I just joined this forum and thought I'd post a note in the empty Minnesota section. I'm concidering having the lap band surgery and am going to attend the informational meeting at Abbott next Friday. Has anyone out there had this surgery done at that hospital? Can you share your experiences with me? Thanks!!

Megan in Northfield, MN

Hey Crystal! Congratulation's!!! I as well had to go through HP's 10 week program but was able to start it right away after I got pre-approved in Sept. I just finished my last appt on Wed and I am having my surgery on Jan. 2 with Dr. W. I really liked the program though it taught me a lot more about myself than I realized. I start my pre-op diet on Sunday so that will be fun over XMas..... :-) I am excited/nervous for my surgery so I am feeling very overwhelmed lately.

Happy Holidays!

-Megan

I had all my preop stuff done down here in Blue Earth. The woman that did all the testing had the bipass done. She was really good to talk to. I think they really have to look hard to make sure you are ready. I know I wasn't mine happened way too fast. I started the preop in march 07 and had the band on may 19, 07.

It really helped me to have someone on my side that had a weight problem and was in favor of it. Good luck

Hey Crystal! Congratulation's!!! I as well had to go through HP's 10 week program but was able to start it right away after I got pre-approved in Sept. I just finished my last appt on Wed and I am having my surgery on Jan. 2 with Dr. W. I really liked the program though it taught me a lot more about myself than I realized. I start my pre-op diet on Sunday so that will be fun over XMas..... :-) I am excited/nervous for my surgery so I am feeling very overwhelmed lately.

Happy Holidays!

-Megan

Thanks! Congrats to you too!!! What a way to start 2008 right? As yucky as it sounds, I can't wait to start my pre-op diet. Just because I know that surgery will be right around the corner. Do you know what you are planning to drink yet? I looked around at the grocery store when I was buying stuff for Christmas dinner. I know I can drink slimfast but I don't know if I want to drink that for all 10 days. Much luck to you on your surgery and a speedy recovery!

Hi Crystal,

I started my pre-op diet on Sunday and have been drinking mostly Carnation Instant Breakfast, broth, SF Jello and SF popsicles. Oh and lots of Water. I had a little plate of food on Christmas but other than that doing pretty well. For the first couple of days I found myself just grabbing something and eating it without even thinking about it until I was chewing. Yesterday I did really well and today has been good too. I am finding that I am really tired though so I have been trying to keep myself busy and drink a lot of water. I know they say you can have coffee but I have actually cut down on my coffee intake the last couple of months. My surgery is 6 days away and I am so anxious that is less than a week away.

I bought a couple of books for when I am off. How are you doing with everything? Decided where your "last supper" is going to be? Mine was at this awesome Thai place in Minneapolis. :-)

Meg, you're well on your way - good job! Make sure you give yourself plenty of time to rest and relax while you're fasting. I also suggest taking up a craft that keeps your hands busy. I did an afghan during my preop fast and it really helped! Busy hands can't put food in your mouth!

Another suggestion - add some onion powder to your broth for a little better flavor. It makes beef broth taste wonderful!

Congratulations - you're on your way! :-)

Hello fellow Minnesotans!

I'm up north in Bemidji. I will hopefully be getting banded in April '08 by Dr. Margo in Deer River. What an awesome doctor! I've only heard really good things about Dr. Margo and the Deer River Hospital. I'm eager to get going and it seems like it's been forever since I made the decision to get banded. I'd like to hear from anyone from Minnesota, or anyone that's close to being banded or has just recently had their surgery.

I just found out my insurance demands a 6 month supervised diet before they will aprove the surgery. The clinic that i am going with does not even submit to the insurance until you have done all the testing and dieting. So instead of being banded in April I might be banded in October. Right now it is a big bummer for me.

I'm right in the middle of the process with BCBS. They are requiring that I have the 6 months supervised by my doctor as well. My Nutritionist and I are meeting monthly and we are documenting EVERYYTHING, from food logs, exercise logs, changes that have been made and weight-in numbers. The hospital works with BCBS enough that they know what needs to be in the chart in order to be approved. My hospital bills everything at the time of surgery as well. I started the process back in September '07 and hopefully looking at a banding date sometime in April '08. Seems like forever, but I am if you think about it in weeks and count down, you are going to find out that it's going to be soon than you think. Good luck and keep your eye on the target:)

Hi everyone! I've just found this Minnesota thread - how exciting.

I'm being banded on Feb 13th in St. Louis Park with Dr. Weatherille. I've been thinking about having this done for so long now (3 years), that I can''t believe I am actually going to do it.

I have BCBS as my insurance and it also required a 6 month supervised diet. I got lucky though because my aunt convinced me to do Jenny Craig last year. I did it for 8 month, losing a whopping 20 lbs (nothing, considering I need to get rid of nearly 100lbs). BCBS counted Jenny Craig as my 6 months of supervised diets. If you've done anything like that (WW, JC, LA Weight Loss, etc), send the records to the insurance company and they may count it.

Good luck to everyone!

Anna

Meg, did you have your surgery? How are you doing?

Hi Pizzicato66 - Like Crystal, I will be banded by Dr. Weatherille, just a little later on Feb 13th. Looks like you have had great success - congrats! That give me hope that I can succeed too!

Crystal - I don't know if you've met Dr. Weatherille yet, but I did meet him at one of my pre-op appointments. I thought he was great - honest and straightforward.

Anna

Hi Anna - looks like you're coming up on your fast soon as well - excellent!

Dr. W is a great surgeon. Once you're through your surgery, you won't have much contact with him at all (he pretty much just handles the surgery itself). His PA Amy and nurse Carol are WONDERFUL though, and will take great care of you! I always look forward to my checkup appointments.

Thanks for the compliments! I've slowed down a bit and have had a little more trouble sticking to the eating plan, but I'm hoping my upcoming fill will help reinspire and limit me a bit more.

Hi Anna,

I met with Dr Wetherille about a month ago and thought he was wonderful. He is really smart and knows an aweful lot. I am really greatful that I picked him as my surgeon. Only 13 more days until I am banded!

Hi Pizzacato! Yes, I did get banded on Jan. 2. I am feeling much better and going back to work tomorrow! I just started my pureed diet yesterday with some blended up chicken and spaghetti sauce and blended green beans YUM!! I was so excited to eat real food that I forgot how much I could actually eat at once LOL Its dissapointing yet satisfying at the same time! I have lost about 24 pounds since starting my liquid diet so I am happy about that!

Dr W. did my surgery as well and I was really happy with him. He was really informative and he even recorded the surgery for me! The one thing I was suprised with was how much my liver hurt the following week.

I hope your are doing well I know eating well is hard to stick to sometimes because sometimes you want to eat five cookies and don't know why Oh yeah they taste good :-) Keep up the good work!

Just a reminder there is a group on yahoo that Park Nicollet Patients put together its called PNCBandsters. Also we meet the first Wed. of every month at The Bank Building if anyone is interested. Carol (Dr. W's nurse is always there). Some people also meet every Wed. at a Perkins in Bloomington. I haven't gone yet because it just hasn't worked out for me.

GOOD LUCK AND WELCOME TO THE CLUB!