va_viv

That's right. You'll notice that all doctors are different but many require a 2 week liquid diet prior to surgery. For me (and taeboguy, we both have the same surgeon) I have to do 2 weeks of Optifast, which is 4 shakes, 1, bar, 1 soup and 3 sugar-free jell-o and popcicles a day. You can also have crystal light and decaf tea I think...I'm just sticking to Water. The reason they make you go on this diet is to shrink your liver has much as possible since they have to move it during surgery as well as to lose some weight before hand. For after surgery, my dr requires a 10 day liquid diet (not optifast) things like low fat Soups, (just liquid) broths, sugarfree jell-o and popcicles, cream of wheat...things of that nature. After that stage we go to mushy/pureed foods for I think 4-6 weeks I can't remember (don't have the papers in front of me), I just know that it's a LONG time. Then we should be finally ready to go. Hope that helped...GOOD LUCK!!!

I only went once, there was only 1 person there that was banded. There was a guy there trying to decide whether to have the band or bypass and immediately the bypass people were like "I know for me if there was a way to cheat [with the band] I would find it" and so on. I'm just personally looking for more bandsters at support meetings. But, I've also read that's usually the trend (all bypass no bandsters) at those meetings. You should check it out for yourself, you might have better luck :smile2:. I live in Lorton and going to Fairfax is a hassle but not to bad, I'll let you know how the Fair Oaks one goes.

Oh my do I know how you feel!!!!! Trust me it will get better. I'm on my 7th day and it gets A LOT BETTER! I seriously thought I was going to go crazy, my insanity only lasted 2 days or so. Just resist and drink TONS of water. I have been drinking 120 oz of water a day and it has really helped. Hang in there!! YOU CAN DO IT!!!:smile2:

Hey! They only had the tomatoe soup and chicken soup at the FFX office. I definitely don't like it. I really like the shakes though, I don't know if it's hunger or what but I'm always kinda sad when I finish one. HAHA I appreciate that they let us have the jello-o and popcicles. It makes it a lot easier. Sooo, i'm down to my 4 shakes a day, no soup, 3-4 jell-o (the fourth if I'm extra hungry to offset the no soup) and 3 popcicles and tons of Water. Glad it's not bad for you, my first day I wanted to breakdown and cry from hunger...I'm back to being normal now. :smile2: Good luck!

Whaaaaat? That's cool! I could always use another big brother LOL. Well, I really hope to see you around the office and maybe the support groups. Are you in the Fair Oaks office or Woodbridge? I went to the support group in Woodbridge and didn't really like it, there were mainly gastric bypass people there and mainly concentrated on them. I'm going to try and go to the one the Fair Oaks hospital offers...hopefully I'll find more bandsters there. Good luck!!!

I have to get a medical clearance from my pcp in order to have my surgery. I had an appt with her that was similar to a physical and I was good to go otherwise. I think all that she reported was that I was physically healthy to have the surgery. She took a look at all the tests that the surgeon required (EKG, lab work, urine test, x-rays etc) and she determined that I was good to go. Sorry you're having trouble! :smile:

Hey! Congrats on your date! I'm getting banded on the 6th of Oct! We're awesome! I started my Optifast diet on the 22nd, the first days were rough but now it's better. I'm a chocolate lover and I got the chocolate shake, chocolate bar, and the chicken soup. I must say that the chocolate shakes are good...definitely a million times better then I expected. The bars are ok too, they're kind of grainy which is weird. I make sure that I leave them out for an hour or two to make sure it's soft, it tastes better that way. Now to the soup...I HATE IT!!! It is really gross and I just can't do it. I had it the first day for dinner and haven't had it since. My surgeon lets us have 3 sugar free jell-o and popcicles a day so I just subsitituted the soup for a extra jell-o (so I eat 4 a day) and lots of Water. I've been drinking 120 oz of water a day and that's what has helped me with my screaming stomach. Tons of luck to you guys! Remember, you can do it! If I can you can....TRUST ME :smile:

The only people that I'm telling is my mom, sis, her hubby, and my boyfriend...nobody else, and I have a large family. I just feel like my 3 brothers and their wifes don't need to know, and my dad has a big mouth. I want to be able to tell people that I know will be supportive and I don't want anyone's negative energy around me because this process is hard enough without there negativity around me. If you don't want to tell her then don't. This is about you and your journey and you want to make sure that your process is as smooth as possible to solidify your success. Keeping it positive is important, plus you don't need that stress. GOOD LUCK!!!!! :biggrin:

This is something that has concerned me as well. My boyfriend and I have been together 5 1/2 years (for 4 of those years I've been overweight) and we're definitely in love but something deep down inside tells me that he's not 100% ok with me getting the surgery for the same reasons you mentioned, he feels threatened. He told me once "I'm afraid that when you lose all the weight you're going to leave me" it sucks and it's such a hard position to be in..but I'm just taking it one day at a time and if this relationship is meant to be then it will definitely be.

It really was. I just layed on the x-ray table (on my stomach) and the tech gave me the barium, it tasted ok at first but then it started getting gross. She took a couple of "pictures" and she had me stop drinking in between. It only took about 3-4 mins and I was done. I heard of other people that were given a carbonated drink that made them gag, but not me. I heard we have to get an upper GI before we're allowed to leave the hospital after surgery, I don't know how that one will be since mine wasn't done at a hospital. I heard that most hospitals have a table that moves up and down and all around ....hopefully that won't be the case :tt1: Sorry your experience was so bad :lol2: BUT it's all in the name of the good ole band, after this you'll (hopefully) never have to do it again :biggrin:

The upper GI was a breeze, definitely! :thumbup: I have the same fears, it starts with the 2 wk optifast diet. I'm afraid that I won't be able to do it and if I fail at that what's it going to be like after surgery...BUT we can't think that way...gotta keep pushing and stay positive. WE CAN DO IT! Tons of luck to you all.

Yay! We'll be band-sisters! lol Mine is first thing in the morning, 8 am...how about yours?

I'm having serious last supper syndrome...it really sucks and I wish I didn't but I just can't seem to help myself. It's mostly with bread, rice and Pasta...the things that my dr told me I wouldn't be able to eat after the surgery. I'm starting my 2 wk liquid diet on the 22nd and I'm super nervous about. I'm sure I'll be fine though. lol I'm EXTREMELY nervous about the loose skin also...seems like the only thing I worry about, I'm a recent college graduate and a broke one at that so money for any plastic surgery is out of the question...but staying positive and hoping for the best. Good luck!

The upper GI was very simple...as I said I was terrified but all I had to do is drink that nasty stuff and lay on my stomach. I was definitely like "that's it?" Thanks for the info on the optifast..I'll get my supply from the surgeon on the 20th We'll see how it goes! Not really looking forward to it.

First, I would like to say CONGRATS to all of you that have had the surgery. You guys are a true inspiration!!!! Secondly, thank you guys so much for your input it made me feel a lot better knowing that I'll probably be fine with going back to work on the Monday after surgery. Thanks again and TONS of continued success to each of you!

Hi everyone! This is my first time posting a thread. :couch2: Hope everyone is doing well in their process. I'm getting banded on October 6th and I'm having a hard time deciding on how long to take off from work. I work at an accounting firm with minimal "manual labor" and I sit at a desk and stare at a computer all day. Since my surgery is on a Wednesday I was thinking of taking the rest of the week off and coming back to work on Monday. My dr said that since I previously had 2 out patient surgeries it shouldn't be a problem for this one to be out patient as well. Also, I remember when I got my gallbladder removed in '08 I took a week and a half off but I was fine to go to work before then...just lazy I guess. For the people that have been banded can you tell me how long you were out or how long it took you to feel good enough to go back to work? If you haven't been banded yet I would also like to hear from you...how long are you planning to take off? Nobody knows I'm getting the surgery..not my boss, co-workers nobody so I want to keep a low profile. :smile2: THANK YOU FOR READING!!! :blushing:

Hey! I'm getting banded October 6th. I'm 25..a little older but who's counting. lol Have you gotten your approval yet? Good luck!!

Wow PuppyBandit 3 days isn't a long time. Maybe it all depends on the "state" of your liver. My dr told me that 2 weeks is the standard (could be longer if your liver is in bad shape) but never about it being shorter then that. Good luck to you on that. DonTony: My dr highly recommends his patients to do the Optifast for the 2 wks, glad to know that it isn't bad. Is there two different kinds? I ask because you mentioned doing the light. I have my upper GI test tomorrow and I'm super nervous...anyone need to get that done also? anyone done it already? Please let me know how it went. Thanks!!

Hey guys! I'm getting banded October 6th...eekkk I'm a bit nervous. The next couple of weeks are going to be intense. I have appt after appt trying to get all my tests done. But I'm definitely excited :thumbup: Congrats to all!!!! Rockstar: I follow your blog, I can't wait to read more about your journey. Good luck peeps!

Hey! I'm actually a follower of your blog! Love it!!! Anywhoo, I am getting banded Oct 6th, YAY, and I also need the psych eval and the sleep study (plus what seems like 300 more tests). For the sleep study I only paid $40, which was my co-pay. I was found to have very mild sleep apnea and was given a cpap machine for free (well not really, my insurance covers it and I get to keep it forever...I even get free supplies shipped to me every 3 mths). As far as the psych eval goes, like you, I cannot find any one that will do it. I keep getting "we don't do that here". The one person that did say she did that wanted to charge me $250 b/c her appts run long and she never claims it to the insurance b/c they don't reimburse her. So, I'm back on the hunt. From what I've heard from various people is that usually it only costs your co-pay....including the report they have to give you. Hope that help! Good luck with everything.

It really sucks! He did give me a couple of names but they're all in MD about 1-1/2 hrs away (I live in VA) and his office is in VA...so WTF, right? lol I see what you mean about the report, I haven't heard of anyone charging extra for the report...hopefully I won't come across that prob, with all the co-pays and nutritionist requirements (which alone costs $570) I'm close to $1,000 not to include all the time off for the tests that we need to complete. Not complaining just venting I guess. But like you said gotta keep my eyes on the prize! Good luck with everything!:cursing:

CONGRATS! You won't be to far ahead of me...I'm getting banded October 6th! Wahoo! I'm excited. Good luck with all your pre-op appts!!! :cursing:

I am having a HORRIBLE time finding a psychologist/psychiatrist that will give me an evaluation. I keep getting "we don't do that here" every time I call an office. Anywhoo, the one dr that said she does do it told me it would cost me $250 because she doesn't claim it to the insurance. Apparently that type of appointment takes about 1 1/2 hrs and she said that the insurance doesn't reimburse her for that long period of time. Unfortunately, I have other out of pocket expenses associated to this surgery I just don't have the money to fork over $250, especially knowing that there are office that will do it for the simple co-pay (I JUST HAVE TO FIND ONE! lol ). I don't know if that's the same issue your dr has but it might be good to keep looking if you're not comfortable making that payment.

Hey guys! I'm 25 and live in Northern VA, Fairfax County area. I'm getting banded on Oct 6th :confused: can't wait for it. I've set up all my appts except for my psych evaluation. I've called tons of drs and I get the same response "I don't do that"...quite frustrating but hopefully I can find someone soon.

Hey T.! Well, I had my first appt with the surgeon on the 9th of Aug and the program coordinator said that she didn't want me having any of the tests they require (x-rays, blood work, upper GI, or psych evaluation) or meeting with their nutritionist (the office has a required program/education tailored to after surgery) without getting an approval from my insurance first because it's a lot of out of pocket expense. I did get my sleep study done before the approval but that's it. So it took about 3 days to get the approval. So, now they're giving me a month to get all those tests and requirements completed in time for the surgery. Plus, we're required to do the liquid diet for 2 weeks prior so I can't imagine having the surgery before Oct 6th. Sometimes I think it’s toooooo soon. I'm really suppose to have all those tests/appt done while having a full time job AND then take 1 1/2 week off (my surg is on a wed so taking the rest of that week and the next week off) after that? All in the name of the good ole band! Hope that helps! J Viv