Kiana38

I am on so many diuretics it's not funny. I am on very high dosages of lasix (200 mg AM/160 mg PM), metolazone and spironalactone.

I didn't ask him which of my several medical problems was the reason for his weight loss demand but he just said he wants me to have the best chance to wake up from anesthesia. I understand that, but they *are* operating on people a LOT bigger than me and doing more dangerous surgeries like gastric bypass without blinking an eye. I have limited funds, and am self-pay, so I hesitate to just throw good money after bad trying to find a doctor who will say something different. The only thing I haven't tried to do is starve myself totally. What he is asking of me feels like pure torture. Is that melodramatic? lol I hate feeling hungry which is why I want the band in the first place. So I'm trying a liquid diet now and will give it a month to see the results. My dad suggested a weight loss hypnotherapist too (he's paying!). If I don't make progress, I think I'll have to choose a doc in Mx. It feels good to know real people understand me. A thin "friend" told me "It's ONLY 50 pounds, that's easy". Ever wanted to strangle someone so badly? lol Tina

I'm glad to hear your banding went well!! I was thinking about you Thursday. I am going with Dr. Oh in Federal Way. I have my first appointment next Wed and will probably get a surgical date then. How are you feeling? How was the experience? Tina

I LOVE Starting Over! I believe all of the lessons I've been watching as a spectator the last 2 years are finally starting to sink in. I find myself making choices for me for once, and realizing I have never thought I was enough. I have never seen a wiser woman than Iyanla, and the entire show is full of love. Did you see todays Board of Review? I couldn't believe it when Iyanla said that quote to Niambi, it gave me chills!!! I wish I could remember it word for word. lol Tina

Hi all, I'm scheduled to have surgery July 19 at the Wish Center in Wa State. They have a long evaluation process which is why it is taking so long to get in. I'm more afraid now though because I've read that a lot of you are 40-55 BMI, but I am much larger than that. They have "estimated" my BMI to be between 62 and 68. (I have excess Water weight so it's hard to guage.) And even more scary, my surgeon has only done 70 lap bands. I have a lot of problems including kidney failure so I need to have the surgery done closer to home and that is the only place I could afford to self-pay. Should I be extremely scared? Thanks, Tina

Hi cookster, I have way more damaged kidneys than you at the moment. My Protein spill has gone up to 15 gms before. 63x a normal person. My nephrologist also wants me to be careful of protein because it converts to Nitrogen and makes your kidneys work harder. I have no idea what to do yet either. He knows I want this surgery and thinks it's my best option, but is still worried it will blow my kidneys out. However if I don't have it, then I will probably still lose my kidneys only be too fat for a transplant. I would definitely talk to a nephrologist. The good news is, sometimes weight loss stabilizes kidney function too. Tina

Thanks I researched this since I am in Puyallup, WA near Tacoma/Federal Way. The doctor is Dr. Oh: http://obesityhelp.com/morbidobesity/bariatric+surgeon+profile+Ki+H+Oh+ml.html http://www.ohtobethin.com/ The price is $12,800 which does not include pre-op testing or psychiatric eval. However, if you have Medicaid like I do, testing is at St. Francis hospital and Medicaid "should" pay for it. The psych eval is only less than $300. I have an appointment next Wednesday and he is booking surgeries for end of July! Best of all he doesn't reject you based on high BMI's. Thanks! Tina

Thanks for all the warm replies. You all are very reassuring and have calmed me down a lot. It makes me feel not quite so alone to hear from those of you who started out at 60+ BMI. I was beginning to feel like the biggest one here, and wondering if anyone could relate. :grouphug: Tina

Thanks for this information Erica. It makes me feel a lot better and I am researching Dr. Neal in Olympia tomorrow. I sent you a PM. Tina

I bought all 3 varieties of salad spritzers last week. It's a really cool concept, but I'm a condiment person and the 10 sprays for one serving just wasn't enough for me. All flavors were kind of bland and didn't cover my salad well. I'm on a low sodium diet as well, so those are about as low sodium as you can get besides red wine vinegar. So I just added a little red wine vinegar to my salad to help the spritzer serving "go further."

Wow how exciting! I would love to chat with you sometime when you have time. I will pm you my telephone number. Good luck on your surgery!!! Tina

Thanks for the reassurance! I am a combination of nervousness, excitement, worry... I just want it to be over and then the real work begins. lol I will ask my surgeon about his laparoscopic history for sure. Thanks! Tina

wow South Hill Curves is right down the road from me. I'm a little too big to work out there yet. Where are you getting banded at?

Hello! I am so glad I found this place. It seems pretty difficult to find banding info across the Net. Everything I find seems to be mostly about gastric bypass. Anyway I finally decided on a doctor myself, here near the Seattle area. I am going with The Wish Center in Renton, Wa. and surgery will probably be in July sometime. They have a lot of requirements and make you jump through hoops to get the surgery, even self-paid. I know most, if not all of us, have some co-morbidities. I have several, including diabetes II, hypertension and worst of all, kidney failure. I am not on dialysis *yet*. I am too obese for a biopsy so they are treating me with diuretics to keep the Water weight off and hoping weight reduction might stabilize my kidney loss. It's a complex situation but I was hospitalized last summer and they took 128 lb of water off me in 2 weeks. I retain A LOT at an given time. Right now I probably have about 50 lb of water. It's hard to tell where the fat stops and the water begins. lol Anyway, I'm on Fluid restriction daily, 2 Liters a day. I'm concerned about the liquid diet in the initial phase of banding, and my doctors are a little concerned about the saline IV during surgery even. Anyone have a condition similar to mine that has been banded? I am hoping the ends will justify the means. If my kidneys worsen a bit because of the surgery and liquid diet, the weight loss will stabilize them before they fail completely. It's all a crapshoot. Anyway I'm glad you have a place like this, I think I'm going to need a lot of support in the future! Thanks! Tina

I really appreciate the encouraging words. I feel like I might be surrounded by people who finally get what I'm going through. It's been difficult to explain anything to my family and friends. I actually had a "friend" say to me the other day that she didn't want me to take offense, but that I should be able to lose weight without surgery, and be a size 4 like her, if I wasn't lazy. Like Dr. Phil says, lets operate in the real world here. The reality is, I haven't lost weight and banding gives me the best and safest chance to get it done. Nice to meet you all! Tina

I'd love to get to know more bandsters in my area! Tina