Hi everyone, I have sat here for hours and read so much that you all have posted but I still want more answers. I know that I'm not going to get everything that I need because I do have to experience it for myself, however I'm scared and nervous. I've never had any kind of surgery before, matter of fact, both of my children were born completely natural and they were so healthy that they sent me home packing within 24 hours. So the thought of being in a hospital does make me nervous. If you all can help me with this....after my consultation do they schedule the appointment for the surgery right away? I'm in Colorado and will be going to the University of Colorado Hospital, if anyone knows what the facilities are like that would be very helpful. I know that it is laparoscopic surgery, how long do the hospital stays usually last? I see a lot of pre-op diets and was wondering if they are just your typical Protein shakes that you can get from walmart? I know that I'm asking a lot and I promise that I don't mean to be a pain, I had the opportunity to get this out of the way last year and chickened out when they called me for my appointment. I've made it my mission to talk to friends or anyone who knows to better educate myself on what I'm getting into. So far I am in love with this site but would love to get more feedback! Thank you so much for all of you that read this and answer my questions, you are angels!!!!!!!

Jessica

I wish I could give you answers, but I'm new to this myself. I went to a seminar in early March and had my first consultation on March 30th. I was told I had to do 3 months of doctor supervised weight loss for my insurance to pay for the procedure. Which is meeting with my doctor and a nutritionist. I've had my first meeting with both, and have my second one on May 7th. I also have to have a pschy evaluation which I'm doing on the the 30th and a stress test and cardiac clearance which I've not schedule yet. If all goes well I'll be having surgery sometime in July.

Hi i havent been banded yet but plan to be in May..i do know most people go home the first day for the most part its out patient...but of course every surgeon is different..if u havent already you may want to call your insurance to see what they require to get a feel of how long it takes before surgery..or if u are self pay i believe the process is much sooner. I started in nov of 2011 had to do 6 month supervised diet, required by my insurance..now all im waiting for is my insurance to approve..good luck hope this helps a little.

im not from around your area but i was banded in november 2011.... i dont know where you are in your process yet but here in CT you have alot of appointments to go to before surgery... you have to have clearence for your heart.... i had to go to a nutrionist... had to have a upper GI.... had to go to a psycologist....if you have ever suspected sleep apnea you have to have that checked.... but if you have done all of these things and are going in to schedule your operation then i figure ill let you know that i had never had surgery either and was nervous as well...just make sure you bring along someone for support....typical stay is 1 night after being banded unless there is some type of complication...the pre op diet here...again every surgeon is different but i was allowed to have 2 protien shakes a day and 2 oz of turkey breast and 1 serving of vegatables a day...and yes the protien shakes were normal ones that you can buy at walmart. dont worry things should be fine...and any concerns or questions bring up to the surgeon or to the APRN thats what they are there for! Good luck on your Journey!

On the otherhand. I went to my PCP for 6 months (one visit a month) and she checked my blood pressure, took my weight, asked how my diet was going.

Other than that, the bariatric doctor has me see him once, get one psych eval, and next week I got to an education class and see the psych doc one more time and then I'm done until i get the surgery. I didn't have to get a GI, or a heart test, or anything else. YOU WILL DO JUST FINE!!! I BELIEVE IN YA!

Thanks everyone, this is all great information. When the doctors office called me to set the appointment they also sent me all of my paperwork to have filled out prior to me getting there. In that paperwork in many different areas, it repeatedly said that this will be the only appointment prior to my surgery so I'm not sure what else there is. Anyhow, I do appreciate all of the support and am very grateful to have found this site. I will keep in contact, it's always nice for new people such as myself to be able to have answers as this can be a scary procedure!

It's kind of odd that they are telling you will have the consult and won't be back until surgery. I had a longer journey because of a preexisting blood clot. However, in general here are my doctors requirements: consult (Nurse Practitioner, Psychologist, Nutritionist), first meeting with surgeon (did not met him at the consult), second meeting with surgeon, 3 group sessions with a psychologist specializing in eating disorders, Meeting with Anesthesiologist, training session on "diet" for immediatley post op and the food progression for the next 5 weeks (and then basically for ever). I also had to provide results from that years Mamogram, and Pap Smear.

I highly recommend going to Youtube and watching some real surgeries. Not at all gross. They use a cauterizing tool so there is no blood. Really shows you why doctors want you too 1) lose weight presurgery 2) reduce the fat in the liver. They just flip the liver out of the way to get to the stomach.

I have just started my journey as well. My first appt. is Tues. The only advice I can give is about the hospital stay. I am 26 and have had over 30 surgeries. (I got tired of counting!) Surgery is scary for most, but 99% of the time there will be no problems. With this in mind, I still get scared. Its normal. The hospital staff are usually very compassionate. Ask questions about everything. If you a low pain tolerance, don't wait until you are in too much pain to ask for medicine. The later you wait, the less the medicine will work. I am stubborn and refused pain medicine until the last minute and suffered unnecessarily for almost every surgery. I always ask what the nurse is doing, what is being put in my IV and anything else I can think of. Good luck and if you ever have any questions about hospitals, please feel free to ask me.

I am a newbie also and I live in Colorado. I will have my surgery at Rose Hospital on June 27th. I have not been to the University Hospital. I saw my doctor for the first time last Thursday. My insurance doesn't pay anything for this surgery. I had a blood clot in 2008 after a broken knee/leg so I have to have a physc evaluation and a breating test. The physc doc is suppost to contact me and I haven't heard a date for the breathing test. I have been told that I will have the surgery and go home the same day. My fears are for the unknown aspects of the band and learning to live with it. Everyone is different but we are all on the same path to a healthier us. I will watch for your posts and we can share our concerns and successes. Take care.

Well I have had my second meeting with the dietitian and GP for my medically supervised weight loss and I have lost some weight, which is good. I know I have one more, maybe two o go. I have the first part of the psych exam and go next week for the last part. Then all I need is my stress test. In some ways time is lying and in others it is dragging.