Froggie D

I am almost approved for my surgery and I am starting to think about food choices. I am allergic to dairy products (not lactose intolerant) and it gives me hay fever like symptoms, itchy throat, plugged sinuses and ears, sinus infections and ear infections. I cannot eat cheese, cottage cheese, sour cream, cream cheese, butter, or drink milk. I use Silk in cooking, eat soy cheese & soy ice cream and use olive oil margarine. I have found a soy based Protein powder with no carbs or fat that is tolerable. Does anyone else have this problem? Do you have any "tricks of the trade" to help me be successful? I would love to hear from you! Froggie D:rolleyes2:

That is exactly what I was hoping for. Thanks for sharing! Froggie D

Thanks everyone for all your stories. I am getting really pumped about it. I am not nervous about the surgery part, but nervous about whether I can make it a weight loss and weight maintenance success. I was afraid being older might make losing impossible. Also my bad eating habits and sedentary lifestyle are pretty ingrained after all these years. Now I am convinced I can do it. Thanks again! Deb

Thanks. I do shop at Whole Foods and eat a number of things that are dairy free. Even my grocery store stocks soy milk. I wish they had soy yogurt. The Silk stuff is really good, but high sugar for the fruit. I will probably buy the plain and add fresh fruit.

Thanks for responding. I am counting the days.

That makes me feel a lot better. How much have you lost? How do your joints feel? I am never sure if my pain is just age or being so overweight.

:wink2: Are you still reading the forum? I sent you a PM. Froggie D

I am almost approved for my surgery and I am starting to think about food choices. I am allergic to dairy products (not lactose intolerant) and it gives me hay fever like symptoms, itchy throat, plugged sinuses and ears, sinus infections and ear infections. I cannot eat cheese, cottage cheese, sour cream, cream cheese, butter, or drink milk. I use Silk in cooking, eat soy cheese & soy ice cream and use olive oil margarine. I have found a soy based Protein Powder with no carbs or fat that is tolerable. Does anyone else have this problem? Do you have any "tricks of the trade" to help me be successful? I would love to hear from you! Froggie D:rolleyes2:

Hi, guys! It is so great to hear all the stories and that I am not the only one with anxiety. I started my journey in October 2008 and have still not been banded. I am now working with my 4th surgeon to get approved (two who my insurance would not approve and one who would not do the work to get me approved). This doc is working with me and my insurance packet is going to utilization review this week and my case manager said I will have have my approval in hand by next Friday. It is only weeks away, an I am getting very nervous. I am not afraid of the surgery. I have had several, it is uncomfortable but if you do what you are told, the discomfort passes. My anxiety is about failing. I know I can do anything for a while. I have lost 50 pounds five times in my life - three times by dieting, once by running, and once by joining a gym. But it always comes back. I just cannot sustain it. Now I have far more than 50 pounds to lose - 100 to 120 total. My big issue is I am now 57 years old, have all the comorbidities and this is my last ditch effort to turn this around before my obesity kills me! My hope is that the lap band will help me be more satisfied with smaller amounts of food so I do not think about food every waking minute. Does anyone else experience this - I plan lunch during Breakfast and dinner during lunch. Food calls my name all the time. Does the band really help that? I know that I do much better when I eat more Protein and far less carbs. The Atkins Diet was my best one and you do lose appetite with it. I love protein so that will not be a problem for me. However, once I start eating carbs, I want more and more. I obsess about them. My program has a psychologist to work with and I think that will help a lot. I hope I can start that as soon as I get approved and start getting ready for the surgery. Is anyone else in thery during banding? Has it helped? Good luck to you on Monday. I am sure it will be a good decision for you, if you go through with it. Post again as soon as you feel up to it and we will all be routing for you! Froggie D:thumbup:

Just a warning to anyone looking for a doctor in the Kansas City area. I went to the seminar and waited months to see Dr. Niazy Selim at University of Kansas Medical Center. I had one appointment and was told all my paperwork looked in good order. Dr. Selim's comment was, "I wish all my patients had things as well organized as you do. It should take about a week to get everything sent in to your insurance." I waited two weeks and heard nothing so I contacted my insurance and was told they had received nothing. I asked them to contact my surgeon and find out what was wrong. They tried for weeks without satisfactory results. I called and emailed several times trying to find out what the hold up was. Once I was told to let them handle it and relax. Twice I was told all had been sent in. Last week (nearly 3 months after my appointment), they told my insurance nurse that my case had been closed. I called the Patient Advocate at the hospital and was told, "They decided they could not develop a theraputic relationship with you, so they closed your case." I had two questions - Why? and - Why wasn't I informed? I was told (1) that my insurance was too difficult to deal with, (2) that they could not finish the paperwork as they did not have a psych eval (the insurance already had it and no one asked me for it or I would have provided it) or a dietician eval (I hand carried that in and gave it directly to the doc along with the other paper work he was so pleased with), and (3) that I was not a trusting person as I kept calling to find out why they had not sent in my paperwork. They could not explain why I was not informed. The Patient Advocate referred me to the Administrator who after talking to me a long time, told me I seemed really rational and logical, not at all what the surgeon's office described when he investigated, but there was nothing I could do. So I have filed a complaint with the Blue Cross/Blue Shield folks as KU Med Center is a Blue Distinction Center. I am sure it will not really result in anything concrete, but it made me feel better to take some action. So if you want a compassionate doctor with a responsive caring staff, DON'T LOOK AT KU MED CENTER OR DR. NIAZY SELIM! Debra :thumbup:

WOW! So glad to hear another person who experienced what I did, although I am sorry it happened to you. I filed a complaint through the hospital patient advocate office and another through Blue Cross/Blue Shield. I actually did not dislike the surgeon, Dr. Selim, but I would bet he has no idea that his office staff treats people that way. I hope some of this gets back to him! FroggieD

Thanks for the info. I have had the psychologist visits and psych testing, a trip to the dietician, an 8 week course with a dietician that my insurance requires and a letter of medical clearance from my primary physician that my insurance requires. My insurance does not require a 6 month diet period, just proof of trying to lose with a structured program in the past. I hope they do not require a lot more than that. But I will do whatever I need to. I just want this done! Thanks for the info. Good luck to you!

Amber Jane, Are you in the program at Bariatric Center of KC? Is Dr. Hoehn who you met? I am going to a seminar Oct 26. What do they require of you? I have already met all the insurance requirements. I am sure the doc will have other requirements I have to meet. I am anxious to know what they are. This will be my third seminar. The first one I went to ended up not practicing at a Blue Distinction Center - and I really like him. I really hope this works out. My frist seminar was October 08. Getting tired of waiting. Debra

Youkant4getme, If you go ahead with Dr. Selim, I wish you luck, but his office is unresponsive, rude, and hostile. I hope it works out better for you than for me. Debra

Hey CCWeeks, I totally agree. What if I had had the surgery and had a problem. How would they have responded to me then? I shudder to think about it. I have been referred to Stanley Hoehn at the Bariatric Center of Kansas City. It also is a Blue Distinction Center and someone I know says the doc is great. Debra

Thanks, I haven't given up. I have another recommendation I will pursue. Debra

I am still waiting to hear from my insurance. I have a BMI of 41, type II diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, apnea and a c-pap machine, reflux, asthma, you name it, I've got it. I have met all the requirements and have been waiting since I saw the surgeon on July 16. I am so ready to do it. Deb:tongue_smilie:

I am so happy for you! I am still waiting. It has been five weeks since I saw the surgeon and he said he would submit within a week for my approval. Insurance said they still have not gotten anything from him, but are helping me bug him to get it sent in. Very frustrating. I dream of the day I can post like you just did. Your new life is just ahead of you! :blushing:

I am right in the same boat with you! Every diet, exercise program, gym membership, anything I have tried has worked for me. I am an expert at dieting, but never can keep it off. I want a new approach to eating well, not dieting. I hope the lap band will be that for me. I am willing to work hard to lose and I am praying the lap band will be the tool to help me not go back to bad habits and gain it all back. Deb

I have never heard of Splenda giving you gas. The Sugar Alcohols like sorbitol, manitol, etc. can give you terrible gas. A lot of things that say they have Splenda in them on the front of the package actually have a lot of sugar alcohols. These are not low calorie, but do not digest like sugar and do not cause a spike in blood sugar, so they are used by diabetics. Most of the sugar free candies have this in them, even though they say "Made with Splenda".

I believe you are correct - beer is just as carbonated and has more calories than Diet Coke, which is off limits.

Hey Kimber13, I thought your dream was interesting. When my husband quit smoking he started dreaming he was smoking. He would wake up feeling horribly guilty. After a few times, he figured out how to tell himself in the dream that he was dreaming and then he would have two or three more cigarettes! :drool: He hasn't smoked for over 9 years now (after smoking for 29 years) and I think it helped him get through. Maybe you can do that?:confused: Debra

Hey Parshuter, Glad you are past that. It really sucks and I found that pain killers don't help much - you just have to suffer through. Keep moving forward on your eating plan. I have had a bad week and not done too well, but I am hoping to get back on target. I don't want to gain back what I lost.:confused: You should be getting close to your surgery date. I am so jealous. I still have not heard from my insurance that they even received the stuff form my surgeon. Good luck to you!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ByeByeBonBon and Lisa6, Congrats to both of you! I am happy for both of you. Can't wait until I can post good news on here! Froggie D

Hey Parshuter, How are you feeling today? Are your headaches gone? Froggie D