harliquinn

OH WOW! :tt2: i just got my surgery date. Feb 25th! :thumbup: i meet with my surgeon on the 16th and the anesthesiologist on the 17th. ive been trying to get a band since November 2008! as of now on a 2 week fat free, sugar free, liquid diet, plus Protein shakes. this consists of Protein Shakes im mixing myself (the surgeon recommended Carnation Instant Breakfast but its not sugar free or low carb, so i chose a different one), fat free low sodium chicken broth, Water.....um....im open to other suggestions! is the occasional sugar free Jello a no-no during the pre-op diet? how about V-8? i need more choices i think. how much did you lose during the pre-op diet? :thumbdown: anyways, im excited and a bit nervous but im definitely looking forward to this! the hubby is apprehensive, due to so much change happening in such a short time but hes being supportive and understanding. I AM SO EXCITED!

carmen, thanks for commenting with this! it makes me feel so much better about the sugar free jello and popsicles i bought last night!

thanks! i shall keep y'all posted. Neverquit, congrats on getting a surgery date! im a bit nervous but really looking forward to this. my husband is way more nervous than i am!

Betsy, the only CIB that i found was the regular and the "no sugar added", which still had more sugar than i should be having. ah well, i found a good high Protein powder at my local grocery store so im using that. :thumbdown: im jealous of the people whose surgeons let them have lean meat and veggies! im gonna be starving on just liquids for 2 weeks, but i have to follow my surgeons instructions. sugar free Jello isnt a no-no? because that would be awesome.

Gloria and Betsy, thank you so much for elaborating and posting about your experiences. :thumbdown: he and i will look it over and discuss everything in the next week or two. he has been coming with me to all of my appointments, the class, and knows the procedure pretty well. i think its just the realization that big change is approaching quickly thats getting to him. i think hes worried that maybe im going to become a food nazi and he will be forced to live off of salads for the rest of his life, which certainly wont be the case.

its weird isnt it? im still in shock too. it seems so unreal! best of luck to you on your journey! i know you can make it work for you!

today was a fantastic day! ive finally got a date for my surgery! February 25th! i am ecstatic. i have to meet with Dr. Bui on the 16th (10 am) for the pre-op consult, signing of papers, taking of vitals, weigh in, etc. ill be meeting with the anesthesiologist on the 17th (7 am) to have blood drawn, consult, signing of papers, etc. and then on the 25th...i am FINALLY getting my band! ive been working toward this goal since Nov 2008. im so happy. a little nervous since it seems its coming up so quickly but i am ready! as of right now, im on the pre-op diet for 2 weeks. itll be a rough 2 weeks but well worth it!!:frown:

can you elaborate on #5? my husband is supportive but now that ive finally got my surgery date, hes beginning to get a little apprehensive.

#1. Surgery date? just got my date today! Feb 25th! #2. State you live in? California (SF Bay area) #3. Doctor/Surgery Center? Dr. Bui at the David Grant Medical Center (military hospital) #4. Insurance or self pay? Insurance covers all of it (TriWest) #5. Age and height 28/ 5' 5" #6. Current weight and goal weight? CW: 285 GW: ideally, 130. realistically, 140 or 150 #7. What was your deciding factor for having this surgery? several factors. i have asthma, my knees are in terrible condition, i rarely leave the house anymore and in 2008, i found out that my mum has diabetes. #7. Do you have the support of family and friends? my DH is very supportive, my parents are quite supportive and my friends are pretty supportive. :thumbdown: #8. Concerns and questions? im a little scared/nervous, but who isnt when theyre about to go into surgery? what do i need to have or take with me on surgery day? .......................and anything else you would like to add! I AM SO EXCITED! ive been trying to get a band since November of 2008!

congrats!!! isnt it exciting!? i just got my date today too!:thumbdown:

im looking thru a list of surgeons in my area and so far, shes my top pick. has anyone else been banded by her? good experiences? bad experiences? feel free to share any info! thank you. Edit: i ran her name thru the search function and see that several people were banded by her but someone said she was unprofessional/bad. has anyone been been banded by Dr. Paul Cirangle in San Francisco or Dr. Jossart? im just looking for a competent, friendly surgeon in the SF/Sac area so please feel free to recommend someone!

im Tricare Prime, ive had everything done on base and it hasnt cost me a penny.

i have to go for an upper endoscopy before i can get my band. the thought of swallowing a camera on a stick freaks me out SO BAD!:thumbup: has anyone here had an upper endoscopy? what was your experience??

so yesterday i met with Dr. Bui and it went well. very nice guy. very detailed answers to my questions. after looking over my health history and all my paperwork, he feels that i am very proactive about my goal and that i am an excellent surgical candidate. this makes me incredibly happy. he was also very pleased to see that Psyko (DH):wink2: was with me since support is a VERY big deal. we discussed the Roux-en-Y and the lap band and he wanted to know why i was insistent on the Lap Band rather than the Roux-en-Y so i explained that i dont want my digestive system cut up, theres less serious complications (staples can leak, etc), shorter recovery time, its adjustable, and the weight loss is more gradual. he agrees these are good reasons. so yeah, it all went very well. he gave me a list of things that he wants me to call around on base and schedule for. ideally i should have this list fully completed by October. checklist for bariatric work-up: Nutritional Medicine Consultation Behavioural Health Consultation LAB-fasting overnight (blood work) Radiology *chest x-ray *pulmonary function tests Pulmonary Medicine *sleep study General Surgery Clinic *upper endoscopy thats a lot of stuff to do! we are calling on monday to start scheduling things and im heading to the LAB on Tuesday for the blood work. Tuesday i also have an appointment to have a rash checked out. oh...Dr. Bui also showed me a working model of the Lap Band. CAN I JUST TELL YOU HOW COOL THAT WAS?? awesome. so freaking cool.:cool2: im still freaked out at the thought of an endoscopy. *shudders*:ohmy:

so yesterday i met with Dr. Bui and it went well. very nice guy. very detailed answers to my questions. after looking over my health history and all my paperwork, he feels that i am very proactive about my goal and that i am an excellent surgical candidate. this makes me incredibly happy. he was also very pleased to see that Psyko (DH):wub: was with me since support is a VERY big deal. we discussed the Roux-en-Y and the lap band and he wanted to know why i was insistent on the Lap Band rather than the Roux-en-Y so i explained that i dont want my digestive system cut up, theres less serious complications (staples can leak, etc), shorter recovery time, its adjustable, and the weight loss is more gradual. he agrees these are good reasons. so yeah, it all went very well. he gave me a list of things that he wants me to call around on base and schedule for. ideally i should have this list fully completed by October. checklist for bariatric work-up: Nutritional Medicine Consultation Behavioural Health Consultation LAB-fasting overnight (blood work) Radiology *chest x-ray *pulmonary function tests Pulmonary Medicine *sleep study General Surgery Clinic *upper endoscopy thats a lot of stuff to do! we are calling on monday to start scheduling things and im heading to the LAB on Tuesday for the blood work. Tuesday i also have an appointment to have a rash checked out. oh...Dr. Bui also showed me a working model of the Lap Band. CAN I JUST TELL YOU HOW COOL THAT WAS?? awesome. so freaking cool. im still freaked out at the thought of an endoscopy. *shudders*:thumbup:

i figured that might be the case. i dont have a surgery date yet (hopefully soon tho!) and havent met my surgeon yet. this was just the bariatric coordinator giving me the "lose some weight" talk. unfortunately she didnt offer anything in the way of advice. gotta love the military. im thinking of cutting out breads, Pasta, potatoes, and most but not all carbs, eating plenty of protein and just eating about 1000 calories or so a day (definitely no less than that). im just SO freaking ready for this band! i dont know how you guys could stand the wait!

i had a consultation at the surgical clinic on monday. it seemed to go well, much paperwork filled out. before i left i was advised to "try and lose weight" without being given any specifics. i have an appointment on friday for a bariatric class and a one on one consultation with my surgeon later in the day. does anyone have any suggestions on what type of diet i should follow to try and lose some weight?

i told my husband first. he was a little iffy about it and assured me that he loved me and thought i was sexy no matter what so i had to explain that im not healthy, im always in pain, i want to be happy and be able to get out and enjoy life instead of worrying about my health. that brought him around i think. i also told him that since he is the most important person in my life, i needed his support more than anyone elses. i havent got my band yet but he has been coming with me to all of my appointments and being supportive. then i told my parents, both of whom supported my decision, asked questions and researched the procedure. finally i told my friends and all but one person thought it was great news. one friend decided i just wasnt trying hard enough with diet and exercise. *eyeroll* yeah right! its been several months tho and shes starting to come around as well. so even those people who are worried or nervous or against it can sometimes come around when they realize how important the lap band is to you.

is the military lap-band section gone? ive been away for a while but now im back and that forum section seems to be missing. :wink:

yes!! thats the one! thank you so much!

thank you blessedabundant. *hugs* wow, they dont even have an ultrasound machine? its not like its a huge piece of machinery. thats totally crazy! Maggies, yes im being seen at Travis. seems they are doing the lap bands on base now but after a horrible experience with an ingrown toenail removal (they didnt properly numb me and i felt everything! D:), i would REALLY rather have it done off base at a place im considering in Sacramento. im glad to hear you mention the group class! this means im on the right track so far! i really hope the surgeons call me back soon with a date for the class so i can get the ball rolling on this. btw, congrats on your recent banding! how are you liking it so far??

i had a doctors appointment on base 1 week ago and my doctor said i am a very good candidate for the lap band. i had an EKG and everything was pretty normal (heart was a little fast due to being nervous) but all in all, everything was fine. she said she would put in a referral to the surgeons who would call me in a 'couple days'. i never got a call back from the surgeons regarding my referral/being approved for surgery so i asked DH to stop by the hospital on base and see what he could find out. he just called me. apparently the surgeons didnt approve my surgery and they sent the paperwork back to the doctor i saw. i have no idea whats going on. apparently the surgeons left some notes for the doctor and we have now been told that the doctor will look it over and give me a call either today or tomorrow. i REALLY hope this is something stupid and easy to deal with/get past but as of right now, i have no idea. is anyone else dealing with this sort of BS? its so hard to keep my chin up when my goal seems so very far away. :thumbup:

wow! i really hope they approve me and get me scheduled without too much fuss! we havent even started dealing with Tricare. i think its odd that the base surgeons wanted me to attend the classes even though i want to go to a surgeon off base. thanks for your help and insight!