triser72

Peanut Butter Drizzle tastes like a Nutter Butter cookie!

OMG!!!! I want to see the B&A pics! That is a great testimonial!!

I have done everything I am supposed to do, now I wait on the paperwork shuffle. Woohoo!!!

amsderb - from the time your doc submitted your paperwk for approval till the time UHC approval came through - how long was that?

Congratulations - what a great present for your 30th!

Whew!!! I am so glad to hear of other people who are in the same place I am! Only by grace have I made it to 36 years old without surgery or hospitalization of any sort. I am so afraid of the "unknown" regarding surgery or anesthesia that I am practicing avoidance - if I don't think about it, maybe I won't be that nervous. So, I have been to the psych eval and the nutrition class - I am focusing on being mentally prepared for this major life change: a new way to buy groceries, shrinking clothes and what to do with them, etc., etc., etc.

After a year of research, I consulted with an older doc in June 07. He was fast talking with not a lot of info, arrogant and a grouchy old man. He made me feel very vulnerable. I walked away scared, unsure of myself, and overwhelmed with the process - after insurance, I paid him $34 to make me feel that way. He had lots of pre-op stuff to do - it scared the crap out of me. BUT I didn't follow through out of fear. With the help of my therapist, I began exploring another angle of wls - a one stop shopping outfit like a hospital with lots of pre & post op care. The doctor is mid to late 30s, and he has SO MUCH good information. As a 36 year old woman - it meant a lot for a doctor to make a CURRENT presentation with CURRENT information. Lots of research-based info presented on powerpoint - he knew how to work a remote for the lcd projector. Why does that matter? b/c I do that stuff everyday and I can relate to someone who knows, presents, and manages his info very well. He was straight and to the point. My 1-1 with him last week was wonderful - he recognized my nervousness immediately and put me at ease. He recognizes that wls doesn't need a lot of pre-op hoops to jump through. I thought this was interesting, especially since my insurance doesn't require me to jump through those hoops either. Basically, I have the BMI, the co-morbidities, and the family medical history to support my need for weight loss - isn't that enough? I can email the nurse with any questions that I have - I've had plenty and they all get answered. He does all the fills himself - he is very thorough with aftercare. I just feel like I am getting a young(er) surgeon with current information and practices. After my psych-eval today, I found out that the first old doc I visited doesn't have a good rep and has horrible aftercare results. The second doc (and the one I am choosing to stick with) has great results from his patients. Here's a bit more personal experience....like you need it......I was born in 1972. The doc who delivered me told my mother that I would need a pap smear every year starting at age 14 - he said that's the age that all girls should go. So, in 1986, I had my first pap smear - I was scared, crying, and holding Momma's hand. It hurt and didn't understand why. I kept going to the doc each year. Then we got health insurance with daddy's job and we went to a new doctor. So, my mother marched me in for my annual pap smear. The first question this doc had was "Why are you here?" To our shock, he told us that the old doc's guidance wasn't current. He said that pap smears aren't needed until girls are sexually active. I didn't have another one till I was sexually active. Truly, it's apples v. oranges, old v. new, etc. For me - it's the young doc. Do your research about the surgery and the surgeon and do what feel right. It's your body.

dosh: take heart and stay in the game! It's your body and your life - don't lose faith in yourself 2 days before the big day! On Feb. 25, I asked a friend/colleague if she had any regrets regarding lapband surgery - she said "only that I didn't do earlier in my life". That was a page turner for me. The results excite me, the surgery scares me to death,.....the opportunity to live my life the way I have always wished - that is what helps me stay in the game!

I am not sure what to think about all of this....maybe there should be some form of standardization on the psych eval step in the process. My psych eval is Monday. She said it would take an hour and cost $175. Part of that time is 20-30 min. spent on the paper questionnaire. I have been in psychotherapy for close to a year (I am a workaholic) - which has led to the discovery that I do so much for others that I let myself go. Lapband is doing something for myself and being forced to pay attention to it. My psych says that I have ignored my weight for so long and allowed food to serve emotional needs. She says losing weight will bring my self-esteem back into balance and I will begin to view food as fuel. Undoubtedly, psychotherapy has changed a lot of my perspectives in the past year. I plan to continue psychotherapy after lapband.

Welcome, Amy! I have been here for 2-3 weeks and have discovered that I am not alone. Congrats on your AMAZING weight loss - so much so quickly - WOW! I live in the Spring/Klein area and am in process of being banded by Dr. Balette in The Woodlands.

I think this is an interesting thread topic, so here's my story.... Every person in my family was fat and we had to eat everything on our plate. Our family did not eat healthy - Dad cooked breakfast EVERY morning: fried eggs, bacon or sausage, a can of biscuits. And for supper: a meat and 2 starches, no bread or dessert. We never had sodas in the house, but we went through at least one gallon of tea per day and sweetened it with 2 Sweet N Low per glass. We never had snack food, cookies, etc. I began to gain significant weight in 4th-5th grade and started my period in 5th grade. I think that was very beginning. In junior high, both parents worked. I would come home afterschool and my two main activities were watching TV and eating. I have peanut butter sandwiches that were HEAPING with peanut butter (mixed with honey) and jelly OR hot dog sandwiches. I wouldn't do my homework till late - I would sit, watch TV and eat. Every female in the immediate and extended family would make snide remarks about each other's weight, but we were ALL FAT. It was confusing and emotional. With each year came more fat and I became comfortable with it. I don't know myself any other way. As the years have progressed, I have realized my emotional eating habits - not cool at all. I moved to Houston right out of college and was single for 8 years with an busy career and no accountability for my eating habits. When I met my DH, I discovered a man who would love me for who I am. Being fat hasn't been that big of a deal. Until, the health/lifestyle issues started to creep into my life - sleep apnea, the fear of diabetes, not being able to fit comfortably in a movie seat, asking for an extension belt on the airplane (ugly cry moment), depression, muscle aches, ankle/feet problems (are they really made to carry this much weight), etc., etc., etc.. Right now, at 300 lbs., I am NOT comfortable - everything is an effort and I feel like my legs are going to burst half the time. I am predisposed for Diabetes with my mother and her mother having been diagnosed with it. I am 35 years old, but my body feels like it 65. Fat is no longer comfortable.

To Kat817 & amsderb: Thanks for your input! I feel a lot better about what and how to tell my students - based on your suggestions. To all of you - what a great forum topic for pre-op!!! It confirms my confidence in this decision!

This is a tough issue. I am closer to my co-workers than most of my family, so I think that telling them isn't going to be a big deal. I know several women who are having 'work' (breast augmentation:ohmy:, tummy tuck:smile2:, etc.) done during Spring Break, so everyone is discussing everything pretty openly. My biggest wrestle right now is whether or not to tell my students, or rather, how to tell them. I am a middle school choir director - my students question me every time my hairstyle changes and they could probably tell you the clothes that I wear most often - right now, it's a small list b/c nothing fits. My students know that I am an open book - they are allowed to ask me anything (we stay on appropriate topics, mind you). I have 5 girls in choir that are my same size (26-28) - 12-13 year olds! I want to be sure that I say things correctly, and still remain a good role model. Plus, I am never absent from work - in the last 130+ days of school, I have been gone 5 days, all school business. They will know something's happening. I am thinking about waiting till the day before the surgery, that's when I usually tell them (if I am going to be absent). Actually, my students will probably be my largest cheering section - kids are resilient that way! Whatever happens - I am READY for a life change!!!!!

Hello, from the Houston area, I went to a wl seminar a couple of weeks ago at Memorial Hermann - it's a one stop shopping outfit for wls. I have spent the past 2 wks getting med records transferred to the surgeon - not an easy task. my appt. w/Dr. Ballette is 3/18. All I have to do after that is nutrition & psych consults, then wait for approval.

I'm with you on this one...I have chosen to share the experience with my hubby and 2-3 of my closest friends (all support the decision). I have researched this decision for 18 mos. and met with one doc in June that made me uncomfortable. That experience made me fear the decision even more and it's taken me this long to work through it. My psych has been a HUGE help. My family may not find out for a LONG time. And my hubby's fam - we see them 2x/mo. - idk when I'll be ready to tell them. The mil/sil combo have commentary for everything in everyone's life - it's best not to tell them. My hubby wants to know who's going to sit at the hospital with him - I told him the hospital was next door to a Best Buy, so he couldn't be that bored.:thumbup: Not banded yet...initial checkup with doc 3/18....:biggrin2: