mscafe32

Well I'm glad that I had the surgery for me and not for my husband becasue he seems totally oblivious to everything. my mother-in-law was banded 9 months ago and when I mentioned how well she was doing, my husband said that he didn't really notice a difference. I'm like "Are you Crazy!!!" She has lost like 70lbs! She looks like a totally different person to me. She looks like she did in pictures when Hubby was growing up, so mybe the problem is the my poor Husband never noticed that she got fat in the first place!?

FYI, I posted this same message under a thread in the pre-op section. I was banded May 21st and so far I am down 12lbs 11 days post-op. Surgery and recovery went really well and I only needed pain meds the day after surgery. I was pleasantly surprised about how well I felt. I was even able to go back to work 1 night earlier than planned (4th post-op night). I am currently progressing from pureed foods to soft foods and I hope to be eating regular by the end of the week. I prepared myself by buying lots of post-op food, but right now anything other than yogurt or chili is unappealing to me. I can tolerate other things, I just don't want them. My staple product is GNC's Amp 60 Protein powder. I make one 12 once shake every morning (60g protein 280 cals) I drink half for Breakfast and then if I don't meet my protein requirements during the day I know that I absolutely have to drink the second half of the shake. Exercise is going to be my biggest obstacle during my weight loss journey, but I have begun to walk 2 miles a day while pushing almost 100lbs (a double stroller carrying 2 kiddos). I ordered wii fit plus and a personal trainer game. I plan to do that like 4-5 days a week. My first fill is scheduled for 5 weeks post op, so that will be here relatively soon.

I was banded May 21st and so far I am down 12lbs 11 days post-op. Surgery and recovery went really well and I only needed pain meds the day after surgery. I was pleasantly surprised about how well I felt. I was even able to go back to work 1 night earlier than planned (4th post-op night). I am currently progressing from pureed foods to soft foods and I hope to be eating regular by the end of the week. I prepared myself by buying lots of post-op food, but right now anything other than yogurt or chili is unappealing to me. I can tolerate other things, I just don't want them. My staple product is GNC's Amp 60 protein powder. I make one 12 once shake every morning (60g protein 280 cals) I drink half for breakfast and then if I don't meet my protein requirements during the day I know that I absolutely have to drink the second half of the shake. Exercise is going to be my biggest obstacle during my weight loss journey, but I have begun to walk 2 miles a day while pushing almost 100lbs (a double stroller carrying 2 kiddos). I ordered wii fit plus and a personal trainer game. I plan to do that like 4-5 days a week. My first fill is scheduled for 5 weeks post op, so that will be here relatively soon. I have no regrets and I am extremely happy!

Hi, I'm six days post-op and in the binder that my surgeon's office gave me, it says that I should be drinking 4 oz-5oz of Fluid every 30 minutes. It also says that if I am going to attempt to drink 6 oz or more, that it should be done over the span of an hour. So I think you're fine.

Hello, I was just banded on May 21st, so I am still new to this. I have only thrown up once. It was in the recovery room right after they told me I was discharged. I had just finished sipping on some ice Water and had taken a dose of liquid pain meds. When they said, I could go home, I jumped up to get changed and as soon as I was standing I knew I had gotten up too quickly. I instantly became dizzy and threw up the water and medicine I had just drank. Since then, I haven't had any problems. My doc gave me a prescription for Zofran for nausea, but I haven't taken any since the day after surgery. As long as you follow your post-op instructions and don't eat/drink too much too fast, you should be okay. Listen to your body. For example, right now it's time for me to eat, but I can tell by the way that I feel, that I will get sick if I try to eat some Soup or drink a shake. So I am just SLOWLY sipping water right now to stay hydrated. Good Luck!!

My doctor told me to tell him if I had a preference. I did lots of research and decided that I would be happy either way. My doctor never pressured me at all. The morning of surgery, he asked me one last time if I had preference and I said no. After surgery I asked the nurse which one he chose. The nurse told me that unless a patient has a preference, he always goes with the Realize Band. So that is what I have. Just do your own research to make the right decision for you. While the Realize band has only been FDA approved since 2007 (I think). It was developed in the 80's and has been used through out the world since the 90's. They just decided to wait until 2003 to begin clinical trials in the US for FDA approval.

I am so excited. I am sitting here at my desk, sipping on some Unjury chicken broth watching the clock. My surgery is scheduled to start in 9 hours at 8:45 am!!! I'm going to try my best to keep busy at work tonight. 4 more hours and then I'll be on my way home to shower, change and be at the hospital by 6:45 am. I am so happy right now!!!

I had my pre-op physical today and I am scheduled for Friday May 21st at 8:45 am. I am the first case of the day and have to be there at 6:45. I am so excited and nervous. I have to work the night before so at least I don't have to worry about trying to sleep, because there is no way that I can sleep when i'm overly excited/nervous. Good look to everyone!!:thumbup:

My surgeon doesn't allow caffeine for two weeks post-op. After that I am allowed to have it in moderation. Like Katy517 said, caffeine is a diuretic and my doc wants to make sure that I don't become dehydrated after surgery. He even gave me a schedule of how often I should be drinking water or some other clear liquid. I would have to add an additional cup of water for every cup of coffee I drink and based on the schedule he gave me, there isn't enough time in the day to fit in more liquids. He has me literally drinking a few ounces every 20 minutes.

I only have to do clear liquids the day before surgery. On one hand we can consider ourselves lucky, on the other hand it gives us less time to prepare for the post-op diet. Also the people on extended pre-op liquid diets get a jumpstart on their weight loss which is a great motivator going in to surgery. We are going out to eat on the 18th for my birthday. I wanted to go 1 day early, so I could do 2 full days on a liquid diet before my surgery. It is only 1 more day than what my doctor requires, but it's still 1 extra day to get used to the clear liquid diet.

Like everyone else said, it's up to your doctor and what he/she allows. My post-op instructions are as follows: 2 days Clear liquids 1 week full liquids 1 week pureed 1 week soft Then on to regular

Not only was it rude of her, but it was also unprofessional and quite honestly just none of her business. For the 6 months while I was doing my supervised diet and preop testing, it seemed like everytime I went to my surgeon's office I was asked if I was a post-op patient. Everyone was always saying that I didn't look like I needed the surgery. It was kind of irritating because it was coming from other patients. In the beginning I felt like I had to explain myself. Finally I reached the point where I would just be rude and say "My body, my choice." Some people gave me a crazy look as if I was overreacting, but as a bariatric patient, they should understand how much of a personal and emotional decision it is to have surgery. And your nurse should understand that it is her job to take care of you w/o passing judgement or making statements that even give the impression that she has formulated an opinion regarding the decisions you have made for your health and personal happiness!

Talk to the person who deals with the insurance companies for your surgeon. He/she should be able to tell you what your insurance company is looking for. At my first Nutrition appointment, the benefits coordinator came in to talk to me and basically told me that because my BMI was right at 40.1 with no co-morbidities, I needed to maintain my weight and not lose anything. I told her that I was getting ready to stop breastfeeding my daughter and anticipated that I would gain around 10lbs when my metabolism went back to normal. Because she is familiar with how each insurance company works, she was able to instruct the doctor and the nutritionist to both put notes in my file that stated I was currently breastfeeding and anticipated a 10lb weight gain once the baby was weened. During my 3rd nutrition visit, I told the nutritionist that I was going to wean my daughter the following week. She put another note in my file. At my next appointment, I had gained 9lbs. But since everything had been properly documented, it wasn't an issue. There are some insurance companies that will not approve your surgery if you gain weight, and even some doctors can extend your supervised weight loss if they are not satisfied with your progress and/or effort. There are also some insurance companies that base your approval on your weight after the supervised diet and some will even look at both. That is why the very first person (unless you are self-pay) that you talk to should be the benefits coordinator. Good luck.

May 21st is my special day, so I am right behind you! I have my pre-surgical physical exam on Monday at the Outpatient Center where I will be having my surgery. I'm glad I get to see the place beforehand. I think it will be more real to me after Monday.

No problem. I have a daughter and a stepson with special needs so I am used to dealing with insurance companies and medical providers and on top of that I work at a hospital. Let us know when you find someone.

If you don't want to pay for the eval by yourself, you can go 1 of 2 routes. 1.) Call your insurance company to see if your plan has out of network benefits. If it does, while you have them on the phone ask them what the allowed amount is for an initial mental heath consultation and if pre-authorization is required for outpatient mental health services. If pre-auth is required, then they will tell you what you need to do to before your appointement. If not then you just go to your appointment with the psych at your doctor's office and make sure she gives you a detailed receipt and submit a claim to your insurance company. You will then get some reimbursement based on what your plan says. But keep in mind that it may not be that much. For example, my out of network benefits are covered at 50% of the allowed amount. My daughter had an appointment with a highly recommended Neurologist that did not participate with my insurance. I was charged $350 for the appointment, but under my health plan the allowed amount is only $175. So my insurance only paid $67.50. (which is half of the $175 minus my $20 co-pay) So I paid $282.50 out of my own pocket. But hey, your insurance may be better than mine any pay a higher percentage. OR 2.) Get a list of participating providers from your insurance company. You can usually do this online or you can call member services and they can give you a few over the phone within a certain proximity to your home. Take some time to sit down and call the providers and tell them that you are a pre-op bariatric surgery patient who needs a psych eval to be cleared for surgery. It is important that you make sure the provider actually provides this service on a regular basis because they will need to have the correct assessments and health insurance company criteria. If they begin asking you questions about what needs to be done or what exactly you need from them, then move on to the next person on the list because that means they are not familiar with the process and you will end up paying for an eval that is unacceptable to your insurance company.

Did anyone else's doctor have a pre-operative class? I was just wondering if it was something that all doctors do. I had to attend a mandatory 2 hour pre-op class. There were 5 other patients that are being banded in the next few weeks. We were given a binder full of information. It covered pre-op diet instructions, what to expect on the day of surgery, post op instructions, info on Vitamins and supplements, sample menus for the different post-op diet stages, a list of do's and dont's and a much much more. We were also given samples of the unjury flavored Protein powder, Bariatric Advantage vitamins, EAS Protein shakes and 2 different kinds of protein Water. The class was awesome and I feel totally ready. May 21st can't get here fast enough.

Do you go to the office at Geipe Rd? There is another bariatric surgeon that works out of the same office, but I never bothered to look at his name:confused: So you have to do a two week liquid diet? I thought that Dr. Von Reuden decided on a case by case basis, but the instructions were the same to everyone in my class and we were all different ages and sizes. We are only required to do Clear liquids the day before surgery. I am contemplating whether or not I will voluntarily put myself on a liquid diet to jump start my weight loss because I didn't really lose weight during my 6 month supervised diet. Well good luck and we should keep in touch.

My doctor doesn't require a lengthy pre-op diet. I was simply instructed to make high Protein, low carb and low fat choices. The day before surgery I can only have Clear liquids and nothing after midnight. My surgery is on a Friday, so I was thinking that I would voluntarily do full liquids starting that Monday. But my birthday is 2 days before my surgery, so my husband wants to take me out for "The Last Supper" as he calls it:rolleyes2:. I don't really feel like it's the last anything. I'm looking forward to my new beginning. Did anyone have a "last supper" before starting your pre-op diet or did you just dive right in without looking back?

My surgery is scheduled for Friday May 21st. I work night shift at a hospital so I will get off that morning and go straight to the hospital where I am having my surgery and then I will be off until Monday night. So I will have Friday evening, all day Saturday, Sunday and Monday to recover. My doctor says that if there are no complications, I should have no problem going back to work that soon. I just started my job on April 5th so I am not even eligible for any leave yet. I sit at a desk by myself all night, so I don't have to worry about overworking myself. Also since the atmosphere is pretty laid back in my unit at night, I won't have any problems with sipping on my liquid diet all night. Now if i was working Day shift, it would be a whole different story.

1. I want to feel good about myself. 2. I want to be able to walk my kids to and from school (only .4 miles) without breaking out into a full sweat in the middle of the winter. 3. I want to go back to the woman my husband married. We were looking through some old photos with my 6 year old and she said to my husband "Daddy who is that pretty lady with you in this picture?" When my husband told her that it was me, she looked at me and said "Oh, Mommy I didn't know you used to be that pretty." :smile: I called an registered for the LAP-BAND® seminar the next day.

Tracey, I'm glad that I'm not the only one who doesn't have a pre-op diet. Don't get me wrong, cause I'm not complaining. I certainly am glad that I don't have to deal with that on top of everything else. I was just a little concerned that everyone was required to do one and I wasn't. Good luck with your surgery next week!

Hello, I found out last week that my insurance had approved my surgery and today I scheduled my surgery for May 21st. On May 5th I have to attend a 2 hour pre-op class with my doctor's nurse and the nutritionist. While I was on the phone with the nurse this morning, she told me that I was not required to go on a pre-op diet. She said that while I didn't have to lose any more weight prior to surgery, it would be great if I did. However, Dr. Von Rueden expects me to at least maintain my current weight and not gain any more. The day before surgery I am only allowed to have clear liquids and nothing after midnight. It seems like everyone else has to go on a pre-op diet drinking shakes or whatever for a week or two prior to surgery. Is there anyone else who doesn't have to do this? I just find this very strange.

Aw man! I just realized I am getting old:blink:

Hello, I found out last Monday when a case manager from my insurance company called me. She was like "Hi I am calling because I see that you are having weight loss surgery and your plans provides you with a case manager free of charge to help you through your weight loss journey. I am here to answer any questions you may have before and after surgery. I just need to ask you a few questions to get started." I was like "Does this mean that I am approved because I haven't heard anything from my doctor yet?" She then told me that as a case manager she was not allowed to say whether or not I was approved, but that she wanted me to call my doctor's office when I got off of the phone with her. I answered all of her questions and then called the office and they told me that I had in fact been approved (and that insurance companies have dumb rules). I was told that my chart had been given to the nurse and that she would call me to schedule my surgery. I didn't hear from her last week, so I will be calling tomorrow. I too hope to be banded by the end of May.