KarenElaine

I'm definitely hoping to sever the relationship with my CPAP machine.

Sure hoping you are feeling better.

So proud of you! I was going to do this a year ago but my surgeon (then) moved his surgery location to a distance I wasn't comfortable with. I'm currently signed up with Dr. Baptista but haven't met him yet. As for "What do you do now", from what I read on the site...follow doc's orders. Stay relaxed I guess too. That's what I will concentrate on. Once its done, its done...don't look back. No regrets and think positive. Best wishes and God Bless you.

Look up Dr. Cywes. He does surgeries at West Palm and Tampa. I was scheduled a year ago but he moved his surgeries down there from JAX. It was too far for me to go.

Anyone had their surgery with him lately?

Not sure when my surgery will be. I meet with a new surgeon 1 Aug. I've done all the requirements of the previous surgeon. Surgeon #2 took over #1's office in Valdosta, GA. I'm thinking it will be in Sep or Oct.

Have to remember this when I finally get there.

When I went for my psych evaluate Tues that there is a support meeting held monthly at the Valdosta Bariatric office. Good to know, cause I hadn't been informed of that yet.

I'll be seeing Dr. Melton from Moultrie, GA in the Valdosta Bariatrics ofc. He has been doing Lapbands for quite a long time but was recently re-trained by Dr. Cywes. It's hard to believe its so hard to get a good bariatric surgeon near Valdosta, GA. I have met all my pre-surgery requirements so I guess it will just be a matter of meeting the new doc.

I'm beginning to think a trek to Tampa for surgery is just really nuts. Anyone have suggestions for a TriCare doc that might be closer?

LJCBF, I saw Dr. C in the Valdosta ofc. He did tell us he's now working out if West Palm & Tampa. It's a going to be a very long drive for surgery but my confidence in him as a surgeon is worth it to me. The doc taking over his patients in Valdosta (Melton), Dr. C said he has much confidence in but he will only be doing lapband, no hybrid. That's what I want. I'm 53, and have wasted and lost too much of my life already. He also explained why the closing, without the probable gory details...a mess.

I look at these yoga classes and shows and what not and can't understand how I'm supposed to try these positions being "obese". I'm not a swan I'm a whale.

As my doc (Dr. Cywes) explained to me (surgery date not yet set), plication is the stomach being stapled lengthwise. Not cut away as with the sleeve operation. My doc will be doing the band with plication on me--his default band surgery. He said if we want the band only, we have to tell him. He is doing research on the band with plication called "hybrid". This hybrid version of lapband gives you the quick weight loss seen with the sleeve version, plus they don't see "chaffing" at the band placement location and they don't see "band slippage" as with the band alone. He has done (as of Thursday last week), 450 of these operations. I will be traveling from Valdosta, GA to Tampa, FL to have him do my operation. I could have another doc do the surgery, but would only get the band and not get a doc with his experience. For these 2 reasons I'm also opting to travel to Tampa for Dr. Cywes. Hope this helps.

Tri-Care South. I had my "2d surgeon visit" 13 Jun. by then all pre-op requirements met, labs, ekg, 5-year diet history, 3-month supervised diet w/nutritionist, only thing left was psyc eval which I had forgotten about. Doc was ready to send our paperwork in for surgery approvals and July surgery dates. There were 5 of us at the "visit"--all at the same point. Having been through our supervised weight loss, all documents with the surgeon's coordinator. The supervised weight loss serves a 2-fold mission. We really need to learn and evaluate how we are eating, what we are eating, why we are eating. If you get approval too quick; you don't have time to learn these very valuable lessons. My doc (Cywes) is currently operating out of Tampa and West Coast. He's been doing these surgeries for years. In our conversation with him this past Thursday, (3 of the 5 of us were Tri-Care), he told us that Tri-Care does not approve "Sleeves". He does the band with a hybrid fold the length of the stomach (some will call it band with plication). Or he can do the band only. He defaults to the hybrid version of the surgery as a study he is providing data on. As of Thursday, he had done 450 of these surgeries. He explained that the hybrid version gives the patient a much quicker weight loss up front like the sleeve does. The sleeve version of WLS, the stomach is cut away by half or so (lengthwise). If something were to happen later down the road and you needed that stomach--your out of luck. With the hybrid version, the stomach is inverted lengthwise and stapled; not only is there much less chance of chafing but also band slippage. The stomach is still a viable organ, still receiving blood, oxygen, the whole nine so to speak. If there are severe complications in your life at a later time, the procedure can be "un-done". This was a win-win for me. Based on my age (53), he would have opted for the sleeve--but that just hadn't been an option at any point for me. There's as he stated--no back out plan if your stomach goes bad. Hope some of this helps.

I had an appointment with Dr. Cywes yesterday...all is well. Thank goodness! I really didn't want to go to another surgeon. I had checked on Dr. Cywes' bio and was really comfortable with him. A lot of inaccurate information on LBT on this subject.

Thanks for sharing.

Cywes is going back to pediatrics as I understand.

My doc is closing his practice. Left his patients with many unknowns. Some had surgery dates. Others just had surgery. Still others like myself about ready for final submission to our insurance carrier. It's a bit if a mess, I'm trying to stay positive and motivated.

Donna, Can I cry with you? You are not alone. After every meal, I really, really, want something just a tiny little bit of something sweet to eat. Why is that? I've asked myself for so long. So anyway to take the torment away, I do, just a tiny bit and the desire is gone. So, in the long run, I'm thinking, how bad is it really? I'm certain the bad comes in when we continue to eat badly. Through this journey, I've been learning that when we don't have enough Protein in our diet, we also want carbs (sweets). That was completely enlightening to me. So, holy cow, am I eating proteing now. And it's working. I even cut out the rice and potatoes with no problem. I'm gluten free so I already don't eat bread. I am seriously craving green beans!!! OMG, who am I? The docs want you to be busy. As I'm told, "If you are doing, you aren't consuming." Ok, makes sense. They don't care what you are doing, just that we do something. Those closest to us (family), are usually the ones that will hurt us the most. Your mom didn't mean to hurt you, she's offering something that she thinks is the answer. She doesn't understand what your needs are. Big hug here. You will also feel better if you are doing something. Visit the goodwill store see what your imagination can stir up. Jigzaw puzzles. Hot glue gun. We crafters swear crafting is our therapy! Plan out your meals, load up on the Proteins and veggies; eat those proteins first. Bridge with those veggies and you are going to feel better in no time. We can do this! karen

Holy Moley this is ugly. Well, I had great hopes with Dr. Cywes but dang, still no letter. Trying to be patient. There is 1 more day the office will be open in Valdosta (30 May), then they close. I spoke with Dana on the 20th she said they were having an office meeting that morning and were hoping to come out with the final information on a doc from Moultrie (Dr. Melton) taking over the Valdosta office. Basically the Jacksonville folks don't return and the new doc and staff take over everything. We don't have to do anything but continue with our previously set appointments. But...still no letter. I'm hoping the delay is in getting the information correct before they send it out. The only information I could find on Dr. Melton is that he's been doing lapbands for 4 years (not sure how old the bio was), and that he works out of Colquitt Regional and Smith-Northview. However, I also have found out that Smith-Northview being part if the South Georgia Medical Group cannot do lapbands there, so there goes that for us Valdostans. Being Tri-Care, I'm not likely to get much choice in doctor anyway.

Hey that's awesome! so proud of you! I only hope I can get back to work that quickly.

I'm pre-op. My insurance co (Tri-Care) requires a period of time to learn healthy eating and weight loss prior to surgery. Prior to seeing the nutritionist I had given up soda which was huge for me. My surgeon gets in my face and says, you are fat because you are addicted to food. I was warned before I got in there with him (I had my big girl panties on thank goodness). Also helped that he spoke from experience--he and his complete staff are banded. The surgeon staright off said get down to 30 carbs a day. Once I looked at food lables I was shocked. Several weeks later I saw the nutritionist--now I don't eat rice, pasta, potatoes. I'm gluten free, so I already don't eat bread. So, 30 carbs...totally doable! You really need this "pre" pre-op time to learn a new way of eating and that eating is truly overrated. We've been eating all our lives, some of us longer than others. I really wanted to jump in and get that surgery pronto quick. I know now, that had I done that, it would have been disasterous. We have to really learn, understand and come to grips with how we got here first.

I spoke with Dana this am. They are having an office meeting this morning that should yield final information for us. Looks like for us in the Valdosta area we will be turned over to Dr. Melton from Moultrie. Sounds as if all goes well, we will still go to the Valdosta office for our appointments, not sure where our surgeries will be though. I did a search on Dr. Melton here on this site. He's affiliated with Colquitt Regional and Smith Northview. That's a whole lot closer that having to go to Brunswick, GA or Jacksonville, FL. My next appointment is currently scheduled for June 14 (physician managed weight loss). At that point my surgery request was likely to be submitted to Tri-Care because is was my 3d appointment.

Keeping positive thoughts for you this week! You can do this. A week you won't have to live through again. Keep your goal in mind, remember why you got started on your journey in the first place. Keep smiling.

OMGosh! He's my doc too!