Eeyore

I love how you use the 'schizophrenic' - its so true - you never really know what you are going to get there when you're there. :cool:

My consult lasted maybe 20 minutes. She was there on her day off only to see a couple of us so she had alot of time that day to spend with me but I'm guessing that is not the norm. I would say depends on how behind schedule they are running. I had an appointment at 10:15, I sat in the waiting room until 11:15 and then in the patient room for another 10min. Keep in mind though that you are there to find out about a major surgery and life changing event that you are considering - take your time and make sure you ask everything you want to (make a list even!). This is about you and I hate to sound like that commercial but you're worth it!!! Best of luck!:cool:

I have to say I LOVE Dr. Kurian!!! She is the BEST!! The staff on the other hand.... :smile: at least that's been my experience there. I'm thrilled that you had such a great experience and are going in so quickly. Congrats!!!

How often do you get a fill. My problem is my surgeon is booked at least 4 weeks in advance. I'm having my first fill Friday, but when should I schedule the next one? Do you wait a month for the next one? I can't believe I never thought to ask this of my dr.:smile:

I started taking early on but its been about 3 weeks now and I've seen a big improvement.

Hi Carla! I was very worried I would begin to lose my hair with the surgery and because I have it highlighted etc. I went to GNC and picked up their hair, skin & nails formula and I love it. My hair is more soft and healthy than it was when I was a child (pre coloring, perming etc) and I haven't seen a wad of hair in the shower yet. :wink2: My nails have started to grow even faster and stronger than before. It has about 3000mg of biotin and many other good vitamins. I take it with my daily vitamin each morning. Check out GNC online and you can read the label. Hope this helps!!!

Its a fairly common problem from what I can tell reading the boards, and it happened to me too. The cortizone they gave me didn't do jack diddly but I picked up benedryl extra strength anti itch gel at CVS and it worked amazingly well. It isn't made with cortizone though. Don't put it in the incisions but around it and you should be ok. You don't need to put a big glob on or anything either - I just put some on a cotton ball and made a circle around my incision and it was SO MUCH BETTER. Check with your doctor or nurse but you should be alright. Good Luck!

I have found myself in the same exact boat lately. I keep fluctuating the same 3-5lbs and its driving me nuts. I finally stopped weighing myself everyday and weigh Monday mornings instead. At least my brain is happier though my tummy thinks my throat has been cut off and is constantly hollaring at me for more food. I can tell my body is changing a bit as I recently tried to eat some pizza (which used to be a weekly event in my house) and my body was NOT happy at all with that junk. Even though I feel like I'm starving all the time I try not to go overboard when I eat and try to make better choices. While I hope my first fill will be the magic sweet spot, based on what I've seen here, I'm trying to remain realistic as well. :thumbup:

I was a self pay and begged my dr. to let me go home same day because of the cost (it doubled if I stayed overnight). I am lucky enough to be fat but without any comorbidities - I think that's the only reason she agreed. Anyway my surgery started around 12:30-1pm and though I was walking in circles around the floor by 9pm I decided to stay in the hospital for the night as I no longer had someone to help me at home or keep and eye on me. I was scared that if something were to happen I wouldn't be able to get myself the help I needed. So I decided to stay. I had a really obnoxious roomie so I didn't sleep most of the night and my surgeon discharged me around 9AM and I was home by 11AM. Though nothing happened to me that night I felt more comfortable being in a place where I could get help if something should have happened. I didn't have my esophagram until a week after surgery but they were watching to make sure I didn't have any issues drinking my delicious broth and tea. :thumbup: Hope that helps!

Hi Slinderella! I had the same problem. The doctor's office gave me hydrocortizone but that didn't do much for me. I did find Benedryl extra strength anti itch gel that worked WONDERS. Its for poison oak, sumac etc but I found it was fabulous for the itchy welts I had around my incisions. Check with your doctor first but you're probably just allergic to the glue or bandage adhesive. Its fairly common from what I've seen (though I'm no expert). Put the gel around the incisions but not directly on them. Good Luck!:thumbup:

The pills aren't small but I've taken bigger - not sure that was helpful. Have you ever taken nyquil or dayquil gelcaps? Those are probably the same size as the GNC stuff. I don't need to crush them, I do take one at a time though. I haven't had a fill yet so I don't have much restriction at all. You can also sign up for GNC's frequent buyer card - you get discounts the first week of every month. The Hair, Skin & Nails were on special when I got mine last time buy 1 get 1 free - can't pass up that!! Good Luck!!:thumbup:

I went to GNC and bought their hair, skin and nails formula and have noticed that all three have been doing very well. In fact my hair is so soft and healthy that I am having a hard time getting it to hold a curl. I don't think I've had that problem since childhood. I had not yet experienced hair loss but I was afraid between the surgery, new diet and getting my highlights that it was going to all fall out. It has 3000mg of Biotin (1000% of dv) among a variety of other Vitamins etc. I tried to copy/paste the label below if you'd like to check it out. GNC - GNC Women's Hair, Skin & Nails Formula

I've been at the same weight since moving on to the mushie stage. Am I supposed to have lost a lot more weight? I haven't had a fill and I have zero restriction. I'm so confused on this for some reason. Has anyone not had a fill experiencing the same thing? Am I going to get a lecture when I go in for my fill next week? :thumbup:

I made an appointment for my legs and kini wax in two weeks. That should be more than enough time for my leg hairs to grow out right? I'm nervous about the kini part. I don't want a full brazillian but want more than just outside of my panty line done. A friend of mine calls it the airstrip or landing strip, just a strip on the top and everything else (sides, under etc) gone. Anyone know what style that is?

Hey Kristen what time and were in the slope? I was supposed to go pick up my bridesmaid dress :blushing: but might be able to move things around. Keep us posted!

OMG I am so sorry for you!!!!! I hope they can remedy it for you some how. I was lucky enough to have seen someone post about that so I made sure to ask my surgeon about it because I like you have a large chest and there is NO WAY I can go without an underwire bra. I wonder if the irritation will go away after awhile though. I hope it does. Let us know how it goes with your surgeon!

Well its been awhile since I posted here .... I am now officially in bandster hell. I lost 20lbs between pre surgery and liquid stage but since I moved on to the mushy and now on normal foods I'm gaining it back - 5lbs so far. I can't get in to have a fill until mid July. I don't know how I'm going to last that long. I feel like a big failure already :ohmy: I found out today that the jerk won't be out here next month as previously planned which means I can't show off how well I'm doing which I really wanted to do. In a way I feel relieved but I'm also sad. Its not that I want him back but I want to be wanted I guess - does that make sense? All I want to do is eat a bunch of oreos or something but I haven't done it... so far. Grrrr this being a girl that is emotional really stinks sometimes.

I picked up some Benadryl itch stopping Gel in extra strength. Its supposed to be used for poison Ivy, oak and sumac but I found it worked great for my itchy skin around my incisions! Better than the hydrocortizone cream that the nurse at my office gave me. I put it around the incisions until it healed shut and now when I get itchy I put it directly over them and have no issues. I'm still not sure if it was the adhesive from the bandages or the glue they used to close the incisions that I'm allergic. Check with your doctor first but this stuff worked great for me.

I pulled this list off a different thread. Hope it helps! ' LAP BAND SURGERY SHOPPING LIST NON-FOOD ITEMS: BBQ or Toilet tongs, for a good reach in the r.r. 4.98 Heating pad(12inx24in) 16.88 Flexible ice pack (hot/cold 12inx16in) 14.44 A few books or movies(your choice, I spent about 70.00us) xx.xx Squishy pillow for car ride for seatbelt (shoulder pad) 16.88 Make sure you have a good blender 19.97 Kitchen timer (first few days, sip every 15 mins)(analog) 2.88 Kitchen timer (digital – better for travelling) 3.47 Pedo-meter(depending on the one you get – don’t forget to adjust to your stride) 4.88 PHARMACEUTICALS: Liquid Tylenol/Motrin (Check early in case pharmacy needs to order in advance) 4.98 Chewable or liquid gas-x(I got strips, you will pay more than shown here) 3.60 Gauze Pads 4x4 6.57 Paper/bandage tape 2.57 Wet Wipes 2.64 Pill crusher 3.89 Chewable Vitamins 8.97 Hospital Medicine cups (I got 3oz/88ml cups – 100ct) 1.48 Cough Drops(Halls big box) 6.88 Stool Softener (Dr. asked me not to get this, if needed talk to him) xx.xx Moist and nice tasting Lip Balm(got chapstick – cherry – 2for deal) 0.88 food ITEMS: Protein shakes(these vary from 22 – 55 dollars depending on quality and quantity) xx.xx Plenty of water(bottled Water for me 3cases 16oz. bottles 10.00) 10.00 broth or stuff to make broth(several flavors but all about the same cost) 2.98 sugar free popsicles 2.66 Sugar free Jello 0.50 Sugar free breath mints (chewable) 1.33 Crystal Light "On the GO" assorted flavors(I don’t like CL so I got store brand/price per box) 2.50 Bouillon(several flavors but all about the same cost) 2.07 Cream of Wheat 2.92 Creamy soups 0.66 Applesauce 1.82 FAT FREE yogurt 1.76 Soup-at-Hand - soups - for creamy stage(on sale) 1.25 pudding cups (SF/FF) - helps w/ taking meds(got instant, more flavors, price per box) 0.50 Sugar free hot cocoa 1.87 Decaf tea(got regular, decaf is a little more in cost) 2.12 CLOTHES POST-OP: Loose fitting, easily removable(one size larger than I wear, sweats, top and bottom) 15.88 Buttons downs or pullover(sale rack found $5.00 per, one size larger) 5.00 Thong shoes/slip-on so no bending and tying(make sure they are a good pair) 12.88 Sports Bra! Sutures will be hurt by under wires(I have a daughter and wife that helped here) 6.88

Oh one other thing - check out Dr. Kurian's book Weight Loss Surgery for Dummies.

Hi all!! Just a shout out to all my NYU bandster buddies!!! I know exactly what you are going through and feeling as I was there just a couple of weeks ago. Yes, the staff is...... less than friendly ...... but keep pushing them. Try email if you can - it was the only way I could ever get in touch with anyone there. For those of you seeing Dr. Kurian - she is a god send! So nice, gentle and caring. I really loved her. I went through my surgery alone and was terrified being at the hospital waiting room waiting to go. She came to see me and talked to me for a bit which helped and she held my hand until I was knocked out. She really made it so much easier for me. Best of luck to all of you!!!! Keep in touch! Maybe we could all meet up at a meeting on day.

Hey Lauren! Yes MHM is were my pcp is too- Dr. Wallace. Actually it was Weinberg but I only saw her twice and she went out on maternity leave so I've been seeing her back up Dr. Wallace ever since. You could walk it over to them but the blood work takes a day or so for them to process so it won't be available that moment to take with you. You can probably ask them for a copy of your ekg though. In my situation they only faxed my pcp 1 page of the EKG and trying to get them to send the entire thing was the PITA because they wouldn't listen to me say that they needed to send the entire thing they just kept telling me they sent the fax and someone over there needs to look around for it. <SIGH> If I had taken a copy of the EKG and anything else they filed out that day perhaps I wouldn't have had to run around like a chicken without my head. <DOUBLE SIGH> Yes, indeed....what we will do to loose weight! You have to schedule your pre admin testing but the esophagram is another appointment which you too get to schedule. This is where I went off the path- I thought the chest xray (which is done in PAT radiology) was the same as the esophagram (which is done in regular radiology department). Though imagine my surprise when I went to have it done and there were 5 of us from the weight loss dept and I was the only one doing it pre surgery. They all had their surgery and never got an esophagram prior to their surgery. I guess each dr. is different or else I had a test for no particular reason. I really think there should be someone at the dr's office to help guide you and all the paperwork along better. They told me directions and gave me a ton of paperwork but I had to deal with 3 different people in the dr's office not to mention the various people at PAT and my PCP. The staff at the surgeon's office is SUPER BUSY and trying to talk to anyone you'd think I was trying to talk to the pope. Tiffany IS GREAT - SUPER NICE:thumbup:!!!!! All in all I found the process complicated :confused2: and stressful (I was also on that liquid pre op diet so I was probably rather :crying:) but I guess it is all necessary to make sure you are safe and that is the important thing. There's no point in having the surgery if you don't make it through the surgery. As for advice, the only thing I can really think of is be patient. Everything takes time it seems. Every time I needed to make an appointment it was another 4-5 weeks before who ever I needed to see that time was available. I felt like I would never get to have the surgery and I think I created more stress for myself then I needed to. oops :confused_smile: Keep in touch and let us know how you are doing. Feel free to PM me with any questions too. Good Luck!!:eek:

Its interesting the different responses you'll get on this one. I ended up on the S**T list at my surgeon's office because I followed up on everything. I was trying to get it all lined up so I wouldn't have to be stressed out. I was never rude, except maybe the one time they left me sitting around for 5 hours, but really 5 hours??? who wouldn't be irritated?? Any way, they may be a very busy practice but remember you are client and you are paying them for a service, a very important and personal service. I say follow up, you never know if you don't ask.

It depends on your health status. If you have apnea then they will want to do the sleep study etc. Sometimes it also is based on what your insurance wants to prove that you need the surgery before they will pay for it. I had no co-morbidities so the only tests I had done (2 weeks prior to surgery) were EKG, blood work, chest xray and esophagram - which I did all at the hospital. Be prepared though it takes several hours to get through the round of people to do each thing. The nurse did the blood work and EKG, then I had to meet with the anestatician (I'll never learn to spell that) who tells you the basics about what to expect. Then they will ship you off to get your chest xray -all these things are done through the Pre Admission testing dept at NYU. I was there for 5 hours but it should only take 3. You'll have to schedule your own esophagram upstairs in radiology. I recommend if you can, take the day and get everything done at once. I was a moron and didn't realize that a chest xray and the esophagram were two different things (they both are xrays dang it! ) so my surgery was nearly cancelled because I had to rush in to get it done two days before surgery. Last but certainly not least you're primary will need to sign off on the results from the PAT area for your surgery clearance which means you get to go see him/her too. PAT will fax it to your primary a few days after. Another tid bit of advice... get copies of everything they are going to send to your primary from PAT if you can. I had a heck of a time between my primary's office and PAT - one said they sent it the other said they didn't and I was caught in the middle with my surgery threatening to be cancelled because of a fax. I almost had to take time off from work to pick up the thing and walk it the one block to get it to them. I was such a stress case trying to get it everyone on the same page. Good Luck! :smile2:

I tried to hold back all day but I couldn't. I made better choices than I used to (some cottage cheese instead of chips or cookies) but within an hour I was hungry again. Today I choked down a protein shake, 1 make shift taco, another an hour and a half later, a protein bar and some cottage cheese. I've been drinking alot of water but all that has done is make p all day long. I'm failing and fustrated. :mad::frown::hurray::smile: