Dave_NW

My surgeon is Dr. Ross McMahon at Swedish Hospital in Seattle. How about you?

I'm up for December 6th. Have my final pre-op appointment next Tuesday, to sign surgery consent papers and such. Then it's a total waiting game till surgery day. I'm SO ready! Dave

This may not be very PC of me to say, but here's my honest opinion: I think it may be because to have Gastric Bypass means a total commitment to the process. Sleevers have 80% of their stomach removed, but not as much alteration of their insides as bypass patients. In both cases, there is no going back. Once the scalpel comes into play, it's a permanent thing. A band doesn't require cutting, removing, and/or rearranging your insides. It's removable, easy to install, and is an artificial way to force you to lose weight. If there is a problem, it can be taken out, and your system eventually recovers. So by that logic, bandsters aren't "as committed" to the process. (That's not to say bandsters don't work their butts off, just trying to show what a bypass patient may think.) I think a certain amount of bypass snobbery is only to be expected, especially when they get together in large groups. Those people really climbed on the weight loss bandwagon. More's the pity, many didn't have the willpower to learn to use a tool like the band to achieve their goal - they had to cut themselves up to do the job. And that's kind of sad, don't you think? Dave

Jodi, this thread is from last January. I suspect the poster has moved on. :frown: Dave

I've never heard of this diet before. I just read up on my blood type. Pretty creative. Not sure I believe all of it, since it seems like most any of the recommendations will work for weight loss, regardless of the blood type. Maybe the AMOUNT of weight lost would be more based on the blood type? Not sure how to think about it. I think I need more research... :frown: Dave

Dave, don't limit yourself to only two choices. There are a few other gastric choices too, most especially the "vertical sleeve gastrectomy." Think of it as something between the band and gastric bypass. With the sleeve, the surgeon removes the stretchy part of your stomach, leaving you with a stomach that is shaped something like a banana. You are forced to eat smaller meals, and you'll lose weight as a result. The advantages: There are no fills required, you can eat whatever you want (in smaller quantities), and your intestinal tract stays complete. If you have a large amount of weight to lose, it may be a good choice for you, especially if you're self-pay. Dave

After attending a mandatory seminar by my surgeon, and getting my PCM referral to him, I've had to do a few things: A marathon of appointments at the surgeon's offices - Information and intake, then EKG done by the staff, psyche eval, meet with a physician, meet with a nutritionist, and interview with the WLS surgeon. These were all done on the same day, between 8:00 and Noon. Two days later I went to a lab and gave what seemed like a gallon of blood. By the time they were done, it was 13 tubes. I later went for a blood gas test at a different lab. Two weeks after the lab work, I had an Endoscopy done by my WLS surgeon. (Insurance request and surgery approval happened within a few days after this procedure.) I have an evaluation appointment on the 16th of this month with a hernia surgeon who assists my WLS with his surgeries. When I have my band surgery, they'll also be repairing the two hernias I have. I'll also sign surgery papers and meet with my WLS surgeon one last time before surgery day. December 6th is surgery day. Note that I did not need a chest xray, supervised diet, sleep test, ultrasound, or anything else. All in all, it's been pretty easy. Dave

What? You're NOT a blond woman? Whoops! :wub: Sending you an email so we can compare notes offline. Dave

Look at the dates on those posts. Some are a couple of years old. Tricare changed some of their requirements over the last few years. But I believe a referral is still required, since your PCM has to recommend you to see a WLS surgeon. I also went to a weight loss seminar this Summer, but the surgeon told me I had to have a referral from my primary care doctor before Tricare Prime would authorize him. That referral was approved within a few days. I jumped through all the other hoops pretty quickly, and I'm having surgery in a few weeks. If in doubt, call Tricare and ask them what they require. They'll tell you what your plan needs. Dave

Hey! Congrats on your band! I'm also a Swedish patient, and will be banded 12/6. Good to hear they're as good as I thought they were. (Any chance you're the blond woman I saw there on my last visit? I'm sure you would recognize me - the fat bald guy. LOL!) Good luck, and keep us posted on your progress! Dave

One of the tricks I used when I was on a diet a number of years ago was to buy my favorite treat - in those days it was a Milky Way Dark candy bar - and use it as a reward that was always just out of reach. It sat on the shelf in plain sight. By itself. There was only one in the house. I knew I could eat it at any time I wanted to, but since I told myself there was only going to be one, I wanted to save it for a very special occasion. I really wanted to earn it, because I knew it was going to screw up my diet. It had to be worth it. I used all sorts of things to trick myself into not eating it. For example, I'd tell myself if I had an especially good workout, I could eat it. So I'd bust my tail working out. But then I forced myself to wait till after I'd showered and gotten cleaned up, and by then the urge was gone. So I'd save it for another day. And another. And another. I'd challenge myself to save that reward over and over. After a couple of months it was so stale, I didn't want it anymore, so I threw it in the trash. I know it isn't appropriate to a LAP-BAND® diet, but it IS a fantastic experiment in self control, setting honest goals, and valuing honest rewards. I chose not to take the easy way out. And on that particular diet I lost about 40 pounds. And I never did eat the stupid candy bar. Be strong. You deserve better than you're giving yourself. Dave

My surgeon submitted my surgery request to Tricare Prime on Friday, Oct 15, 2010. I received a phone call on the following Wednesday, Oct 20, 2010, just three workdays later. I was asked a few questions over the phone, and then I was approved. Pretty easy. Dave

Good luck, Lauren! Keep us posted on the process! Dave

Congrats! I'll bet it feels great! You deserve to feel good about your success. Keep it up! Dave

I agree with the others - if there are no consequences, you'd eventually find yourself eating more and more. Any weight you'd lost would soon be gained back again. I know from personal experience. I was on South Beach Diet, and never ate so much food in my life. My jaw actually got sore from eating so much every day. I stuck with it, and lost more than 30 pounds in two months. I had dental surgery, so went off the diet. Despite knowing how to eat right, and convinced I'd always eat the South Beach way, within a very short time I'd gained back more than 60 pounds. You're doing fine on your liquid diet because you know you HAVE to eat that way. Willpower is fine, but few people can truly do it by themselves. Dave

You're going to get a lot of great advice here. You've found an excellent resource. I'm still pre-op for a few more weeks, but this is what i've learned: Keep reading, study everything you need to understand, and really think about what it is you're thinking of doing. Set a goal for yourself that's real and attainable, and keep that in mind. Everything else is just details you can adjust along the way. It helped me to sort things into groups. There is the Pre-op time, which includes referrals, appointments, diets, and lab tests. It ends with a surgery approval and scheduled surgery date. That was one goal I set and achieved. Second goal is surgery day. Getting ready for it, preparing what is needed to make it successful, having things ready for after surgery, and being mentally prepared for the exciting and fascinating rest of your life. Post-op life is the next goal. Learning to live with the band, how to work it to your advantage, new diet, exercise, and learning how to listen to your body. Managing things to best advantage. In between, ask questions here. There are a lot of folks here who are in all phases of this journey, and who are willing to share what they have learned. Most important, know you are not alone. Good luck! Dave

:thumbup: Not that it's any of my business, and I certainly have no idea if this is even a fair question, but is there any chance you're starting menopause? I've always heard stress can bring it on early, and that it plays hell with hormones and diet and such. Dave

I'm surprised they don't want to take out your tonsills first. :thumbup: After you get rescheduled, come join us in the December Surgery forum. We're a nice bunch in there. Dave

My surgeon says the same thing. No pre-op diet, but three weeks liquids after surgery, then on to pureed, then on to solids. Somewhere in there a fill or two happens. :thumbup: Dave

I think one of the nice things about the band is having second chances like this. If you'd had another surgery type, you wouldn't get a second chance. Good luck on your new journey! Dave

Isn't bacon one of those "don't eat" things? Dave

Congrats! I did something similar. I saw everybody on September 29th, had one followup on October 14th, and I got my surgery approval on October 20th. My surgeon had a scheduling conflict, so we've agreed not to do the surgery till December 6th. But that's soon enough! Good luck! Dave

I'm late to the party, but wanted to congratulate you as well. Those numbers are awesome! I'm getting banded December 6th. I hope I can report such a great loss as yours by this time next year. Cross your fingers! Dave

Ever wonder why what the doctors do is called "practice?" You'd think after all that schooling, they'd be experts at it... :sneaky: I have a Kindle reader on my cell phone. I actually appreciate the waiting time, so I can catch up on some reading. Dave