Sunshyne068

I live in Maryland. I am very lucky that the BCBS center of excellence for bariatric surgery is only 20 mins from me. The surgical director has a very good reputation. I'm on a liquid diet for pre-op but so far Ive been drinking 2 protein shakes and having a meal. If I get too, too, TOO hungry, I just eat a salad of only romaine lettuce and some dressing. I started the protein power diet earlier this month and lose 5 lbs.

Steph and MissManders, my date is march 9.

Lisanj and Yvonne we're getting banded on the same day! Can you send me your email addresses or FB page info? I wanna reach out to you guys on the 10th or 11th and see how everything went. I started my liquid diet today [i went to medeival times last night]. My job kinda made a big deal about my extremely generic Dr's note. But since I'm only using 2 days of sick leave (I have credit hours and Im gonna work from home 2 days to make up the full week of recovery time) they really couldnt ask me for additional info.

It may not be easy .... but if it's right for us then that's our decision. Don't let them discourage you.

I went to the hospital yesterday to attend a pre-op class led by a bariatric nurse. She told me that taste buds DEFINITELY change after surgery. She had gastric bypass and said she experienced it. One person in attendance had gastric sleeve and said the same thing.

My date is March 9

Well, after going bac kand forth in mymind about whether I need to get this done ... I had an epiphany on Valentine's Day ... here's what happened - So I gave my boyfriend a list of gift ideas for me last month about what he could get me for v-day, one of them being a gift card to NY &Co. He called me on v-day from the store and asked me what size tops and bottoms I wore .... not to purchase any clothing for me, but to see if I could even fit anything in that store before he bought the gift card. He said when he wakled in he didnt think that I could fit clothes from that store. I felt really embarrassed and sad about that whole conversation. I cried after I hung up with him and when I told my mom the story some tears started to roll. That just tipped the scales in the direction toward getting the surgery. Well the next day (Feb 15) I got the call that my insurance approved me for surgery. My date is March 9th .... I felt very nervous ... but it's going to happen. I'm forcing myself to just go ahead and do it. I've been overweight for 22 yrs (Im 28) and I just need to stop playing around and make a change. SO ... now Im faced with the challenge of what to tell my job. I dont what them to know what's going on because I know certain ppl will not preserve my privacy. Im thinking I can tell them that I'm getting a thyroid operation, that way the weightloss after surgery will make sense???? But I'm not sure if that's the best story I can come up with. Did anyone else get "creative" and tell their job something regarding their absence for surgery?

sounds like you know what to do ... go back to weighing and measuring and eating healthy. its mind over matter.

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I got my surgery date yesterday .... I want to make a list of items I'll need on hand. Could you guys help out pls? This is what I have so far: Gas X strips chicken Broth/Stock sugar free Jello Sugar Free Ice Pops Heating pad (?) Ice packs (for swelling?) Low Carb Protein shakes liquid Tylenol Antibacterial Soap Pill splitter/crusher Beef broth Veggie Broth Wrap Around Girdle G2 Gatorade Chewable Vitamins Chewable Pepcid Peppermint Tea Crystal Light Lipton Cream of Chicken Chicken noodle Soup (and strainer) Pillow (for ride home) Do I need anything else to keep me occupied for the week that I'm at home from work?

I went to costco today on lunch break, got some applesauce and a BUNCH of soups. I even found protein shakes that are 160 cals, 5 carbs, 1 gram of sugar, 30 g protein, and they actually taste PRETTY GOOD! 18 shakes for $19.99

yea my doc asked me if I lost weight before using diet, and I told him yes. He told me that I shouldnt have a problem with the band then. he told me ppl who cant lose weight dieting need not waste their time with the band. So here I am and now I'm seeing all the reasons why the band is the right choice for me now. Also, I weight 260 right now, and I really dont want to lose more than 70 lbs (Im 5'10). It seems (in the back of my mind) a bit extreme to remove 80% of my stomach permanently ... for 60-70 lbs .... or so I like to think.

Lannae my band is scheduled for March 9 too!!!! Im defintely on the egde of my seat with excitement and anxiety.

Thanks for the tips everyone. My date is March 9 so I really want this to be the "last thing" I try to lose the weight - for good, also.

I have BCBS Fed. My surgeron said everything from 3 months after surgery is included in the surgery insurance claim. He said after that I would just be responsible for my co-pay ($25) per visit.

Yes Dr Singh did mention plication, and he said it's "experimental" so it's not covered. Dr. Singh is very knowledgable and his practice at St Agnes hospital has one several awards and certificates of excellence and whatnot. I heard about him from a friend of a friend and I've been very happy with him. But because he is so popular its difficult to get a lot of face time with him (so it might be hard to find time to ask him about the iBand).

I don't think my doctor does the iBand, as he made no mention of it in his presentation or at my visits. I'll ask him next week. Im just so nervous ..... ugggggggg

I AM FEELING THE SAME EXACT WAY - OMG (so glad I'm not alone). I just got my surgery date set (March 9) Well I've been reading here (and other sites) that some ppl wish they would have gotten the sleeve instead of the band, but their insurance didnt cover the sleeve. What are your thoughts??? My issue is, I want to have children (Im 28). And I want a tool that will help reuglate my appetite and be able to adjust my appetite for pregnancy. And help restrain it again when I'm trying to lose my "baby weight" .... the sleeve doesnt seem to offer that, and I'm guessing the band is a much safer less invasive procedure overall, which really sets well with me. But on the other hand, I have been failing and losing weight all of my life .... and the LAST thing I want to do is go under the knife, alter my entire life and eating, and still not lose the weight I need to in order to be healthy. This is literally my last resort and I don't want to set myself up for failure. If the sleeve is a procedure that helps more ppl because it's not as hard to follow and work with, maybe that's more appropriate for me?

I'll go with hernia repair. Im sure my boss won't ask any other questions after I say that, but I know when I come back his wife will say "Hey I heard about your surgery!" ... hahahaha. Thanks for all of the suggestions!!!

G2 Gatorade Chewable Vitamins Chewable Pepcid Peppermint Tea Crystal Light Lipton Cream of chicken Chicken noodle soup (and strainer) Im going to costco today on my lunch break!!! Thanks so much for all of your help!

My office has 50 ppl, and I see 42 of them like every day. I'm open with my boss, BUT he is open with his wife (whom I also work with). And she tells any and everything. Hernia is it!!! Im so excited now that I have that checked off the list. liquid diet next, then next thing you know I'll be shopping for clothes for my cruise!!! Hopefully size 12-14 clothes!!!!