katerzz

oh and futher more... it abosolutly PISSES me off that my own surgeons office would recommend me to do this $200 thing when as the nurse said "this does exactly the same thing for $35" damn it why didnt they just tell me that in the first place before they gave me the biggest stress attack to date!!

ok i called them and basically said I cant afford this there is absolutely no way.. wow i got a call back real fast so instead of the $200.00 for this other stuff.. i buy one can of Isopure for $35 that will last 2 weeks + probably the first week or two post op. so i get to take that 8 times a day, mix in Water and NOT EAT ANYTHING ... what a horrible thing to throw at a person like me with no notice at least its not gonna cost me 200 bucks tho!

they told me "800 calorie liquid diet" you cant just drink anything it has to be this food supplement" i called back.. of course our surgical office has like 2 day hold period when u leave a message at least it seems that way

is anyone starting to have doubts? maybe its the fact that its SOO close but now im starting to get a little freaked out and yes I worry if I will be able to make the changes that is needed.. and if I fail what happens then. ive heard so many things about it not being successful for some people. WHAT HAPPENS IF IM ONE OF THEM? hehehe seriously though.. is it nerves or should i reconsider this whole thing? ahhhhhhhhh oh not to mention my hubby doesnt seem to think this is major or he is just trying to be supportive but last night im like.. dude i can die from surgery.. yes chances are i wont but all of a sudden it IS in the back of my head saying what are you doing and i just watched Dr. 90210 when they did a tummy tuck, breast lift and arm fixerupper and im thinking god im gonna need to do all of that too. maybe im more scared not to be the "fat" one anymore??????????? come on peoples i know im not the *only* one feeling all this!!!

man i sure dont have it together like you!!! thank god im only going 15 mins from my house or I would cry. lets see.. i dont have anything ready LOL its all still kinda not real in my head even though I go in on the 5th for pre-op stuff. ooooooooooooooo yer doing sooo much better than me!! Good job! (share some of your organization with me.. i swear i wont mind!) hehe

AHHHH after 2 years its finally here. I got my letter today (even tho I was told over the phone a week ago) saying surgery was approved.. insurance covers everything but $250.00 deductable and $200 class they require me to take before hand. Now.. time for the scary part. In my letter it gave me all my appointments.. on April 5th I have pre-op with surgeon at 11:30, then at the hospital where im having my surgery I have pre-op labs at 1 pm... then i have to be back at the other hospital for the pre-op class at 2:30. seems all fine and dandy till i read the scariest part... At your pre-op class you will pay your fees, take pre-op pics and weigh in. OMG ok i know its not JUST me who went through this so help me out. my doctor did not require me to loose any weight.. however was very firm about not gaining. Well .. I haven't a clue if I did gain any or not. I cant just run to walmart and buy a scale (i weigh 384# last appointment in january) I wont lie.. i havent like totally changed my eating habits but Ive tried hard to do so. Its just.. well i have this thing in my head saying "this is your last chance eat all the good meals (bad) you love in your life in case you cant ever eat them again. then there is this other thing.. well kinda. I dont want to go home the same day. I expressed this to the girl at the surgeons office but shes like ohhh youll be fine. well.. i have 3 dogs and i just DONT want to be home that first night and make my hubby take care of me. Surgery doesnt even start until 12:30 pm i wouldnt be home till late evening.... gahhhhhh So.. omg im so scared that my surgery will be rescheduled if i gained any weight. Its not like my cloths fit any different ive worn the same size for 2 years now and they arent tight.. but they arent loose. Heres another problem.. I have pcos and friday i go in to be put on birth control and I'm sure i will need to do a round of povera which will cause me to have a reallllly bad time of the "month" considering I havent for over a year now. Wel.. wont that cause me to bloat up? what bad timing. I was thinking my pcp gave me Water pills.. how much weight does water pills usually drop? is there anythign I can do to guarantee im ok by april 5th? .. realistic stuff not run two miles everyday if i could do that i wouldnt be fat in the first place. Heres the big thing.. i cant reschedule my surgery the day I got my surgery approval was the day I got a new job offer. they agreed to extend the offer an extra month (i start may 11th) but i have something i have to do for my parents for 10 days a week after my surgery in another state soo.. well there isnt time to reschedule my surgery if it doesnt happen now. i know it wont ever happen. HELP!!!!!!! ps i was gonna buy a scale offline but even the ones on ebay are like 50 bucks plus 15 in shipping.. well im poor atm saving for deductables. my pcp cant give me an accurate weight cuz im to big.. and i dont wanna go into the surgical office and say look im worried i gained weight can i check so if i did i can starve myself next week? LOL ooooo the joys of life!!

aww i didnt even notice this post till now.. Thanks everyone!!!! i keep telling my hubby this is my last fat birthday =)

i must have missed surgery is April 11th. Maybe they start me on a liquid diet the last week? im not sure.. is this something I could do on my own? i know most of its paranoia because of how "strict" they said they were. and i have got rid of most of the fried out of my diet, and i know its not much but ive been out running around like madness with appointments for work (its a hospital, lots of hoops to jump through) and of course for the surgery. as far as the dread of my monster, last time I was on provera took 2 weeks to clear out so its okay for surgery, but wont be for my pre-op stuff which my guess, they understand considering they are making me go on birth control. obviously i dont want to do anything to add extra risk, i know loosing a few pounds helps your liver and the surgery but it just seems so soon to loose a few lol and can i mention the emotions that go with this whole thing? my god.. im so happy im not doing the bypass because i probably would chicken out. as most of you know about my website that I'm doing it just seems weird to me that i have so many emotions and questions since i have spent so many days researching but i guess when the shoes are on your own foot EVERYTHING is different!! thank you for all your support

I'm being banded on April 11th =D

well.. i just got back into town after spending a couple weeks with family and came to check my posts and well.. like 5 of them are gone? I guess I have a question for this.. why are posts being deleted without at least a PM of why? I do see there was a lot of drama stuff on here.. but I cant figure out what it has to do with me or what I posted. any help? =(

ok got some help from a moderator.. ignore =-)

When you get it done, lets chat. I can feature it on banded.info site.

wow you took the words out of my mouth! There is quite a few "know it alls" who really talk down to people on yahoo bandsters. Sometimes I just wanna say you know.. this thing sucks go to LBT! but i hear what they do to those who are like that =)

ok guys the website is coming along great I'm getting a ton of feedback and I thank you. I'm also being asked what do I need so I'm gonna make a list and chage it as things progress. (please email me responses katie@griffonco.com) 2/9/05- This is what I'm in search for at the moment: Before & After Pictures Success Stories (before and after pictures welcome for this) Any information you think is important for those who are considering the surgery, including: Making a decision, Starting the process, preparing for surgery, about thoughts and feelings throughout this process, recovering from the surgery, dealing with physical changes.. well pretty much anything. Links & resources what sites do you use, recommend and dont recommend.

Hi guys, as a couple of you saw I am starting a website that compiles a ton of info about this whole process but its far from complete. I really need help with it so someone suggested I reach out to you guys and here I am! I think my first post was lost in confusion so now that I have the design done I am really in need of some help. The website is www.banded.info be warned its still in the works but I think if people see what I'm doing I may get more help hehe. The message board links that is on the site will all link to this website once its done, for now I've thrown up a developer board so its easier to communicate the stuff I'm lacking. but feel free to post on here also since I check these boards all day long! I think the goal for this site is explained like this..... A website that provides information to those researching the lap-band and recovering from having it. It will bring information from those who have had the surgery to the finger tips of even those less computer inclined and will be kept up to date (links etc). There will be an online survey that will show the answers in graphs and charts. questions that relate to before and after surgery and changes that happened. <good or="" bad=""> ... sorta like a study. heres a basic overview: I've researched WLS for 2 years now and I have finally decided to do a lap-band and will be scheduling for surgery as soon as my paperwork is done (its ALMOST done!) I've done so much research and like many others I have found so many different conflicting stories about the lap band. I find there is four different types of websites for WLS. 1. Surgeons/Doctors- Well sure they have good info.. but well they are trying to sell you the product so you may not find what you need too. 2. Message Boards- Lapbandtalk.com and the yahoo bandster group are great examples.. I LOVE these sites and there is tons of info.. but you have to have lots of time to find what your looking for. 3. Non-Profits who like to sell you a lot of garbage. I've found SO many WLS websites that sure theres info on there but you have to get through all the ads and crap to find it. 4. Bucket-o-bits. There are So many sites out there.. and well to be frank they are either all about gastric bypass or they have only little tiny mentions about lap-band. well.. these sites dont work for me. I want to know EVERYTHING there is to know and I would assume anyone else in my shoes would also. So.. where is the best place to get answers? Well.. of course those who have had the surgery! This is a huge project.. my biggest to date with all the sites I've ever done in the past. But one thing will get me through it.. and thats support! Right now were in the process of creating the "team". Once the site is finished its all about getting the word out.. then we can work on search engines and getting to the top. I've set up a phase list to help stay on task Phase #1- Getting the team Phase #2- Deciding what to include, and what not to include Phase #3- Gathering the Information Phase #4- Checking Everything Phase #5- Checking Everything AGAIN Phase #6- Getting the word out and announcing the release of banded.info __________________________________________________________ Heres a link (click here) to the boards and what I need as far as teamsters goes hehe The design is going good and pretty much done. now i need info im trying my hardest to gather it on my own but its very difficult to do this whole thing by myself. If you think I missed something or have any ideas or comments please let me know. you can email me at katie@griffonco.com or you can post it. I also need before & after pictures etc. at this point I really just need feedback and anyone whos willing to help out. thanks for reading my long post!</good>

under life after surgery there is a section for adjustments and fills thanks for everyones awesome support!

i was told to buy hair, skin and nail Vitamins. Thats what they are called.. you can get them at GNC or walmart even. Protein doesnt help with hair loss .. at least that ive ever heard of =)

i was also in your shoes a couple weeks ago I made myself so nervous it was crazy! anyways basically it was a life history from my doc.. she wanted to know EVERYTHING about stuff like weight loss, what its done to me etc. family stuff like health and support and a lot about childhood emotional state.. basically asked about my past sexual abuse, stuff that would lead to emotional eating. Support- this was a huge one she drilled me to make sure I had a good support system in place.. my hubby going with made a HUGE impact on this part she also wanted to make sure i knew all about the surgery and what it could and could not do for me.. asked me questions like after the surgery how much can i eat after 2 months 4 months 6 months etc.. (she wanted to know in ounces.) then it went on to excerise and lifestyle changes making sure i could actually do what needed to be done. if your married.. be ready to be drilled on your relationship just in case.. I was. But then again I was also told the divorce rate for after surgery is 80%!!!! She made it very clear i couldnt get any answer wrong that its just a way for her to evaluate my state of mind and if i can handle the surgery. be yourself and dont stretch the truth because then you'd be lying to yourself also and it may be a bad thing when it comes to this surgery overall it was a very plesant experience and i plan to contact her after the surgery and shes gonna come visit me and my husband in the hospital to make sure all is okay. the dietician was really scary to me.. all i could think of was how they are "diet" people and are against the surgery.. i got quite the opposite. she was very cool and i learned a lot about the after care and she really explained a lot to me. be ready to tell them everything you eat and how often etc. its pretty extensive also... atleast mine was! hehe just dont be nervous and make sure you convince them that you know all that you can about the surgery and what *could* happen if things go wrong. that was my biggest view from it is they are trying to make sure you do know. Good Luck!!

Hi there after spending the last 4 days on this site reading every single thing that I can I've decided to take my professional web design skills and make a lap-band resource information website. I originally was thinking for my area most of all. (live in Reno, NV) but I've found SO much useful information here mostly by people who have had the surgery already that it seems silly not to make a site useful to anyone, anywhere. I'll tell you my background. I've spent the last 2 years researching WLS. Up until 2 months ago I had no idea what the lap-band could do for me, or anyone really. I had this view of it being for someone who needed to loose less than 100 pounds or so. There is SOOOO much crap online about the surgery and most of it makes people like me not want it. I really want to take my time and make something useful for everyone who was in my shoes and really had no where to turn too that gave *real* information. Mosts sites are done by the surgeons and people trying to get your money. So basically what I want to do is make a research site mainly for lap band patients considering the surgery or pre op.. not necessarily those post op (which wouldnt be hard to include tho) but for those who want as much information before hand as they can find. I'm not gonna go stealing anyones stuff of course and I really want to utilize all these great sites listed by linking them and keeping them up to date. But I also want to have a lot of info from people who have done the surgery, who have been in well... my shoes. This surgery is amazing, imo much better than stapling now that I've found accurate research so I'm just curious if anyone wants to help me out. I can't really make a great site until I've been there but I think if I really start now that by the time (i should have surgery in less than 2 months) I get there I don't forget all the things I wondered about when I was considering the surgery. anyways I'd like to get some feedback. This site is amazing (obviously would be a #1 link) but I'd like to make a nice professional looking site that gives resources and information that *isnt* paid for by a surgeons office trying to convince people to do the surgery. I want to include a ton of things but I'm open to ideas and definately open to some help getting things in order.. and well the whole thing really. what do you guys think? If I did this.. what ideas do you have? you can email me at katie@griffonco.com or we can just chat here.. your choice!

im a multi-poster I know haha OK.. so I've been going over everything and I have figured out what we need for the "team" to work get the site completed.. or well started enough to get it out there. I need people, or groups of people who can do the following: I have these sections on the site and I basically need 2-3 people for each section at least to help me compile information and make sure its right. The site design is complete, and the domain is registered I'll be throwing up a message board for the team to work together on it so now I just need the team! Informed Decision- (About Gastric Banding, Costs & Insurance, Risks & Rewards, The Decision) Will need people to help with research, gathering information etc. Journey Ahead- (Starting the Process, Preparing for Surgery, Thoughts and Feelings) Will need people to help with research, gathering information etc. Life After Surgery- (Road to Recovery, Diet & Nutrition, Physical Changes, Adjustments & Fills) Lap Band Inspirations- (Survey Says, Success Stories, Before & After, Will need people to help with research, gathering pictures, choosing which stories to put in etc. Support & Resources- (Local Resources, Online Support Groups, Internet Resources, Lap-Band Media) This is the BIGGEST part of the site I need help with. I really need people to help me find links and short descriptions of everything above and help find links to lap band in the media. Basically we will have a message board for the "team" or admin of the site. If you help us you'll be an admin the entire life of the website if you'd choose to be. This site has great potential but I cant do it alone.. and honestly I dont want too. I'd love to have other opinions and help throughout this process. If you think you can add anything to any of the sections above.. or have any suggestions email me. I'll send you the message board link and once you sign up I can give you access and we can go from there. also... I plan to have this site done in less than 2 weeks hopefully. My biggest problem is having to handle everything and seeking out those who have posted and ask them permission to use things. This would be a huge help if we could get a couple people to assist with that also.

basically for the survey i've made these sections: General Information About You Conditions About Insurance/Costs About the Surgery Complications Aftercare food Family & Friends -since surgery Emotions I am trying to think of *everything* that can be answered in multiple choice questions. (up to say 50 choices) I want to include ANYTHING that could be valuable for one or all of the people looking at the results.

the more I get with the site I will be looking for more help. i've started the design and am setting up the general layout of the pages so that its all set to go to add info. my husband and I spoke tonight and he plans to make a database where those who have been banded can take a survey and that information will be shown in charts and easy to follow info. an example would be After one week how much did you loose (week2,3,4,5,6, etc) the results would show a graph or chart representing how much average weight loss per week. another example when did you move onto solid foods week 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 etc. coming up with these questions are gonna be the hardest for me since there is no real place to find such info. any suggestions would be great. once i get it into motion i will of course need a lot of people willing to take the survey and share the experience. on the survey would also be questions.. like this.. but each question would have max # of chars so that they were short answers explain what this surgery has done for you and your life would you recommend this surgery to a friend, if so why? whats one thing you wish you would have know but didnt? etc.... anyone who wants to help me come up with things to include on a survey would be much appreciated.. you can email me katie@Griffonco.com or post it.. either way =)

this is kinda what i've come up with so far.. any suggestions? even name suggestions would be great... i've kinda explain what each section will be. The Choice About Gastric Banding - general info Risks & Rewards - Making a Choice - really about the emotional part of making the decision but also the good parts about being healthy etc. and of course the bad parts just an overall review of everything Costs & Insurance - general info.. help for insurance stuff (like i wish I wouldve known kinda what to write in my letter to get approved, or stuff like that) Journey Ahead Preparing for Surgery (the weeks up to, days hours etc. what to buy stuff like that) Recovering (helpful hints and suggestions from those who have been there to a speedy recovery) Diet & Nutrition (outline of nutrition and diet.. i may be able to get my hubby to create a database for recipes and stuff also would like to briefly include the stages this wouldve been good to have before I had gone to my consult so i knew what to expect food wise.) Emotionial Journey I really think its important to provide info about this.. ive read so much about peoples emotional state.. and ive had 3 of the doctors ive seen tell me how important it is to research what this surgery will do to me and my family emotionally and what i can do to help the process. Physical Changes - you hear so much about the gastric bypass and hair loss, skin sagging, even weight loss things like this.. id like to touch more on specifically the lap band. eventually id like to get an online survey that will database everyone who goes to the site, so that it will show basically what percentage of each has what etc. Adjustments & Fills - what to expect, normal costs, how often granted everyone is different.. so general information which is beter than no info (surgeons sites often dont mention much about this) Before & Afters - to include this section I'd need lots of support from those who've had the surgery. I'll probably make an online form so that they can be submitted and hosted directly on the site itself. Success Stories - I'm not sure about this.. I really want something short and sweet not a 10 page book that most people dont have time to read. maybe short paragraphs of answering certain questions like.. how has this surgery changed your life... and would you do this surgery again. type thing.. seperate and put a limit on how much people can answer so that those who are researching really can find the info they are looking for vs all of it at once. Support & Resources Message Board - this mostly will be about the website itself I think most of all I'll refer directly to this site. Local Resources - not sure exactly about this but it seems good to include somehow Online Support Groups theres a ton of them.. here, yahoo etc. I'd like to have a good list thats kept up to date. Internet Resources - website links Lap-Band Media - articles, tv, etc. about lapband i tried to think of all the things I'd want to find at this type of site.. im sure i missed somethings and maybe some of the things i have isnt a good idea.. any suggestions?

definately..i find before/after pics a HUGE help for me when I get discouraged about always hearing how with the band you don't loose much weight.. its amazing how many people think that

Hi.. I'm 22 years old and weigh 384 pounds. I *should* have my insurance approval this week sometime and I just wonder if and where people around or above my weight are at after the surgery I know all people are different when loosing but I'm just curious. I know many who are my weight and plus choose stapling but my doctor actually recommended the band. thanks in advance