danide

:biggrin: Ohhhh thats sooo not cool. So sorry to hear that. Well, I hope you feel better soon and heal fast! You'll get the surgery, whats another couple months compared to a life time. Your health and well being are the primary concern! Hang in there! phriend- welcome! Next week huh, very exciting! :smile:

Hi Everyone! HAPPY FRIDAY... and one day closer to being banded! :biggrin: Welcome kosy2! And congrats on your surgery date! Yeah Im pretty sure your surgeon wont notice a couple days! Enjoy yourself! desperatelyw.loss- that really sux about all the confusion and the big mess. I agree with phershey... demand to have all the kinks worked out before you leave. Thats crazy, how do they screw up so many things for one person? But.. it will all work out anyway! Whats a couple extra weeks when you will have a lifetime ahead of you! Ya know, its funny how we all have different info from our doctors... different pre-op requirements (some 1 week, some 2, others none), different drinking requirements (my doc told me no drinks 30 min before a meal and not for 1 hour after; others are told 15/30 and 30/30), post-op diet (ive heard some say they can eat regular food after 3 or so days, I was told- 1 day clear; 1-2 weeks liquid; 2 weeks of mushy and then solids.) I was told that i should be getting 500-800 calories per day for the first month, 800-1000 calories from 2-6 months and then 1000-1200 from 6 months to 1 year post op... Then after the year mark, expect to maintain 1200-1400 calories, depending on your activity level.. Hmmm all very interesting. My thought as well as my advice for wanna.b.healthy- As far as the "failing" after 7-10 years, I think its all relative to who does what. Some people never lose any weight with the band; ive heard some people gain weight... Its all what we individually do with it. If we eat like we have been to gain the weight, we won't be successful. Its not just the band. Its the lifestyle and how you change yourself. Can't eat a box of ho-hos or a half gallon of ice cream and expect to still lose weight. We need to mentally change ourselves along with the physical. We need to start thinking healthy and thin.. We need to remind ourselves to listen to our bellies after the surgery- it should tell us that we are full after just a little bit of food and we need to ignore our minds that tell us we need more. We need to be aware of "slipping foods" that easily digest and allow for us to eat more. I agree with stateofzen.. the more we prepare, the more we educate ourselves, the more we discuss, the more we read, the more we visualize- the better off we all are. Everyone has different experiences so we can't go by just one person, but it we take all of what we hear with just understanding some peoples experience, challenges, success, the better! CSinTX- Ohh my, so close! I love your up to the second, report! Thats awesome!

CONGRATS on the new additions of dates! Woo hoo! The count down begins! SOO today I was thinking (im always thinking- make it stop :eek:) that ... all my life I have been struggling with weight but when I look back at parts of my past, no I wasn't skinny but I wasn't fat... I thought I was fat and I always dieted like all the rest, and exercised.... but why couldn't I be happy with where I was back then? I would kill to be back to what I once was... But because of the naturally skinny and small statured girls in school and society, I felt I was too fat.... A size 12 was GREAT on me. Im not just saying this to cover up my fat but I truelly am larger boned and VERY broad shouldered, so probably a size 10 would be the absolute cut off for me.... Why do we have to be so influenced by others? Why couldn't my family and friends acknowledge that I looked great back then instead of them telling me now-- ohhh yeah when you were in high school and college, you looked really great.. Geese- ya know, could have saved years of my life beating myself up about not being thin... also I had this boyfriend.. we were together for 6 years, starting at the end of 11th grade.. and 7 months after we broke up (after I was fat and in my early 20's), he called me to appologize for making me feel bad about myself all those years. He had the nerve (though I am glad for it) to tell me that he thought I had the perfect body but made me feel like i wasn't good enough purposely because cause he actually felt that he wasn't good enough for me (he appologized for a few things). Okay great but by this point- my self esteem was depleated and still, about 8 yrs later, working on rebuilding my self esteem. WTF. And I only realized about 1 year ago that I hide behind my fat.... I have an amazing boyfriend now (for 3.5 yrs) but because of a few bad breakups in my past, I put on more weight to protect myself... I learned that my thought is, if I am very fat, then thats a good reason to be broken up with and it won't hurt so much to be left cause its expected... but if I was beautiful before and "a great person" and broken up with, why wasn't I good enough..." soooo now that I am 30 and have done a lot of self reflection and therapy- I am so ready to live my life again. One where I feel good about myself and not needing to care what other people think. Now that I know who I am as a person... I can't wait to get back to where I should be physically so I can have the confidence, energy, and pride that I need to do the things I want. And as far as my relationship, he is super supportive and loves me for me but I know he will be super super excited and proud when I get to a nice size (at least to where he met me, if not less). Thanks for letting me vent again! :thumbup: Oh and yeah, I didn't start the pre-diet today- I wasn't fully prepared- so heres to tomorrow! How is everyone else doing? Are we all ready? Its coming closer! YAYYYYYY :tt2:

Hi Everyone! Happy Hump Day (just 40 minutes left but better late then never!) Welcome all newbies! As for Calcium, I have began taking Caltrate (as per doctor recommendation to add some calcium last month), its 600 mgs (plus vitamin D) for 1 pill. Its recommended to take 3 but right now I just take 1 and then 1 multi-vitamin- Centrum... I just bought the chewable ones but haven't finished my regular bottle yet, I have a few more days left with those. How do you get into this fabulous group... GIRL, You're ALREADY in... You're getting banded in September and you are interested in being with us! :smile2: So glad you joined us! I agree Lily, its seems like its going sooo slow but really, its not... I keep saying 3 weeks-- hahaha I said 3 weeks like 5 weeks ago. I guess thats just my excitement! I am starting my pre-diet tomorrow! Its sooner then required by my doctor, but it can't hurt. I would like to lose a few extra pounds as a jump start. Maybe I won't be super super strick with it but its a start. I told my job today that I will be having surgery so I won't be in that week of.. I told them its for my hiatal hernia... Not a complete lie... I will be having my hernia repaired :eek: I can't wait! Woo hoo!

Hey September bandsters! There is a pretty big group of us chatting on "Looking for September 2010 Bandsters" in the Pre-Op section! You should all join us! Yeah there are some incredible stories of people who went through the surgery already. Some are a bit scary but it seems that the larger part have been successful and have had no complications! Thats a relief.. better odds! Its inspiring to hear the stories and its actually a great way to prepare for whats to come. Because of some of the stories, I have been preparing mentally and emotionally since it truelly is not just a physcial change! And have you seen some of the before and after pictures.... Incredible! Well, Congratulations to all on the process! I cant wait for mine (sept. 7th)! And I hope to see you all in the other September group!

Thats great Cathy! CONGRATULATIONS! And just think about how long you waited to get the first date to start with, and now they are bumping you up! Thats awesome! I would love to have it sooner myself but I will take what I got! :frown: And to ask if you can still be in this group.... I say, for myself and probably everyone else.... Hell Yeah! :mad2: Of course. Its only days off and we luv you , your input and all that! And we can use you for our own preparation! :cursing: You can tell us all about your experience and help us through our process! HI TO EVERYONE! WELCOME NEWBIES!

excellent! Congratulations!!!!!!

I was just denied by my insurance company.. I did EVERYTHING that was required, all for 7 months, but then after all was done I was pretty much told that I haven't been fat enough for long enough.... They require a 2 year period of having a BMI of 40+ or 35+ with co-morbidities.... Well, Ive been fat most of my life, expect a few months here and there... I have been over 200 lbs for at least 7 years... But Ive only been BMI of 40 for 9 months... and i have no co-morbidities... So I was denied. So now I will be self paying... I won't let my insurance dictate my future and my life. Don't they believe in a thing call PREVENTION? So yeah, I would say, call your insurance company and get ALL the info about their requirements and policies about WLS. Good Luck and WELCOME! :cursing:

I haven't been banded yet (september 7) but I have always exercised (sporadically for weeks here and there). Some motivators other then body image are things like - 1- you will have more energy day to day (after you get into it for a few days) 2- great stress reliever 3- strengthen muscles and bones so you have a strong body for when you are older 4- it helps your brain function better 5- brings the better mood out of you 6- cloths will fit better 7- while losing the weight from the band, you wont get as much loss/saggy skin 8- it makes you want to do more physically 9- it strenghtens your heart and lungs. Even if you do a little at a time- as long as you move, you will get into it more. I personally really like this DVD- Walk Away The Pounds with Leslie Sansome. Its walking in your home at a fast pace but theres more then just walking in place. Its easy, its kinda fun and it works. You can start with 1 mile at a time (its only like 20 minutes). Just walk around your block a couple times. Or while watching TV, walk in place, jog in place, do some crunches or squats. Easier said then done. But just a few extra minutes a day will help a little! :cursing: Good Luck! And btw, 44 pounds in less then 3 months sounds like your are doing AWESOME! Congratulations! I hope to be that successful!

Welcome and Congratulations on getting your date! Very exciting! Like RK said, join us at "Looking of September 2010 Bandsters" in the pre-op section! (haha Rk)- are we the recruiters for our "club?" lol

Good Morning everyone! Hope everyone is having a good Monday so far. I wanted to share about the Jillian Michaels Protein shake Mix... (after trying others before)... its $10 at walmart for 14 oz container- apx 14 servings, vanilla and chocolate only. Pretty good! No bad after taste (which I found with a few other protein drinks). VERY filling! 100 calories, 15 grams protein and only 3 grams of sugar and only 1.5 grams of fat! I use apx 14 oz of fat free lactose free milk with 1.5 scoops of the mix and blend it in the magic bullet (it doesn't stir or shake well). recommended serving is 6-8 oz of liquid with 1 scoop of mix. Lovely- Yeah that really sux about your aunt. It is 6 months of supervised dieting based on SOME health insurance companies, if thats the route you are going. (haha I did my 6 months as required.. damnit I could have had it done already if I knew I wasn't "fat enough for long enough.") I heard of a several people on this site saying they had it within a month or two. Again, it depends on your surgeon and health insurance and other tests you need to get done. Did you go to the Cardiologist, Pulmonologist, Gastrointestinal Specialist, Nutrionist and Psychologist yet? Those "pre-tests" are they only things you would have to wait for really to get started. But you can get those done all within a week if necessary probably. Are you and your aunt going to the same surgeon? Gale and Cathy- Keep calling! The squeeky wheel gets the grease (usually). Call every day if you have to. There is no reason for them to not at least acknowledge you two by explaining why its taking so long! Thats just not right.

Here you go RK...

Thanks Char! Going out of state would be fine but by the time I pay for travel and hotel accomodations, it would be getting close to the same amount! But thank you for the suggestion. I don't mind spending the money so much just because I had it in my head already that it may come to that. I love my surgeon/staff/hospital. Maybe I can convince them not to keep me over night and it will knock off a chunk of money. We'll see!

Okay everyone- I wrote this in another section because its that annoying to me, but Im just gonna paste what I wrote just to give you all my personal update, just cause I need to vent more! Okay so its official... I have been denied by my insurance company due to the fact that I have not had a BMI of 40 or more for at least 2 years and have no co-morbidities. Uhhhhh.. Grrrrrrrrr I've been fat all my life except for a few months here and there. Ive only been at BMI of 40 (or more) for about 9 months but soo what.. Ive been over BMI of 35 for like 3 years and BMI of at least 30 for like 10 years, doesn't that count for anything. I have been from 200 to 180 to 225 to 195 to 210 to 230 to 220 to 230 to 245 to 230 to 250 within 4 years, doesn't that count for anything? Okay so what that I don't have a current co-morbidity... itsn't what Im doing PREVENTION... doesn't that court? :biggrin: Okay so I was denied but that won't stop me. I have already decided and now confirmed that if I wasn't insured, I will pay for the surgery. SO thankfully my parents agreed to lend me the money and I will pay them back monthly. I mean this is my life and my future right... what better investment is that? Its cheaper then my car was so thats a bonus! :huh2: I mean if I can spend $20,000 on a car that can be destroyed in seconds, isn't a $16,000 surgery that can change, improve and potentially save my life well worth it! So Bye Bye Money but Hello Life! Thanks for letting me vent! Now I want September 7th to get here even sooner! SCREW YOU AETNA! YOU AREN'T GOING TO GET IN THE WAY OF MY FUTURE! :biggrin:

HI! There are many of us (me September 7th), Join Us at "looking for September 2010 Bandster" - Like Grace said- in the Pre-Op section! Welcome and Congrats on the date!

Okay so its official... I have been denied by my insurance company due to the fact that I have not had a BMI of 40 or more for at least 2 years and have no co-morbidities. Uhhhhh.. Grrrrrrrrr I've been fat all my life except for a few months here and there. Ive only been at BMI of 40 (or more) for about 9 months but soo what.. Ive been over BMI of 35 for like 3 years and BMI of at least 30 for like 10 years, doesn't that count for anything. I have been from 200 to 180 to 225 to 195 to 210 to 230 to 220 to 230 to 245 to 230 to 250 within 4 years, doesn't that count for anything? Okay so what that I don't have a current co-morbidity... itsn't what Im doing PREVENTION... doesn't that court? :huh2: Okay so I was denied but that won't stop me. I have already decided and now confirmed that if I wasn't insured, I will pay for the surgery. SO thankfully my parents agreed to lend me the money and I will pay them back monthly. I mean this is my life and my future right... what better investment is that? Its cheaper then my car was so thats a bonus! I mean if I can spend $20,000 on a car that can be destroyed in seconds, isn't a $16,000 surgery that can change, improve and potentially save my life well worth it! So Bye Bye Money but Hello Life! Thanks for letting me vent!

CONGRATULATIONS! Glad to see that you are doing pretty good so far! Please do keep us informed! For those who are anxiously waiting to get ours done, we sooooo want to know what to expect and how its going! Heal fast!

Thats awesome Marci! It shouldn't matter if anyone sees or not- its for YOU! Its for you to feel sexy and pretty! No one may know- but you do and thats what matters!

LovelyMiss- I love the logo! Thats awesome! How can I get it? Congratulations to those with new info- approvals and dates! Welcome to some newcomers! Well this WAITING is killing me. I still don't have insurance approval yet- but thats okay.. Its the surgery date that is making me nuts ( :w00t:.) It seems so close but then every couple days I look at the calendar and its sooo far. It seems like a whole month Ive been saying, only 4 more weeks.. COME ON ALREADY! I still have to wait... its on the 4th Tuesday from now..... Okay, not fully 4 weeks, but close enough! I haven't fully started the pre-op diet, but I have started making changes that will let me adjust to the full diet easier. I will fully start it probably on the 23rd (2 weeks before rather then the suggested 1 week). As far as exercise :w00t: ... (I have always exercised- just not consistantly) I will get started with a routine come Monday. I really like (and previously saw results) with the Walk Away The Pounds video by Leslie Sansome (something like that). Its not super intense but its full body and not boring. Also, I have the Zumba video (as seen on TV).. Super fun but intense. I am not super coordinated so that makes the exercise a little aggrivating. But like I said, its fun! Other then that, I will just start moving more- ya know, videos, dancing, crunches, push ups, squats.. I would love to start jogging but that might have to wait till I get into a regular routine and build up my stamina. I have a gym membership (that I haven't used in about 4 months due to change of job location... I joined a Planet Fitness where my previous job was but thats 35 miles away and yeah.. Im not going into Harlem just to exercise. There is no Planet Fitness by my home yet- they are in the process of opening one about 3 miles from me maybe within the next month or two- then I can transfer to that one). BTW- I love Planet Fitness... its comfortable. I have been a member at Bally Total Fitness and Lucille Roberts (in my past years) and they always had those "show off" types of people. At PF- I didn't feel that way. I mean after all- its the "No Judgement Zone"- haha. Thanks for listening! May you all have a FANTABULOUS weekend!

I don't get it, why are so many people so judgemental? :w00t: As if I don't judge myself every second of every day... as if I haven't tried every single diet.. as if I haven't exercised... as if I haven't lived in my shoes... as if I haven't weighed all the options... as if I am going into this blind... Please- if it wasn't for the fact of being fat, I could be a personal trainer- thats how well informed I am, I just can't seem to do it myself and keep it off. Thanks for all of your input! This has confirmed that I won't be telling anyone about the surgery (again, other then my parents, boyfriend and sister (she told her hubby but im okay with that- he knows its a secret)... but I will have to tell my brother I guess, he just has to know that its between us! Again, I may tell more people once I have lost significant weight but not until then. And after I do see results and being successful, I will encourage my uncle to do it. Hes not super over weight but hes got a lot of health issues and his doctor actually recommended it. Fortunately I have no health issues- and I am trying to keep it that way. Lose weight now, and hope to prevent health problems later. I think we are all making wonderful choices in this! This for US, for OUR lives, for OUR futures! I just can't wait to get it done! woo hoo! (september 7th is my big day!) YOU ALL ROCK! :w00t:

First- WELCOME newbies! I love our September Bandsters group! Next- Congratulations to all those with new surgery dates and approvals. My insurance is still pending but the office told me that my insurance usually takes 5 weeks to approve. I hope it goes through so I don't have to pay the $16,000... uhh. And Finally, about the seminar... Well lets see. They told us about the pre-diet again, at least 7 days before- to shrink the liver as well as to lose a few pounds to jump start the process. Shower prior to surgery, have absolutely nothing to eat or drink after midnight before surgery. Absolutely no jewlery, body peircings or contacts to be worn. Bring a list of 1-medications/dose/time of day taken and how often 2-allegies to foods, medications, materials (latex, bandaids) 3-last minute questions about the surgery to ask the nurse/doc/anesthi. Things to bring (over night bag, photo ID, insurance card). We were told about pre-op- the anesthesiologist, nurse and surgeon will talk to us again before going into the OR, vital signs checked, medication distributed to prepare for surgery, prevent blood clots, as well as IV to prevent dehydration. Then they told us about actual OR and surgery, you won't remember anything due to the anesthesia obviously, how you will be woken up, how you will feel afterwards. It will be very very cold in the OR to prevent bacteria growth so we get warmed blankets to keep our body temp regulated. Medication will be given post op for pain as well as to prevent nausea. Vitals are taken again post-op We can only have ice chips after the surgery. We will be given breathing exercises to do right after recovery room (coughing, deep breathing), walking will begin right after getting out of recovery; to prevent blood clots, pnemonia and to move gas. . Then they spoke about expectations of staying over night at the hosptial (my surgeon pretty much requires over night stay-very rare for someone to go home the same day). the next morning x-ray in am-video esophagram will be done while drinking that nasty dye stuff to ensure that you can swollow completely. When ready for discharge, someone has to drive you home. Then they spoke about expectations post-op- diet 1st day is clear liquids- 2 weeks is full liquids (like pre-op but for 2 weeks) then 2 weeks is soft/mushy foods then the 5th week after, is solid food. (this is the recommendation of my doc/nutritionist- others may be different). Healing time varies for everyone but after 1 week we should be back to normal. Some shoulder pain will occur due to gas/radiant pain. Stitches- don't rub or get too soapy- just let soapy Water run over while showering. Recommendation to use liquid extra strength tylenol for pain but Rx will be given for narcotics for pain but would rather people not use that if possible. There was soo much information, hopefully this gives you some idea. :thumbup: Again, each surgeon and staff team are different, so things might vary a little. OOOHH and today I bought everything I need for the pre-op diet, which I will start next week (i will do 2 weeks pre-op diet rather then just 1)! Im soooooo excited, I couldn't sleep much last night thinking about it! (yeah I still have 3 weeks- im not till Sept 7).

Thats funny NYslegend, its does seem that most "fat" people are the most discouraging and negative. Its like they don't want you to be great. Its hard to find truelly genuine people who just want the best for you and are genuinelly happy for good things in your life... very sad. Thats why I don't want to tell people I know. And the "thin" people just seem to want you to be in the "thin club" for their own reasons. Maybe Im just crazy.

I have my surgery date for September 7... no insurance approval yet... All surgeons do it differently I guess based on their schedule, their general insurance stuff, the hospital schedule. Keep calling, be a nudge till you get what you need from them!

Hang in there! Im sure we all get a little frazzled and obsessive like that with the scale. But for me, thats why I do always fail with diets, cause I work hard for a few days and see no results so I give up. Its only when I avoid the scale that I lose weight. Go figure. Ya know, You might not see resultes today but in another 3 days you might see a big difference! Dont give up! You can and WILL do great, especially with the surgery!