Cairobat

I'm hoping for mid-June. I am pretty sure I've hit the pre-op goal weight loss and I have an appointment to see the Psychologist next Friday. From what I understand, the ball gets rolling pretty fast after you hit pre-op goal weight (with my surgeon's group). They might even be willing to set a date for next month, but I want to postpone the surgery because we have a cruise booked for May.

So I went to the four-hour Kaiser Richmond orientation meeting and it left me feeling pretty freaked out. And I guess it should - this surgery should not be undertaken lightly. But what scared more than the thought of having a foriegn body surgically inserted was the thought of giving up my old buddy food. Food...such a steadfast friend. Always there for me. Always comforting. So now I am worried that I am not a good candidate. I'm afraid I will abuse the tool so I don't have to break up with my good friend. I am having a lot of stress just thinking about the *pre-op* diet! I am worried that I cannot do this and I will be miserable. And maybe (probably?) I am a food addict, destined to a life sentence in food-jail*. Anyone else ever felt this way? How did you fare? Tracy *Thanks for the new term, Bandista

Hi all, I'm over at the VGS forum now (can't get lap band), and I wanted to say that I started the super scary pre-op diet a little over a week ago. It's not so bad! I actually have not been truly hungry at all! I have had a few small fights with "head hunger", but so far I have won each battle. This is pretty huge! Thanks for the support! Health & happiness to all!

Well, if it helps any, the guidlines I have from my surgeon said to expect 60-80% (IIRC) of the weight to come off BUT you will need to figure a diet and excercise plan into the picture. I'm sure you'll hear this many times, but the surgery is just a tool. It will enhance YOUR work. Best of luck!

Hi! This is my first post. I am new to my health plan (Kaiser) and met my GP for the first time today. It was initially for a physical, but it became a discussion of weight loss surgery instead. To my surprise, she is all for it. I thought that I would have to go through a million and one hoops, but I guess just being newly diagnosed with diabetes, having PCOS, and being in the "extreme obesity" range sold it for me. All I have to do is get blood work done to see where my over-all health is, take some online class and that's it - I get a referral. Cool. Just sad that my husband is having a harder time of it with the VA. He needs this, too. So, while I am excited, I am still nervous, and even waffling about it. I have lost weight on low carb many times, and I don't even mind the diet, but for some reason I always fall off the wagon. Or I stay on long enough to lose 50+ lbs and then have to focus my entire life on keeping those pounds off like it's my damn full time job. (A job that I inevitably fail at, time after time.) And even with the Herculean weight loss effort, it only ever takes me from "extreme obesity" to "obesity". There's gotta be more to life than that! So maybe this is the answer. It would be really nice to be able to tie my shoes and not feel like I'm gonna die. But I am still nervous. So, "Hi!". Glad I found this forum. I'll be doing some research and learning what I can to make sure this is the right choice for me. Tracy

Hi All, Just wanted to thank you all for the support you've given the short time I was in this forum. I just found out that they do not do Lap Band at Kaiser Richmond anymore, so I must choose another method. I will be going with the sleeve. Thanks for all the kind words and best of luck and health to everyone! Tracy

Hey everyone, Thanks for the warm welcome! Again, I am really glad I found this forum - am I going to need support and I can tell you guys are supportive! I don't think I have much, if any, choice in who I get my surgery from. I have Kaiser, so my PCP will give me a referal to a surgeon within the Kaiser system (Anyone else have Kaiser? Please correct me if I'm wrong!) So far I have been very happy with Kaiser. My husband is a disabled Vet, so he's trying to get the VA to do his surgery. They are not making it easy for him. He has a BMI of around 43, and would really benefit from this. I took the online class last night and left three vials of blood for the required blood work. That was all my doctor wanted before she would put in a referral. So, now I just research while I wait. Tracy