jingleboob

August 13 here!! Lucky Friday the 13th!!! Less than 2 weeks away... Just got the car unloaded from vacation- week in the Adirondacks with the family... I know I could have eaten better but I certainly didn't eat like in years past. A little nervous to step on the scale in the morning though!!! Hope I can get back down to my last weigh in weight by thursday when I have all of my pre-op appointments! And once the liquid diet starts on Friday I'm sure it will feel real... but not nervous yet. Just anxious to get it done! -shannon

I didn't need to have one. I did have to bring home one of those pulse oximetry meters and sleep with it on my finger for a night. it recorded my O2 levels and they were good all night so I didn't need the sleep study. Which was great because like you guys I am a PICKY sleeper! It seems it takes an act of God some nights to get me to sleep. No chance of it hooked up to machines in a weird bed unless I was drugged.

Packing for the family camping trip! Really glad my dr only requires a 1 week pre-op diet... liquids, protein shakes, and 4oz lean chicken or fish with green veggies (nothing on them though) for dinner. Happy I won't be on the pre-op diet in the woods! But kind of looking forward to the pre-op diet to lose these 5 lbs I've gained back from "last meals". (I know they're not last meals and once I've hit restriction I can eat normally, just less) but everyone I know keeps taking me out to lunch and dinner for the "last time". I need to just shut my mouth and stop eating!!! I am going to allow myself 1 smore while camping... probably the last night. And I will eat smaller portions of what everyone else is. I will have my protein shakes for breakfast (except on french toast day... my dad goes into town and buys homemade bread from the general store-- there's a real general store!!! and it makes french toast that is to die for! So I'm having 1 piece... not 3 or 4...) and I will be getting more exercise than usual with canoeing and hiking around so hopefully by the time I go in for my pre-op visit I'll be within a pound of where I was when I was OK'd for surgery!!! Pre-op visit and pre-admission testing on Thursday Aug 5. Nutrition class (required) on Aug 6. Pre-op diet starts Aug 6. SURGERY ON THE 13TH!!!!!!!!

thanks! I'm looking forward to getting the surgery over with! We have a family camping trip this week and then pre-op starts! SO glad I don't have to worry about a pre-op liquid diet in the woods!!!

I'm pretty freaked out about hair loss too. I asked my nutritionist about it and she said that it doesn't happen to everyone, but if it does happen it's going to happen between 50-70lbs lost and it all will grow back. She assured me it's a thinning and not losing in clumps so I'd have a bald spot. She said that eating extra protein won't fix it and recommended the biotin and nioxin (sp?) shampoos you can get from a hairdresser.

definetly DO NOT read the complications board if you're feeling nervous... I made that mistake and now avoid all posts that hint at "bad". Also, avoid the Discovery Health channel. There are risks to ANY surgical procedure. You could have complications from having your tonsils out! But your life is better not having constantly infected tonsils... just like our quality of life and health will be better once we've dropped the extra weight. But yes, I am a worry wart by nature and I suspect the couple of days leading up to my surgery will be hard on me and my poor family! But not backing out of this. Too many important reasons to NEED this surgery!

I understand what you're all saying. Shame isn't the right word, but I do feel like it shouldn't have come to this. That I am capable of losing weight because I have in the past, and I always put it back on. Lack of self control. I just have to remind myself that the band isn't going to make me magically lose the weight, I have to do it. The band will just be there to remind me all the time. And I need that. I can't afford a personal chef or trainer to babysit me 24/7, but thanks to my 401k loan and insurance I can afford this band! My boyfriend has been wonderfully supportive, mom and grandma too... my dad doesn't understand (he could eat a cow and gain nothing though- super high metabolism) but when I told him I had a surgery date he sighed and said "If this is what you're sure you need to help you then I'll be behind you 100%". That helped with any doubts I was having. Haven't told many other people because I don't want to hear ANYONE say I should just eat less and work out more (DUH). I think once I'm banded and there are visible results I will be more open. So... not excited about having the surgery. Will be very glad once it's over and I'm on my way to a "new" life!

It's official!!! Being banded on August 13th! Pre-op testing on the 5th, pre-op diet starts on the 6th! WOOHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!

THAT makes me feel better. I'm 3 weeks from being banded and they keep telling me it will be no worse than when I had my gallbladder out... which was awful!!! Before that surgery everyone told me it wasn't that bad and i'd be up and back to work in a few days... I was miserable for 2 weeks!!! So if you had a painful gallbladder too and your banding wasn't as bad it gives me hope! Thanks!

my nutritionist told me to take 2 of the kids flintstones chewables! also to take B12 and calcium citrate (so no viactiv). I'm looking for chewable b12 and calcium right now...

you could be...I was! will just depend on your plan

waiting on a call back from the surgeon's office, just talked to them and they're trying to fit me in on August 13!!! Fingers crossed!!!

Called insurance to check... again... and I'm APPROVED!!! They determined it is covered and that I meet all requirements! So now just have to wait for Surgeon's office to call with the date! Should be in about 3-4 weeks!

APPROVED!!!!!!!!!! Just stalked insurance for the last time! They said it is determined that the surgery is covered and I meet all requirements! Just waiting for a date from the surgeon! (The bariatric coordinator is off today... of course! but I'll call tomorrow!) WOOHOOO!!!!!!!!!! Fingers crossed for mid-august date!

Welcome to the fun! They started preparing my papers on July 1... insurance finally got them on the 12th... and now I'm a crazy waiting mess!!! I'm really really trying to NOT call ins today to check... it would be the first in a week I didn't bother them!!! Hope yours goes quickly!

glad you made an appointment!! I was going to say it sounds just like my gallbladder pain when I had it. Horrible pain, woke me up too often and even had me crumbled on the floor. If it is gallbladder get that sucker out asap! :-) good luck

Same boat here... Dr's office approved and said they'd get paperwork in on the 1st... it was the 13th before the ins got it all and I've called *several* times since then... the last time was 25 minutes ago... I don't want to be too overbearing, but it's getting really frustrating!!! The surgeon's office made it sound like a piece of cake, we'd have an answer in 1-2 weeks... nope. So now my potential surgery date is getting later and later and if it doesn't happen before labor day it's not happening until Christmas (can't take time off sept-mid dec where I work). So I've called insurance almost daily for the past week. At least I talk to a different person each time but they must have made a note about me by now!! I never knew the waiting would make me look nutso!

That's what I do!!! Waiting on insurance approval and during the dieting over the past couple of months our "snack" foods have changed a lot in the house... only minor complaints. nothing prepackaged other than animal crackers. Mostly cheese sticks and carrots and dip for snacks. Making meals I'm not in love with so there's no temptation for too much... and they don't love them either so nobody's asking for 2nds! So I don't have to make as much. We're actually saving money on groceries as a family right now too, and nobody is starving. I figure they get plenty of junk food at grandma and grandpa's, friends, and day camp. They can eat healthy at home.

I used Chantix 3 years ago to quit smoking... worked amazingly well! You take it for a week and keep smoking, then you quit smoking. I was fine! No cravings or anything like before... I did have habbit moments- in the car on a long car trip, sitting on the porch, after a meal... times I usually smoked I felt like I should be but it wasn't that I needed it. I actually stopped taking it after about 4 weeks because I just kept forgetting to take it (as I hadn't smoked in weeks it wasn't on my mind) and I still haven't smoked since. Side effects that were a pain... VERY nauseous on it. I never got sick but I would spend a good hour after each pill thinking I was about to. Strange dreams. Very vivid. Very odd and disturbing, not nightmares, but dreams that make you nervous and make you think there's something wrong with you. But a few weeks of that was worth it to not smoke anymore!!! Also glad to not smoke since it's about $10 a pack in NY now!!!!!!!!!!!!! Good luck! You'll do great

I was found deficient too in my original bloodwork. They put me on an 8 week (once a week) high dose RX of Vit. D. It's a little geltab and it's like 50,000 mgs! Done! All good now. If you get a Calcium supplement with Vitamin D in it you should be just fine.

Yay Beachbunny! We were submitted to ins the same day... Maybe I'll get good news soon too!!! Congrats on your date! Barely 1 month away!!!!!!!!!!!11

ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRR! This process may turn me into a nutso! Called my surgeon's office and left a voicemail today just checking in- asking if I needed to do anything on my end (it's been 2 weeks since they gave OK). No call back, but wasn't really expecting one. Just called insurance to see if they had received anything and they did!!! BUT, they got something for INPATIENT when I was told it would be outpatient, AND it's missing information and they can't process it. They just got it yesterday... UGGGG. So I will call ins again tomorrow late morning and re-check. If still missing stuff I'll call dr AGAIN and tell them exactly what insurance told me. I just don't want to be a crazy pest! BUT, the insurance person did tell me they put in for August 30th. Don't know if that's my planned date or if they'll move it up once there's approval. I was hoping for a couple weeks earlier but I can live with that!

Congrats to all who have been recently approved!! I'm still waiting. It's been 2 weeks and I thought I would have heard by now (my surgeon's office said 1-2 weeks) so I did call and leave a voicemail. Just asking if everything was going well and if I needed to do anything more. Maybe it's just a little reminder and things will get going now!

Still no word yet... almost 2 weeks now. BUT, last Friday evening my PCP called while she was writing the letter to insurance... don't know if it took her a week to get to it or if my surgeon's office took that long to get it to her, but hopefully it will all be in order this week! Fingers crossed for the 2nd week of august (As daycamp is over that week and I would be home the following week with the kiddos) UHC. Making me bonkers!

I LIKE that!!! Great idea and will have to use it!!!:grouphug: