Teachlady

Check out this website.. it's about one of the doctors in alma with all the testimonials about him.. http://obesityhelp.com/morbidobesity/bariatric+surgeon+testimonials+Ernest+Cudjoe+mlc.html You should be able to just click on the link and it will take you there!!

Way ta go!!!! Great to hear everything went well. Keep up the walking.. it will help everything. 18 more days and I'll be where you are!

Good afternoon all..... I see that I have 25 pages of posts to look through to get acquainted with everyone on here. I just had my blood work and ekg done today. All that is left before my April 10th surgery date is the psych eval. Hubby just had his and they tried to talk him out of the surgery. Told hubby he wasn't fat enough...... sheeeeeeeeeesh. Our PCP is in favor of both of us having this surgery done. You'd think he'd know what he was talking about after having been our doctor for 23 years!! Anyway...I don't have a pre-op liquid diet.. doc wants me to lose weight, but doesn't care how. So next week I'll start the no carb route and see how I do with that. I'm really anxious to get this surgery done so I can begin my new life. Hubby has to wait at least 14 weeks for a pre-auth. I'm praying he gets approved too. Off to start reading the 25 pages.. yikes!! Everyone have a great afternoon!!

Where in Michigan?? I'm from Alpena and will be banded April 10th in Port Huron if all goes well. Judy

Hey Dawnie!!! Good luck on your surgery tomorrow. Three weeks from today I hope to be where you are!! Let me know how things go for you when you feel like posting again.. I'll be thinking about you tomorrow!!! Judy

Awwwwwwwww I'm so sorry about your husband, 40 is so very young to die...but you sound like you have many beautiful memories of him. I'm so glad you are honoring him by taking care of yourself . Thanks for your encouragement and I offer you the same. You CAN do it!

I am scheduled to be banded April 10. I play flute and have a gig on the 21st. Anybody have any ideas on if I'd have the breath to play by then?? Judy

Our flute quartet is called Wind Song.. appropriate, eh?? We play a variety of music. We had a concert yesterday and played things like Puttin' on the Ritz, Mississippi Rag, Bryn-y-Celyn (Celtic), a Schubert Sonata, Eine Kleine Nachtmusik and Tico-Tico No Fuba. A rich mixture, plus each one of us did a number by ourselves. I did Ashokan Farewell and An Cailin Fionn, two Celtic numbers.. One member did jazz, one did a Native American soliloquy and other did classis along with a bassoon and piano player. I just sent my flute to be overhauled so come April 20, I should have not only a new flute, but be on the way to a new body!!!

Great to hear from you Annie. One of the members of our flute quartet is a doctor and she was giving me all these bad vibes yesterday after our last conert. She said.. "oh you won't be in any condition to play... there could always be complications". Nice downer on her part!! So I came here and got the answers I was hoping for. Plus my son in law who is a PA said.. it's laprascopic... not like opening you up!!! duh!! You'll be fine. ( I love that boy!!)

Thanks for the replies. You've eased my mind. I'll just try and get as much practicing in before the 10th as possible so I gradually work back into it for the 21st.

Thanks so much ABP... I sure hated to disappoint the flute quartet and have to back out of the gig. But I also didn't want to have to move my surgery date if I didn't have to. Guess I'll have to ahem......... play it by ear!!! I'm hoping the flute playing will involve more lung power than stomach power!

I thought Dr. Bhesania was ok. Doesn't have the personality of Dr. Boutt, but he was fine. And he's darn good, so I'm pleased to have him as my doctor. And yes, Sue was awesome. So was everyone we met there. We were both very impressed. 25 more days til my surgery!!!!! I was so thrilled that I didn't have to do the protein shake pre op diet. And no protein shakes afterwards either!! Yogurt I can handle.. protein drinks I can't!!

Just returned from Port Huron. They are sooooooooo great there!! I have my surgery date for April 10th!! Just have to have the bloodwork and the psych eval. Got all the other ducks in a row!! Hubby has to wait for a pre-auth and they said that could take up to 14 weeks.. She said BCBS isn't good about approving those over 60 and hubby is 61. But there is always the appeal process and Sue, the nurse, said they have had good luck with a lawyer in Ca. who specializes in winning appeals. If all that fails then we will self pay. He HAS to get the surgery!!!!

Hi there Josette... We leave tomorrow for Port Huron and our consult with Dr. Bhesania. Hopefully we will have a surgery date when we leave the office tomorrow!!! Our doctor has turned in our letter already. We have our psych evals on the 19th and 29th. We're hoping for an April date sometime after Easter. Hubby is a pastor and we can't really have anything done before Easter.. it's too busy a time to be recovering from surgery.

Holy smokes!!! That is 14.5# a month. That is AWESOME! :clap2:

Thanks for answering my questions so quickly! I'm headed to bed now. Congrats on your weight loss. :clap2: You must be very proud!! I can't wait to be able to say the same thing!

Excellent.. that is just what I needed to hear! Hopefully my anesthei..... the sleepy time guy, will do the same for me.

We go to see our surgeon March 15th. I hope to get a surgery date at that time. Both hubby and I will be banded. Each day that goes by we realize more and more that this is what we need to do to have a healthier life ahead of us. We are both very much excited about that prospect.

Can you hold your nose when you sip it?? :myscared: I have only had one surgery ( out of 4) when I have not been sick to my stomach upon waking up. I'm ultra sensitive to it I guess. Did you have that problem? I know they give you something for tummy upset with the anesthesia. I just don't know if it will work that good for me.

No prob.. and CONGRATS on your great weight loss!!! :clap2: You must be very proud!

Rick.. Deb was talking about the PRE op supervised diet that most insurance companies require..

When I asked Dee about that, she asked how long I had been seeing my PCP and I said about 20 years and she asked if we had talked about weight and I said yes, every time I saw him. She said she saw no problem with the supervised diet issue. I also have 12 months at Curves documented..

When I talked to Dee in insurance at the hospital, she didn't seem to think there would be a problem. I sure hope she's right! They are really on the ball there and have done this 1,500+ times so I am confident they know what they are doing both with the insurance and the surgery.

I have BC/BS PPO. I'm a retired Teacher. I'm hoping there are no snags in the process!!