kiz

You are SO young...please quit now for your health. Make a clean sweep of it - get rid of your extra weight and your cigs. My sister was a life long smoker, and tried to stop many times. She was 59, had the best check up she'd had for years, stopped smoking and was given some sort of med to speed of her metabolism because she was afraid of gaining extra weight. The next day, she died instantly with a heart attack. We never knew what caused it for sure, but had she not smoked, I'm sure she'd be alive today. I know it's very hard, and from what I've read, women have an especially hard time quiting. After the surgery and after you lose the weight, do you really want to be huffing and puffing because your lungs are full of tar. Live your life to the fullest, you're being given a new chance! Also, the doctor at the seminar I attended said that he requires smokers to quit either three or six months (sorry, I zoned out on that point because I'm not a smoker), because he wants completely clear lungs for surgery. He said that smokers have such a high risk of developing pneumonia after surgery, that it's not an option. He didn't give any information about smoking after surgery. Good luck to you! Nobody here thinks it's easy to break the smoking habit, but we do know you'll be thankful that you did. Go for it!!

I would ask the following questions as a starting point. (I'm not asking you to reply to these questions, these are just some points I'd have to answer for myself before I went on Optifast) Do you have your surgery scheduled yet? Do you have time to give the Optifast diet a try without postponing or canceling surgery? Do you have to be under a doctor's supervision while you're on it? Do you know how long someone typically stays on a liquid diet, and how they go about returning to solid foods without regaining their lost weight? Can you realistically get your bmi to a healthy number while on Optifast? What is the overall success rate of Optifast?

That was such sad news. They had just returned from celebrating their son's graduation from Boston College. I know their family must be in shock at his sudden death.

My son drinks vanilla ice cream flavored whey protein for weight training from The Vitamin Shop, and he puts a dollop (maybe a teaspoon) of vanilla extract in with his powder and skim milk. He also grinds up some amino acid pills and adds them. I don't have a lap band yet, so I don't know the nutritional requirements for your stage, but I can tell you his shakes are delicious. It also sounds like you're filling to full to drink much, so hopefully you'll get to where you can hold down something.

Hi midnitemel! I'm new too am hoping for an August surgery date. I'm self pay, which has the advantage of a quick turn around, at least that's what I keep telling myself every time I think about how much the surgery is going to cost. :smile: I'm not from Maryland, but maybe someone who knows your surgeon will see your thread. Also, if you haven't tried yet, go to the SEARCH function and try researching him. His name is a little unusual, so you may have luck there.

Hi Shelby! I'm new too. I haven't seen the doctor yet, so I'm really green. Good luck, and I hope you hear back from the insurance company real soon.

That was just devastating news. I was so sad for those precious boys and their families. I've often worried about lightening storms bringing down a tree on my son's tent when he's been away at camp. I know you can't always keep them safe, and tragedies can happen anywhere, but this was just so unexpected.

I stopped the sodas hoping to be over the hump of missing them by the time I get to surgery. I drank de-caf, sugar free, so I didn't have a physical addiction, I just loved the taste. Already, I've noticed a big difference in that I'm NOT as hungry as normal. Maybe it's in my head, but there's a marked change in my hunger issues. I have to gain five pounds for my appointment to be approved for surgery, but I LOST three this week. I've drank the difference in water, so I know it's not just water weight I've lost. I don't know, but I'm starting to believe the carbonation was expanding my stomach to make me feel hungrier, or maybe, it's my nerves anticipating the band surgery. I usually drank about 24 oz of diet soda a day. I had a pretty funny thing happen to me this week. My husband and I went to a Mexican restaurant for lunch with fill it yourself drink area. I was ready to break out and get my all you can drink diet coke. I had to LOL - the frickin' diet Coke dispenser had a big Out Of Order sign on it, and I ended up getting un-sweetened tea. (it was JUST the diet Coke too, all the others were fine!) A sign from God? If so...maybe God is looking out for me in this...at least I'd like to think so. This is a life changing chance for me.

If I had the possibility of insurance coverage, I would give the in-network docs a chance. For one thing, you never know what you may need in the future, and it seems it would be better to have started off with the group that's works with your insurance. Hopefully, your records can be transferred to the new office, and you won't be too far behind your current schedule. Of course, if you find you don't care for the new docs or that they don't have as good of reputation as the group you're with now, that might be enough reason to stick with the one you're currently seeing, even if it is out of pocket.

Sorry you're having these family issues. It's hard to tell with kids though. It might be their way of saying that they are worried about the surgery, that they love you the way you are and don't want to see you change, they don't understand why you want to change because they certainly don't see you as more than their mom, etc. I remember, as a teen, one of my friend's mom was pretty pudgy. My friend wrapped her arms around her mom and said, "You're the perfect mom because when I hug you, you feel like a mom." (I'm sure her sentiment was heartfelt) Kids can be very weird about their feelings about their mothers. I hope you can find out why they aren't supporting your decision to get healthy. I also hope you can make them understand just how important this is to you, and that you want them to be behind you 100%.

Thanks, deebritt! I was mixed up on my previous post when I said Dr. Brengman was the doctor who spoke at the seminar I attended. It was Dr. Schroder, and he came across as very caring and thoughtful. I realized that when I checked their web site to research the surgeons' credentials. After reading the positive reports on both doctors on this discussion board, I was happy to see either doctor. Dr. Schroder also said that they work together during the surgeries, so I'm glad that both doctors are so well respected by everyone. :thumbs_up:

YEP!! THAT'S WHERE MY HEART IS! :biggrin:

Ex-WV'an here. At the lap band seminar, there was a map of the US with all the states color coded for percentage of obese. WV and one other state now hold the dubious honor of moving up to a whole new level of color coding for over a 30% obesity rate (I believe that's the number). My ancestors go all the way back on both sides of my family to the 1700s. I don't think I ever stood a chance genetically. :biggrin: My husband and I both were born in Parkersburg and lived in WV until our early 20s. I live in VA now, but I get back to WV at least once a year. Much success to all of you!

Hi kizzie, I feel like we're kindred spirits with the similar screen names! :biggrin: You're further ahead in the process than me, so maybe you can offer me advice along the way. But, if you need support, you can always send me a pm, and I'd be happy to listen. I know it must be hard without a supportive group of friends to lean on, especially with your parents far away. Sending you {{{HUGS}}} from Virginia.

I'll never understand computers..:biggrin: All your other posts look just fine to me.

That would be hysterical. I'd love to see someone do that. :biggrin:

Since, we've sort of ventured off topic to font size, I'll put in my two cents..lol I just copied and pasted your first post, froggi (that's the only one that came across incredibly small for me, and it's Garamond size 1. It's also a light gray color which, when tiny, makes it harder to see. Now, here's my wish: I WISH IT WERE THAT EASY TO BECOME A SIZE ONE!! JUST HIT A BUTTON AND SWOOSH!! :thumbup:

I would think it varies between practices. For me, I attending the seminar this week and called the next day to make an appointment with the surgeon for the evaluation. He was booked about three weeks out, so I'll be seeing him July 1. They said self pays usually are scheduled for surgery within a month after the appointment.

I can really sympathize with you brandy. I know you must be feeling very frustrated. I hope you get a good explanation as to why they canceled your appointment at the last minute. A couple of years ago, my son had to get a mole removed from the bottom of his foot. We canceled a planned weekend trip because he was supposed to be recuperating. I had to give him Benedryl to help calm his nerves and make him sleepy. I also had him prepared for the shot in his foot with numbing lotion. Drove him across town to the dermatologist. We signed in, and then the receptionist said, oops, sorry, the Dr had to leave for a personal emergency. Staring me in the face was their big sign that said there was a $50 charge for cancellations with less than 24 hour notice. :biggrin:

Hi All, I'm hoping for an August band date. My appointment for the surgeon is scheduled for July 1, so I have no reason to get too optimistic, except they said since I'm self pay, they usually are able to get us in one month out. Mid August would work out well, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed for that. I'm very impatient, and once I make up my mind for something, I find it hard to wait. :teeth_smile:

I haven't even gone in for the my evaluation appointment yet, but I'm not bringing diet Cokes into the house anymore and have been drinking lots of flavored waters. I've tried chewing things down to nothing, and it seems very odd. I know that'll be something I really have to concentrate on.

Hi Cherylita! I think you've come to the right place for lots of support. I just registered on the web site last week, and I've learned so much here. I think you're making a very wise decision in working toward getting healthy. Good luck, and I hope to see you around!

Congratulations!!! I'm so glad you had such a good experience. How are you feeling? I hope you're recovery is going well. I live in Richmond and will be seeing Dr. Brengman with Richmond Surgical Group. I've read some very good testimonials here about Dr. Ortiz though.

*ROFL* Although, I'm sure she's seen MUCH worse! :cool2:

The seminars I attended (I went to two different surgical groups) were primarily information meetings presented by one of the staff surgeons and an office person. They talked about the rapidly increasing obesity rate in America, described both lap band and gastric bypass surgeries, and what to expect from each. Talked a little about their practice, and gave some very general insurance and self pay info. Also had a question and answer session. There was no charge for the seminar, and it was a requirement to attend in order to make an office appointment for an evaluation.