MSV529

Congrats! Wow, 180#'s down, that is awesome, you are a true inspiration! Keep up the good work!:cry_smile:

Congratulations, glad everything went smoothly, I hope my op goes as smooth as yours!

I have told my BF, my Mom, my BFF, one co-worker, my Dad, and his wife. Everyone is supportive except my Dad's wife, her motto, "I didn't take a pill, or have surgery to gain weight, therefore I won't do either to loose the weight." She's going to be some serious trouble after I am banded, but to be truthfully honest, I don't care because I am doing this for ME. Last time I checked, this IS MY BODY!!! My co-worker was supportive at FIRST, but she is now acting funny, and I haven't even had the surgery yet (Hatin' already! :thumbup:). I told her that it might not happen, and they need to run more test to be sure of some things, just to test the waters, and sure enough she went back to her old self. I am going to let her keep thinking that it won't happen, and then bam! So, I have made a promise to myself not to tell anybody else, I must say, a lifestyle change can really bring out the ugly in some folks!

Congrats!! Won't be long now.

Hello all, My name is Venus From/Live in Wisconsin Single, in a relationship with a supportive boyfriend One beautiful 3 year old (will be 4 on 8/25) but if you ask him, he's 110. (don't ask) Work in the Accounting field Attending college, will sit for CPA after graduation May '09 Ready to get back to that b-ball weight, my son loves quite a few sports already, and he's almost 4 feet tall already, so I know he's going to be very active. I would love to be able to play around with him, no matter what the sport is.

Hi Lizalee, Well, my appointment on the 12th is with the doctor, they haven't told me about any special diet, unless they plan on calling me in between now and then? Considering the insurance I have (United Healthcare) there is no special guidelines that need to be followed, so, this process is moving along faster than I anticipated. Yesterday, I received a letter from United Behavioral Health stating that I was approved. I think this is the insurance approval letter, because United Behavioral Health is the place that my insurance company told me I would have to go through in order to choose a doctor/hospital to have the procedure. I just might give the insurance company a call just to verify. If this is the approval, this letter is dated 7/26 so, I've been approved since then. It also has an effective date from 7/25/08 to 7/25/09. I will also be calling the doctor's office back to see exactly what this appointment on the 12th consists of. Thanks for all of your help, I appreciated it.

Hello fellow Wisconsinites, Just thought I'd give an update. I went to my psych eval on Tuesday, the psychiatrist and I talked as if we have known each other for years. I thought I was going to be uncomfortable, but I wasn't. She was very cool and down to earth. I have my next appointment on 8/12/08, and I called the center because I wanted to know what was going to be happening at this appointment. The nurse told me that it will be the pre-op appointment, and I will also get the surgery date. Okay this may sound dumb, but is this the appointment where they will do the blood work, or is that done right before surgery? Or is this the appointment where we talk about when to start the Optifast diet? By the way, how's everyone doing?

Hi SassyV, I am soooo glad to finally here from someone who is being banded by the same doctor as I. I was getting worried that I wouldn't hear from anyone with the same doctor. I would love to hear kind of a step-by-step of your surgery, if you don't mind, also how long did your process take? I would love to take the Protein bars off of your hands, just let me know how much you want for them, and then we can go from there. Again it's nice to meet you. I still need help with the ticker, any help will be greatly appreciated. I can only get the url to appear not the actual ticker. Thanks in advance. http://tickers.TickerFactory.com/ezt...a78/weight.png

Hi Sfeiner, Sorry about your son's home. I was fortunate and didn't have any flood damage. I live in West Allis, however the businesses about five minutes away from my apartment was not so lucky. They were closed for several days due to the flooding. I agree with Smartiegirl, this was one of the worst floods I have seen. By the way, can someone help me with my ticker, how do I display the actual ticker instead of the link? Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Hi Lizalee, I was wondering if you had to do the pre-op diet, if so, for how long, and what type? Optifast, slim-fast, etc? I will have to do the Optifast for 2 weeks, and was kind of wondering if they will give me a list of what I can eat?

Thanks Lizalee, Wow, congrats, you've lost 90+ lbs, you are a true inspiration! :thumbup: I am open to any advice you may have, and I hope you'll allow me to ask you questions from time to time. That's if you don't mind. Again, thanks for the warm welcome.

Hi All, I am just started out, and just went to the 1st consultation/nutritionist consult yesterday, it lasted about 1hr and 15 mins. I live in SE Wisconsin, and I am glad someone FINALLY posted on this thread. My psych eval. is on 7/19 so, I probably won't be banded until September. My surgeon is Dr. Joseph Regan @ Columbia St. Mary's Hospital. I have United Healthcare insurance and it seems like the insurance process is not going to be drastic. The only requirement needed was 40+ BMI or 35-40 with co-morbidities so, I guess I'm on my way to a new life....

Hi all, I went to the first consultation yesterday, and everything went great. Met with the surgeon (didn't think I was going to meet him, however will see him with every visit), nutritionist, and answered alot of questions thrown at me by the nurse. The consultation lasted about an hour and fifteen minutes. I didn't get nervous until I arrived in the parking structure, and of course as soon as I got there they took my blood pressure. The nurse looked at me as if I ate a salt sandwich for lunch, but I had to explain to her that I was nervous. Anyway, my psych eval is 7/29, and my 2nd appt. is 8/11, and I also found out that I will have to do the Optifast for two weeks prior to the surgery. So, does this mean, if everything goes smoothly that I will have a banding date some time in September?

Hello everyone, I have been researching the Lap Band for some time now, and decided to go to a informational session back in May 2008. After going back and forth with my inner self, I decided to make a decision. I will have my first consultation July 1st, and was wondering if anyone could tell me what to expect. The nurse told me this consultation will take up to 2 hours. I have read a lot of threads, but have not found any pertaining to the first consultation. I am just a little curious, any thoughts/advice will be greatly appreciated. I am kind of feeling alienated because there are a few people around me that are not that supportive.

Smartiegirl, it seems like you are just starting out as well, it would be nice to go through this together if you'd like. I went to the Wisconsin thread, and no one has updated for some time now. Good luck with everything as well. Let me know, I could give you my e-mail address as well.:thumbs_up:

Thanks for the info. Wow, you have done great with you wls. You are truly an inspiration. While researching the good and the bad, I was not nervous at all. But the closer July 1st gets here, the more nervous I get. Reading the threads on this website has given me quite an insight on the Lap Band, and I know this will not be an easy fix. I'm just tired of the yo-yo dieting, and this seems like the tool that is going to help me get to my future goal and sustain it. Just a little bit about me. My highest weight was 286, my current is 260, and my ultimate goal is between 150 and 160. My lowest weight was 245, which I achieved doing Weight Watchers, that 41 lb wls took me TWO years, and I am now on my way back up to my highest weight. Throughout my wls journey, I have become accustomed to working out, but the scale was not moving, so, I can not wait to be banded to get back to working out, and finally see the scale go in the right direction. Oh, if all goes well, the procedure will be done a Columbia St. Mary's Hospital. Again, thanks for the information, I'll try to calm down a little.