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Best of luck for smooth travel and easy surgery, and quick recovery, Caybachman! If you follow most of the rules, most of the time, you will lose 50-100 pounds in the coming year. Hold that thought! Orea

The shoulder pain is referred pain from your diaphragm. It gets stretched during surgery and is irritated. The nerve endings for it are near the nerves for your shoulder, so your brain gets confused and thinks it is your shoulder hurting! Anesthesia has nothing to do with it. Orea

Wow, Lacy, you've been through a lot in a few short years. Congrats on making the decision to get the band. And best wishes regarding your other challenges. Orea

Dazzle, your body has been through a lot. It has every right to be tired! Go ahead and rest, you probably need it. Hugs, Orea

Joiful, thanks for checking in with us and letting us know how you are. I've been thinking about you! So sorry you've been uncomfortable. Hope you feel better soon. Orea

That's great! Thank you for checking in and letting us know how you are. :-) Orea

As far as I know, insomnia would not disqualify you. Orea

Altoona, I think we all go through this. I worry about uncovering a health problem, too. As for the psych evaluation, all they need to find out is if you are rational, know what you are doing in terms of getting into this, can you follow directions, etc. Nothing more than that. Don't worry! I think because this surgery can mean so much in terms of our quality of life, because it is the kind of answer we prayed for...well, speaking for myself, it's scary to get my hopes up about this just in case they are dashed yet again. Most of my preop testing is next week, so that will be another hurdle I'll be glad to get past. Orea

I'm nervous about the shakes, too. I haven't heard about post operative injections, so I have no idea. I hope I don't have to do that! Orea

Joiful, the best of luck to you! I understand how the stress of parenting can sometimes take all of the energy you have and pack on the pounds. My kids are grown now, and doing well, so it's time to take care of me. (I wish I could have gotten the band 30 years ago! ) Let us know how it goes. We're thinking good thoughts for you. Orea

Be sure to let us know how it goes! Good luck! Orea

At least it's not Thanksgiving! (Trying hard to get a good attitude here.) Orea

I have no idea what you packet is, either, but shame on that rude employee! You are paying her salary, in effect, and she should remember that. :thumbup: Orea

I have Aetna Open Access HMO. My surgeon's office told me that Aetna usually responds within 2-3 weeks and that was exactly how long it took for my approval. The waiting was the hardest part. If you have any questions about what they require and what they will accept, call Aetna and ask. I did that when I needed to have the psych assessment. I needed to know exactly what kind of provider to make an appointment with. (A clinical psychologist) Orea

Penny, we are neighbors of sorts. I live in Northern VA. I raised two great kids, now adults, and for a while I fostered litters of kittens for a local rescue organization. But there is no longer room at the inn, as my personal population grew to ten cats. We are down to eight now, but enough is enough. There is no coincidence that I acquired more cats as my kids left home! My mom impulses have to be channeled somehow. :thumbup: I have been overweight since my early teens and very overweight all of my adult life. And of course I have been trying all kinds of diets all my life. And gaining in between limited success. The best I ever did losing weight was 60 pounds with WW in 200-2001, but the program failed me at that point as I couldn't get below 270. I was doing so well that it was a huge disappointment to realize I wasn't going to make it after all. And I did try for months before giving up. I later tried Core, but was hungry about every hour. That was really irritating. :thumbup: An online friend of mine revealed last year that she had been banded. This was the first I heard of the lap band, but I immediately knew it was right for me. My appetite is like a lion, and it doesn't turn off correctly. The band should be a godsend. I was with Kaiser Permanente at the time and managed to get my doctor to refer me for surgery. Then I met the dietician and found that they are extremely bypass oriented. Not good. The dietician herself was condescending bordering on downright rude. She actually looked at me and said, "You know you'll have to eat less after surgery, don't you." (No, I'm so stupid I thought it would work like magic.) I looked her in the eye and replied, "I thought that was the idea!" It turned out that Kaiser had just fired their previous bariatric surgeon for "a high rate of complications." I would have to travel into the District of Columbia for every doctor visit with their new bariatric surgeon. Not convenient. All of this led me to conclude that it would be in my best interest to switch to my husband's alternative health care choice, Aetna, at the start of this year. So we did. We tried to attend a January seminar but couldn't find it in the vast Fairfax Hospital complex. No kidding. We succeeded in February, and the minute I saw Dr. Halmi, I knew I would be safe in his care. I started my 3 month intensive in early March, finished in early May, was approved in early June, and got my July 30 surgery date. Next week I do all of the prerequisite testing, and meet with Dr. Halmi's dietecian. I have two weeks of Optifast to do preop. I'm dreading it. And that is my story! Orea

Wow, that is soon! Congratulations! Orea

Special greetings to our first flight of July Butterflies! Sending up a prayer for you all for smooth surgery and a quick recovery. Blessings on your new journey, and happy trails! Let us know how you are doing. We care. From one of the last July Butterflies, Orea

Actually I live in Vienna, which is at about 9 o'clock on the Capital Beltway. :-) Feeling better today? Orea

Hi, Mich! We'll be band sisters, then! :wink_smile: I'll be thinking of you and all of the others who are getting their bands on our special day. Orea

My highest weight was in April of last year. I hadn't even heard of the band then, but I got diagnosed with diabetes and that really scared me. I was one point over the edge from pre-diabetes to diabetes. I started doing Somersizing, which involves food combining and choosing good carbs when you have them. That took off about 28 pounds, but then I stalled, and gained 17 pounds back. I started really trying again in January. learned from the smartbandsters list about eating Protein and produce and a few high Fiber carbs. This was close to what I was doing, but it gave me a better direction. I cut back on fats and oils (which I hadn't been restricting) at the advice of the dietician I saw as part of the hoop jumping I had to do to qualify. That was this past March, and I was down to 364 when I saw her. Another thing she said that really got me thinking in the right direction was, "Look for easy ways to save 100 calories." I also joined Calorieking.com a few days later and started logging everything I ate. Wow! I was in for a shock. Some of the things I was eating were far worse than I realized. My favorite Panera sandwich had over 1000 calories, and that didn't include the chips or the lemonade! So, this gave me the info I needed to tweak some more. I keep Yoplait light on hand, Triscuits (a serving is six and I count them out each time) and Kashi chewy granola bars. They work well for me as Snacks or part of a meal. I make pots of ground turkey chili chock full of veggies and Beans. A cup is very satisfying and has somewhere between 200 and 250 calories depending what I put into that batch. I switched to fat free mayo and high fiber whole grain low cal bread, when I have bread. I make big chef salads with lean Proteins and maybe a little cheese. I measure the oil I dress it with, most of the time. :thumbs_up: I have made this my top priority. I still run across foods I can't handle. Wheat thins and Domino's pizza come to mind. (Don't ask!) LOL If I can't handle them, they are out of my life. That's what I mean by top priority. I couldn't get my surgery as nearly as quickly as I would have liked, but then I realized I could still lose 1-2 pounds a week while I waited, just as if I had a band, and my goal weight would be that much closer. Admittedly I was also hoping my surgeon would be so impressed that he would let me skip the preop diet, but no such luck. :biggrin: So, bottom line, I gave up most sugars and white carbs last year. I had nasty cravings for about a month, but I let myself eat things like cheese instead of caving. I try to eat lean protein, lots of veggies, fruits with protein so I don't get a blood sugar spike and plummet. I Like the Kashi high fiber high protein cereals. I enjoy popcorn, and if Calorieking says I am low on fat for the day, I put some butter on it! I occasionally have a potato now, but it isn't often. Steamfresh veggies are a great convenience food. We eat a lot of them every week as easy side dishes. We usually use Molly McButter now instead of real butter. (sigh) Oh yes, and I an trying to find more ways to add beans and lentils and the like to my diet. Fiber is my friend! And I don't drink liquids with calories except for my low fat milk. I have to say that eating this way, I am feeling better than I have in many years. I don't lose steadily every week, but if I hang on through the stalls, there is a good loss week coming my way eventually. I still eat out sometimes, but I am learning to order more wisely and to do things like ask for vegetables in place of the french fries. It really is a mind game. Here are some of the mottos I learned at Smartbandsters that serve me well: It's not how much you can eat, it's how little you can get by on. Am I trading what I really want, for what I want right now? Do I like that food enough to wear it? If hunger isn't the problem, food isn't the answer. Hope this helps. (I'm pretty amazed at how well I am doing, myself!) Orea

Sorry things have been so tough for you. Keep us posted! Orea

[ame=http://www.amazon.com/Laparoscopic-Adjustable-Gastric-Banding-Achieving/dp/0595311148/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1214787553&sr=8-1]Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Banding: Achieving Permanent Weight Loss with Minimally Invasive Surgery[/ame] by Jessie H. Ahroni Ph.D. A. R. N. P. Jessie is active on the Smartbandsters list on Yahoogroups. She was banded over 9 years ago and has been at her goal weight for over 8 years. She is also a fill nurse in the Seattle area. So obviously she knows about this firsthand. I consider her to be my mentor and I've learned an incredible amount from her. Orea

It's perfectly normal to have these doubts and second thoughts. I have researched thoroughly, too. I know intellectually this is the absolute right thing to do. And yet, I am having moments where I just freak out thinking about the surgery and everything I have to do. As you will see below, we are right on schedule! I'm not sure who wrote this, and I wish I could give attribution, but I offer this for your consideration: Stages of Banding Discovering the Band Wondering if this is for me Investigation Doing serious research Joining a support group Getting hopeful Finding a doctor Shock at the price Deciding to do it Making the arrangement Wondering if you made the right decision Getting nervous Going ahead with it Waking up and wondering what the hell you did to yourself Post-op discomfort Month of liquids- not being able to strictly adhere Wondering if you've been scammed again Seeing a little success Getting your first fill Changing your eating habits Seeing more success Getting second fill Really losing Seriously changing your eating habits Being totally euphoric about your weight loss Changing your thinking about eating Wanting to tell every fat person you meet about the band Realizing you really can't eat Worrying about nutrition Learning to eat healthy and wise Finding other ways to meet your emotional needs Realizing it takes a long time to lose 100lbs Trudging along My clothes are too big Buying new clothes Oops, I bought too much too soon...now these are too big Buying more clothes Getting near goal Enjoying all the compliments Feeling successful Getting aggressive Not taking crap from anybody Realizing you can be assertive without steam rolling everybody Finding balance Wondering what comes next **There are other stages and everybody does not go through them in the same order or even go through all the stages. Some people might have stages to add....and there is some looping back and forth. But these are common stages that Bandsters go through.

My surgeon said the same thing -- at my weight, he recommends the bypass. When I said that for me, it was band or nothing, he said that the reason he recommends the bypass is that people get impatient with the slower weight loss. I told him I am perfectly wiling to be patient and spend a few years doing it as necessary. No way am I getting my insides rearranged! He said fine, he is okay with giving me the band instead. It's up to me to make it work as well as possible! Orea

Hi, I live in Northern VA and my date is July 30. Good luck! Orea