jen_1381

Welcome Moses! It's quite the adventure. I started March 7th with the seminar. I'm going through a program in Vancouver, WA (very close to where I live) and am at the very tail end, my next step is to meet the surgeon next week then schedule surgery. Like you, I've tried so many different things, and I'm not one that accepts failure...I keep trying until I succeed. I'm confident this will be my final step to success. I tell you, this website is awesome! I am on here almost daily, it's a great place to find answers and also support. Pre-Med huh? Stressful!! What a success story you will be for your future patients though! What area of medicine are you going in to?

The past week has been completely overhwelming. The dietician and WLS coordinator both told me it was okay to vary off my eating plan because my BMI was going to drop below what insurance would pay for. I tried just adding in extra fruits and veggies...then thought, well, it won't hurt to have Del Taco since I can't be losing weight now anyways...then okay maybe I'll have pizza for dinner...and now I'm frustrated all over again. I have my appointment set to see the surgeon (finally!) for April 25th, so the week before they said it would be safe for me to re-focus and get back to the strict plan. Mentally, I want to be healthy, but know that after meeting with the surgeon, I will be scheduling surgery ASAP and will hopefully go into the Pre-Surgery Diet phase...so I've got about six days to eat the greasy, fatty, bad-for-you food that my brain is telling me I really, really want! I'm feeling so super stressed right now. On top of dealing with my weight struggles and feeling the pressure of wanting to be committed to the program, but needing to be approved through insurance AND not losing my focus, I also learned that there's a deadline for me to have surgery because my work is going into a "no vacation" phase because we're getting a new charting system. AND I'm dealing with a very stressful family situation. I just need a break. I want to get this surgery rolling so I can stay focused, get my head back in the game, and start losing those pounds!

When in doubt, stick to the BRAT diet if your band allows. Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, and Toast (probably can't do the "T" with the band). Remember to keep hydrated since diarrhea can deplete your electrolytes. Hope you feel better soon

After meeting with the dietician and endocrinologist and being medically cleared for the lap band, I was told to start the Bariatric Surgery diet. Not the big, scary, 2-4 weeks of skim milk that is the Pre-Op Diet, but this is basically a low calorie, high protien, very balanced plan. I'm following it to a T and only mildly cheated once last week. I've lost 8 lbs and am feeling great so far. This morning, just for fun, I re-calculated my BMI and it's 35.2. I went into a little bit of a panic spin since my insurance requires a BMI of 35. I remember reading on here that some programs submit the inital weight, and my BMI was 38.6 so I would be good. Just to reassure myself, I emailed the program director. The surgeon, whom I will be setting up an appointment with on Monday, is the one who makes the final decision and THAT is the information that is submitted to insurance for approval. The dietician emailed me back and said to NOT go below my current weight, and I may need to put on just a pound or two to ensure my BMI is stable before it's submitted. So here I was, completely focus, in the ZONE, and now I have to gain a few pounds?! I don't like the sound of that at ALL!! I was feeling so great, really on a roll. I talked it over with my husband, and he said for me to give in tonight to my one craving, something I've talked about since I've been on this strict eating plan, so I had a Five Guys burger and fries. I feel SO SICK afterwards now!! I think it's a combination of mentally knowing I shouldn't have done it, and physically I haven't had a meal that heavy in a few weeks. I think now I will just add in some fruit or veggies to my mid-day snacks....

Wow that is so frustrating. I'm surprised that they won't accept the visit with the PA. Sorry you have to go through this, again. Did you lose any weight on the 6 month diet?

During my psychological evaluation the psychologist and I were talking about exercise. She was very helpful and said the best way to start is just do something. Something. Don't set out thinking you're going to do an hour on the elliptical the first day. You'll get too tired and be too sore the next day and get discouraged. Do 3 minutes. The next day, do 5 minutes. Or do 3 again. Just get your body and mind used to doing something, everyday. Mark it off on a calendar and train your brain to dislike seeing an unchecked box. I always thought of myself as busy. We have a 3 story house and I'm up and down all day after work (where I'm up and down all day!). I've exercised tons before (the Insanity workout, jogging, etc) but I do so much for a few weeks then I'm done. My body is tired and I'm done. So I thought....you know, I can do something every day. And now I've started

I'm officially done with all of the pre-work. All I have left is to meet with the surgeon and have the pre-op class, then surgery! I'm so excited. I've been following the Pre-Bariatric Surgery eating plan for about a week and a half now (3 meals a day and 2 protein drinks, eating out of only 4 food groups) and I'm down almost 7 lbs. Today I finished up with the psychologist and reviewed the scores from the MMPI test. Although she cleared me for surgery, she suggested that I meet with a psychologist locally to follow up for another session or two. My scores were great in most areas except two, self-image and emotional coping. The self-image I totally get, and need to improve because I'm afraid that even at my goal I'll still see the fat girl in the mirror. The emotional coping - I thought she was crazy until she explained what it meant - and there is no way I could have argued. I went through some childhoold trauma and my parents had an explosive, horrid divorce about 7 years ago that I was in the middle of. I guess you don't make it out of that without some emotional baggage and surprisingly enough, ignoring it was not the correct thing to do. So I have some work to do, but not work that will hinder me having surgery. Besides, I want to be healthy and part of that is mentally, not just my body. The psychologist asked for a few days to get her report to the surgery coordinator, then I should be hearing from the nurse to set up the appointment with the surgeon. The good news is, I've almost completely satisified my deductible so my surgery should cost me next to nothing. I've managed to get about 10 weeks worth of pre work done in 4, so as long as I keep moving at that pace I should be able to be banded by the end of April or early May.

The best thing to do is realize that you made a mistake and not just think "well screw it, I've already wasted this whole day" and keep going....get right back on track. That was a hard, hard lesson for me to learn!

Sorry if I came off the wrong way Shauna, I wasn't trying to push towards spending $$ on physicians or dieticians - they've just been some of my best resources so far. My dietician gave me her email for any questions any time, free of charge - maybe that's an option? It sounds like TiffanySeacrest is kind of floundering with post-op care and planning - going back to the starting point with docs and nutritionists may help. I don't think it's necessary to spend more $$ on a program.

Welcome! I'm not post-op yet but I've already found a ton of good resources. First of all, your nutritionist could be your best friend. Did you see one pre-op? If not, find one! If you're feeling like you may fail, get back in touch with your surgeon. THEY don't want to see you fail either! Protein is key and now is the time to focus on giving your body what it needs over what your mind is telling you that you want. Did you go through a program to get the band? Most programs out there are pretty structured to prevent people from failing. Dig down deep, find that motivation, and check this website often! The people here are so helpful and so inspirational!

The program I'm with has two phases of diet plans. I'm in the first one now (the "Bariatric Surgery Diet) where I'm eating only from 4 food groups - protein, dairy, fruit, and veggies. I'm practicing all of the skills of being banded - eating slowling, chewing 26 times, no liquids with meals. I eat 3 meals a day and 2 protein drinks as snacks. The next phase will be the "Pre-Op" which is 2-4 weeks of skim milk for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. They said their main goal with the first phase is to make sure I can change my eating behaviors and they should see some weight loss. If I don't follow it I'm not a candidate for surgery.

You have to have surgeon that's part of your team of supporters. If you don't feel like your doctor is giving you that support, or even listening to you, then you have the right to find a new one without feeling bad. And Yellowrose is right, alcohol is full of carbs and calories that will work against you for losing weight. I know there's a lot of controversy about alcohol post-banding, and it won't "hurt" you per se, but it's definitely not good for you (it's not good for you pre-band either!!). Maybe changing surgeons will help you re-focus on the plan and get back on track.

I have United Healthcare, and like Wheety the nurse I'm working with also said that my insurance plan is a dream to work with. On the timeline they gave us in the WLS Seminar it said to allow 2-6 weeks for approval or denial, she said she almost always gets approval within just a few days.

I have United Healthcare. It's a program through the local hospital. You can't make an appointment to see a bariatric surgeon without first going through the steps. Its very structured and you're either in and committed, or out. You can't do one thing before another. Honestly, I know the band has about a 15-20% compliance failure rate and I don't know how with this program. It's so informative and actually kind of strict.

Welcome LadyKay! The program I am going through is totally different. I think different places prefer different approaches. For me, I went to the seminar, then filled out a 10 page packet about me and faxed it into the surgery coordinator. After she got it, she got the pre-approval from my insurance company and verified my benefits. I then set my appointment to meet (all in 4 hour session) with the Nutritional Educator (learned about the procedure and diet afterwards), the Internal Medicine doctor to clear me for surgery, the Nutritional Educator again for a 1:1 reviewing my diet, 3 day food log, and what my personalized Pre-Bariatric Surgery Diet is. I then had a 1 hour class on Physical Education where a Physical Therapist taught us the fendamentals for exercising to optimize weight loss. Once I got medical clearance (that is key) I then got the green light to see the psychriatrist for the psych eval which is two parts; today I took a series of tests (700+ questions) and next Monday I will meet with her 1:1 to make sure I'm mentally fit for surgery. After alllll of that, I can finally see a surgeon. Luckily, seeing the surgeon is one of the last steps. After that, it's just one Pre-Operative Class, final insurance approval, then surgery. I'm hoping for a late April / early May date, but that could change. I started my Pre Bariatric Surgery diet on March 22nd (not to be confused with the Pre-Op 2-4 week of all skim milk diet I have to do right before surgery). It's super easy, and it's set up to prove that the patient can be compliant with an eating program and also be successful at losing weight. So far in 5 days I've lost 5.8 lbs. I've only been at this whle process for 3 1/2 weeks and have made huge progress by being really on-the-ball. I'm weeks ahead of the timeline they gave us. Sorry, I've said a lot, but just hold your head high and go along for the ride! Stay focused on the goal of surgery and time will fly by.

Like you, I shy from cameras and the good ol' cloth measuring tape. Before I went on a VLCD last year, I set the camera timer and took a few pics of me in a pair of workout pants and a sports bra. I would take pics every month in the same outfit and honestly, it was shocking. I will definitely do it this time before surgery (maybe I should do it before the pre-surgery diet). My doctor measured when I went in for my 1 on 1 with him and the nurse said they would measure every month but they just did my waist. I think it's a great idea to measure, because even if the scale stops moving, the pants might fit better!

With my program there is two. Today I did a 2 hour session of basically a bubble test. It was 589 questions (MMPI) then an eating questionnaire and about 10 'about me' type forms. Next week they will have my results and I go meet with the psychiatrist. I think they just want to make sure I have realistic expectations, am capable of handling change, and have appropriate support.

Today is my appointment for the first part of the psych eval. I'm actually excited! Partially because I think the psychiatrists imput would be interesting, but also because after this appointment and the follow-up next week are done, I can schedule with the surgeon. After that, it should be smooth sailing! Started the pre-bariatric surgery eating plan and so far I'm down 5.8 lbs!

Which band to go with? The Realize or LAP-Band? I'm sure I'll talk it over with the surgeon but it's definitely something to think about. I had my big 4 hour appointment today with everyone under the sun. The dietician was super nice. We first did the informational session on life and diet post banding. I then saw the Internist/Endocrinologist for an hour. He was nice...reminded me of Rain Man but very thorough. After hearing my symptoms that I've dealt with my whole life, he wants to do one additional lab test (24 hour urine collection - yippee!) to test for a Phenochromocytoma (benign tumor in the adrenal gland)but decided I didn't need any furter pre-op testing. Whew! I then had the 1:1 with the dietician. Not surprisingly, my method of skipping meals then ravenously eating isn't the best. After that I had the 1 hour Physical Education class which was interesting but nothing I didn't already know but still, another check mark off my list of To-Do. After my psych appointment March 27 then April 2, I'll be ready to schedule with the surgeon! Super excited. I start my pre-bariatric surgery diet tomorrow. No, not the scary 2-4 week skim milk diet, but the very low calorie, balanced, high-protein diet. They gave me basically a list of foods from 4 food groups to pick from for each meal, and two protein drinks as snacks between meals, and that's it! I do really well with a regime, and it's expected that I lose weight before seeing the surgeon, so it looks like my journey begins tomorrow!

It could be a variety of things making it borderline. Number one, don't be nervous. Anxiety makes your heart race, fast heart rate can cause a borderline reading. There could have been interference with one of the leads. Your heart could have been in a funky rhythm. It doesn't mean you're going to have a heart attack or your heart is going to stop beating There's tons of reasons for borderline and it's always safest to get it double-checked. This coming from a girl who has had probably 30 EKG's, and two cardiac ablations after my heart randomly went into an arrythmia and my rate went to 270. Just breathe!!

Patience is not my thing. I think I've said that before....? I finally have my big 4 hour doctor appointment Wednesday. I see the dietician, doctor, surgery coordinator, and physical educator. I had my 13 lab tests done last week, all was well except very low Vitamin D level (hello native NW girl) and maybe a H. Pylori infection (stomach bug) so I'll have to talk to the doctor about that and get it treated before we set a surgery date. I've been doing this weird thing where I feel like it's a free-for-all with food. I've been doing a very low calorie diet for the better part of the last two years...I KNOW surgery will be within the next month or two (or worst case, three) so I think...well...this may be the last time I have cinnamon rolls/sour patch kids/nachos...and I've gained like, 3 lbs since the seminar! I know it's a mental thing, saying my final "good-bye's" to the good food I won't ever have again, but I need to get over it quick! Hopefully talking to the RD will get my butt back on track. I'm actually excited to do the liquid diet pre-op. My doctors require a 2 week all skim milk diet (along with a few other liquids, but they must be very low calorie and you must have skim milk for 3 meals a day). I quit coffee, today was day 8, and that's something I NEVER thought I could do. I am seeing the pre-op diet as a challenge that I KNOW I can conquer...but it's almost like, get with it already! I'm ready to do this, I'm tired of waiting, and the longer I wait the more stressed I will be, and the more stress-eating I will do! So....c'mon ALREADY!!

I totally get portion control, and I had no problem cutting out the bad things when I did a VLCD, but when I did start slipping off it, I would mess up say, at lunch, and just figure the rest of the day was ruined and eat horrible the rest of the day, instead of getting back on track with a healthy snack and dinner. I'm excited to talk with the dietician tomorrow. Once I get through this appointment, I have my two psych evals (well, part 1 then part 2 a few days later) and should be able to see the surgeon after the first week of April. I'm really hoping for an early May surgery. Fingers crossed!

Thanks for the insight ladies! I guess my thinking is that I don't want to have the band placed just to go back to eating my old ways - I want to start a new way of structured, disciplined eating that won't involve the cinnamon rolls, sour patch kids, ice cream, etc. Those things will be a very-rare occurance versus a weekly treat like they are now. Also - I've talked with a few lap band patients that say they absolutely can't stomach bread without throwing up afterwards. I'm not a huge bread-eater, but the permanence of some foods not being pleasent anymore is kind of hitting home. Are there some foods that you just can't handle post-op? I know everything is about portion, chewing, and giving your body what it needs first (protein, veges, the fruit) and that's what I want my focus to be on. Mentally, I'm an "all or nothing" kind of girl (hence making myself quit coffee - I can't do one cup a day - I do one POT a day).

Even the married ones get a little worried I've been with my husband for 13 years, married for the last 8 1/2 and he's a little leary. He's very supportive, and completely backing me up, but every now and then a little comment will slide that makes me realize that deep down every guy thinks that we're going to get skinny, crush their perfect little worlds, and find another man. I just remind him that I'm doing this for not just me but for US, and our future. I'll talk about the things that I'm getting exciting to do - play basketball with him, go hiking...without feeling completely uncomfortable. Men are just funny. Even the strongest get worried. Once the weight starts coming off and your esteem starts shooting up, *hopefully* he'll get happier right along with you.

It's much easier for people looking from the outside to tell someone to "diet". Well...most times, overweight people HAVE tried dieting. We all know how hard dieting is, and how much it really sucks when we fail. For me, the decision was one I made for ME. I appreciate my husbands support and feel lucky to have it. I know I won't have support from certain people so I'm not telling them. It's a choice I made, a very difficult and thought-out one, and one that I'm going to have to live with for the rest of my life. But it will also give me my life back. I won't feel uncomfortable in my own skin anymore. And to me...that's worth a little judgement or discouragement from a few people, because it's ME that's getting my life back, not them. Do what feels right in your heart, but I think if you've gotten to the point that WLS feels like the best option, you know what is best. As for the emotional feelings..find another outlet. I'm a "bored eater" so when I start feeling like snacking, I'll get up and sweep the basement, or clean the bathroom, something to keep my focus busy and energy going. Seeing a therapist will also be a great help. Someone to talk to that's not involved in the situation can be a breath of fresh air. Good luck to you, and keep us updated on what you decide!