Janiece

Hey, I'm getting banded by Dr Robert Pinnar in Reston, Va. Anyone else a Dr Pinnar patient or getting banded the same day? It might be cool to stay in touch and have someone to talk to who's as miserable as I am! Strangely, I'm not that nervous. I'm sure I'll be a wreck tomorrow morning though!

Good luck! Let us know how you're feeling when you're up to it!

I wish mine was outpatient. I'm young with no health problems and my Dr was going to send me home the same day, but my insurance said they would pay for the overnight stay. So, the Dr changed his mind and now I have to stay. :thumbup: Booooo! I'd much rather be miserable and in pain from the comfort of my own home!

Hey! My surgery is on Friday (11/6). I've been on the pre-op diet for 5 days. Congrats on your loss! So far, I'm down 11lbs. You're right, I don't think it gets easier. I'm on a liquid diet, and last night I was SO close to driving to the wegman's a buying a filet mignon :thumbup:. At the pre-op meeting, my nurse made the mistake of telling me that she knew I was probably going to cheat, and I should eat a lean meat instead of any carbs. Now, everyday I ask my boyfriend if I can have a steak yet. . .but he keeps saying no. That's why I keep him around!!:thumbup: So far, I've only accidentally cheated by having 3 skittles. I opened them for my nephew and I didn't even think about it when I popped them in my mouth. Hang in there! We're so close!

Hey! I'm on a 7 day liquid diet, and my surgery is on 11/6. Are you getting in a enough Protein? I honestly haven't been hungry since being on the liquids. I've definitely WANTED food that my boyfriend has been making for dinner, but that's because I know that his food tastes delicious and I'm stuck sucking down another chocolate shake for dinner. I'm sorry you have to cook. That's cruel and unusual punishment! I almost cried in the Trader Joe's yesterday b/c I was frustrated with their Soup selection and I had to walk past the 4 samples carts and say 'no thank you'. I am very impressed that you're cooking dinner and sticking to your liquids! Hang in there!

Surprisingly, I haven't really been that hungry since starting the high protein, low carb pre-op diet. Don't get me wrong, I would totally kill for a cheeseburger right now, but I'm not hungry. . .I just want a cheeseburger. My emotions are running wild right now. I'm glad I had the weekend to get used to the diet. I have a short fuse, and I've randomly bust into tears a few times. I went to the Trader Joe's with my boyfriend b/c I wanted to pick up those papaya/pineapple tablets and see what soups they had. They had a few sample carts cooking and it smelled really good in there. I was only mildly disappointed that I couldn't try them. Then some lady next to me on the soup aisle was talking to her son about how good the sweet potato bisque was. (I can't have that one b/c it has like 28g of carbs per serving). I don't know what happened, but all of a sudden my eyes welled up and I almost burst into tears in the middle of the store. I told my boyfriend I had to leave, paid for my stuff, and bawled in the car for 15 minutes until he finished shopping. I've read a few other posts about mourning the loss of food and I think that is definitely a part of it, but I think one of the biggest reasons I'm so emotional is b/c I don't have anyone to talk to about everything I'm feeling regarding the band: the surgery, life afterwards, being embarrassed that I even need a band, etc. My boyfriend is the only person who knows I'm getting the surgery (for now). I love him for trying to stay interested in what I'm doing, but he's never weighed more than 150lbs and has no idea what I'm going through. Anyway, I only have to make it through 4 more days. I'm really nervous about the actual surgery (I'm just a nervous person. I worry about everything!) so I'm just trying to keep it together and wrap up everything at work over the next 4 days. :smile: No work for two weeks! At least I have that to look forward to!

Surprisingly, I haven't really been that hungry since starting the high protein, low carb pre-op diet. Don't get me wrong, I would totally kill for a cheeseburger right now, but I'm not hungry. . .I just want a cheeseburger. My emotions are running wild right now. I'm glad I had the weekend to get used to the diet. I have a short fuse, and I've randomly bust into tears a few times. I went to the Trader Joe's with my boyfriend b/c I wanted to pick up those papaya/pineapple tablets and see what soups they had. They had a few sample carts cooking and it smelled really good in there. I was only mildly disappointed that I couldn't try them. Then some lady next to me on the soup aisle was talking to her son about how good the sweet potato bisque was. (I can't have that one b/c it has like 28g of carbs per serving). I don't know what happened, but all of a sudden my eyes welled up and I almost burst into tears in the middle of the store. I told my boyfriend I had to leave, paid for my stuff, and bawled in the car for 15 minutes until he finished shopping. I've read a few other posts about mourning the loss of food and I think that is definitely a part of it, but I think one of the biggest reasons I'm so emotional is b/c I don't have anyone to talk to about everything I'm feeling regarding the band: the surgery, life afterwards, being embarrassed that I even need a band, etc. My boyfriend is the only person who knows I'm getting the surgery (for now). I love him for trying to stay interested in what I'm doing, but he's never weighed more than 150lbs and has no idea what I'm going through. Anyway, I only have to make it through 4 more days. I'm really nervous about the actual surgery (I'm just a nervous person. I worry about everything!) so I'm just trying to keep it together and wrap up everything at work over the next 4 days. No work for two weeks! At least I have that to look forward to!

I am such a slacker with updating. I'm so busy trying to get everything taken care of before surgery, but I know I'm going to regret not being able to look back on these posts! My surgery date is 11/6.:smile2: I'm still kind of in shock that I'm getting banded in 10 days! I originally started looking into the band last year, so it's crazy to me that I'm actually going to get one now. I had my preop appointment yesterday. I told Sue I was a nervous wreck even though the surgery is so far away, but she said that she would be worried if I wasn't worried. That makes me feel a lot better. I found out that Aetna will pay for an overnight stay. I'm not sure how I feel about that. I understand it's better to be there in case something happens but I would much rather be miserable at home. At least at the Reston Hospital all the rooms are private. I love my boyfriend so much.:boink: He's going to spend the night with me there b/c he knows I'm upset that I have to stay. We only live 5 minutes from the hospital and it's kinda silly for him to stay, but I appreciate it! I've been buying supplies like a fiend. I've decided that none of the protein shakes are good so I'm going to stop wasting my money. They're all either milky, chalky, smelly, or something. I only have a 7 day preop diet, so I'll just drink what I have and deal with it. The only thing left on my list to buy (for the moment) is pajamas. I am SO not wandering around the hospital with my butt hanging out of that gown! I'm most confused about the financing part. I called Aetna, and she said my out-of-network out-of-pocket maximum is $2000 + $300 deductible. I don't think insurance covers the $2500 program fee from my doctor's office though. So I took out a Care Credit loan for $5000 and hopefully that will be enough. I have yet to see a bill from anyone but if I show up for surgery and everyone is expecting a check I want to be prepared! I'm also confused about the short-term disability at work. Does anyone else work for Booz Allen Hamilton? I know they cover it, but the process is a little weird. I plan to take 2 weeks off b/c the environment is very dramatic on client-site and if I'm grumpy, hungry and in pain, I won't be able to grin and bear it as well as I do now! I start the preop diet on 11/30 which is messed up b/c I can't have any Halloween candy (but my boyfriend and I already ate a couple bags we bought a few weeks ago, so I guess I'll be fine. :wink:). I'm not too concerned about the liquids, I'll do what I have to do to make it easy on my surgeon, but I am worried about the headaches. I've done other diets and the drastic change in calories gives me ridiculous headaches. I think Sue said tylenol was the only pain killer I can take. I'll call and confirm that. It's lunchtime so I need to figure out what to go get. I know this sounds weird, but it's almost a relief that I'm going to be on liquids. It's so exhausting for me to decide where to go, what to get, what size, etc everyday for lunch and try to eat healthily, then hate myself when I just end up getting a burger and fries.

Really? I'll keep that in mind. Thanks!

I am such a slacker with updating. I'm so busy trying to get everything taken care of before surgery, but I know I'm going to regret not being able to look back on these posts! My surgery date is 11/6.:scared2: I'm still kind of in shock that I'm getting banded in 10 days! I originally started looking into the band last year, so it's crazy to me that I'm actually going to get one now. I had my preop appointment yesterday. I told Sue I was a nervous wreck even though the surgery is so far away, but she said that she would be worried if I wasn't worried. That makes me feel a lot better. I found out that Aetna will pay for an overnight stay. I'm not sure how I feel about that. I understand it's better to be there in case something happens but I would much rather be miserable at home. At least at the Reston Hospital all the rooms are private. I love my boyfriend so much.:wub: He's going to spend the night with me there b/c he knows I'm upset that I have to stay. We only live 5 minutes from the hospital and it's kinda silly for him to stay, but I appreciate it! I've been buying supplies like a fiend. I've decided that none of the protein shakes are good so I'm going to stop wasting my money. They're all either milky, chalky, smelly, or something. I only have a 7 day preop diet, so I'll just drink what I have and deal with it. The only thing left on my list to buy (for the moment) is pajamas. I am SO not wandering around the hospital with my butt hanging out of that gown! I'm most confused about the financing part. I called Aetna, and she said my out-of-network out-of-pocket maximum is $2000 + $300 deductible. I don't think insurance covers the $2500 program fee from my doctor's office though. So I took out a Care Credit loan for $5000 and hopefully that will be enough. I have yet to see a bill from anyone but if I show up for surgery and everyone is expecting a check I want to be prepared! I'm also confused about the short-term disability at work. Does anyone else work for Booz Allen Hamilton? I know they cover it, but the process is a little weird. I plan to take 2 weeks off b/c the environment is very dramatic on client-site and if I'm grumpy, hungry and in pain, I won't be able to grin and bear it as well as I do now! I start the preop diet on 11/30 which is messed up b/c I can't have any Halloween candy (but my boyfriend and I already ate a couple bags we bought a few weeks ago, so I guess I'll be fine. ). I'm not too concerned about the liquids, I'll do what I have to do to make it easy on my surgeon, but I am worried about the headaches. I've done other diets and the drastic change in calories gives me ridiculous headaches. I think Sue said tylenol was the only pain killer I can take. I'll call and confirm that. It's lunchtime so I need to figure out what to go get. I know this sounds weird, but it's almost a relief that I'm going to be on liquids. It's so exhausting for me to decide where to go, what to get, what size, etc everyday for lunch and try to eat healthily, then hate myself when I just end up getting a burger and fries.

I'm scheduled for Nov 6th. I just got all me pre-op testing done and I have the pre-op visit on 10/26. Now I just need to figure out what my out-of-pocket cost will be.

My BMI is 44 but I don't have an comorbidities. I just had weights from 08 and 09 too. I did the 3 month program and they approved me. Good luck!

I'm going to be banded (hopefully) on November 6th by Dr Robert Pinnar. :scared2: I'm freaking out already. If anyone lives nearby and is getting the band soon, PM me. It would be nice to have someone I can meet in person who knows what I'm going through.

I switched to the other Dr Pinnar (Robert) in Reston, VA. I have nothing against Dr Eric Pinnar, I just feel more comfortable with Robert Pinnar and his staff. They seem more down to earth and like a family. Anyway, after doing the 3 month pre-surgical program, Sue called and said there was a problem. Aetna said they wanted me to see the doctor every week during the 3 months, not just once a month, which meant I'd have to start all over. Sue said she'd call the Aetna person back and see what was going on. Today she left a message with my insurance approval number! I don't know what happened and I don't care. I called back to set a date but she's out until Monday. That's kinda bogus that no one else can do scheduling. I'm counting down the minutes until I can call and set a date. Very, very exciting!:biggrin:

I switched to the other Dr Pinnar (Robert) in Reston, VA. I have nothing against Dr Eric Pinnar, I just feel more comfortable with Robert Pinnar and his staff. They seem more down to earth and like a family. Anyway, after doing the 3 month pre-surgical program, Sue called and said there was a problem. Aetna said they wanted me to see the doctor every week during the 3 months, not just once a month, which meant I'd have to start all over. Sue said she'd call the Aetna person back and see what was going on. Today she left a message with my insurance approval number! I don't know what happened and I don't care. I called back to set a date but she's out until Monday. That's kinda bogus that no one else can do scheduling. I'm counting down the minutes until I can call and set a date. Very, very exciting!:thumbup:

lol. It stands for time of the month

How long was it before you guys started driving again? I work pretty far from my office, and I'm going to request that I be allowed to work remotely for a week or so after surgery, but I'm wondering if I should request more time? I'll ask my doc at the pre-op visit, but I just wanted to get some idea of what to expect in the meantime. Thanks!

Thanks guys!

I saw someone else's thread about what excuse to tell coworkers. This post is related, but I'm looking more for reasons why I should or shouldn't tell people. I'm still undecided. I don't even have a date yet, but I'm hoping it'll be early to mid January. I understand that telling everyone will probably spawn some criticism and a lot of questions, but I really don't want to carry out an extended lie by faking a hernia or anything. I'm also hoping I can make them more sensitive to the plight of the chubbies. I don't want to feed into the stereotype of 'see, if all fat, lazy people just got of their butts, went on a diet and exercised, then they could all lose weight like Janiece!' I want them to know that diet and exercise weren't enough, and that I needed some help. I want them to go on the journey with me and see that the band is not the easy way out. . . I dunno, maybe I'm being to idealistic. But even if I don't change the world's perception of obesity, at least I won't have to hide in my cube during lunch and stress out all the time about someone figuring why I've developed a sudden ocd problem with cutting up my food. PLUS, I won't have to explain if I eat too fast and puke at a lunch meeting!! :cursing: So. . .any good or bad experience stories with telling coworkers or friends? Thanks,

In my post yesterday, I was more than a little upset that I had to do a sleep study. I did it last night, and it really wasn't all that bad. The only problem is I never sleep on my back and I was SO uncomfortable. Without meaning to, I kept rolling to my side (luckily not my stomach) in my sleep, and the sleep tech had to keep coming in and waking me up to roll me onto my back and reposition the sensors. I only slept about 4 hours the whole night. Oh, and the goo. There is SO much of that conducting goo in my hair! So don't plan to go to work right after a sleep study!! In the morning, the sleep doctor came in and we went through the responses. It took WAAAAY too long. I just wanted to know whether or not I was cleared for surgery. He went through the night in 5 minute increments which took forever. . . especially since most of it I was awake and there wasn't much to look at. Anyway, he said that I had very mild sleep apnea and that I could choose to have treatment or move forward without it. I asked him a bunch of questions b/c I didn't want brush this off. Suffocating during your sleep is serious!! Eventually we decided that since I don't sleep on my back and since I have a recliner I can use after surgery in case I can't lay on my side in bed, then it would be okay if I forgo treatment!!! :thumbup: I'm completely cleared for surgery now! I still have to get bloodwork done, but I have no reason to believe anything will be wrong. My date is set for January 16th at 11:30am!!! I thought I would be happier after getting my date. . .maybe I'm just sleep deprived. I think Jan 16th seems so far away that it doesn't seem real yet. Well, since I'm selfpay, I need to go narrow down my loan list and fill out an applications.