mamanmidwife

I"m totally in - just need six weeks notice to get the time off @ work

Well, it's less than a week to my surgery and I am started to be real stressed. It didn't even feel real for a while, but I did my pre op bloods yest and my chest xray this morning and my ekg and surgical clearance exam tommorow. OMG it's really happening! the hosp called to preregister me "for your appt 7/28", and the coordinator @ the surgeons is making sure all is in order. I feel in really good hands. My 18 year old daughter has to hace an excisional biopsy o a breast fibroadenoma on thursday so I'm very focused on that also. I'm really spinning No pre op diet except for the day before, but i'm doing 2 shakes a day and a meal at night for the last week. Well good luck to all who've gone before and all going throughthis journey. I can't wait for this new life to begin - after 50 lbs lost I'm going to the caribbean since scheduling this surgery in july has cut into my swimming time here in NY. I really appreciate everyone on this site being open and sharing all the stories they help me so much thanks again Gigi

Best of luck and quick recovery! Mine is monday - I'm stressed

Probably everything's fine, perhaps a reaction to antibiotics?

Hi I too was very concerned abut making the right decision for me, I ended up going to 5 seminars to get a fel for the surgeons. Alos I read every review of every doctor I was considering on Obesity help website. when I narrowe it down I did searches for specific surgeons on this web site and there are a lot of "rate the docctor" websites also. Good luck with your choice and good luck with the Lap band Gigi

I was unable to be there, how did the meeting go?

Brooklyn in da house here! should be getting the band 7/28. lots of great info here gigi

Let me know what time and count me in Gigi

Seems like I got moved - no you can't make me wait another 2 days!!! Just kidding - gigi 1-tillydog, wsw27?, florida girl 2-trudeip, mackie, BethO,guitar247, minidriver 3 4 5 6 7 8-Zeama, Tamspri, knd, JaJeanne, Cinda 9-Missrach, st4r69, ailie 10 11-mellalot 12 13 14 15-Mellimel71 16-lotzasunshine 17-Long2BFree 18-CapitolChick 19 20 21-pennylane 22 23 24-daniml, nyllrap 25 -NewJEM 26 27 28 - Mamanmidwife 29-Chellets 30 -

Welcome, I have empire bc/bs and called to get their policy (a 20 pg document) It seems as of January 1, 2008 no 6 month supervised diet (at least according to my plan. By the way I'm from Brooklyn too, nice to see brooklynites here Gigi

-tillydog, wsw27?, florida girl 2-trudeip, mackie, BethO,guitar247, minidriver 3 4 5 6 7 8-Zeama, Tamspri, knd, JaJeanne, 9-Missrach, st4r69 10 11-mellalot 12 13 14 15 16-lotzasunshine 17 18-CapitolChick 19 20 21-pennylane 22 23 24-daniml, nyllrap 25 -NewJEM 26 27 28 29-Chellets 30 -Ann71, mamanmidwife

Hey bandster twin! I'm going the 28th also best of luck - gigi

I can't believe it either I'm getting banded on the the 28th. This is all happening so fast. Best of luck to all Gigi

I hope it happens we are celebrating my father's 70th out @ my sistr's in long island. So I can't be there I'll be using Dr. Roslin too, he was my favorite after checking out 5 places. glad your banding went well

Well, Today I met with the surgeon the psychologist and the nutritionist. It all went very well I confirmed my feeling from the seminar that this was the doctor I wanted to go with. It's nice to feel good about choices. The office was very efficient I was called for my 12:00 appt @ 12noon. I like it when people respect my time. The doctor was respectful and very honest, even though my BMI is 53 he's ok with my chioce of banding. He also mentioned that I could have the Lap -Band or Realize band he doesn't really see a difference (some thing new to think about) I also had a preop test to see that i understood the risk benefits and alternatives of the banding, and that I understood that it relied on me doing my part. THe psychologist was next and that went very well I had a screening tool to answer and she told me I wasn't too depressed and that my Wellbutrin must be working lol. We also spoke for about a 1/2 hourabout how I would deal with my emotional eating. The nutritionist was good she wants me to learn to make proper food choices and will resee me in 1 month hoping I lose 4 lbs. I need to an upper GI series than call and make my next appt with the surgeon and set the date. This could be happening as soon as July. I can't believe it's moving so quickly, but I am happy Sorry for rambling , but I'm happy and needed to share gigi

Well, in spite of my pcp's attitude towards wls, her staff is very efficient and sending the referral to the surgeon. I have the nutritionist then the psychologist and the 1st consultwith the surgeon wednesday 5/14. I am so excited! I hope this can happen by the fall.

I'd like a support group in brooklyn that focused on the band I plan on getting banded by Dr. Roslin @ Lenox hill which i will go to but the parking is horrible. i'm in the Park Slope area. keep in touch please

If you've had children and had a sonogram done it's basically the same except they run the probe over your heart. not painful in the least

My condolences. Your advice is for everyone undergoing surgery or not. certainly the risks of morbid obesity and its sequelae should put us all on alert.

Hi everyone, nurse- midwife here working for a municipal hospital in Queens NY, but live in Brooklyn. Just picked a surgeon after going to 5 info sessions, really wanted to feel good about my surgeon, I know a little neurotic. It's nice seeing so many healthcare providers on board - good luck on all the journeys gigi

I know I'm a little crazy.Part of the problem is that i've worked at many of the hospitals., that and the convenience factor. I live 3 blocks from methodist hospital I went to NYU nursing school Maimonides is fairly close, my isster had fibroid sugery @ lenox hill and right now even though I work @ elmhurst hospital in queens my paycheck is fromn Mt Sinai and we have a shuttle between the hopsital so I'm thinkin Kunch time "fills". Craziness . NYU- seemed a little factory like biut when my mom needed hip replcement I told her go to a place where that's all they do and It was a good suggestion so NYU feels like that to meMickey D's of lap bands, but the surgeons seem nice. Methodist - just one surgeon and he seems to do many more bypasses than lap bands and wheb I asked him he didn't seem thrilled to even talk about the lap band for high BMI - mine is 50- so though convenient that's out Lenox hill- went inb thinking I don't wanrt to come monthly to the upper east side with all these skinny rich people- but actually I really liked the surgeonther's a tema of three so the waiting lkist isn't forever and they do the lap bamd often enough and seem to go with pt preference - plus they will try and schedule psych nutri and sugeon appt all on same day , pl;us he seems to almost relish getting the insurances to pay Maimonides - well another factory 2 surgeons - neither of which felt it important enough for them to come to the information session - paper work was very together and the pa seemed nice enough but that not showing up really ticked me off a little Last and to be done is Mt Sinai- again it's that I work "for the same place" possible convenience, the doc has set up and kept up a web site which i think is pretty cool, very focused on taking care of insurance for you (which is a big plus in my book)will see how the surgeons seem to me and by friday will be calling one of the practices and moving along. I'm like this in a lot of things - i want to try and make sure I'm comfortable in situations. Like you i notice the seat for info sessions the paperwork has been xeroxed so many times you can't even read it anymoreand gut feelings mean something to me. I'm sure I'd be fine @ any of them. i'm just making this MY journey. gigi

Hi there, NYU was the 1st info session I went to (I'm going to my 5th and last this week @ mt sinai) and yes I was jittery too. I think part of it was just the fact that I had really made a decision to have this surgery done, and part that I was admitting that I was sufering with being "big boned". THe best part about NYU is that there had to be 100 people there and at least 50 were for the surgery. That gave me a lot of comfort. Enjoy and tell me how it went for you what you thought, I'm still comparing all these places and could use the input gigi

Great thread! THings I won't miss: Standing behind everyone for the picture so they can only see "your pretty face" Having coworkers get excited when I lose 20lbs and quiet when it comes back on. Not eating with people so they can't give the "why do you eat?" looks Not even trying to get on rollercoasters - my favorite ride (haven't been on one in years) Having the side of the pedicure chair keep popping open (I certainly can't do my own toes) Livng on a 4th floor walkup and having to stop @ every landing to catch my breath. sleeping all night and waking up tired Limited sex positions

I thought it might happen. I've been going to my pcp for 6 years now went in with headaches and diagnosed with HTN and I was 318lbs @ the time. 2 years aago after telling me again that I needed to control my weight and changing me to stronger meds she said "and don't think you going to do it the "cheating way" with a bypass". ok no problem by that time I was 322. I'm doing my research and I'm hoping the lap band is the thing for me, I'm certainly ready to give it my all and I just did 1 year of nutrisystem losing 30 lbs and gaining 35lbs. I go in yesterday (my birthday) for my annual. I mention that my knee is killing me I aviod stairs, and lo and behold 1 weigh 328 (lovely). She proceeds to tell me that "all i have to do is lose weight" - Ya think? -Didn't I feel better when I lost the 30 lbs. -My hormone levels are fine so there's no medical reason that I can't lose weight. -Maybe I should do like her (maybe 5 lbs over her ideal weight mind you) and get on the scale everyday and if i find I'm a pound or two over cut back on my intake. I mean shes a cardiologist/internist does she really think it's that easy, has she lost her mind? If I could lose weight and keep it off - DONT YOU THINK I WOULD!!! Jesus Mary and Joseph give me a break. Needless to say she doesn't "approve" of WLS. so i'll be looking for a new pcp to do the supervised weight loss and referral for me. What a day - Happy Birthday to me- sorry really needed to vent

Thank you all so much. I know I'm doing the right thing for me, and I'll find the right pcp for me , and I fell of the chair with the postcard suggestion (thank you i needed that) . Besides all that 43 and and I need reading Glasses - OMGnow that's a crisis