods I will not longer eat, though I am kind of getting over it and really ready to start cutting out the crap. Any suggestions on bland, healthy protien type foods? I also started this forum to see if others went though this weird "grieving" if you want to call it that, before being banded, if it was a normal emotion/reaction to everything going on, you know before heading into the "unknown".

I LOVE soda!! Fortunatly, or unfortunatly, however you look at it, I love diet soda, and my Husband hates all the chemicals in it, but I hate all the sugar in regular...anyway...I went YEARS with out it, on my own, had just decided to stop drinking it, and then I had it a few times, and now I have like 3-4 a day, and I am dreading not being able to have it!! It's my "coffee"!!! My Dr. said some people can handle it, but most just don't like what the carbination does to them...and then there goes champagne also.....ooh soo sad! :thumbup: Time to mourn the Champagne! hehe.

That is what I am worried about, too! I am such a sugar/pasta freak, so I am worried that after all is said and done, I will have these monstrous cravings, and that part scares me! But I know in the end the results will be well worth it, it's just funny how I feel like, "Gotta have it now, won't get to later" anxiety, and it's sooooo ridiculous!! :thumbup: I was just curious if others were feeling this way to and if they caved in, so that I don't feel like the only one with this really weird and ridiculous anxiety! :tt2: Haha

I am in the starting part of my journey, and I know all the foods I will not be able to have after my surgery, and I have this terrible "I need to have them before I can't have them anymore" feeling, and it's terrible! I think I gained an extra 10lbs in the last three months because of it! I just wanted to know, did other people go through this? Did you satisfy your cravings? What was the hardest thing to give up?

You are very inspiring for me! I LOVE your motto and I feel your pain! I too have been in the position of facing the truth with my doctor on several occasions, and the loving repremanding he gave me in return! I have my first official appointment with the surgeon on Thursday, and I am nervous, but I am excited nervous! Keep up the great work, I hope to read more posts regarding your journey!

So I was on the phone with my best friend the other day (who is incredibly super skinny, even after two kids), and my daughter (4 1/2) walks in and says, "Mom, why aren't you skinny..." me:"Shhhhh", Daughter: "Why aren't you skinny?, huh mom? Why are you not skinny?" I wanted to DIE of embarrassement and shame! I Know she doesn't mean any harm by saying that, she is just curious, but I was so hurt and so sad, and I just KNOW my super skinny georgeous friend heard it all!

My Husband was the same way, he didn't think I needed to get the band, he just thought I needed to diet and exercise more...after thousands of dollars spent between Weight Watchers, Medical Weight Loss programs, Personal trainers a few times a week, gym memberships, etc...I could have been banded by now. But all those programs only lasted for a few months before I got so irritated with the lack or results, sure I was losing, but it was so slow. He still doesn't understand why I need this, but he is finally coming around after a few of my "mental" break downs of being frusterated with my weight. But he had the same inscurities also, who's going to make him dinner, and he thinks we won't be able to go and eat out (hello, why do you think I am over weight!! We eat out too much! Silly husband). Anyway, everyone on here is right, you have to do it for yourself first, everyone else second, he will eventually come around, took my husband nearly 2 years...but I think he will enjoy the end result after I get banded!

I don't have my surgery date yet, and so therefore haven't started the liquid diet, but I am curious, can you take medicine like Phentermine while on the liquid diet to help curve your appetite??

I LOVE that you stood up for yourself, I know I sure wouldn't have been able to! Some of my most embarrassing moments happen everyday, especially at work. One thing I hate is going to the restrooms, and I am always PRAYING that the handicap one is open because I HATE trying to squeeze and wiggle around trying to get through the door, it's one of those hideous bathroom doors that open towards the toilet and the have the toilet paper just far enough forward on the door opening side that it's like a puzzle trying to figure out how to get into it! It's worse if someone is watching you trying to get into the stall... I have to say that I absolutely love that all of you are sharing, it's been so touching, I have laughed, cried, felt emotionally "there" with you! But I have to say the ones that hit closest to home are the people who have experienced issues with insulting family or sympathetic children. My daughter is 4, and she once told me that she wants to be "like Grandma" thinking that it was sweet, but still a little jealous because I want her to be "like me". So I asked her why she wanted to be like Grandma, and she replies, "Because Grandma is so little..." And it was so heart breaking because you could see the pity and sadness in the little 4 year olds eyes as she is trying to be tasteful and not hurt mommy's feelings. Made me so sad! I have experienced many of everyone's stories as well, and that's some of the reasons as to why I have decided to go forth on this journey! I thank each and everyone who has shared their stories and experiences, it is truly helpful to see that others feel and experience similar situations that other people who aren't overweight just don't understand. Thank you and good luck to everyone! :smile2: