Hey There,

Just looking for any July 2011 banders. I just started my process, but as that I am "self-pay", I am on a fast track to surgery. Although, not terribly obese (bmi 34), I am using lap band surgery as a tool for continued success after loosing weight. I have always been able to join a program(diet or exercise or prescription) and loose weight.....I've done it several times with several different programs (not a good thing), but I always gain the weight back and more. Now that I am in my 40s, it is harder to loose and faster to come back. No more, I say! I want to be heathy in my future - family history/genetics dictates that I will/can be using a walker or wheel chair from degenerative bones and joints, heart disease, diabetes. I am trying to steer clear of that but still keep seeing myself heading in that direction, so now is the time for further action. Although apprehensive about going under, I am reading all the good things about the lap band procedure and am hoping that it is just a little more than the tubiligation and endemetrial ablasion that I had done last year. At least, I am thinking of it that way, so as to not scare myself too badly!

Lisa B - Northern Virginia

Best wishies to the July 5th Bandsters!!!

AlyGurl (Aly), MassMom01527 (Steph), Allison0927, Harvest Farmer, wannabe21bmi (Kate), Kim from CT, blackmajyk, Xtinabrown13, Ecinaj, Wanttobeskinny22

I'll be thinking of ya'll!! : )

Here is the soy Protein powder that I found that was good!!! The downside is that I cannot find anywhere in town that sells it. I ordered my container from vitaminshoppe.com but I just went to look it up and it says it isn't there anymore!! You can order from their website but pretty expensive. Mine was $30 including shipping from vitaminshoppe.com I bet you could find another internet spot that is cheaper. I'll include the link below. They also make vanilla, which is pretty good.

I mix in a little bit of powdered Peanut Butter (bellplantation.com) - the only place in AZ that carries this locally is House of Fitness. There are several locations, I think there was one in Mesa. I just ordered 4 containers of it - it tastes EXACTLY like peanut butter!!! Made the chocolate soy drinks much more palatable. Also, I found chocolate soy powder at Sunflower. It wasn't too bad, but it got me to the surgery date and then the day of surgery the stuff I ordered arrived.

http://www.topsecretnutrition.com/soyxtreme-chocolate.html

Top Secret will mail you a sample of vanilla and chocolate if you ask them for those specifically. The peanut butter place has samples (2 for $4), but really, if you like peanut butter, you will NOT be disappointed, just spring for a container. It is WELL worth it. I'm a true critic, and if I can drink this stuff, anyone can!!

Amy

Well, they found a hiatal hernia when they did my EGD, but that could be good news! That might mean that my insurance would cover part of the procedure! (I'm self-pay). I will hopefully find out tomorrow at my pre-op appointment.

Don't forget that we have a post-op thread Here everyone! Although I hope the post-ops will keep coming back here too to give us some inspiration!

OK, I am so bad...I keep missing my blood work appointment. When I first went in last week, the woman told me I had broken my fast because I had A PIECE OF GUM. She said my insurance might not pay for the bloodwork because of it. I said it was sugar free but she INSISTED on putting it down. I was so mad! Then I went in at 7 am Saturday, thinking I would beat the crowds (you can go in without an appointment but have to wait). There was a line a mile long, and I said screw that. So now I'm not getting my blood taken until tomorrow, the same day as my pre-op. I'm nervous something might come back on my blood test (later in the week) that will postpone the surgery. Last time I tried to give blood but they wouldn't let me because I was slightly anemic. I'm eating lots of red meat to try to overcome that, because I have a feeling they won't do the surgery if I am. Not sure what else they test for.

Start pre-op diet tomorrow and found some good egg-protein powder (I'm lactose intolerant so can't do any of the yummy and ubiquitous whey proteins), but it's so expensive....like $2.50 a shake. I bought this big container but it was half empty when I opened it, then the scoop was huge and I read the nutrition info and it said there was only 10 servings...in this big container! This is the Jay Robb egg Protein Shake. But I also found a less expensive soy one that I bought ages ago that was pretty good, hope I can find it to buy again. Another soy one that I bought tasted like chalk...definitely going into the trash!

Shauna

Well, they found a hiatal hernia when they did my EGD, but that could be good news! That might mean that my insurance would cover part of the procedure! (I'm self-pay). I will hopefully find out tomorrow at my pre-op appointment.

...

Shauna

I had a hiatal hernia and insurance is covering most of it for me because of that. I am also self pay because my mom's insurance can't cover it because her employer has an exception for bariatric.

Having the hiatal brought my cost from $12,500 to $5,500.

Hope this helps Shauna

Best wishies to the July 5th Bandsters!!!

AlyGurl (Aly), MassMom01527 (Steph), Allison0927, Harvest Farmer, wannabe21bmi (Kate), Kim from CT, blackmajyk, Xtinabrown13, Ecinaj, Wanttobeskinny22

I'll be thinking of ya'll!! : )

THANKS!!!! I have to be at the hospital in 10 hours - i'm excited and nervous. I will be on as soon as i can to tell my day of surgery story - GOOD LUCK all my fellow July 5th bandsters!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh no Am sick! Left sinus hurts, throat hurts from post-nasal drip, and have dry cough. Not sure if they will operate if I have a cold! Ugh!

En route to the hospital now! Yay!!!

En route to the hospital now! Yay!!!

Best of luck Alygurl! Let us know how it went as soon as your up to it.

Hey guys!! Going to bed now, then up and to the hospital!!!!!

I am SO ready! I will update as soon as possible. My heart and prayers are with my fellow "5th bandits"

See you in band land!!

Best of luck tomorrow to all our July 5th banders! Please check in afterwards and let us know how you are doing!

Thanks Erica...I can only hope I'll be so lucky!

I had a hiatal hernia and insurance is covering most of it for me because of that. I am also self pay because my mom's insurance can't cover it because her employer has an exception for bariatric.

Having the hiatal brought my cost from $12,500 to $5,500.

Hope this helps Shauna

Add me to the list - my date is Monday, July 11. I am so glad I found this thread. It's very reassuring. I joined LBT in June and had a mini freak-out on my first night on the site about the potential complications, including wondering if the Gastric Sleeve made more sense. I called my surgeon's office and said I wanted another consult to go over my questions more thoroughly, and my husband went with me this past Wednesday. Dr. Jones (Beth Israel Deaconess in Boston, for others in Massachusetts) was really terrific and spent an UNBELIEVABLE 40 or so minutes with us. I decided against the Sleeve because there is simply not enough long term data. As my husband said, "Why would you want to be the Test Bunny?" So, I am back on board with Lap Band.

I decided that I need to focus on the positive threads right now. For every complication there are also just as many successes. I asked the doc if there was a "profile" of a person who was more or less likely to have complications, and he basically said that EVEN if he does everything right medically, and EVEN if I do everything right (diet, exercise) as a patient, there is still no real predictor. You just have to take a leap of faith and know that the doubt and freakouts are part of the process.

My preop diet is three high protein meals (bars or drinks) and one "real" meal per day for two weeks prior to surgery, so I just finished week 1. I have been absolutely amazed that after the first few days, I haven't been too hungry. I can have as many veggies between meals and have been making huge containers of gazpacho (fancy V-8 juice, basically, but I love it) so that makes it tolerable. I've lost about 4 pounds in the first week, which is amazing since I'm 50. I haven't lost at that rate in years...

Anyway, sorry for the long post. Glad to meet you all and I'll be back. Good luck to my fellow July (and June, in Nechama's case) friends and I look forward to hearing how things are going.

All done! Sore but safe! Glad I'm staying overnight though because I am in quite a lot of pain!

Ok, so I fell off the bandwagon this weekend. The pre-op diet was a bust...couldn't stay away from the BBQ. Today is a new day. Already did my exercise (elliptical) and back to the shakes I go. Surgery in 8 days...I can do this.

Best of luck to today's banders!!! Congratulations to those already done (AlyGurl)!

Here's to a happy Tuesday!

Hooray for the July 5th Bandits!! I am thinking of everybody today!

I am on Day 6 of my Pre-op. Last night we took the kids to fireworks and I had a few pretzels and almonds. Not feeling so good about that today, but trying to move past it. I had a dream last night that Doc opened me up and found a whole almond, lol! I know it's just because I feel disappointed, it's been one thing to have an extra shake or serving of fruit this week but those were things that are off limits. Oh well, moving forward!

Have bronchitis, I think. Have to call surgeons office at 9 when they open and see what they want to do. I'm young and have no chronic breathing trouble or apnea so hopefully they will still operate. Will let you know.