ncarreras

Thank you band! Congratulations on the 60 pounds!!!!! That is great. I can't wait to be able to say that... Thanks for letting us know about the low BMI group. I will look into it. Good luck to all!

Danyett, Good luck with your pre-op diet. One last step to being banded!!! My doctor does not require a pre-op diet, so I am planning on just cutting down the last 2-3 days... Wow, you are a baker! You must have a lot of will power!!! Good luck with everything!:seeya:

Yesterday I finished shopping for surgery: little plates & cups, toddler spoons & forks, loose pajamas, ice cube trays to freeze clear liquids and other soft foods, measuring devices, gas-x, puzzles, protein supplements from my doctor's office, etc. Two more weeks!!! I am soooo ready!

Thank you for the list!!! Timmers is right. It is nice to see who will have surgery the same day I have surgery. :-) I am counting the days!

Danyett, I just got my date yesterday!!! It is 10/14 so we will be going through this at the same time. Good luck to you and congratulations!

Hi Julian, I am a very determined person and I took that form to my doctor and waited for it right there... :-) Seriously. Next morning, I took the form to my surgeon's office and I was scheduling my last appointment. That was on Monday. Yesterday I got my surgery date! I can't tell you what to do, but a little pressure sometimes goes a long way. Some of these doctors office staff are very nice, but some really get on my nerves! Good luck!

I am soooo excited!!!! Yesterday my doctor told me that I will have surgery on October 14th. Then they sent me to the hospital for blood work and an EKG. That's it! Now I just have to show up on the 14th... I started the process in April and it seemed like this day would never come. Good luck to all of you!

That is so funny frauhowe! Tell them! But it is so true. Why is it that it seems ok for people to intrude or make public comments when it comes to obesity (and it is socially accepted!), but not erectile disfunction, or acne, bad breath or any other condition. Hm...?

Thanks everyone for your comments! It is very encouraging. I just scheduled my last appointment before surgery. I need to see the nutritionist and will get my surgery date on Thursday. At this point, I am not telling anyone else. Good luck to all and keep us posted on your progress!!! Please!

That was good dratdee!!! Good for you!!! I don't deny that a personal trainer is a great tool... but people who do not struggle with weight have no clue. It seems to me like you are not going to be joining that gym... LOL

Crowt, The book is called "The Expert's Guide to Weightloss Surgery" by Garth Davis. He is one of the surgeons from TLC's Big Medicine. The book helped me a lot in deciding which surgery would be best for me and understanding all the aspects of the band. However, she needs to keep in mind that patient's situations vary considerably. While some are put on a pre-surgery diet, some are not. Some need certain pre-op testing, and some need other. Some need Protein shakes before, and some not. Then the requirements from insurance to insurance vary significantly as well. I am a self-pay patient because my insurance does not cover any weightloss surgery. Because of my "lower" weight, my doctors did not require many of the things that other patients need to go through (like a diet to shrink the liver, pre-op diet, etc.). If she has questions about what to eat or not to eat, go to her doctor's nutritionist with those questions first. All that to say, that even with the book, she should take the information from the book, write down her questions, and ask HER surgeon. I questioned my doctor, why are you not doing this and that (things that other patients here talked about, or things I read on the book). He explained everything to me and made me realize that there is no one way of doing this. But I have to say that I've learned a lot from others' experiences here... Good luck to her and as someone else said, she is lucky to have your support!

There are some great books out there. I recommend "Guide to Weightloss Surgery". She can buy it at Borders. It really explains EVERYTHING in great detail, including questions/issues that patients face before, during, and after surgery. I do agree with the previous comment. Regardless of what people tell you in this forum, always follow your doctor's advice. And if she doesn't like what she is hearing, she could always consult/switch doctors. Everyone is very diferent, and approach weightloss very differently. That is why the band works for some, but not for others... Good luck!

It is so encouraging to know that there are some others out there in the same situation! Thanks for listening to my blah, blah, blah... :-) LOL restless monkey! It is all a matter of perspective, isn't it? I should see it as a compliment. And I do, although I know I am not healthy. Wacogurl, mosean6278, courtney75, and chasidy - Good luck to all! I am very happy that my partner and son are soooo supportive. They are the ones that matter, since they live with me. We are going to prove them all wrong! :laugh:

That is interesting, I never looked at it that way. I was just thinking that they truly believe that I am not "that fat"... but in some cases, you might be right. And I do agree that each individual should be able to decide when "too fat" is fat enough for you. Did your insurance cover it? I wonder if there are more low-BMI'ers out there having the same experience and how you handle it. Did you quit telling people that you are having surgery? It can get to you after a while. When you are bigger, I think people seem to be more supportive (but I might be wrong...)

Hi, I am with the WLC in Harrisburg also. I have Dr. Currie. I am having the last appointment next Friday, Sept. 4. After that, I just need to meet with the nutritionist and set the surgery date. I am self-pay, so can't give you advise on the insurance issue. However, in terms of how long it takes... my first appointment was in April. I will have surgery in Oct. (most likely). Since you are approved, it should go quickly for you as well. Some of the delay in my case was related to being able to complete the bloodwork, and scheduling appmts. far enough from one another so I gave myself time to save $13,000. Good luck and

Hi, I will pay for my surgery and I am a little concerned that my doctors are not requiring me to do certain things that insurances ask for our own good. For example, I am not required to have a psychological eval, lengthy pre-op diet, more nutritional counseling (only one), and some of the tests that other insurances require. I will talk to my family doctor about this on Wednesday to see if he may recommend some things. But I thought it would be good to get your opinion. I am readnig an excellent book on WLS and this surgeon talks about the many patients he sees who are not able to cope with WLS because they never worked on psychological issues. Others had hernias or other conditions that could have been detected pre-op. Thanks!

Thank you for your replies. I think I will ask my PCP to suggest any tests that he feels appropriate. Will also talk to a counselor to schedule a couple of sessions to explore my eating patterns (not for the eval, I agree that is pointless) . I was just curious. It seems like when you are self-pay, they don't screen well enough. It could also be the fact that my BMI is only 40 and I have no co-morbidities... not sure. Thank you all!!!

Hi, I will pay for my surgery and I am a little concerned that my doctors are not requiring me to do certain things that insurances ask for our own good. For example, I am not required to have a psychological eval, lengthy pre-op diet, more nutritional counseling (only one), and some of the tests that other insurances require. I will talk to my family doctor about this on Wednesday to see if he may recommend some things. But I thought it would be good to get your opinion. I am readnig an excellent book on WLS and this surgeon talks about the many patients he sees who are not able to cope with WLS because they never worked on psychological issues. Others had hernias or other conditions that could have been detected pre-op. Thanks!

I hope you are feeling better. One of the most prominent LapBand surgeons in the nations wrote a book about bariatric surgery. Yesterday I was reading about nausea. He recommended to sip on ginger tea (you should be able to find ginger pouder at your local grocery store) or have some mint to smell. If it persists, call your doctor. I am no expert because I am pre-op. But that is what he recommended. This guy was the young doctor on BIG Medicine on TLC. Hope you feel better!

I am hoping to have surgery in October or November and was wondering if there are others in this area who had the surgery, what clinic did you use and the results. I still question if this is the right thing for me...