Karon

Good for you Linda. Sounds like you had a nice day and didn't get yourself in any trouble. Proud of you. See it can be done. They didn't have any pulled pork at the BBQ or BBQ chicken? Just curious about the hamburger. k

Hi Lina: Welcome. We're here for you. Just post a question and we'll try our best to answer. You should probably start with your primary care physician who will be able to recommend a surgeon for you. Then make an appointment with the surgeon and he will tell you his process from there. It is all pretty straight forward. You usually have to attend an information session with other people interested in bariatric surgery as well. There is a lot of knowledge available on these boards. People are friendly and willing to help. So just jump in and begin talking and soon you'll know more than you ever dreamed ,

Walmart also sells the EAS brand.

Hi Johnnyboy: I just bought some Dannon Greek yogurt, but I haven't tasted it yet. Waiting until the 21st when I start my diet, which lasts 3 weeks. I hope they do taste good cause they were a dollar a piece and that's expensive. How much does the Chobani run? I have heard of that brand but not the Oikos one. Good luck with your appt. on the 20th. Keep us posted. You and I will be in this together, just 3 days apart.

Hi, hopefully soon. Thanks for taking the time to read my blog. I just wrote one that you might find interesting about the things we have to do to get ready. Where are you in the process. Bariatric Fusion is a name I don't recall hearing yet. Where do you buy it? I ordered some super whey protein from walmart and some Unjury and a bunch of samples from other companies. I hope I like the stuff from Walmart as I have a total of 6 pounds of it and I am only supposed to take 1 scoop as opposed to 2 scoops on the pre-op diet. So it should last a long time. I am going to try and make smoothies out of them in the blender and hope they will be palatable to me. I can't afford to waste money. However, I have done liquid diets in the past and I didn't mind too much. But this is going to be for 21 days and I'm not really looking forward to that. Thank God we can have some fish and chicken everyday along with yogurt and oatmeal and some veggies. Hopefully, it won't be too bad. Oh and jello and sugar free popsicles. Talk with you again soon. K

Well hello my new friends: Thanks for tuning in to my latest little update. I found out today that the insurance company wants 5 years worth of doctor notes to approve a person for surgery. I relocated here 3 1/2 years ago. So they need notes from my doctor's office in NJ. So I had to have the office email me authorization forms which I signed and faxed back to her and hopefully she then faxed them off to my 2 other doctors. So we have a date now. Not what I had hoped for, but she said the insurance has 30 days to make a decision. So my date has been scheduled for JULY 12, 2011. I am very excited about at least having a date. It is like really seeing light at the end of the tunnel. I am to begin my liquid -- shrink the liver regime on June 21. At that time, I can have two shakes a day along with protein items. The list is very specific, dry oatmeal, tuna, chicken, some fruit, salad, cabbage, low fat yogurt, etc. What I need to know from you guys is which protein shake really tastes the best. I am a chocolate person not vanilla, something in that line would work for me. Unjury is on the list along with quite a few others. Most were there except Muscle milk which she said I can't have until after I am banded. Oh, I also have to take another 90 minute nutrition class on June 6. I guess she will go into more specifics at that time. So things are moving along, of course just not as fast as I would like. I can't wait until I am saying "I get banded tomorrow.' And after that, I'll probably be crying, right??? But you know how we humans are, we are never satisfied. What has really encouraged me are all the stories and the wonderful people I have met on here who have take the time to read about me and offer encouragement. You really don't know how good that makes me feel. Because you know your time is your life and you have decided to give me some of your life. So for that, thank you very much. I look forward to hearing from more of you and do keep in touch and add me as a friend so I can follow your stories/blogs as well. Until later, Kay

I hear you. I also have a date in July, 12th. I am having all sorts of feelings and emotions. But I think it is mostly happiness and excitement. Buying all these Protein powders, thinking, thinking and more thinking. Trying out different foods and yogurts which I don't really like. So this is going to be such a drastic change, but I believe it will be worth it in the end. So i wish you well. and you can do it. Just put your mind to it and stay focused. My hardest part, I think, is going to be to motivate myself to exercise and I know I definitely want to do that because it will help but also so that I don't become all flabby. But thats what's going to be very difficult for me. Is your doc putting you on a 3 week pre-op diet of Protein shakes, etc? Curious. K

Semper Fi!!!!! Great post. You set it straight. Now if only they will receive the message. I hope so. Because it is somewhat annoying to hear the whining all the time about the scale and how much weight they expect to lose. So many have very unrealistic expectations of the band. As someone said a while back, it's not a magic bullet. You have to work with it. It takes time. If they wanted dramatic weight loss, they should have chosen the gastric bypass or the sleeve, since they didn't then they must not have done their research into the band. Just my humble opinion. K

Thank you for all the information on the various free shakes. I called and/or emailed all of them this morning. Hopefully, they won't take long to come as I begin my pre-op diet on 6/21. Thanks so much again. K

I appreciate your honesty, but if you were not compliant with the lapband, how do you think you will be compliant with the gastric bypass. That is a very major, major surgery and they are removing part of your intestines. It requires discipline just like the lap band. If you don't do right, you will still be able to regain a lot of your weight. There are people on this board who have gone from the bypass to the lapband because they couldn't keep their weight off. I think you need to get to the root of the psychological issues first before you embark on another surgery which may just be a waste of time and money. I speak as a clinical psychologist and as one who also has had issues with depression and food. I am going to be banded on 7/12. Best wishes to you in your decision. K

Hell NO I won't be keeping those big clothes. I will donate them to the Goodwill or a local homeless shelter. What's the point in keeping them. I don't want any reminder of having been that big in my life again.

More than likely the first place to start is with your PCP because you may need a referral and also this doctor can recommend you to a good bariatric (weight loss surgeon) doctor. After that you will make an appointment with the surgeon and he will probably send you out an information packet. You will fill out the information and send it back. It will include a detailed history of you and what attempts you have made to lose weight in the past. Think of all the programs you have tried and failed at. After they receive this information, you will be invited to an information seminar where there will be other people there who are also wanting the surgery. They will discuss your options for the types of surgery available, lap band, RNY (gastric bypass), gastric sleeve, etc. Once you have completed this, you may then want to get any testing done that the doc requires. also, many require you to see a psychiatrist or psychologist for an evaluation to make sure you are mentally stable enough to withstand this life altering surgery. There may also be nutrition classes and a visit to a dietitian. Once all of this is done, they will submit your paperwork to the insurance company for approval. You will be given a date and 2-3 weeks before the date, you will probably go on a Protein (liquid) diet. This diet is given to shrink the liver as it can sometimes get in the way of the stomach. Oh, some insurance companies require 6 months of a medically supervised diet before you can have the surgery. If you have attended weight watchers under a doctors care, this might help or Nutrisystem/Jenny Craig, etc. Hope this helps. It is a fairly time consuming process, but depending upon how quickly you move and how busy the surgeon is, it doens't have to be too long from start to finish, except if you need that 6 month diet and don't have one you can use. Take care and good luck. K

Hello, I am being banded July 12. I live in NC and my surgeon is Dr. Fuzz Fernandez. I have waited for this for many a year too and am also nervous and excited at the same time. Like you, I'm hoping to reduce, come off of some medications, have better mobility and live a life with a lot more energy. Weill look to hearing more from you as you get closer to your date and after. take care and have a wonderful weekend. K

[Congrats on your date Stan. You can do it and you will be successful. I too am on Metformin for going on a year now. I have a date of July 12th. I am very excited as well. Yes, I have clothes in 3 different sizes. It can be discouraging but at that point that is where the group comes in and any other support you may have. Keep focused, there is definitely light at the end of the tunnel. Keep us posted on your progress. K

Good luck and God bless. I know you can reach your goals, they are quite realistic. I will be following you in July. My goal is to get rid of my cane and walk on my own. K