I saw my surgeon, Dr. Jan, on Monday and after about an hour appointment, I'm scheduled for surgery next Friday, May 18th. I was utterly shocked at how fast he was able to schedule me. Even though he said I didn't have to do a pre-op diet if I didn't want to, I decided to start yesterday with two protein shakes during the day, unlimited zero-calorie clear liquids, and a healthy dinner (salads mostly). Just being in a strict routine feels good. I'm not sure why exactly, but I've always done so much better in a controlled environment; when he said it was up to me, I felt that if I didn't chose to do a pre-op diet, I would have a MUCH harder time with the two weeks of clear liquids post-op. So far it's been successful, I've lost over 6 pounds.
My focus now has shifted to long term success and keeping up on my end of the deal. Dr. Jan isn't so much of a fan of the band because there is quite the failure rate. He prefers the gastric sleeve most of all. I wasn't ready for such an invasive surgery, and I insisted that I hold myself to a very high level of responsibility, and I will not fail at this. I don't want to say that Lap Band is my last hope, but I really have tried SO many other things that I don't know what else I could do if this doesn't work. I'm not going to think of that though - I'm staying positive and just thinking of what a very successful band patient said:
ONLY GIVE YOUR BODY WHAT IT NEEDS.
I'm not going to eat things because I "feel" like it anymore. I'm not going to snack because I'm bored. I'm sorting out my head hunger from my stomach hunger. I'm looking at everything I put in my mouth and the impact it will have on the scale.
I can't believe Monday is almost here. I have my appointment with the Surgeon - AKA last step of the process before surgery - and will get my surgery scheduled. Finally! I'm not a patient person, and this whole two month process has been brutal!
I've been stuck in this limbo for about a month. I started the Pre Bariatric Surgery eating plan. Five meals a day, high protein low calorie, and I was completely rocking it. I lost 11 pounds, was exercising daily, and was feeling amazing. Then my BMI dropped to 34.2. My insurance requires a BMI of 35 so I asked the Dietician and Surgery Coordinator what I should do and they both said I needed to gain a couple pounds before I saw the Surgeon since they submit my numbers to insurance when I see him. That completely took me off my game. I was all set to see the Surgeon two weeks ago, then came down with Strep Throat AND the Influenza. Had to cancel, and go through another two weeks stuck in this crazy frustrating weight balancing act.
I'm just so excited to get my numbers submitted to insurance for approval so I can get re-focused. I'm actually hoping that I'll be able to start the Pre-Op Skim Milk diet pretty soon, but at the very least I can start the Pre Bariatric Diet and get my mind back in the game.
I've been waiting and waiting for what feels like FOREVER (okay, it was 3 weeks, but still!) for my appointment with the surgeon. It's the last appointment before scheduling surgery, and I was so far ahead of the planned schedule.
Well, my appointment was last Wednesday and I was SICK. So sick!! I got sick Monday night; high fever, vomiting, coughing, sore throat, all my glands were swollen...I was so so sick. My abdominal lymph nodes were so swollen they were pressing on bundles of spinal nerves in my back...I couldn't even lay down! Wednesday rolled around, I thought all morning I would force myself to go, but when the doctors office opened at 9 I called and cancelled. I knew there was no way I could drive, I was still running a fever and couldn't talk at all. I was, and still am, so frustrated! His next available appointment isn't until May 7th, so I have to wait 8 more days. I finally am better, I had the actual Influenza (and yes I got my flu shot last season!) and it was absolutely one of the most miserable things I've ever been through. When I cancelled, I remember telling myself that "you are too sick, don't look back at this and be mad" but I am. But okay...another 8 days....
It's been a bumpy week, but today at work we got an email that the new EMR charting system (the reason my surgery would be potentially delayed until after July - making this girl VERY unhappy!) has been delayed until October, lifting the "no vacation" ban and freeing up my spring and summer!
I'm so excited, I see the surgeon in exactly one week and from there we will schedule surgery and get final insurance approval. I'm so ready to get to the next step!
The past week has been completely overhwelming.
The dietician and WLS coordinator both told me it was okay to vary off my eating plan because my BMI was going to drop below what insurance would pay for. I tried just adding in extra fruits and veggies...then thought, well, it won't hurt to have Del Taco since I can't be losing weight now anyways...then okay maybe I'll have pizza for dinner...and now I'm frustrated all over again. I have my appointment set to see the surgeon (finally!) for April 25th, so the week before they said it would be safe for me to re-focus and get back to the strict plan. Mentally, I want to be healthy, but know that after meeting with the surgeon, I will be scheduling surgery ASAP and will hopefully go into the Pre-Surgery Diet phase...so I've got about six days to eat the greasy, fatty, bad-for-you food that my brain is telling me I really, really want!
I'm feeling so super stressed right now. On top of dealing with my weight struggles and feeling the pressure of wanting to be committed to the program, but needing to be approved through insurance AND not losing my focus, I also learned that there's a deadline for me to have surgery because my work is going into a "no vacation" phase because we're getting a new charting system. AND I'm dealing with a very stressful family situation.
I just need a break. I want to get this surgery rolling so I can stay focused, get my head back in the game, and start losing those pounds!
After meeting with the dietician and endocrinologist and being medically cleared for the lap band, I was told to start the Bariatric Surgery diet. Not the big, scary, 2-4 weeks of skim milk that is the Pre-Op Diet, but this is basically a low calorie, high protien, very balanced plan. I'm following it to a T and only mildly cheated once last week. I've lost 8 lbs and am feeling great so far. This morning, just for fun, I re-calculated my BMI and it's 35.2. I went into a little bit of a panic spin since my insurance requires a BMI of 35. I remember reading on here that some programs submit the inital weight, and my BMI was 38.6 so I would be good. Just to reassure myself, I emailed the program director.
The surgeon, whom I will be setting up an appointment with on Monday, is the one who makes the final decision and THAT is the information that is submitted to insurance for approval. The dietician emailed me back and said to NOT go below my current weight, and I may need to put on just a pound or two to ensure my BMI is stable before it's submitted.
So here I was, completely focus, in the ZONE, and now I have to gain a few pounds?! I don't like the sound of that at ALL!! I was feeling so great, really on a roll.
I talked it over with my husband, and he said for me to give in tonight to my one craving, something I've talked about since I've been on this strict eating plan, so I had a Five Guys burger and fries. I feel SO SICK afterwards now!! I think it's a combination of mentally knowing I shouldn't have done it, and physically I haven't had a meal that heavy in a few weeks. I think now I will just add in some fruit or veggies to my mid-day snacks....
During my psychological evaluation the psychologist and I were talking about exercise. She was very helpful and said the best way to start is just do something. Something. Don't set out thinking you're going to do an hour on the elliptical the first day. You'll get too tired and be too sore the next day and get discouraged. Do 3 minutes. The next day, do 5 minutes. Or do 3 again. Just get your body and mind used to doing something, everyday. Mark it off on a calendar and train your brain to dislike seeing an unchecked box.
I always thought of myself as busy. We have a 3 story house and I'm up and down all day after work (where I'm up and down all day!). I've exercised tons before (the Insanity workout, jogging, etc) but I do so much for a few weeks then I'm done. My body is tired and I'm done.
So I thought....you know, I can do something every day. And now I've started
I'm officially done with all of the pre-work. All I have left is to meet with the surgeon and have the pre-op class, then surgery! I'm so excited. I've been following the Pre-Bariatric Surgery eating plan for about a week and a half now (3 meals a day and 2 protein drinks, eating out of only 4 food groups) and I'm down almost 7 lbs.
Today I finished up with the psychologist and reviewed the scores from the MMPI test. Although she cleared me for surgery, she suggested that I meet with a psychologist locally to follow up for another session or two. My scores were great in most areas except two, self-image and emotional coping. The self-image I totally get, and need to improve because I'm afraid that even at my goal I'll still see the fat girl in the mirror. The emotional coping - I thought she was crazy until she explained what it meant - and there is no way I could have argued. I went through some childhoold trauma and my parents had an explosive, horrid divorce about 7 years ago that I was in the middle of. I guess you don't make it out of that without some emotional baggage and surprisingly enough, ignoring it was not the correct thing to do. So I have some work to do, but not work that will hinder me having surgery.
Besides, I want to be healthy and part of that is mentally, not just my body.
The psychologist asked for a few days to get her report to the surgery coordinator, then I should be hearing from the nurse to set up the appointment with the surgeon. The good news is, I've almost completely satisified my deductible so my surgery should cost me next to nothing. I've managed to get about 10 weeks worth of pre work done in 4, so as long as I keep moving at that pace I should be able to be banded by the end of April or early May.
Today is my appointment for the first part of the psych eval. I'm actually excited! Partially because I think the psychiatrists imput would be interesting, but also because after this appointment and the follow-up next week are done, I can schedule with the surgeon. After that, it should be smooth sailing!
Started the pre-bariatric surgery eating plan and so far I'm down 5.8 lbs!
Which band to go with? The Realize or LAP-Band? I'm sure I'll talk it over with the surgeon but it's definitely something to think about.
I had my big 4 hour appointment today with everyone under the sun. The dietician was super nice. We first did the informational session on life and diet post banding. I then saw the Internist/Endocrinologist for an hour. He was nice...reminded me of Rain Man but very thorough. After hearing my symptoms that I've dealt with my whole life, he wants to do one additional lab test (24 hour urine collection - yippee!) to test for a Phenochromocytoma (benign tumor in the adrenal gland)but decided I didn't need any furter pre-op testing. Whew! I then had the 1:1 with the dietician. Not surprisingly, my method of skipping meals then ravenously eating isn't the best. After that I had the 1 hour Physical Education class which was interesting but nothing I didn't already know but still, another check mark off my list of To-Do.
After my psych appointment March 27 then April 2, I'll be ready to schedule with the surgeon! Super excited. I start my pre-bariatric surgery diet tomorrow. No, not the scary 2-4 week skim milk diet, but the very low calorie, balanced, high-protein diet. They gave me basically a list of foods from 4 food groups to pick from for each meal, and two protein drinks as snacks between meals, and that's it! I do really well with a regime, and it's expected that I lose weight before seeing the surgeon, so it looks like my journey begins tomorrow!
Patience is not my thing. I think I've said that before....? I finally have my big 4 hour doctor appointment Wednesday. I see the dietician, doctor, surgery coordinator, and physical educator. I had my 13 lab tests done last week, all was well except very low Vitamin D level (hello native NW girl) and maybe a H. Pylori infection (stomach bug) so I'll have to talk to the doctor about that and get it treated before we set a surgery date.
I've been doing this weird thing where I feel like it's a free-for-all with food. I've been doing a very low calorie diet for the better part of the last two years...I KNOW surgery will be within the next month or two (or worst case, three) so I think...well...this may be the last time I have cinnamon rolls/sour patch kids/nachos...and I've gained like, 3 lbs since the seminar! I know it's a mental thing, saying my final "good-bye's" to the good food I won't ever have again, but I need to get over it quick! Hopefully talking to the RD will get my butt back on track.
I'm actually excited to do the liquid diet pre-op. My doctors require a 2 week all skim milk diet (along with a few other liquids, but they must be very low calorie and you must have skim milk for 3 meals a day). I quit coffee, today was day 8, and that's something I NEVER thought I could do. I am seeing the pre-op diet as a challenge that I KNOW I can conquer...but it's almost like, get with it already! I'm ready to do this, I'm tired of waiting, and the longer I wait the more stressed I will be, and the more stress-eating I will do! So....c'mon ALREADY!!
During the WLS Seminar, the surgeon mentioned that the dietician is going to tell us all that we must not drink coffee. Forget the Starbucks, no more Dutch Brothers, skip the home brew. This, my friends, was devistating news to me.
See, I don't drink alcohol. I've never smoked and never even thought of touching drugs. But coffee...oooh coffee. I drink it all day long. I would rarely buy the good coffees (Starbucks, Dutch Bros) but I would drink a pot of coffee a day.
When asked the reasoning behind that idea, the surgeon said the focus needs to be on giving your body only what it needs. "Okay", I thought, "I totally get it, I can do this!".
Saturday was my grande finale. That night, I ran the coffee pot parts through the dishwasher and put it all away.
Sunday I tried a cup of black tea, then some diet green tea with ginsing later in the day. No caffiene headache, and I felt pretty good. Monday was pretty successful too. Yesterday though...yesterday was a doozie. I REALLY wanted a venti white chocolate mocha frappuccino from Starbucks. As in, it was all I could think about all day. I had a headache, I was tired, and seriously doubting my decision to go 'cold turkey' on this whole caffiene-free thing. A coworker suggested grabbing a Pepsi, but again, my focus is on transitioning to what my body needs not what my head wants. So I resisted.
Has anyone else had to give up anything (besides the yummy food!) to get in the right mindset for surgery.....or do you think it's better to "live it up" while you can pre-op since you'll essentially never have some things again (if you stick to the plan)?
Wednesday night was the Seminar on WLS. I found it very informative but also felt prepared after scouring this website so much! There was about 10 people there, the WLS Coordinator spoke first then one of the three Bariatric Surgeons. I was actually a little let down, I had gone in so stoked about the Lap Band, and the surgeon that came actually disliked Bands and much preferred the Sleeve or Bypass over Bands ("difficult to balance, very easy to put in, very low risk BUT highest failure rate with post-op weight loss).
After the seminar I introduced myself to the coordinator and we chatted for a moment about my insurance (I asked if I could fax back in the paperwork instead of mail - again, I'm Type A, tell me to do something I get it done, and I want it finished NOW). She asked more specifics on my plan and when I filled her in that I had UHC through my husbands employer, and who that was, she was ecstatic! She said she had already approved 3 patients that worked for his employer this year, and the insurance was an absolute dream to work with. She said to fax in my paperwork ASAP, she would get it done the next day.
I came home FULL of info, got my paperwork filled out and faxed in the next morning (Thurs.). Cathy (WLS Coordinator) called that night about 6:30 and said that I completely met their criteria, it was VERY basic criteria, and they've given me pre-approval! She locked in my benefits, 20% co-insurance after my deductible (which I've almost met) and out of pocket max of $6000, which by the time surgery rolls around it should cost me only about $1500-$2500 out of pocket, then EVERYTHING will be covered the rest of the year since I will have met my max!
So now...appointments! There are about 20 steps before surgery. Tomorrow I have to have 13 lab tests done. On March 21st I have my 4 hour appt with the Dietician/Internal Medicine/Surgery Coordinator/Physical Educator, then the following week I have two appointments set up for my Psych Evaluation.
The timeline said to allow 2-3 weeks for insurance pre-approval and I got it in one day. I still need authorization, which comes right before surgery when I've done EVERYTHING and am ready to go, but Cathy said it should be a breeze.
I'm excited for the whole thing. 539 question psych test? Yay! Two weeks of skim milk pre-op? Bring it on!
Projected surgery date is mid-May/early-June. I've got to kick some butt fast afterwards because I have my best friends wedding in September and plan on looking astonishing.
Hey all,
My name is Jennifer, I'm 28 years old, and I am ready to change my life.
I'm just starting the Lap Band process. JUST starting. As in, I've made up my mind and am attending the informational seminar tomorrow. I've been overweight my whole life ("She takes after her fathers side" is what they would always say - they're all over 300 lbs). After successfully losing 55 lbs at the beginning of last year, then gaining it all back after changing jobs and buying a house (hello Stress Eater!) towards the end of the year, I've made up my mind that Lap Band is what I need.
I'm happily married, have been for over 8 years, with a very supportive, loving husband. He's never mentioned my weight more than telling me how beautiful or nice I look. It wasn't until a converstation with my doctor two years ago when I was complaining about PMS bloating, and that my weight would fluctuate between 230-240 lbs that he suggested I try to lose 40 lbs, because wouldn't it be better to go between 190-200? I was honestly shocked. I need to lose weight?!
I never really saw myself as overweight. I don't eat badly. I don't eat all day long. I just RARELY feel full.
So speed up to current day, having tried many different diets over the past two years and epically failing, I'm ready for the Lap Band. I've done my research. I'm mentally ready. I've figured out my insurance coverage - even though the Nurse Coordinator assured me that she will do all of that. I'm lucky enough that my insurer covers it as your every day outpatient surgery, covers all pre and post-op care, you name it, they cover it once I hit my deductible which thanks to a few trips to the doctor, some PT for my husband, and lab tests, I'm almost there. My BMI is only 38 (below my insurance requirements unless a co-moribitiy) but luckily (yay for me!) I've had uncontrolled high blood pressure since I was 15 years old, and take medication daily for acid reflux. I've also had a borderline sleep study. I'm no stranger to surgery, as a matter of fact my ONLY spare parts are my tonsils (okay, I could spare one kidney and part of my liver but I'd realllly like to keep those if I could).
My goal is to get the band placed within the next few months. My goal weight is 155 lbs. That's only 80 lbs and I KNOW I can do it.
