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For me, I think it's a matter of complete faith in my surgeon. I have never had a major medical procedure, and honestly I just don't think about it. I have myself convinced that it's just another "test". I know all of the pre-op possibilities, but the limited probability of them do not outweigh my health, happiness, and finally feeling like I "fit" in my body. The benefits far outweigh the risks for me, and maybe I am naive to think that this whole decision is bigger than me, but I just feel completely at peace with it. I will probably be a wreck the day before, but honestly I won't even allow myself to look at the calender, there's just no reason to freak myself out for something that will turn out to be the GREATEST thing I could ever do for myself. I completely understand your fears, but lets take it one thing at a time... Anesthesia - what most people are afraid of - you've been through it more than once and know you don't have a bad reaction to it... laproscopic entry and exit- you've been through that too...you know it's a tool that is used with skill and precision and they can get in and out without issues. the actual banding - they are already in there...it's that last step, nothing past this point can't be fixed...if it slips, they adjust it, if it leaks, they replace it, if it erodes, they don't even have to deal with it surgically in most cases, it's an unfill. So then it's done. Be sure to have the gas-x strips, a small pillow for if you caugh to hold against your incisions, walk walk walk, sip sip sip...and you will be on cloud nine with the rest of us when it comes time for that first fill. We are here for you, and we are all going through this together. We will be dealing with the same things each day after surgery, and we will be here no matter what. So just take a breathe, look at some before and afters, and imagine your life 3,6,9,12 months from now and smile at your projected success. Because you WILL succeed!

ummm, it really depends on who the reviewer is. They might approve because it's the band and not bypass. Normally the requirement is 100 pounds overweight or a bmi of 40. There is a work around though. have your high blood sugar listed as pre-diabetes or diabetes and they will most likely approve you. They make exceptions for bmi 35+ with diabetes or heart problems in some cases.

there is no scientific proof behind how much water we actually NEED to take in a day. so 64 oz is the amount everyone tells us. more is better, less is ok, but not so good. Drink water, it's simple as that, just drink what you can and make sure to get the minimum in.

switch the potatos out for some overcooked brocolli with cheese! mmmmm fiber and protein, GREAT meal

At walmart and most other drug stores they have a flavor additive they can mix it with, they also sell kits to mix it in at home. It's probably got a bit of sugar in it, but since we are banded and you need to take your meds, you can probably account those calories into your diet and be ok. Talk to your pharmacist!

Lol...i just wanted to share something with some of you that don't have super active dieticians in your program. Or maybe they just didn't tell you. It takes the brain receptors 20 minutes to recognize that you have started eating and send the message to the body. So when you take less than 15 minutes to eat, this is why ten minutes later you are like OMG I am so full. Also the reason why most dr's and nuts tell you to take at LEAST 30 minutes to finish your meal... and anything left after 40 minutes gets left.

all you april 3rds are welcome to join our little group in the april 2008 section...just says any april 3rds as the title:thumbup:

hey what do you girls think about putting faces with names and posting our before pics? of course that means i would actually have to take one lmao

hey girlies! how are the pre-ops doing? 1 week from today!!!!!!!!!

I am not concerned at all. I have complete faith in my surgeon and God. I have surgery in 7 days and i couldn't be more excited!

hey girls where did ya go?

if you are in bankruptcy, you probably won't get a loan for that amount, except maybe through care credit...it's strictly for medical bills. I would definitely look at the insurance route.

why don't you try the pre-op diet? there are about a million different ones so i can only comment on mine. My Pre-op diet - 2 weeks 3-4 Protein shakes per day 70-75 grams of protein (it depends on your height I am 5'1) if you tell me your height i can look up yours in the binder my nut gave me 800-1000 calories 64+ oz of Water other than that you can have chicken broth (99% fat free and low sodium), Clear liquids, sf Jello, sf popsicles (up to 2 a day), 1 sf fudgesicle per day. If you get your protein in, you really don't feel hungry at all. Protein is going to be the biggest part of your diet after being banded, with Fiber coming in a close second. So always make sure to eat your protein and fiber first at every meal...if you are full, don't worry about adding in that carb for that meal. I hope that helps!

you can do it! Make sure to get your protein in every 2-3 hours and you shouldn't be too hungry. i get 3-4 protein shakes a day and clear liquids, water, broth etc. for two weeks and i haven't been hungry at all...head hunger for the first three days almost kicked my butt though.

I can't beleive there are so many Virginians in here! lol. (I am too) And thanks!!! I am way excited, the scale hasn't ever moved like this for me no matter what diet I did...my matabolism was so slow that my body says "BATTEN DOWN THE FAT!" and stored everything!

Tappahanock area?! lol, I am trying like heck to figure it out, I am 18 miles east of Fredericksburg!!!! Nice to meet you! haha. Did you know that there is a meet and greet group in Fredericksburg? I haven't talked to the lady yet, but i am planning on sending her a message today.

i have NEVER heard of the port tubing coming through the stomach! that's crazy. my dr puts the port about an inch and a half to two inches under the skin, and says he will switch it to a low profile port if i lose enough weight and the skin gets too thin and it is visible.

I have my surgery with him April 3rd and i LOVE him! The system they have in place with Deanna as your nutritionist is GREAT. he was a little dorky and stuff at first, but he KNOWS his stuff. he used to be a majorly pro RNY anti band dr, but now since he has moved to fredericskburg, he is MAJORLY pro band. He will give it to you straight and can answer all of your questions without hesitation, he made me feel completely comfortable. I will update you after surgery and let you know how things went...but i don't anticipate any problems, he's highly skilled in his field. you can read more about him from when he was in ohio on obesityhelp.com i hope that helps!

protein and fiber first at all times. keep your protein in the range set by your nut. i log all my intake with fitday.com so i can see where my calories are coming from, what my fat/protein and carb ratios are. I know I need more protein than fat and carbs, so i make sure i balance it out.

hey girlie, can you add my stats? starting weight is 230

Hi all, hoping I can join you! I am being banded in 8 days!!! I just weighed myself during this 2 week liquids phase and have lost 8 pounds, it's crazy! I never lose weight on diets, I lose a few pounds, then get stuck and even on ww, only lost 14 pounds in 9 months! So this is crazy for me! I am very excited and looking forward to this new journey!

I dated hot boys while overweight, not sure why they liked me, but whatever! lol. Just relax and get to know them for them. You wouldn't want someone to only want to date you when you were thin and not like you for who you were when you were "less thin", right? So just get to know them give them a chance, and you will find that the self esteem issues will melt away! btw, nathenag - where in Va are you?

wow 12 minutes! that's awesome! at least you shouldn't have the after effects of anesthesia for the most part right? Congrats on getting banded and good luck on your journey! sip sip sip, walk walk walk!

70-120 is the normal range for Diabetics. if your blood sugar falls higher or lower then they consider it a major problem. most people are under 120 and around 100, but to cut off at 99 is pretty strange. A1C is your blood sugar over a 30 day period, much more accurate than a one day fasting glucose. You are most likely pre-diabetic or insulin resistant with your A1C level taken in mind. but like I said, losing 10-20% of your total body weight should completely get rid of that risk.

I am getting banded at Mary Washington Hospital in Fredericksburg, VA by Dr. Victor Stelmack.