melzie_99

About to leave for the hospital; couldn't sleep at all last night and the nerves have finally gotten to me. *deepbreath* Wish me luck!

Well, today is the last day of my old life; surgery first thing tomorrow! I'm still much calmer than I thought I would be; my family's more worried than I am. I have to say I look forward to be able to eat semi-solid foods again...applesauce sounds like heaven right about now. I've been on a clear liquid diet all day, and I'm tired of it. I'm even craving those stupid protein shakes! (lol) Good luck to everyone, and I'll let you know how things go as soon as I can!

I use non flavored Unjury (it's what my dr likes); depends on what you add it to how much the flavor is affected. I was eating it with non fat Vanilla yogurt and it's fine (of course, you get used to the flavor after awhile IMO). I mix in a little at a time and stir thoroughly to avoid the clumps. Oddly enough it seems to thin out the yogurt as opposed to thickening it up.

Yay, another Montana person! I get banded Monday the 10th in Great Falls at Benefis. Good luck!

No worries; I had surgery previously and was informed I wet my self during the procedure because they gave me 2 full bags of saline beforehand (and 3 during surgery I was told) and didn't give me a catheter. At the time the nurse told me I was too groggy to care but pretty embarassing now thinking back on it. I'm sure worse things have happened...

Well, all my labs came back normal (and I'm not pregnant) so surgery's first thing Monday morning! I'm #1 on the list; have to be at the hospital at 6 for a 7am surgery. More excited than nervous at this point; I'm just ready to get started! I have tentatively met my first weight loss goal of this journey; I wanted to be in the 250's (started my diet at 267) and as of this morning I was 259.8! Can't wait to see what else I can accomplish. Good luck to all!

Hi all, I just finished reading the article and subsequent comments on Huffington Post about the FDA encouraging lower BMI banding...boy, were some of the comments upsetting. I meet with my surgeon for the first time on Wed, and those comments just made a lot of my doubts come rushing back. Why is there so much hatred towards overweight people? Do people really think we sit around all day ordering food and watching tv? While I agree the band should be a last resort, I knew there would be some "interesting" feedback on a site other than ours concerning the surgery. So my question is this: have any of you faced ridicule or prejudice pre/post surgery, and if so, how did/do you cope? My confidence is beginning to wane...

I have Tricare Prime; after my final paperwork was submitted it took less than 48 hours for them to approve surgery. Just make sure you get all your authorizations before you do ANYTHING so they'll cover all the cost. Good luck!

Surgery's Monday; got all my pre surgery lap work done and filled my pain/nausea meds yesterday. Fingers crossed all my labs come back normal! Apparently my stomach has shrunken during this diet as I'm finding it harder and harder to eat; as I write I'm sitting here staring at this 6oz cup of yogurt I mixed with 1 scoop protein powder and I can't finish it. My dogs have been more than happy to finish food for me (lol). I'm just ready to get started on this journey and be a happier, healthier me.

I'm on day 7 of the pre op diet (7 more days to go); first few days were awful for me...lots of cravings and head hunger. As of today I'm finding I don't want to eat and definately have not met my proteins or calories for the day. I'm not hungry and the thing I'm craving (a burger) I can't have, so my brain is saying "what's the point"? On a happy note, I've lost about 5lbs already and it's my TOM to boot so who knows how much weight I'll lose when all is said and done. If you slip up don't beat yourself up, but don't throw in the towel, either. It's a big transition but I feel confident in saying it will all be worth it in the end.

My doc's office said no pills over the size of a dime. I bought some of the gummy vitamins (hate the taste of regular chewables) and being on this pre op diet, their sweetness is like a treat! LOL

I'm on day 7 of the pre op diet and I'm not gonna lie; it SUCKS in the beginning. At this point I'm not even really hungry anymore and pretty much have to force myself to eat. However, the pounds are falling off and I'm excited to see how things are once I have surgery. It feels good to be starting off the new year doing something for myself I can finally stick to. Know that you're not alone in this journey, and welcome to the club!

If you have Tricare prime, just go see your PCM and let them know you're interested in surgery. You will need an authorization to see the surgeon. Don't let your pride get in the way; it's not as bad as you think. I also have Prime and the whole process from referral to approval only took 8 days. As we don't have surgeons here on our base (Malmstrom AFB) I'm seeing a civilian surgeon, and Prime is covering everything 100%. Just make sure to get all your paperwork squared away, and good luck!

I'll confess too, then...only day 4 and I have cheated as well. It's gotten easier each day but days 1 and 2 I was about to lose my mind. Actually started crying today for no reason while cooking for my husband (I blame watching 'Bridges of Madison County'...lol). At first it was the temptation that was hard, now my body is actually beginning to react physically to the restriction and is punishing me. Part of me wonders if they make it horribly restrictive on purpose knowing that people will cheat a little and still be able to lose weight; it's a dark day indeed when I'm looking longingly at a can of corn!!! LOL. Stay strong, ladies; we can do this.

My surgery is the 10th, so I'm suffering right along with you. I'm allowed things like sugar free pudding and Jello as well as 1/2c no sugar added apple sauce, sugar free yougurt, and low carb veggies. If you have Protein powder, try mixing it in with some sugar free pudding; it's a godsend when you feel like cheating and makes it much more tolerable. I'm not a fan of veggies on their own most of the time, so I've been eating some 0 point WW Soup I froze awhile ago; no fat and taste great! (And I don't think it breaks any of my rules...) I also got some Isopure tea from GNC; it's not the greatest but it's a break from the shakes. Only downside is you have to drink the whole bottle(20oz) to get 40g of protein as opposed to 8oz of the stuff I have to get the same amount. Hang in there, and know you're not alone!

My psych eval was just a short conversation with a licensed addictions counselor; I was actually kind of disappointed it was so brief. No one has discussed with me the emotional/mental side of the surgery, which I think is probably the hardest obstacle. While I agree 16 pages sounds excessive, be glad your doctors are being thorough!

I also had a reduction and still have nipple sensitivity; however, I do have some numbness in the surrounding tissue of one of my breasts. That being said, I would gladly have given up sensitivity for the 6 pounds I got off my chest!

I'm 29 and get banded on the 10th; better now than later!

No CPAP during surgery, but they will most likely intubate you. You will need to take it to the hospital with you if you're staying overnight, however.

Most surgeons prefer one or the other; haven't heard of any that offer both. That being said, I think the 2 biggest differences between the two are the band sizes and construction. The Lap Band has I believe 3 band sizes available as opposed to 2; if you look at pics of the 2 bands the Realize is one smooth tube that goes around your stomach as opposed to the Lap Band, which actually has smaller 'divisions' if you will in the tubing. My dr will be using the Lap Band.

If you're not that close and he has a bad track record of keeping secrets, I think personally I would keep it to myself unless he asks you flat out or you feel comfortable. I struggled with whether or not to tell my family and opted to share, but also know the info will stay within the family. Will not be telling anyone else (at least not any time soon.) Don't feel pressured to tell him if you're not comfortable; however, I would recommend telling someone you trust so you can have that support system along your journey. No matter what you decide, good luck!

I agree with everyone else; it depends on the dr's office. I was scheduled before I ever received insurance approval; they tried to schedule me for surgery 13 days after my consult, but I had it pushed back to January.

It's really dependent on the insurance company; I had approval within 48 hours of the final paperwork being submitted. For some people it takes weeks. Not really a concrete answer for that one; sorry.

Diet starts today; was excited but now feeling ho-hum. I know there are lots of "good food" options, but right now seeing a freezere full of food I can't eat is driving me crazy (lol). Wish me luck, people; I think I'm going to need it.

Congrats and welcome! I have my surgery the 10th; presurgery diet starts tomorrow! I'm pretty excited too; waiting is kinda hard. I just want to get the ball rolling and start my journey. I was 278 at my highest but managed to lose and keep off 12-15lbs recently...the weight DOES kind of sneak up on you. Don't know how I've managed to put on over 100lbs in about 7 years. But no more dwelling in the past; we have wonderful futures to look forward to! Again, welcome, and good luck; you should join the January 2011 thread.