Machele

I bought the powder that is strawberry flavored. You can mix it in juices or water. Is that the same thing everyone else is talking about?

Yep, I'm a teacher! It seems like whenever I do something major, it revolves around a school break! :clap2: I 'm hoping that this surgery will give me back some energy, because now I'm :tired all the time!

We are staying off of Parker Road and C470. My surgery time is at 1pm, I wonder what the drive time would be from our hotel...

I am being banded on March 16th. I have my phone consult with the doctor and the nutritionist on Feb. 19th. From the information I have from his office, he recommends the low carb/high protien for 2 weeks prior to the surgery to help shrink the liver, but there has been nothing mentioned about a liquid diet before surgery. His office has told lots about the liquid post-op surgery and the importance of it. I have called his office with several questions that I have had and they have been happy to answer all of them for me. I should know more on Monday after my phone consultations.

Skyeblu, I have also made reservations at a hotel that has suites with mircowaves and refrigerators in the room. Its about 10 miles south of Dr. K's office as well, but it is right off the interstate that goes to his office. I looked at it on the map and it looks pretty easy to get back and forth to.

When I called I had a specific date in mind because I wanted to work around spring break, but Marilyn told me he would be out of town for his daughter's wedding that week and would only be seeing patients and doing surgery on Thursday and Friday. She said he will even see me in his office on Saturday morning before I leave town!! :clap2:

A packet?!? Did Marilyn say she would send you one? I never got a packet :cry they did not have anything to send out. I have since gotten my paperwork from the nutritionist and have set up my phone consultation with Dr. K. I would be interested to find out what's in your packet... Today I got my airline tickets:plane: , so there's no backing out now! I'm down to only 33 days left to wait!

Hi all, I am looking for a support group that meets in the Kansas City area. Several of the doctors here have support groups, but only for their patients. Can anyone help me out? Thanks!

Thanks for the information. I also found out Dr. Opie in Olathe has support groups that's open to anyone.

Magnolia, Check out the "March 2007" thread, there is a whole group of us being banded in March and we have a lively conversation going! Good luck in your banding!:clap2: Machele

Hi all, I just got email from Paula, the nutritionist at Dr. K.'s office. I have a phone consult set up with her on Feb. 19th. I am wondering what kind of questions you guys asked her and the doctor during your phone consults. I have someone that I work with that has the lap-band surgery in Aug. so I have been picking her brain for information, plus this site has a "boat-load" of information. I feel pretty comfortable on my knowledge, so what should I expect from the 2 phone consults? Thanks for everyone's input! Machele

Hi all, I have the same weight loss yo-yo story everyone else does here, but I am a healthy fat girl... I am 5'4" with a BMI of 47. I don't know what my "ideal" weight would be, since I have never been there. My goal is 150 pounds and maybe a size 12. I could shop in the normal clothes shops!! :clap2: I have been researching the lap-band for several months in the back of my mind, then I went to my first seminar in Nov. at my husband's insistance. I was denied from my insurance right off. I was told it was an exclusion from my employer and it would still be denied if I appealed it. So, I started looking for a way to self-pay. I am going to a doctor in Colorado that is priced almost as low as going to Mexico. My surgery date is March 16, which is the Friday before my Spring break, so I will have a week to recover as well. I have not told anyone at school that I am having this surgery. I have also chosen not to tell anyone in my family besides my husband. I feel my family would not be very supportive, since the last time I was seriously dieting, my mother made 2 pies and brought them to my house, then left the leftovers for me. :confused: There is a lot of criticim of my weight, but not a lot of understanding of the struggles I have gone through. I have my consultation with the dietician and the doctor on Feb. 19th and am supposed to start my pre-op diet on March 1st. I am excited, but also experiencing some hesitations as well. I think my main problems with eating is portion control and how quickly I eat. I am concerned about things getting stuck, even small things like asprins!:phanvan I have been reading everything I can get a hold of about the surgery and what to expect after surgery. The best book I have found is called "Lap-Band for Life". It has a lot of tips and suggestions and has answered a lot of my questions. Sorry about writing a book! I guess that's my story and I' stickin' to it!

I have scheduled my surgery in March with Dr. Gerald Kirshenbaum. Can anyone tell me anything about him? I actually live in Kansas and his self-pay price is worth it to fly out 2 or 3 times for the procedure. I was hoping that someone could tell me about him. Thanks!

Thanks for the info. I did not realize this was doctor specific. :embarassed: I am not sure who Gh0st is... Maybe I should start a thread for a KCK support group...

From the thread title, I was hoping to get information on a support group here in the KCK area. With some mentioning of things I am familiar with, I thought I was in the right place... maybe not! Maybe since the thread is so long, I missed that information! So, could someone tell me if you have meetings and if I could attend before I get my band. I have lots of questions, that I have tried researching on here, but have not had much success with...

I am new to this board, but have already gotten lots of information from it. I am from the kansas city area and have been researching the lap band for about 4 months. Currently, I am 44, 5'4" and 270 pound with a BMI of 47. I am self-pay because my employer has an exclusion on my insurance policy. Most of the docs in this area charge between $15 and $18 thousand for the surgery. So, I am going to have my done by Dr. Kirshenbaum in Denver, Co. I have my phone consult on Feb. 19th and my surgery scheduled for March 16th. I am in the same spot as many others have been with all the yo-yo dieting, weight loss pills, weight watchers and so many other programs, there's not enough room here to list! I am really excited about finally making this change for myself. I have not been forth coming about this surgery to any of my co-workers or my family. My parents, who are both heavy as well, have never been very supportive in any of my weight loss endeavors. My husband understands why I want this and tries to be supportive. However, he has never had a weight problem and does not understand all the issues that come with the weight. I'm hoping to learn a lot more from everyone here to help me have a successful journey!

Thanks for all the information in this thread on Dr. Kirshenbaum. I live in the Kansas City area and all the docs here are $15-$18K for the lap band surgery. I have my phone consult scheduled for Feb. 19th and my surgery scheduled for March 16th with Dr. K. I have been researching for 4 months now and feel like I am beyond ready!! Thanks for all the information it has been a big help to put my mind at ease with his competence! Machele

I live in the KC metro area as well. I talked to Dr. Malley's office about 2 weeks ago and their self-pay is $16,500. I have finally settled on a surgeon in the Denver area who only charges $9950 with 6 months of post-op care. SW flies direct from KCI to Denver for $125 round trip... In saving $7K, I figured that I could pay for some air fare...