JinTx

So i decided to start the diet my nut and dr recommended i start asap. I will still do protein shakes 14 days before surgery. I feel like total crap. Diet is no more than 20 net carbs per day, at least 12 must be from veggies. I started yesterday and have had a headache since noon that day. Also, i am major addicted to soda. I can still have diet sodas now but decided to cut it now since i dont want to drink them post op. My head is pounding. Meds dont make it go away. I dont know if its from the lack of carbs or lack of caffiene. Sucks.

I went straight to bed yesterday after posting bc i felt awful. I debated between walking and sleeping...sleep won. Lol. Literally my head was pulsing. Today is day 3 and i feel great so far this morning. I also want to get all the sugar, soda and junk out of my system now. Here's to a new day!!!

NJgirl, i didnt want to tell my husband. My original plan was to wait til i was approved and a date was set, then tell him. I ended up telling him before i attended my first info seminar. At first he reacted just like i thought he would--100% against it. After he did some research we talked again and he's on board. You may be surprised. My husband has said he just wants me to be happy and if i want to do this he told me to go for it. I am not telling many people about my wls and my husband totally respects that. Good luck to you. -J

Good luck to everyone tomorrow!!!

So had my consult yesterday after attending the info seminar. I was kind of annoyed b/c the dr came in, introduced himself and then looked at my insurance. He read the insurance checklist for my insurance (United Healthcare Choice Plus) and the last item on the list was a 6 month supervised diet !!! WTH ??? I had pulled my Benefits Summary from my employer yesterday morning and that is not listed as a requirement. It was hard to remember everything that he said after that b/c my mind was racing and I was feeling in a panic - 6 MONTHS! I told him I think it's incorrect and he told me to discuss w/ his insurance rep who I was already scheduled to meet w/ afterward my appt w/ him. So I meet w/ her and explain to her that I have 3 coworkers all banded by same dr, under same insurance who did NOT have to do the 6 month diet. I pulled out my Benefits Summary that I printed that same day and it was not listed as a requirement. I then explained to her that my employer makes us attend WW meetings if our BMI is over 35 (mine was 40) and I have all of my info from 2008. I told her that I suspect that perhaps my insurance accepts the WW records as 6 month prior history. She said "yeah, maybe". Uhhhh....no, not maybe - FIND OUT LADY!! Then I explain to her that from July 2010 thru Dec 2010 I did WW online, don't have a printed out weekly weigh in card. Explained to her that I already contacted my HR Dept about it and they said to go online, print my start date and print my bank statements w/ the WW deduction (my employer reimbursed the charges so they really paid for WW). I had all of that for her. She then she went and talked to someone else and that person said to submit it w/ the WW records w/out the 6 months diet. She came back and was basically like "we'll submit it and see what happens". She then pulled up the records of 1 of my coworkers and told me I was right, she didn't have to do the 6 month diet. Ummmm...duh, did you think I would lie? So today I am double checking w/ my HR Dept but I was slightly annoyed. Then afterwards I had my first appt w/ the nutritionist. The nutritionist asked if this was going to be my preop appt -- I told her hopefully and I told her the whole ordeal about the 6 month diet. She said "Oh, you are for sure going to get approved. This is your preop appt then." She went on to say if I have to do a 6 month diet then I'd have to come back one more time to meet w/ her. She told me to start Atkins now. She said the official preop diet is 2 weeks of liquids. She asked me if I had done a full liquid diet and I said no. She gave me a huge booklet of everything, including phase 1 of Atkins. I asked her why I had to start Atkins now. She said b/c if I start Atkins now and then in 4-6 weeks when I am scheduled for surgery start my liquids and I find the liquids to be a struggle the dr is more likely to let me have some source of food during that 2 wk preop phase. She said if I do not start Atkins now, continue w/ my current eating plan, and then just move to the 2 wk liquid diet, if I find it hard and I call him he is not going to let me have any solids. Anyone else heard of this ???? She said if for some reason I do not get approved and end up having to do the 6 months to call her and schedule appt (for FREE!!-- another long story) and we will go over the rest of the 6 month diet. I am assuming based upon my reading materials I would be moving into another phase of Atkins. Anyways, the nutritionist was super nice and super optimistic that UHC would approve me. I am meeting w/ HR today to find this out. Basically the end result of the appointment is that all I need is the psych and they are going to submit. I already had all of my medical records w/ me yesterday. And another thing -- insurance lady did not want to submit my OBGYN records. She said said ins will disregards any records of my weight while pregnant. I explained to her that in these records it talks about Metabolic syndrome, being obese, my lack of periods -- specifically states that patient unable to have a period on her own b/c she is obese. She said she'd submit them but I needed to pull anything that had to do w/ being pregnant. So I did. I am excited to be on this journey and feel this is the right facility/dr for me. The follow up care is excellent and my 3 coworkers love the dr and the facility, but they did not have to deal w/ this insurance rep (who is new -- at least she was not the UHC rep in November). Thanks for listening to my rant. -J

Good for you!! Good luck!!

So i made the decision that only a few people were going to know about my band - husband, best friend and a few coworkers that have also been banded. I am not saying anything to others for several reasons. So i have to stay overnight and its about 1.5 hrs away. I have 2 small kids ages 6 and 10. I will need someone to watch the kids while Dh either a. Spends the night with me or b. Comes to pick me up the next day. I haf the perfect plan to be banded on thurs then dh would leave around 1 pm go back and get the kids, stay with them and drop them off at school and then come back to get me. No one would have to watch the kiddos. We wouldnt have to lie. Come to find out my dr only does outpatients on thurs so i will have to be done on a fri. Ideally i would ask my parents, but i would have to lie about why bc i dont want them to know about the band. I may ask best friend but she just started a new job and i dont want her to request off work to help me. I really dont want to tell my parents about the band but i dont like having to lie about where i am while they have my kids. Anyone else been in this situation?

Op, my drs post op orders are the same as yours.

Stateofzen, wow, thanks for the post !!

Stateofzen, wow, thanks for the post !!

Im wondering the same thing about the swiss oatmeal. Is it eaten cold or heated?

Certain family members are very judgemental and i dont feel that i need to be the topic of everyone's conversation behind my back. In addition, both of my parents are very active, athletic, not over weight, and basically have no clue what its like to be 100 pounds overweight. Also, i have heard comments before about wls from my family members and they are not positive comments. I will most likely tell them one day, but not right now. My family tends to be very "gossipy" and i am sure i give them enough reasons to talk about me already. Lol.

Had an appt yesterday w/ my PCP to go over some bloodwork. As if stepping on the scale and it reading 230 pounds wasn't enough, he said I have Metabolic Syndrome aka pre-diabetes. I was holding in my tears the whole time he was explaining it to me. He showed me some paperwork on it and the lump in my throat was huge. I knew if I spoke I was going to bust out in tears. And then, it happened. The flood gates opened! I went on to tell him about how I have been like this for 6 years -- up, down, up down and I am so sick of it. Told him I attended a seminar about the band and I have a consult next week. He said "I am not opposed to that". So is that a yes?? He said - exact words - I need a DRASTIC lifestyle change. It's only a matter of WHEN I get diabetes, not IF, as long as I continue to live the way I am now. I walked out of there and called DH and cried some more. But then I was thinking I am lucky. I am lucky that I have a supportive employer that provides health insurance that covers this procedure. And the doctor even said I have the power to turn this around. I am only 31 and I have the ability to stop this. That made me feel good. So I started to feel better afterwards that this appointment just confirmed that the band is the tool that I need. I think DH saw that too. Then DH starts to talk about loose skin -- ummm...seriously?? I just have an appointment like that and you want to worry about skin?? Then DH goes on to say that I dismiss all of his concerns about the band and just "blow them off" b/c it's not what I want to hear. Well I invited him to the seminar so he could hear exactly what it was about from the doctor's mouth. Then I got pissed at myself. How did I let this happen? How did it get to this point? Why did I wait til now to do something? Frustrating. All in all, I think I NEEDED to hear that from my PCP yesterday. Maybe it was the kick in the rear that I needed. But it still sucked to hear. -J

Congrats! I have my consult next week. I am so excited. Are you dealing with insurance? A coworker who is banded said maybe late may i would be ready.

Tomorrow I go to my info seminar regarding the lapband. I am very excited to be starting the official process. I feel like I have educated myself through the web, this board and from 3 coworkers who have also been banded. All 3 coworkers were banded by the same office, which is the one I will be attending tomorrow. They all 3 have nothing but wonderful things to say about the surgeon and his office. I have also read nothing but good things about him on this board and the web (BTW, it's Dr Carcamo in San Antonio). But still, I feel like if I go tomorrow and love him also, should I still seek out another opinion from another surgeon? Is there another surgeon out there that I would like more? So my question is - how many surgeons did you meet with before deciding on "the one"?

I have done p90x. It is a good workout. It is tough. It is also a committment -- if you follow as written by Tony it requires 6 days a week (i did the lean option) and the workouts are 1 to 1.5 hours each. I hated the yoga. The time was an issue for me. I am not banded and i dont work out consistently so the 6 day per week was tough for me. All in all it is a good workout that i would do again. -j

Awesome! Congrats to you! -j

I'm fairly new to here but I'll chime in because this is a subject near and dear to my heart. My oldest son has autism and I have educated myself a great deal regarding how the food he consumes affects his body, brain and behavior. Years ago when I began the research regarding this I became of the opinion that if the food affects him it must also affect my youngest neurotypical son. Honestly, the concern I have with the food they put into their body's began as a concern for the physical and mental affects -- obesity really even wasn't a concern. And honestly, at this point, it still isn't. I am far more concerned on what the chemicals and dyes are doing to my children's brain cells than their waist lines. I would say my autistic son eats 90% "healthy" and 10% "unhealthy". His unhealthy foods come in the form of gluten free pretzels, corn chips, Cookies. My neurotypical son is around 75% "healthy" and 25% "unhealthy". My autistic son brings his lunch to school everyday. I monitor every bite he puts in his mouth. He physically feels the affects of consuming food "he can not eat" and does not mind bringing his lunch everyday. My youngest is allowed to buy lunch from the school one day a week - usually Friday's. I have seen the school lunches and they are not the greatest. My youngest also must purchase skim or 1% white milk only - no chocolate or strawberry - or he is to drink Water. He does not complain about this. As far as vegetables....I am fortunate that my kids are not really too picky. When they were babies and began to eat solid foods I started them on veggies vs fruits. This was because I was afraid that if they liked the sweet taste of pureed peaches or apples they would prefer it to the green Beans or peas. As they got older, and still today, the rule is you must try one bite of a new food. I do not accept them saying they do not like something without even trying it. If they do try it and say they do not like it then they are not forced to eat it at that meal. I will offer it again, and again, and maybe even again, and tell them they must take one bite. Most of the time I have found that they learn to like the vegetable. However, sometimes they don't. My oldest does not like broccoli or squash. I no longer offer these items to him on a regular basis. If I prepare these items in a new way (such as roasting broccoli) I will offer to him again and use the one bite rule. However, if I am making these items I know my oldest will not eat them therefore I will make additional veggies for everyone to enjoy. If my son declines squash and broccoli in exchange for swiss chard and brussell sprouts I am ok with that. If my children ask for a snack I take a mental note of what they have eaten within the past couple of days. I will tell my kids that they can either have a healthy snack or an unhealthy snack. My kids know that healthy Snacks equal lowfat organic yogurt, string cheese, fruit, cherry tomatoes or carrots sticks and unhealthy snacks equal potato chips, crackers, cookies. The same goes for dessert....because dessert at our house is really just an after dinner snack. My kids don't consider dessert as something that has to be a sweet treat. I have found that allowing my kids to choose what they eat makes it easier for them to accept the healthy choice. Everyone comments that my sons eats so well and they have never met children that eat so healthy. I am not going to lie...comments like that make me feel good as a parent. It makes me happy that I asked my 6 year old what he wanted me to cook for his birthday dinner and his response was "ASPARAGUS!!" However, he is 6...and when I asked him what he wanted as the main course he said "PIZZA!!". So, we had pizza and asparagus lol. So...I often tell my DH that people must look at my diet and then look at my kids diet and say "where the heck did she go wrong?" I love my veggies....however I also love my brownies, cakes, candy, cookies which is is to blame for my weight problem (the other factor is my lack of movement). I monitor my kids intake of food so much that some would consider it excessive, yet when it comes to myself, I fill me up with crap. I don't fully "get it" --as far as why I do this. Maybe my therapist can help me figure that one out. lol. I do think I have some control issues that play a huge part in this. At any rate I do feel to each his own. I certainly do not judge what others choose to do with their own children (not saying that anyone here was doing that!). I know that others may look at my autistic child and question if we are making the right decision in dealing with a situation with him. I do feel that parents, especially mothers, tend to be more judgmental of other mothers...think about it -- the debates are endless (breastfeeding vs formula, working mom vs stay at home mom, disposable diapers vs cloth diapers). I feel everyone needs to do what they think is best. Thanks for posting this topic...it brought my out of lurking. lol.

Hi everyone. I have been lurking around this board for a little while as I have been researching the band. I am going to an info session w/ Dr Carcamo in San Antonio, Tx next Monday. 3 of my coworkers have been banded by him (well...one by his partner, Dr Wright but from what I understand they do all surgeries together, but she sees Dr Wright pre&post op, the other two are w/ Dr Carcamo). I am fortunate that I work for an employer that is very supportive of WLS. A few other coworkers have had bypass. My BMI is right at 40 and I have no comorbid conditions...well, i have no diagnosed comorbid conditions by my PCP. I have had high cholesterol for the past 5 consecutive years but have never went to my PCP to discuss. My employer has a medical company come onsite once a year and performs physicals, including lab work, yearly. This is a requirement in order to have continued insurance coverage that my employer provides. My employer also provides weekly WeightWatcher meetings on site free to employees w/ a BMI over 35. I have been attending meetings regularly but I do not like WeightWatchers. Other than the high cholesterol that showed up on lap work I have no other comorbid conditions -- YET. It's only a matter of time before I do. My family history is horrible and puts me at risk for a lot of health conditions. I have been researching the band for a few months and feel it may be the right way to go for me. The 3 coworkers I have spoken to about it love it and are all for me getting it. One is about a year post op and the other one is nearly 2 years. The 3rd is only a few months out. In addition, all say that I should have no problem getting our insurance to cover it (I have United Healthcare). One coworker got denied the first time and she got HR involved and it ended up being approved in 2 days. My employer's healthcare coverage is 'self funded', meaning the company pays the claims an uses UHC as a benefit administrator only. I don't know if that makes a difference or not. My main concerns is what happens in 20,30,40 years? I am 32 yrs old and I plan on being around for awhile. Where are the studies that document the results after 20-30 year period? I am assuming there are none since this is a fairly new thing. Also, one coworker told me that Dr Carcamo has never had to remove a band. This concerns me. Obviously I am going to ask him myself to verify. It concerns me b/c what if mine needs to be removed for whatever reason? Do I really want to be his first guinea pig? At the same time all of my research on this doctor has shown him to be excellent. In addition, I keep thinking to myself -- if my 3 coworkers love the band...have had NO complications...have been successful -- what are the odds that the same will happen to me? I keep thinking I will be the one that the band slips, or needs a port revision, or something. I hate to think about the bad stuff, but the reality is, I HAVE to. I understand that the band is not the cure. I understand this isn't a magic pill. My lifestyle will change and I will only be successful w/ diet and exercise for the rest of my life. I have about 90 pounds to lose. That just seems so overwhelming to me considering as to how I can lose weight, but it's a struggle to keep it off. My husband at first was NOT supportive at all. We got in several huge fights about it and now he has come around. He understands that I need to do this for my health. At any rate, I am looking forward to my info session next week. Regards, J

Hi Jamie. I am new also and am still researching the band. I just wanted to say welcome. I was told by my OB that I 'may' have PCOS....he didn't really seem too worried about it. I am going for another appt w/ a different OB for another opinion. Also go next week for my info session w/ the band surgeon. Hope you find lots of info here at this site. J