redbone0528

Wow Roz, Michelle talked about you today in my pre-op class! Of course, she shared no details, but she had me add rice to my list of foods to avoid post surgery. She said that there was a pretty serious incident involving rice recently, so she said that before she goes, she will be adding it to the hand outs. I am glad to hear that you are okay! I will definitely take that as a lesson, no rice for me!

Hi all! Pre-op officially completed! Today was a breeze, as I was the only one in the pre-op session. Way cool, everyone kept joking that I was getting the VIP treatment, since each session was one on one. I was out by noon, which was awesome. I was told the same thing as you guys, that I will have to take the April 2nd class, which is only three days after surgery. Michelle was kind enough to offer to bring me the handouts while I was in the hospital and go over them with me, since making the class in three days might not work for me. Maybe you guys that will hit mushies before the class might ask her to do the same? She seems pretty flexible with stuff like that. Man, I wish I was getting banded with you guys next Monday! This is going to be the longest two weeks ever!!!!

Good morning all! Is anyone here scheduled for testing on Thursday morning? Would love to have someone to pass the day with!

Awww, I wish that I could have made it! I will totally be there in April, will be banded almost two weeks by then. OMG I can't wait!!! When I see you guys I will officially be a 'Bandster'. Yay meeeeeee! lol

I have been looking forward to this all week long! I think the meetings are such a cool idea, and I have been really excited. I am a complete weather geek, and it isn't looking good for tomorrow. We are under our first blizzard warning in over a decade, and they are anticipating over a foot of snow. I live on the far east side, and I don't think that I will be able to make it. Please let me know if you reschedule for this month!

OMG, you are so right! I am slightly dissappointed, cause I was expecting to go earlier. But a date is a date, I am just so ready! I have been at this since October, I am just ready for it to be done! If they called me right now and said that they could band me in 10 mins, I would be there in 5!!!!

Me too!!!! Praying that someone cancels or reschedules so that I can get in early, but so happy to be in at all. Congrats u2!

I am new to the group, but I am going to try to come as well, as long as the weather isn't to bad! I look forward to meeting everyone!

Hi all! Finally got my surgery date yesterday afternoon, March 31st. I am really excited, but a little disappointed actually. I have had a hard time touching base with Charlene. Of course I know what kind of job she has. According to the dietician, she said that when Charlene first started, they were doing only 3-5 surgeries a month. The program has exploded, but yet it is still just Charlene. I have tons of empathy for that, but my file was complete and according to her being submitted, but according to insurance wasn't submitted until a week after that. I tried to keep in touch with her regarding a surgery date, but got no response. When UHC said that my procedure was submitted for March 10th, I stupidly assumed that was going to be my date. I prepared, scheduled my time off at work, and was mentally ready to go! Fast forward to her informing me that my date was 3/31. Oh well, it is what it is right? I am scheduled for pre-op on 3/13, is anyone else? Glad I found you guys! Extra props to SpecialK for leading me here!!!:shades_smile:

I am pretty sure that I am dying right now! lol As of tomorrow I am on day 7 of my pre-op liquid diet. Caved once on Wednesday, ate like my life depended on it, and I paid dearly for that. Felt disgusting and bloated, and woke up at 3am and threw it all up. Good times. I just do not know how I am going to make it honestly. I do good most days, filling up on EAS Lite drinks (I work for Abbott Nutrition, which produces the EAS line, so I get them way cheap at the company store) and sugar free Jello. But I am a cook. Not quite a chef, but a serious cook. I watch the Food Network most days, and as I type, I am watching Tyler Florence recepies on AOL. Brick Chicken with Apricot cous-cous, yummyyyyyyyy. Please tell me how you guys do it!??!?!?!!! I have been on this road since October of last year, and my final approval came thru last week for the procedure. I should find out my final surgery date tomorrow, I am soooo freakin close. But dayum it, I like to eat! And I LOVE to cook. It is my hobby, my passion. I appreciate food, and as a cook, food is an integral part of my life. How do I survive? I know that once I am banded things will get better, that I can eat things, if only in small portions. But right now, on this liquid diet, I feel like my spirit is dying. I know that sounds way dramatic, but dayum it, I mean it!!!! I am not sure quite what I am asking, maybe I am looking for encouragement. I know that you guys are great for that. I wanna know how the amature chefs among us move on? How do you continue to cook fabulous dishes and barely eat them? Crisis here, help!!!!!:thumbup:

Honestly, that is what I am hoping. Most of the fun of cooking a fabulous dish is watching others enjoy it. Maybe it is just cause I am so hungry right now, that I am jealous of my pooch when he eats, rofl! I am sure that I will get over this, it is just the beginning. I am dedicated to my path, and I will do whatever I have to in order to walk it. I just needed to hear that I could still throw down in the kitchen, and thanks for telling me that. If I weren't able to do that, I honestly wouldn't know who I was anymore. Thanks ya'll!!!

Hey ladies and gents! I need ya'lls help, so so bad! After a long long long long long journey, I finally have a surgery date, yay for March 10th! But I go on my liquid diet as of Monday, and I am wondering if anyone has some ideas on a shopping list. I want to make sure that I have alot of options, cause I am petrified that I will absolutely lose my mind when I can't eat. I have already apologized in advance to everyone that I know since I pretty much know that I will be an unchained animal for two weeks, lol. I know that I need protein shakes, but are there any other suggestions as to what you guys found helpful and satisfying during your Hell Weeks?? Thanks for any insight you can provide!!!!

Hi all. I really need some support right now. I swear it feels like I have been doing this for years, when it has really only been months. But still, months! It seems like every time I finish one requirement, I have 5 more. Initial seminar, sleep study, psych eval, will it ever end??? Even though my insurance covers the surgery, I feel like it is all still bleeding my wallet, and my spirit, dry. $300 for the administrative fee for the surgeons office, $110 for the psych eval, $200 for the nutritionist.... I know this is not a huge amount of money for most people, but it is huge for me. I just want the surgery, NEED the surgery! I have Type II Diabetes, sleep apnea, PCOS, GERD, major joint pain, you name it I have it. And I am 325 lbs. I don't want to die at 33, I just dont. How many hurdles do I have to jump through? I feel like a puppet, going from doctor to doctor. Co-pays every time. Sorry, I really don't even think that there is a point to this post, just venting. Someone tell me, is there an end? Will I ever be able to just have the surgery and get healthy, get myself back? I know that it isn't a cure-all, but it is a tool that I need to save my life. ARRRRRGGGGGGG! Thanks for listening to my rant, I feel a little better now. Just a little........

HATING YOU RIGHT NOW!!!! Lol, not really. Okay, maybe just a lil. Good luck!!!!!

I have to schedule my nutrisionist visits next week, and I attend my support group on Monday. I think that is actually it except for the pre-op testing. I am just afraid that as soon as I complete this stuff, there will be something else! It seems like there always is......

Thanks for the input all. I don't normally drink to the point of throwing up, but I might dance on a table or two, haha! But I do (or did) drink frequently. That is just what my friends and I do, but I found that I had no problem stopping. I just had to hide from everyone I know and love, lol. Maybe I am just freaking out about nothing, but everything is a worry right now. This journey has been soooo long, I am just ready! I swear if my Doc called me right now and said we will operate in 10 mins, I would be there in 5!!!

Hi all. Still new to all of this, so thanks again for the wealth of info on this site. What did we ever do without the internet??? lol!! My question is this. I am a former heavy drinker. Drank tons in college, and after my ex decided that 'he loves me, but he is no longer IN love with me' I crawled into the bottom of a bottle for several months. I drink alot now, I have plenty of tolerance, but only in social situations. I can go for weeks on end without drinking, but when I drink, I DRINK!! My biggest fear is that my surgeon will go to insert the band, and see something in my liver, and just not put the band in. In preparation for my surgery, I have already quit drinking, even socially. I haven't had a drink in almost a month and a half. Don't want one either, my health and self esteem are more important to me right now. Has anyone else every been in this situation? Am I freaking out for no reason, or do I have a valid fear? Has anyone ever heard of a situation where this has happened??? I was recently approved for surgery, and now all of the fears and freakouts are coming out of nowhere. Help??? :help:

Yay Me!!! I finally received approval from UHC for the Lap-Band procedure!! :whoo: Now it seems like the fun begins (please read that with the sarcasm with which it was intended!). I guess I am luckier than most, as I only had to have a sleep study done, which I had several months ago to diagnose my Obstructive Apnea. Now the only thing left is to attend a support group meeting, and the psychological evaluation. I don't know why, but the psychological eval is freaking me out! It is like I am afraid that they will say 'No, Lisa can't have the surgery because even though she doesn't know it, she has the brain of a serial killer in waiting'. I know that is totally obnoxious, but I think that I am just waiting for something to go wrong, and I can not proceed with the surgery until this eval has been passed. Can anyone please help me stop freaking out and give me an idea of exactly what this entails? What they are looking for? Can I actually 'FAIL' it? I am sure that the therapist that is administering the testing can answer all of these questions, but in the interest of time I am having my initial appointment with him for the first hour, and then testing the next. Any info would totally be appreciated!!! Thanks so much for all of the support you all have already given me. Even though I am a rare poster, I am a frequent reader, and I draw alot of strength from all that you guys have been through. :help:

Okay, thanks for the heads up, I have my upper GI scheduled already, and I am gonna call my PCP tomorrow to schedule the EKG and the blood work. Is there anything else that I can do early? Can I see a nutritionist early, or will they make me do that anyway when I select a surgeon? Sorry for all the questions, but I am racing against the clock here. Thanks for all of the input ladies!:help:

Hi all, I just found this board while conducting an exhaustive search online. There is so much information here, and I want to thank you for it. I have a question, and I am hoping that you all can help me. Has anyone been able to travel from approval to surgery in less than 2 months? My doc is in the process of completing the letter to request the surgery. Considering that I have Type II Diabetes, PCOS, depression, and Sleep Apnea, my insurance company insists that I have a 99% chance of being approved. My issue is, that I am over my out of pocket maximum for the year (surprise, considering that I have a thousand things wrong with me), and if I can get the procedure performed before the end of the year, I won't have to pay a cent. But if I wait, I will have to pay a ton of money. Has anyone had any success in getting the procedure in two months or less? Any doc recommendations? I already have my primary docs approval, and a therapist documentation. Any help or advice would be appreciated. Thanks!!!!! :help:

Question, what preop stuff would be good to take care of now? I have had my sleep study, I am seeing a therapist who is on board, and I have an upper g/i scheduled, just in case. Is there anything else that you would suggest taking care of now? Any ideas you have will help, because I will schedule them all tomorrow! lol

Hi all, I just found this board while conducting an exhaustive search online. There is so much information here, and I want to thank you for it. I have a question, and I am hoping that you all can help me. Has anyone been able to travel from approval to surgery in less than 12 months? My insurance company is in the process of approving the Lap Band procedure. Considering that I have Type II Diabetes, PCOS, depression, and Sleep Apnea, my insurance company insists that I have a 99% chance of being approved. My issue is, that I am over my out of pocket maximum for the year (surprise, considering that I have a thousand things wrong with me), and if I can get the procedure performed before the end of the year, I won't have to pay a cent. But if I wait, I will have to pay a ton of money. Has anyone had any success in getting the procedure in two months or less? Any doc recommendations? I already have my primary docs approval, and a therapist documentation. Any help or advice would be appreciated. Thanks!!!!! :faint: