maxi2010

Hi AnnaOz, I'm so glad your surgery is probably over. l hope it goes well and you are released fast and recover fast. I hope mine goes smooth tomorrow. Still waiting for my call informing me about the time of surgery. You are sooo lucky Australian time is earlier than NY time!!!! Your op is already over! Mine is about to start!!!! I know I should not be nervous as Dr. Fielding is definitely expert in this field. I'm looking forward to hearing more about your journey. I'll let you know how mine goes.:alien: Maxi

Hi Puppybandit. Now that this 14 day liquid diet is almost over, I'm GLAD my surgeon picked this draconian diet. I agree that it was a killer while it lasted but it was still a limited period of time. My weight loss from the diet in such a short period is making me really happy!!!! Yeah!!!! :wub::thumbup::alien: Plus, I should have definitely shrunken my fatty liver with this weight loss, making my surgery tomorrow much safer. I'm nervous about the surgery tomorrow as it is. Anything to reduce the risk makes me feel safer, although I know nothing can reduce the risk to 0.:eek6: That's why I am still nervous.:sad:

Hi Piper. Thanks so much for posting the details of your post op experience. I'm glad to hear your experience was not that bad and you seem to be recovering fairly fast. My surgery is tomorrow and you made me feel somewhat better. I can't wait for it to be behind me. I hope my experience is similar to yours - not too bad with fast recovery!:wub:

Hi mrsmontero12607. I am on a very similar diet to yours but I am on Day 14 of a 14 day pre op diet [surgery is tomorrow, 9/17]. I chose CIB shakes but your shakes were also an option for me and I don't think there is a significant difference between the 2 choices. I also was hungry all the time on CIB shakes only. Similar to ebrese824, I like to add ice and shake it up in my tupperware tumbler to give it more bulk. Doing that seems to make it seem fuller. However, I still found I needed something else to get me completely over the hunger. I found that by eating a small portion of allowed veggies [we are allowed up to 2 cups of certain low cal veggies, like carrots, celery, tomatoes, onion] either raw or added to the broth did the trick for me in the afternoon. I ate fewer than the maximum portion with the broth and still found it satisfied me. In particular, I found the mid afternoon or early evening period to be a real killer. This definitely helped me and became a staple that I looked forward to each day [can you imagine looking forward to veggies?!].:eek6: BTW, using HerbOx for 8-oz chicken broth is only has 5 calories so it is not fattening at all. I also like eating the sugar free jello and sugar fee ice pops but I did not find they satisfied my hunger like the broth/veggies. However, they were important in providing good tasting treats that I could look forward to. After about a week on the diet (I've now been on this liquid diet almost 2 weeks) I seem to not be as hungry all the time. I'm not sure if it was the changes I made [adding broth with a small amount of veggies in the late afternoon/early evening each day] or the adjustment to the diet. I hope this is helpful. One good thing with this diet: you will notice a definite weight loss if you keep with the diet. I lost more than 5 lbs over 2 weeks, which is a lot for me! My metabolism is SLOW and I usually lose weight, even with drastic diets, at a slower pace. Keep up your positive attitude. :wub: Time will pass and this phase will be over soon! Good luck with your surgery and your pre op diet!:alien:

Hi Gracierose. My pre op diet is worse than any I have seen, even yours. My doctor wants me on 5-6 CIB shakes a day for 14 days with no real food during this period! Your CIB diet sounds similar to mine except mine is longer. I can't have ANY fruit or fruit juice. I can have some veggies but only a limited amount. I can have up to 2 cups of coffee or other caffeinated beverage, unlimited diet soda (decaf) and unlimited H2O. I can have sugar fee Jello and sugar fee ice pops. I can also have chicken broth but you get sick of it after a while. Tomorrow is my surgery so I pretty much made it through this CIB diet. Although all of the CIB shakes mixed with fruit and other things sounds yummy, they are not allowed by my doc pre op. The one thing good about this diet is I lost weight - about 6 lbs. It may be more weight than that but my scale needs a new battery and seems unpredictable. I definitely lost weight - I feel it in my clothes. If I can do CIB for 14 days, you can do CIB for 10 days, Gracierose. Best part of CIB when you do it for all meals is you'll lose weight quickly to jump start your weight loss. Best of luck with sticking to your pre op diet and best of luck with your surgery! :wub:

Thanks so much AnnaOz and YouGotBiggie. I appreciate you sharing your same feelings with me. I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one nervous before their op. I was so nervous this morning, I was dry heaving and feeling really nauseous. My stomach is still in knots right now although I was able to get in a protein shake. I'm now waiting for my call to tell me what time to report tomorrow, which won't happen for at least several hours. AnnaOz: I forgot you are from Australia, which means you'll be done first! Good for you. I probably will be up all night, too. I'll let you know. I wish you the best of luck with your surgery. You'll be recovering when I am in the op. We'll both be recovering when YouGotBiggie is in the op. AnnaOz, let us know how you do after surgery. I probably won't respond until I start to feel somewhat better. YouGotBiggie: Best of luck with your Monday surgery. Let us know how you do. It will over soon and I really cannot wait, although I am soooo nervous! :wub:

Hi all. I need support. Tomorrow's my surgery and I'm really really nervous. I can't believe the day is here! :wub:

I'm so glad it was an easy fix and you are a lot better than yesterday. I'm also glad you can carry on a normal conversation and can BREATHE deeply and normally. That must have been a scary experience. I'm happy it is over for you or at least practically over. :thumbup: Thanks for posting so we know what to look out for.

Wow Brian-LA and Buterfly2010. You both were so inspiring! I hope my band does for me what your band has done for both of you. It may take a little longer for me to get to where you are right now. But I hope it does change me like it has changed you. I'll try to keep my mind off my post-op diet. I appreciate everyone who offered advice. I'm just a little down in the dumps right now. Probably surgery jitters. Thanks Brian-LA and Butterfly2010.

Congratulations on your new date. Also congratulations on losing 50 lbs. Way to go! You already are a lot healthier with your 50 lb weight loss. You'll be even more healthy once you get the band and lose even more weight. I'm a few days in front of you. My surgery is this Friday, 9/17/10, just 2 days away! I'm nervous and exciting! Your surgery date is right around the corner, too. Best of luck to you!

Hi Shushuandanniesmom. Thanks for some great first week food ideas -except for the ice cream/sherbert. Thanks Brian for the info and good advice. Frozen Yogurt is also a good choice, if you check the calories first. My surgery is this Friday - 9/17 - and I am fretting about the post op food. I haven't started the post op diet yet and I'm already tired of it!!!!!:thumbup:. I'm getting tired of this 2-week liquid pre op diet, too.

Hi Butterfly2010, Similar to Brian-LA, I am reading Weight Loss Surgery with the Adjustable Gastric Band: Everything You Need to Know Before and After Surgery to Lose Weight Successfully by Dr. Robert Sewell and Linda Rohrbough. A banded friend had recommended this book. I think the book is well written and I like that the authors include both opinions from experts [nutritionists, psychologists, etc] as well as patients living with the band. Although I am still pre-op [my surgery is this Friday, 9/17], the book seems pretty thorough going through all types of potential complications as well how to successfully live with a band. Although this is based on a 3-week weight loss diet from a medical practice down in Texas, which differs from my 2-week all liquid weight loss diet from a medical practice up in New York, I like to have all the facts, both pre-op and post-op information, in one place. I found the book reasonably priced on Amazon.com, where I purchased it. It also got pretty good reviews from Amazon customers who bought the book. I have not seen too many lap band books in the libraries where I live. I looked online on my library's website before I made this purchase. I was very disappointed that my library system has not kept up with band surgery since it seems almost a phenomenon, in that so many people are currently opting for band surgery. Maxi

Hi Nora. It sounds like you are doing great. You already lost quite a bit of weight, mostly pre-surgery. I'm still waiting for my procedure. I'll be banded in 3 days, on 9/17. I appreciate hearing from people who have been banded so I know what to expect post op. My doctor performs SILS and has a cool video on his website describing it so I was particularly interested in how you felt afterwards. Keep in touch. Maxi from New York

Hi Hyperola. Before you do anything, go to an information session and go online to find out all you can about the different options. Figure out if bariatric surgery is right for you and which option makes the most sense for you. Banding made the most sense to me, since it is the least invasive procedure, which is why I am here. Once you make the decision to have surgery, you should try to see if you can get it covered through insurance. If you have insurance, read their medical policy on bariatric surgery. Make sure you follow their requirements very carefully. Because the process to have surgery usually takes several months, your medical policy may change during your waiting period. Mine did. If you are denied, see if you can get it over turned. I was able to get my initial denial overturned. If you cannot get the insurance approved, you will have to decide if the surgery is important enough to pay for it out of pocket. You will have to make the decision if you want to try to find lower cost surgeons. If you save your money over a period of time (usually around 1 year), you can probably come up with sufficient funds to cover the procedure. The procedure is much lower cost in Mexico than in the US. Many of the bandsters here have used Mexican doctors and seem to be happy with their results. Many US doctors accept band patients from other practices [mine does] so many of these patients find US doctors after their procedure for their fills. From my first info session to my surgery date was close to 2 years. Some of that time was spent soul searching in deciding if this procedure was what I really wanted and I had other complications that got in my way and pushed my date further out. Good luck. I hope you have an easier process in getting banded than me. If you choose not to get banded, I hope you find what you are looking for. Maxi

Hi Erick. You had a very moving story. We all have similar stories and all ended up here - being banded or getting ready. I think you made the right decision. My surgery date to be banded is September 17th, just 3 days from now. Best of luck. Join the "Looking for September 2010 Bandsters" in the Pre-op forum. There's a lot of people having surgery in September! Good luck to you! Maxi:thumbup:

Just so you know - you have me [Maxi2010] down twice on 9/17 for surgery. I only need one surgery, thank you very much!!! LOL:scared2: 9/17 is getting close! I'm both nervous and excited!

Hi ShellyH. Here are instructions to get the ticker: 1. Go to www.tickerfactory.com 2. Click on Weightloss 3. Select a ticker ruler. Veiw all available by clicking on the page numbers. Once you have selected the one you want to use, click Next. 4. Select a ticker slider. Veiw all available by clicking on the page numbers. Once you have selected the one you want to use, click Next. 5. Select the measure of weight that you use. (pounds or kilograms) 6.If you wish the ticker to show your current weight and count down to your goal weight, select Weight. 7. If you wish the ticker to show only the amount of weight you wish to lose and how much you've lost, (not your current or goal weight) select Weight Change. 8. Enter your starting, current and goal weights, and then click Next. 9. You will now be on the final page with the codes to copy for pasting into your signature line on LBT. There are a couple of ways put the code into your signature line on LBT. Here is one option... 1. Highlight the text in the bbCode box, leaving off the URL codes. See diagram below: 2. Go to LBT and click on the Quick Links button at the top of the page, select Edit Signature. 3. Click in your signature box and type Ctrl+V to paste it in. Remeber to save. It worked for me. Maxi

Hi MSDV. It was a bit of a chore to figure out the ticker. I'm glad you found an easier one.

Hi MSDV. Just click on your ticker and it will take you to the ticker website that has your profile. Put in your 4-digit code and then you can edit your profile.

Hi Dawn. Welcome back! Most insurance companies will reimburse you for lap band and other weight loss surgeries if your BMI is 40 or above, If your BMI is between 35 and 39.9 and you have at least 2 co-morbidities that are caused by your obesity they will also likely to reimburse you. They will also require you to go through a 6-month supervised weight loss program, see a psychologist, go to an info session, meet with a nutritionist and a few other hoops. My insurance denied my surgery although I presented with 2 comorbidities (hypertension and high cholesterol). They wanted a third one. When I presented a 3rd one that they agreed was at least partially caused by being overweight, they approved my surgery. My lap band surgery is scheduled for Friday, 9/17. My whole experience in getting approval took close to 2 years, Best of luck to you and your hubby. Don't give up the fight because you find it will take a while to get approved. The wait is worth it. If you stick with it and follow your insurance procedures to the letter, you will be approved....eventually, provided they say you fall within their criteria. If not, there is always Mexico. Procedures are performed at about half the cost of US procedures and many of the women here have had it done there and are quite happy with the results. Maxi:thumbup: Best of luck in your pursuit of taking your life back into your hands through lap band surgery.

Hi Lillyegg. I'll be praying for you during your surgery tomorrow. Best of luck!

Hi AnnaOz and everyone else being banded this week. I'm with you with band surgery on 9/17. It's getting really exciting now!!! :thumbup::thumbup: I hope nothing stops me from having band surgery on 9/17. I'm having a problem right now with my medical clearance. My doctor never got the results of my tests so I was unable to see him on Saturday. I obviously will have to straighten this out tomorrow. Why cant things go right????!!!! Good luck to everyone who has already crossed over and best of luck to all you pre-ops like me waiting to cross over to bandland.

Hi Highlojack. Here is my complete instructions for getting the ticker as your signature. I hope this has your answer: 1. Go to www.tickerfactory.com 2. Click on Weightloss 3. Select a ticker ruler. Veiw all available by clicking on the page numbers. Once you have selected the one you want to use, click Next. 4. Select a ticker slider. Veiw all available by clicking on the page numbers. Once you have selected the one you want to use, click Next. 5. Select the measure of weight that you use. (pounds or kilograms) 6.If you wish the ticker to show your current weight and count down to your goal weight, select Weight. 7. If you wish the ticker to show only the amount of weight you wish to lose and how much you've lost, (not your current or goal weight) select Weight Change. 8. Enter your starting, current and goal weights, and then click Next. 9. You will now be on the final page with the codes to copy for pasting into your signature line on LBT. There are a couple of ways put the code into your signature line on LBT. Here is one option... 1. Highlight the text in the bbCode box, leaving off the URL codes. See diagram below: 2. Go to LBT and click on the Quick Links button at the top of the page, select Edit Signature. 3. Click in your signature box and type Ctrl+V to paste it in. (Ctrl+V or Ctrl+A or Ctrl+C all mean to hold down the Ctrl and specified letter key at the same time) Another option for pasting the ticker code into your signature line: 1. Highlight and copy all of the text in the url box like this: 2. Go to LBT and click on the Quick Links button at the top of the page, select Edit Signature. 3. Select Edit Signature. 4. Click on the Insert Image icon like this: 5. Before clicking in the box below "Please enter the URL for your image:" hit your delete or backspace button on your keyboard to clear the box. 6. Click inside the box and type Ctrl+V to paste in the copied url. Then click Ok. This will place the ticker into the signature line. Now click on Preview Signature to see if everything is how you want it. If it is, click on Save Signature.