hodegard

That's so awesome! Congrats!

First, I want to clarify that I am totally at ease about what I am about to have done. I feel like I've done my homework, and I made a well-informed decision. There is not one Fiber of my being that is nervous; I'm just eager to get this show on the road! On the other hand... My husband is a nervous wreck! He has been by my side throughout every step of this journey so far, so he too is well-informed about what to expect. (The only thing that he hasn't participated in has been the message boards, which I suppose is where I've gotten a lot of my reassurance.) But now that it's all "really happening", he is a nervous wreck... in his own words. Could some of you give him some advice, encouragement, suggestions... whatever you feel would be helpful to him? I will make sure that he reads this thread, as I think it might really help for him to hear from someone other than just the medical community. Thanks!

As you guys already know from previous posts, I'm kind of doing this backward... my pre-op stuff (like the psych eval, etc.) is already done, my surgery is scheduled for next Monday (woo-hoo!!!), and I'm meeting my surgeon for the first time TODAY. I'm dreading the drive down there (it's two and half hours away from home... ugh), but I'm really excited to talk to the surgeon and get this show on the road! His office is right across the street from the hospital, and since I live so far, they are going to have me go to the hospital for my pre-op bloodwork, etc.. right after my appointment with him. So, it's going to be a long day, but I'm sure that the adrenalin will carry me through! LOL

My surgery is scheduled for Nov. 17th, and I couldn't be more excited! Like Jennye said about herself, I have been eating, drinking, and sleeping lap band for the last several months, and I feel like I am well-educated about what I'm getting myself into. Not that I don't expect there to be some surprises along the way, but for the most part, I feel well-prepared. I'm going in on Nov. 10th for all of my pre-op bloodwork and that kind of thing. I'm also having my consult with the surgeon. (It's a long story, but after I got all of my pre-op stuff done - like the psych eval, etc. - I ended up switching surgeons.) I also belong to several women/mothers' groups at my church, so I've got about a billion and one people praying for me and for my surgeon. That certainly doesn't hurt!

I've finally got a surgery date! I'm so excited! I actually ended up having to switch surgeons because the one I had was dragging his feet so badly. He's been a bariatric surgeon for a while, but this area of his practice is new. I was in the group of the first five patients that he was going to have, and he was planning on flying in a specialist from Australia to assist with those first five procedures. Well, he kept giving me the run-around about when we were going to do it (originally, he said mid-October, now he's saying that he might be ready to SCHEDULE it in early December...). I finally found out (after calling him and telling him that I was considering switching surgeons because he kept giving me time frames and then falling through on them) that the reason for the hold up is that the other four patients were paying cash, and he was giving them more time to save for it! I have researched this procedure so much (and so well, I might add!) that I am totally READY, and his constant run-around was driving me batty. Add to that the fact that my husband's insurance is changing a bit on Jan. 1st... The insurance will be the same, but our co-pays will go up, and the hospital co-pay will be going up six-fold!! Yikes! So, anyway, I started researching other surgeons, and I found one that I really like. I called them today, and they actually scheduled my surgery for November 17th! Wow! I'm only two weeks away now! Can you tell that I'm excited?

Actually, my husband and I really researched the previous surgeon, and then we spent quite a bit of time praying about it, and we felt at peace about going with him, even though he was new to the procedure. I had heard wonderful things about him, both surgically and as a caregiver, so a part of me was disappointed to switch. But I was just really tired of the run-around, not to mention that my insurance was going to be changing, and I didn't have much time left to be run around like that. The surgeon that we are switching to is actually the Chief of Surgery at his hospital, and he has been doing these procedures for over a year. I'm feeling great about this switch!

I talked to my surgeon on Friday. He said that he's received the approval from my insurance company (which we knew that he was going to get; he just couldn't schedule the surgery until he received it). He said that he should have a surgery date for me by the end of this week!! Woo-hoo!!

Well, I've had all of my pre-op appointments that I had to have (besides anything that the surgeon will will to do with me pre-op). I had my psych eval (no one has come to redecorate my home with padded walls, so I'm assuming that I did okay). I had my sleep study (I go in next week to learn how to use my new ultra-sexy sleepwear... a CPAP). And I've had my consult with the nutritionist. My surgeon called and said that all we're waiting for now is the official letter of approval from my insurance company. He said that he can't schedule the surgery until he gets that, even though I know FOR A FACT that it will be approved and the letter from them is just a formality. But I understand that he has guidelines that he has to stay within too. I called my insurance company today to see how long it usually takes for them to send that out, and I'm sure glad that I did! My surgeon was wanting to do the surgery in mid or late October, but the insurance company said that it takes 60 to 90 days for them to send out the approval! They were able to confirm that they had received the letter of declaration from my doctor (my insurance company told me that if my BMI was over 35, which it is, that's all I would need to get approved). So, the lady put a note on my file asking them to expedite it. So now it's just a matter of sitting back and waiting... I'm not a good waiter. LOL

That's awesome! I'm really happy for you!

I can't relate yet, as my surgery date hasn't even been set yet, but I am so excited for you!

I can't relate... yet... but I'm so excited for you!

As far as I know, I passed! I mean, they didn't ask me to stay and try on jackets that zip up the back or anything, so I guess I pased. LOL Seriously, though, it went fine. In all honesty, it was a big, fat (no pun intended here! LOL) waste of my time. All the results that came out of the personality test was stuff that I could have told him up front without having to waste the time on the test. He also took a lot of time to talk about some of the emotional pitfalls that can sometimes happen after surgery. I can definitely see the purpose of doing that, but again, it was stuff that I had already learned by researching it on the internet. But, it HAD to be done, as it was a requirement to get the surgery. So, the good news is that I am one step closer to scheduling my surgery date!

Wow! You look great! And to think that it's only been six weeks!

When I had my consultation with my surgeon, I asked him about this. He told me that he encourages his patients to start mild exercise right away (like walking, etc.). He said not to lift anything more than 20 lbs, though, for four weeks. He explained that the main reason for the wait is that heavy lifting like that can "jar" the band a bit, and waiting for about four weeks allows scar tissue to develop around the band, holding it in place better.

If you've had your psych eval, what was it like? I've got mine coming up in a couple of weeks, and though I'm not worried about it (my husband thinks I should be! ), I'm really curious about it. What was it like? What kind of stuff did you discuss? My hubby and I were talking about how the appointment is three hours long, and I told him, "Wow! Three hours! That's a LOT of inkblots!" LOL

I have to laugh because today I remembered a time when I joined Weight Watchers years ago. I remember thinking, "I've hit the 200 mark. I never thought I'd weigh this much!" Now, as I'm getting my ducks in a row for banding, I'm thinking how weird it will be to say, "I've hit the 200 mark. I never thought I'd weigh this LITTLE!"

Hello there! My name is Heather, and I'm in the pre-op stage. I did A TON of research on the internet before I even mentioned it to anyone. I guess I was just ashamed that so much of my weight issues have to do with bad habits, etc, and I was afraid that if I told people that I was considering surgery, they would think that I thought it would be a "quick fix" or an "easy answer" and that I thought that I wouldn't have to make any of the changes that are necessary for "normal" weight loss. (By the way, I don't view it as a "quick fix" or an "easy answer", and I know that my entire life in relation to food will be turned upside down!) Anyway, after much research, I decided that I could only collect so much info on the web, and it was time to talk to an "expert" about it. My husband has been awesome! He went with me to my initial consultation for the surgery, not only to support me, but because he has questions too! He's been trying to gather up as much info as I have; while I am the one having the surgery, he views it as "WE are having the surgery". We're in this together! (Isn't he awesome!) Anyway, I've got a psych evaluation scheduled for 9/15 (my husband is getting so much mileage out of the fact that a medical professional told me to get a psych eval! LOL). I'm also scheduled to go in for a sleep study on 9/22. I have three small children, and I have to admit that I'm looking forward to the sleep study just because I'll be able to sleep all night long without any little bodies climbing into my bed! LOL My surgeon hasn't set the exact date yet, but he's shooting for mid-October. So, that's me. I'm glad that I found you guys, and I'm looking forward to getting to know you!

Thanks!

...what the series of numbers in someone's signature means? I've seen it on several different WLS message boards, and I figured that it has something to do with their weight, but what specifically?