whimsy

I thought I'd take a moment to introduce myself as I hope to be spending a lot of time here in the coming months. My name is Andi and I recently celebrated my 34th birthday. I am happily married - we don't have any children at this time, unless you count our 3 cats and 4 dogs. I have been diagnosed with hypertension, sleep apnea, Type II Diabetes and Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, so it is our hope that lapband will help me with many of my health issues. We started this process over a year ago when we went to our surgeon's seminar. ( Dr. Stephen Hamn - Plano, Texas) Shortly after, we had our consult and psych eval as well as nutrition counseling. The only thing stopping me was the BMI requirement by our insurance company. My BMI was over 50 and the insurance company would not approve surgery if it was not 49 or less. As of November 2007, they have dropped this requirement - so there shouldn't be anything else that would cause them to say no. I've met all the other requirements. Our surgeon's office submitted the necessary paperwork to our insurance company December 5th and they said it would take a month or so to find out the result. This waiting is just horrible! A bit about me - I'm the proud owner of two french bulldogs named Joey & Chandler. I'm a gamer girl (I met my husband via a MMORPG), I'm intrigued by true crime and the paranormal. I love horror movies. I'm a fan of the Barenaked Ladies, Kevin Smith movies and Chris Rock. Reality TV is a guilty pleasure and I often quote Dr. Phil. I am excited to find an active and supportive community of friendly folks to share this experience with. I can't wait to get to know you and learn from your experiences as well as be inspired by your success.

I should be in bed...instead I'm sitting here worrying my big butt off. I'm excited and nervous and scared all at the same time. I'm like a giant chihuahua! Sending you all big hugs and well wishes! I'll see you on the banded side!

I'm all for having a master thread! Great idea! Maybe we can have a separate thread for our before/after pictures, too? It would be great to have one just for us Shrinking Shamrocks! Add me to the list of bandsters with a BMI over 50. My BMI was originally why my insurance denied me - they had a requirement of a BMI of 49 and below to be approved. Luckily, they changed that. I also recommend unjury - they are the best shakes I've tried. The chocolate is my favorite. I bought a variety of capella drops ( Flavor Drops - Gourmet coffee and Tea Flavorings, Flavor Your Coffee Anytime, Anywhere! ) to add to my vanilla Unjury so I can have different flavors of shakes. Just a suggestion for those of you who need some variety, too! My big day is tomorrow, so I'll probably be out of pocket for the next couple of days. For those of you who will be banded this week, I wish you a speedy recovery and little discomfort. Thanks to all of you for being so friendly, supportive and encouraging. Health, laughter and love to all of you. :biggrin2:

Oh, girl, my nerves have been all over the place! This is the eve of my surgery and I'm sitting here on pins and needles. I need to try and get some sleep but I'm so anxious and scared that I don't know if I'll be able to. The weeks building up to this point were a roller coaster of emotions for me. I kept wondering if this was what I really wanted...even AFTER having to endure a long wait to get approved by our insurance company. My surgeon didn't require any pre-op diet, which actually made me MORE nervous. I did my best to be careful of what I ate, though. Good luck on quitting smoking! My father smoked for over 50 years before he quit, so I know it'll be tough. I'm sure you can do it, especially since you already quit once for 8 years. This has been a crazy ride but I am so glad to have others like you to share it with. I'm sure March 18th will be here before you know it.

I just want to wish everyone a speedy recovery and much success as we take the first pivotal step on our journey tomorrow (March 3rd). We can do this! :thumbup: ...let's see if I can actually fall asleep now.

Had my pre-op consult on Thursday and they actually changed my surgery time from 9am to 7:30 am. I have to be at the hospital at 6am. I'll be sending good vibes to all of you who are also taking this journey on Monday. Incidentally - still no liquid diet for me. I just can't eat anything to heavy or rich on Sunday and absolutely nothing after midnight.

Sorry to hijack your thread but I was happy to see another Texan in the March forum. My surgery is on Monday with Dr. Cribbins' partner, Dr. Hamn. I'm not sure if you and your husband are local but I think it would be cool to have other DFW Texans in the March forum. :biggrin:

Hi there, Kerri! I know what you mean about "hurry up and wait"! Congratulations on your approval! You'll have a date before you know it! :thumbup:

I made a little image for Shrinking Shamrocks if anyone wants to use it. :biggrin2: Just be sure to save it to your own host (photobucket, etc).

*cheers for Shrinking Shamrocks* I think we have a winner! I need to go adjust my signature now. :thumbup:

I feel your pain about the coke/diet coke and snacks, my friend. I've already prepared myself by filling our home with crystal light and fruit20 instead of diet sodas. When I go out, I have iced tea. I'll be heading out this weekend to pick up the necessities based on the other posters comments, too. Here's the list I have so far: Some type of chewable Vitamin gas-x strips liquid tylenol anti-nausea tablets broth I'm also doing the last good-bye of some of my favorite meals. T-bone steak and I have had a long lasting love affair but I know that being thinner will feel much better than any steak I've ever had. :smile2:

1st of all, loving the marching monkey! And so far, the only thing I've thought of is March Minis, Marching Minis or something like that. Of course, I'm sure we're going to have men involved, too, so I don't want to think of something that excludes them. :smile2: Maybe something like - Marching Bandits? Leprechaun Bandits? The image in my head makes me crack up. Oy, I'm easily amused. The Lucky Charms? Shrinking Shamrocks? The Shamrockers? Now I'm stuck on St. Patty's Day stuff and getting cornier by the minute. Eep!

Great ideas! I can't pick a favorite! And now you've got my wheels turning to see if I can come up with a cute name, too. Time to brainstorm!:tt2:

I am *so* excited to see this forum up and running! I was hoping us PCOS Sisters would get our own little place on the board to share our experiences with one another. Yay!

I think you are probably right about the slurpee - I know it's not the best as far as nutrients and such but it's nice to know you can have a small treat now and then. And now that you mention it, it probably is just the syrup since it's mostly frozen. Can't imagine the carbonation would last after that process. Goodie - I won't miss my favorite treat TOO much. And yes, please stay optimistic. We'll all keep in touch and cheer each other on. I've been "morbidly obese" for the better part of ten years but I was never a "thin" girl to begin with. I miss being able to shop at regular stores instead of specialty plus size stores. I'm also in a 3x, so you and I can do this together. Let's just get it in our heads that WE CAN DO THIS and IT WILL WORK. We'll take baby steps - every 5 pounds can be a milestone. I think having folks to lean on when you don't feel quite so optimistic will help all of us in the long run. Before long, not only will you be inspired by others but you will be inspiring others, too. (Especially in your new cute wardrobe!)

I went through a similar situation. Our insurance is through BCBS (now called Anthem BCBS) and they would not approve my lapband since my BMI was over 50. HOWEVER - as of November 2007 , this was changed. Because of this, they have since approved my surgery and I will be banded on March 3rd. I highly suggest contacting BCBS and asking them direct questions regarding your policy. In addition, if they *do* advise you that your BMI is not an issue, make sure your surgeon's coordinator mails the appropriate documents to your insurance company. A lot of times, they have old information on file. If this is the case, they will advise you that you will not be approved based on inaccurate information. My surgeon's office told us they would be submitting paperwork but instead just looked up the BCBS policy information even after we told them the policy had recently changed. Two weeks later, we got a letter from the surgeon advising us that the surgery would not be approved. We called them and asked if they had submitted the paperwork and they admitted that they had not and had only referenced the insurance information they had on file. Get informed and give your insurance company a call. We had no idea and no notice that they had changed our policy's BMI restriction - my husband just happened to check the policy and lo' and behold it had been amended. Good luck to you, hon.

Terri - you know, I was thinking last night that I came across so negative about the barium swallow/upper GI. Truth be told, it wasn't as bad as I thought it could be. I'm usually one with a sensitve stomach and taste buds and I did alright. As long as I didn't sniff what I was drinking, I did just fine. Don't be nervous! It's over before you know it, honest! While it wasn't the most pleasant experience it certainly was far from traumatic. The barium is chalky - kinda like drinking pepto bismol or mylanta. The flavor is mild. Honestly, the worst part was the smell if you stick your nose in the cup. I just told myself that it wasn't any worse than some of the medicines I've had to take over the years and it helped. :tongue2: And yes, I try my best to find humor in most every situation. Life is too short to take every little thing seriously. There's a time and place for it but over all, I truly think laughter is the best medicine. I'm definitely excited to keep in touch with all of you late February and early March band-its! It really makes me feel like I'm not going through this process alone. I've got a great support group around me but knowing others who are actually having the band is really keeping me motivated, too.

I'm on 500mg of Met a day, too. Like I said, you're just a lucky gal! I'm just hoping that after the surgery and some healing and losing I can just be rid of the met once and for all. The side effects are one of the main reasons why I no longer work.

Hi Terri! Great to have another March 3rd on board! Girl, I so know what you mean! I haven't had any children but my PCOS just made it possible to maintain that cute shape! I've not really heard either way about alcohol but I'll be sure to ask when I go for my pre-op consult. I'm a social drinker, so I won't miss it if I can't have it but, like you said, it's nice to have the option. As goofy as it sounds, I'm wondering if I can have a small Coca-Cola slurpee on occasion. I know it's not the healthiest treat but I can't imagine it has that much carbonation in it. I guess I'll have to ask about that, too. I don't know if any of you have had your pre-op tests but I figured I'd share my experience just in case. I did my pre-op tests early this morning. The Upper GI/Barium Swallow was SO not pleasant. The staff was great, though and really cheered me on with each nasty swallow. They teased me by reminding me that I'd have to do it all over again after the surgery - but then cheered me up by letting me know I wouldn't have to drink quite as much. *shudders* Blech! They said it was called something like Smooth berry. More like Wicked Nasty. I went to my surgeon's office afterward and they ran a test to check my metabolism. Basically, they pinched my nose closed and had me breath into a device for 10 minutes. I'll get the results of that at my pre-op consult on the 28th. How are you guys doing? Hanging in there? Nervous? Excited? Have you bought a new "skinny" outfit yet? I'm so goofy because my first thought was to buy a CUTE pair of underwear. I'm also looking for different outfits for milestone sizes. I currently wear between a 2x and a 3x, so I'm looking for 1x, XL and L sizes to start. I can't wait until clothes shopping is FUN again.

I take Met and Actos as well and I am still dealing with that horrible side effect. Either your system is just hella strong or you are one lucky girl! Color me jealous!

I'm going in bright and early Wednesday morning for a battery of pre-op tests: Upper GI, Chest X-Ray, EKG and some other ones I'm forgetting. I go in for my pre-op consult on the 28th. My surgeon has not asked me to go on any special diet but I am adjusting my intake on my own. I'm doing mainly liquids during the day (Protein shakes, yogurt, etc, broth, etc) and usually a sensible dinner. March 3rd seems SO far away. I'm glad I've found others to share this journey with - especially those of you with the same date or dates close to ours. :cursing:

Yay! 2 more March 3rds and one for Martch 4th! Looks like the first week of March is going to be full of change for many of us. I'm glad that there will be others going through this "with me" so I can ask questions and be motivated, too.

Well, the forum is for BMI over 50, so I don't see the need to change the title of the thread. :thumbup: Everyone can start their own threads about different BMI over 50 topics and what not, right? Just a thought! :eek:

I concur with the open-handed slap in the mouth! :smile: Ok, I kid. I kid. Back on topic - she sounds incredibly opinionated and perhaps she feels familiar enough with you that she can speak so candidly. If a gentle reminder or nudge advising her to back off doesn't help, I say be a bit more candid with her, too. People need to realize that words hold weight. Her behavior is unacceptable. You were doing the responsible and considerate thing by informing her of your situation so that you could better explain your needs and behavior if it affects your work performance/schedule. She should respect your choice as an adult and as an employee. She may be a health professional (or medical office/admin - you didn't specify :crying: ) but her demeanor leaves a lot to be desired. Her bedside manner must be atrocious. I will say, though, that she may mean well but has trouble expressing her compassion and concern in a tactful way. If it's possible, I'd ask for a moment of her time and talk privately with her to let her know how you feel. Good luck to you! Don't let her behavior get you down.

It's all fairly simple, except for the hooking up the wires part. Even that wasn't terrible. And as most said, they will evaluate you and let you go in the morning. They tried to pull most of the sticky monitor bits off but I ended up finding more once I got home and into the shower. Peeling the adhesive off was good times! :thumbup: With me, my apnea was so bad they woke me up after about an hour and a half of observation and immediately hooked me up to a CPAP machine. And to be frank, for me, learning to sleep with a CPAP is probably harder than the actually process of the sleep study. You'll be just fine, I'm sure! Good luck and sleep tight!