minidriver

Maybe I'm weird, but . . . I have had a number of surgeries in the past and, for me, the most uncomfortable part right out of surgery is the sore throat from being intubated! Does anyone know if it's okay to take sore throat spray or something with you for the recovery room? It doesn't really end up in your stomach . . . just numbs your throat a bit.

You too. Are you nervous? I'm afraid that he'll tell me during my preop that he won't do it or that I'll get to Denver and he won't do it or I'll get sick right before the surgery or . . . . .

Hmmm, well, I'm looking at the statistics again and it actually states that, for every 2300 people who die, one dies of falling in the tub or bathtub. So I guess I don't know how to compare that to deaths from surgery. Sorry to mislead . . . .

Thanks. That's a good idea. The last time I had surgery it felt like someone had scraped the back of my throat with razor blades! I don't know if I just have a small throat or what . . . .

To put things in perspective, the odds of dying due to a slip in the tub or shower are approx. 1 in 2,300 . . . very similar to the odds of dying during lap band surgery. Yet we continue to bathe or shower everyday. We occasionally hear of someone falling in the shower and dying, and it is certainly a tragedy, but we don't stop showering. Life has risks. We just need to decide which risks are worthwhile for us.

Welcome! You're about a month ahead of me, so I'll be watching your journey with great interest. YAY FOR YOU!! You're so close!

I dream of the day I can sleep without my CPAP (no pun intended). Not that the "fighter pilot in bed" look isn't sexy and all, but . . .

Thanks. I drive a MINI and it's a blast. Yes, I have all that stuff that you have (except PCOS), plus am pre-diabetic and have joint problems. Has your apnea improved?

Cool! What time is your surgery? Mine is 1:30 (I think).

oooo, I hope I can wear cute shoes someday! My heels hurt so bad all the time that all I can wear are Merrells, Wolkies, etc. They are great shoes but not all that stylish and they cost me a fortune. I really am hoping my feet will feel better. That would be such a plus!

Thanks, Dee. I'll try to calm down. You are so helpful.

So I'm assuming that many of you had health problems when you had your surgery. How conservative is Dr. K. when it comes to operating on people with underlying health issues? I keep worrying that he won't do my surgery because I take a bunch of meds for various stuff. I have my phone appt with him on the 29th and I know I can ask him all about it then, but I am really making myself nervous about it. Now that I've decided to take the plunge, I really want to do it and I'll be so bummed out if it doesn't work out.

Thanks for the welcome. I've been reading this thread . . . and reading, and reading, and reading . . . All of you are so inspiring! I can't believe that this is actually going to happen. I'm so nervous, excited, scared, thrilled, etc. etc. I'm sure I'll have a million questions in the coming weeks and I'm so happy to have a group of experts to answer them.

Hi everybody! I have been lurking here for awhile, trying to decide between going to Dr. K or staying local (SLC). After finding out that the local surgeon would require lots of add-on stuff (like psych eval, full physical, several tests), I decided that traveling to Denver was a pretty cost effective choice! Anyway, I spoke with Natalie today and made an appointment for my phone consult and got a surgery date!! YAYY!!! I'm so ready!

Thanks! That's good to know . . .

Oh no! I've not heard of that before. I'm going to the same surgeons. How did they know you had the hernia? Did you have endoscopy first? What was your bmi? Were you self pay? Sorry for all the questions. I hope you're not having to pay a bunch of money for nothing.

CONGRATULATIONS!!! That just made my day! I'm so excited to have this surgery but somewhere in the back of my mind I keep worrying that it won't work for me and I'll never lose the weight. I feel so encouraged! Thanks for posting here!

Hi Matt. I just wondered how your surgery went. Are you doing okay?

Thanks, Harley Girl. I can't believe how much weight you've lost already. You didn't have to do any sort of pre-surgery diet, correct? So all of you weight loss is post-surgery, correct?

Oh, good! I'm hoping to be banded sometime in June. What was the psych eval like? Just curious . . .

Hello. I'm planning on going with them as well. I will be sending in all my paperwork tomorrow. I'm self-pay, so I'm hoping the wait won't be terribly long. How long did it take you to get scheduled?

Wow, you have lost so much weight already. That's fantastic! I'm so excited . . . .

Hi! I am just starting the process . . . am sending in my medical history and such early next week. I'm self-pay and hope to be banded sometime in June. My BMI is 38 and I have sleep apnea, pre-diabetes, joint pain, etc. I'm soooo excited. I'm so ready for this! And I'm so happy to find this forum!

Thanks! That's comforting to know.

Okay, so I went to a seminar yesterday with Dr. Cottam from Salt Lake Regional. I was very impressed with the facts/figures he presented about his safety record, etc. He also seems to be very active in research, which I really respect. The cash price for lap band is 13850. This is 900 higher than South Valley Surgical and 2500ish lower than Rocky Mountain. Has anyone had experience with/heard anything about Dr. Cottam? I know he has a good reputation for being able to do complicated revisions . . . something I'm hoping I never need!