My Life Back

Anyone in the Gainesville area? I am new to the boards - and new to the "journey". I have done alot of research on the topic and started my journey (along with my hubby), but haven't gotten very far yet. :Banane34: I am just curious if anyone is in the Gainesville area and used Dr. Hipp at North Fla Regional. I haven't seen him yet, but hope to by the end of Jan. I have insurance that will cover the WLS, a primary who will support me, and a hubby who will have the surgery the same day as me....whenever that rolls around. :rolleyes I feel pretty fortunate to have an insurance that will cover the WLS without having to jump through hoops for a change. However, I keep having this "feeling" that something is going to stand in my way.... I mean, so far, it is going pretty smooth - so I am thinking that my co-morbidities won't qualify or something like that. I just keep thinking that this is all too good to be true... ya know?? Anyway - just wanted to hear from someone who has used the services in the Gainesville area and get their take on the drs, facilities, etc. Thanks - looking forward to meeting local bandsters :clap2:

I will pick at anything that is "foreign" to my body!! And when I was a smoker, I had to have at least 5 or 6 lighters in my purse all the time - I am the same way with pens...lol. But probably my WORST habit - and I really can't stop - is that I can NOT get into a car without a drink of some kind! I have taken cans of soda on a 4 hour trip to town and never opened it, but I had to have it when I left home! lol It drives my DH absolutely NUTS!! I read the posts from everyone and no one really sounds too crazy...lol Enjoy!

I am not banded yet, but I just wanted to say, that I already have a Magic Bullet and it is the best invention ever!! Although I use mine daily to grind coffee Beans for fresh coffee - I did use mine to mix the Protein shakes when I was on the "Results!" diet. It seems to mix the Protein powder much better than just using a spoon. And I also use if for omeletes, egg/chicken/tuna salad, fresh ground herbs and spices, grinding nuts, slushies, and other things that I am sure to be forgetting, but it is a blessing! If you still have the booklet that came with it, there were several recipes there. Good luck!

How long does the process take from 1st vist to banding? I have insurance that will pay for the surgery :clap2:, but it doesn't become effective until 12/24/07, so I won't be able to truly start my journey until then. :cry Do I have to go see my regular Dr. first or can I go straight to my surgeon? Maybe that is something to ask my insurance company....lol. I would like to be able to plan a little. Thanks.

Good luck - I can only hope that my process goes as fast as yours has! Happy New Year!

Lisamarie - I am not banded yet, but after many surgeries, my guess would be that the shoulder pain is gas. The Dr. uses a gas during the surgery and it gets trapped in your system. I am not a nurse or doctor, so I can't tell you why it ends up in your shoulder, but it does. Hope that helps - that is all I can tell you.

Well, a year was NOT was I was hoping to hear....lol. I was hoping to have it done within the next couple of months, but I guess that isn't realistic. Oh well, I was just hoping to have lost a significant amount of weight before the cruise this summer! Thanks for some insight into the process. I am trying to get my hands on all my relative records as we speak. But I have some other issues, so it may take a little longer... I guess I will know soon enough. Good luck to you both on the rest of your journey.

Can anyone tell me more about the visit with the psychologist? I know that they are looking for abusive/destructive habits, however, I know that some of the ways that you view or "deal with" food must weigh in on their decisions also. I just don't want to go in and say the wrong thing and find out that they don't approve me for surgery based on the psychological exam - so I was looking for some deeper insight into the questions or more so, are there "magic answers"? Help please - I am so close, but yet so far away! I guess I am just scared that since it is almost too good to be true (for me), that something has to come along and spoil it for me. :faint: Also - one thing I haven't seen posted as post-op liquids or soft foods are things like Slim Fast. Is there a reason for this? Thanks everyone!

Thanks everyone!! I appreciate the info. I am still a little nervous, but like I said, I think it is more wanting it so badly that I expect anything and everything to go wrong between now and then!! Anymore about the Slim Fast - I actually like the taste of the Slim Fast....lol.