Hi All,

I will be banded on August 20th. I am looking forward to the proceedure. My doctor is Dr. Forgione in Burlington, Vermont. I am on the CIGNA health plan. (which has not been the best of support). I am married with three sons 24, 19, and 14. I graduated from college this past Dec, with a degree in elementary education. I am 47 years and will beginning my first full time teaching job the week of my surgery.

How will I do it? One step at a time. I will sign my teacher's contract today and inform them of my pending surgery.

Thanks for having me on board. I am sure I will be asking questions along the way.

new2tch

Congratulations on your band date! There are lots of areas on this board to collect great information. What ever your question, you can always type it into search and get an instant response.

Personally, I had surgery on a Monday, out of the hospital on Tuesday, (now my DR does the band as outpatient), driving on Wed, but keep in mind, we're all different. You should do just fine.

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BEST WISHES ON YOUR UPCOMING SURGERY!

I am new to the whole process. I am sooo glad I joined. There is so much helpful information. I think I will be able to take every step with more confidence knowing what paperwork and hurdles are instore for me. And even if the anser comes back a "decline" that is just for the fight, not the war or the journey.

Welcome again and congrats on having a date. May I ask when you first started this process?

Welcome to both of you!

As for being able to start teaching the same week as surgery, it all just depends on you, and how well you do. It is very individual, and while some of it is a mental thing, it is also a very physical surgery, and while some (myself included) could have done it a couple of days out, there have been others on here, who were sidelined for a week or longer----with longer being EXTREMELY rare!

I think telling them you are having surgery is the best way to go, then if you happen to need a couple of days they will have been forewarned. I would imagine you will be just fine!

I cannot say enough good things about my band, or about this site! It has been so helpful, and supportive, you will be so glad you found it!

Look in the monthly section, and you can locate a group of people all having surgery in the same month as you, so you can compare and help with food suggestions. It is comforting to have someone to ask the usual "did this happen to you?" or "have you ever felt like...?" questions.

Hope everything goes great for you---Welcome!!!

Kat

Welcome to LBT! Congrats on your surgery date.

Welcome! I was banded by Dr. Forgione on June 18th; my first day of summer vacation. I, too, am a teacher; I work at Mount Abe. Let me know if there are any questions I can answer for you...and the best of luck to you. I was not nervous going in to surgery, and haven't looked back since. You're doing a good thing. Barb

Thanks Barb,

It is cool to know someone with the same doctor. So far things are going well. I am on the liquid diet this week in preperation for Monday. I am in northern VT. Do you have far to travel to Burlington? I was wondering if I have to take time off from school to have check-ups and fills. Since it is a new teaching job, I hate to be inconvenient to the staff.

Thanks again to everyone who post their words of wisdom.

Cyndi

Hi. You probably will have to take time off, but not the whole day. It is frustrating because the checkup / fill only take 5 minutes. When you have a fill, they are only scheduled on Mondays every other week and they can't let you know what time until the day before. Apparently, emergencies crop up. For my first fill no one ever called, so I finally called at 4:30 PM on Friday. Then, they want you there an hour early--not necessary; I got there 1/2 hour early, but they shuffle you through third floor registration where you check in, have a seat and wait to be handled by one of the people with a desk in the back, you go there and they do paperwork and give you a bracelet; then you are told to go down the hall to Pre-op (?) and wait with 100 other people and hope you hear the lady call your name from the front desk there after giving her the paperwork. Then finally you're escorted to the back, where you lie on a table, they take your blood pressure and you sign a release. The doctor tells you to find your port and then he inserts the saline. That part is rediculously quick and easy. If you can swallow water, you are free to go. You can ask to be scheduled later in the day; I don't know how late Dr. F is there, though.

My last check up again was only 5 minutes, but somehow they kept me waiting long enough that my parking cost $6.50. He always seems to be in a hurry, but obviously doesn't catch up.

I'm from East Middlebury and it takes about an hour to get to Burlington. I take 116 and it's a pretty straight shot into South Burlington without any traffic lights etc. I used to go out to lunch or dinner while up there, but of course you are put on liquids after a fill. Now that I am losing weight, I take the opportunity to swing by the mall and do some clothes shopping. I see it as a reward for a job well done. I've gotten many really nice tops, now I need to find pants. I am 5'1", so anything off the rack has to be altered unless they carry petites. The problem with petites is they usually only go up to size 14!

Hey, what will you be teaching? I teach Ancient History to 7th and 8th graders. It is so much fun; I am really looking forward to starting up. Barb

Barb,

Thanks so much for the info. As you were describing the effort it takes to manuver around the hospital I was visioning myself going through it. You know that is a good idea to go to the mall while were there. I too live an hour away, so I try to do what I can while I am there. There used to be a Dress Barn and Clays in the "Blue Mall" across the street. You may find nice petite clothes there. I am 5'3" so I understand the pants problem.

I am a Title I reading teacher. I have a group of 2nd graders and a group of 4,5, and 6 graders who read at 2nd grade. I do not know what I am doing in the afternoon as of yet. Maybe co-teaching or tutoring. I am looking forward to teaching as well. Again thanks for chatting with me.

Cyndi

I started my career in Chapter 1 / Title 1 reading! You will have much more flexibility with that kind of position. Glad to hear it! I have many fond memories. I just discovered the store, Christopher and Banks--I love that store. The best part is that I no longer need 1x-2x but am fitting into extra large and even large. Very exciting. Hang in there with the liquid diet and keep the long haul in mind. All the best. Barb

I too am new here. I joined about a week ago and this place is a tremendous help to me. I know that I am not alone and the feelings I have are shared by lots of people. Congrats on your degree. Look at what you have accomplished in your life. You should be very proud. Keep us posted. I will be banded on August 27. I am 58, retired and the grandmother of twin girls. They are the main reason I am doing this. I want to be here to see them grow up. I love them so very much.

Hello fellow Vermonters,

I am from Northern Vermont, and hoping to have Dr. Forgione do Lap Band surgery on me in April or June, it all depends upon my insurnace company. I have Cigna and they want me to do a 6 mth physican followed diet/exercise plan.

Elizabeth

I don't know whether or not you've been to any of the support group meetings--one is required prior to surgery, but I try to go each month. I missed the last one, but my roommate from the hospital and I try to go each month, because we both were very grateful to have people there who had had their surgery already. My roommate and I are friends now, and we usually meet up there and then go out to dinner after. It's a long haul for both of us and wouldn't see each other otherwise. Perhaps I'll meet you up there. The next meeting is Tuesday, January 8th. They are usually the first Tuesday of the month from 5-6pm. Dr. Forgione is great by the way.

Yeah that sounds fantastic a friend of mine and I were planning on going to that one. i work in Winooski and she runs an in home daycare here in northern vermont so we were going to meet up at the hospital as well. I was going to have my hubby drop me off.

Hope to see you there.

Elizabeth

Hi There,

You are right, we do have to attend a support group once before surgery. I had my Lap band in in August of '07. I wish I could attend the support meetings to help with my morale, but I work 2 miles from the Canadian border and it takes me an 1hr and 1/2 to get to Burlington as it is. It is hard to leave work all of the time.

I am not loosing weight and I have had one fill so far. I see Dr. Forgione on 1/2 and I wish he could give me another fill then, but I know it is just to talk.

Be careful with CIGNA. I have them and they are hard to get to pay for the bills. For some reason they are not covering my fills, they would not cover the initial psych eval, or the heart monitor check (to get an idea of your heart rate at the pre-op). I have CIGNA through my husband's work. Other than that, I am very pleased with my experience with Dr. Forgione, the procedure and everything else. I just wish I would start losing. (People who know I have had the operation look at me like why isn't she loosing yet?)

Cyndi