Melinco

Welcome to LBT. I'm a self-pay as my insurance doesn't cover any type of WLS. I am financing 1/3 of the cost, taking out a loan from my 401(k) for 1/3, and taking a distribution from my IRA for 1/3. It's running me about $15,000. I look at it as an investment. I'll get a return on it by not eating out as much, avoiding having co-morbidities that I don't have right now. The down side (economically) is that I'll have to buy new clothes! I think I can handle that. Go the the main board, scroll down and you'll find a thread for self-payers. You may be able to get additional information there about how to finance. Good luck with your journey. I get banded in 17 days.

Congrats on your surgery! You're in what we like to call "Bandster Hell" right now. Where you can eat pretty much anything and it's not time for your first fill. As far as what you can or should eat, I'd recommend doing what YOUR surgeon has told you to do. You picked him because you trust him, so follow his orders. When do you get your first fill?

Right now, I'm on a high protein semi-low carb diet, which switches to very low to no carb diet on 12/7, 10 days prior to my surgery. I've been doing pretty good except for this holiday weekend. So I'm back on the wagon.

I'd recommend talking with your doctor about this.

Congrats on being banded next month. My date is Dec. 17. Like Electra said, stop on by Community - Social Groups - December 2009 Bandsters. There are about 100 of us so far who are supporting each other as our band date approaches.

No answers for you, but lots of good luck wishes for you! I'm behind you by 17 days. You'll do great!

I'm using Health One Visa, 401(k) loan, and distribution from my IRA to finance this. My minimum payment will be $225 a month, but plan on paying more than that, first to my Visa, then back to my 401(k). I figure I can pay it off in a couple of years. I'll just put off any new home improvement projects.

Regardless of what country you live in, I wish you many blessings on this day. Thank you for all your wise words and funny tales. I look forward to a skinnier Thanksgiving next year.

I was having fun with describing the date of placing my band. And yes I was talking about my band. Bruce came to me when reading someone else's thread about names for their band. I named it after a super hero, Batman.

I'm having surgery on December 17 and not going back to work until the Monday after Christmas, so 10 days off of work (including the weekends). This should work out great to help get used to the liquid and mushy diet afterwards.

The big thing about the pre-op diet is to shrink your liver. Normally, you'll lose some weight too, but the main purpose is to shrink your liver. So make sure that what you are drinking has few to no carbs in it. My doc says less than 30 carbs a day (preferably closer to zero carbs a day) once I start the pre-op diet. After you get the band and are healed, that's when the serious weight loss will start.

I called the surgeon's office in late August, found out he was having a seminar the second Thursday of September. I went to that. Which, by doing so, got me a free first consult with the surgeon. It took me a while after the seminar to finally complete the paperwork and mail it in so we could set an appointment. My initial consult was on November 2. I then had my psych and deitician consults on November 10, and we set a date this week for December 17. I am self-pay so I don't have to complete any prerequisites that an insurance company may require. I could have sent all my paperwork in earlier, but I knew with my work schedule, I wouldn't be able to have my surgery until Decmeber anyway, thus part of the reason for the delay.

I tried to find the group on my own (without using the link) and couldn't find it.

I was trying to decide what I'm going to do for Thanksgiving. Since we are hosting it, I plan on enjoying it, but not over doing it. I'll start my pre-op diet a week and a half later, so I do want to enjoy one more holiday meal, but not over indulge. Then, for Christmas, I will be in my post-op liquid stage, so I won't be able to enjoy that meal. As much as I enjoy the holiday meals, I want my band and I'll enjoy even more being healthy for future holidays with my family.

My cousin wore my bridesmaid dress to her prom, so the hideous thing got two uses at least. I think I threw that thing away years ago. Either that, or my mom may still have it.

Hi KarynA, I finally have a date, December 17. :-) I asked for the time off today. I told my supervisor that I was going to have surgery and needed a week to recover. He didn't ask me any questions about the type or anything, so I didn't have to say. Phew. I was a bit worried. Now I just need the final confirmation from the surgeon (should have by tomorrow) and we'll be good to go. P.S. By the way, if anyone checks out my blog and wonders why my name there and here don't match, the name I created here is based on a nickname that a friend gave to me - Mel Torme. Also, if you don't want to read about all of our trying to conceive drama, don't read any posts prior to September of this year.

Hi guys, I thought I'd post a question over here to you to see if I can understand my husband better. Both he and I are overweight. I'm almost 300 (5'5") and he's around 380 (5'9"). Even when we both weighed about 50 pounds less, he was never that into sex, although I know he was in the past when he weighed even less. By the way, I am planning on getting the band before the year is out. He doesn't think WLS is the answer for him. We haven't had sex in close to four months. Normally, we'd try to have it at least once a month, but only if I insist upon it. He has never initiated it. He doesn't have issues with getting or maintaining an erection, so that isn't the issue. It doesn't matter if I wear something slinky or not. I am more than will to please him orally before we actually have intercourse, so it's not like I'm being a prude. Why do you think he doesn't initiate sex? His size has never been a turn off for me. I must say that when we do have sex, he does enjoy it. Is there something I can do that will get him more into it? Do you think he has a problem with his own body image? If you can offer any suggestions, I'd greatly appreciate it. Thanks!

Yes! I have a date!! December 17. That is 29 days away! It's tentative, as the surgeon needs to read over my psych report, but his assistant read it over and she didn't see anything that would cause any problems. We'll confirm the date by the end of the week. I'll need to be at the surgery center at 6:00 a.m., with the surgery at 7:30. I should be done and out of the recovery and on my way home shortly after 12 noon. The surgery center I'll be going to is like two minutes from my house. I'll take off December 17 - 24 off, as we're closed on December 25, of course. So that will give me 10 days at home to recover. I know it will suck for Christmas, but I don't care! I'd rather suck one Christmas and be healthy for all the rest of my Christmases. I'm so excited. How crazy is that, I'm excited to be cut open and go under (well, not crazy about the going under actually). The assistant said that 10 days prior to the surgery, or December 7, to start the extreme low carb diet, so less than 30 grams. So no more carrots, potatoes, bread (which I haven't eaten in a week), Pasta, etc. This of course is to shrink the liver. I'll also go on December 7 for my pre-op appointment to sign all the consent forms (and I'm sure to make payment too). Once I get actual confirmation of the date, I will trigger my financing (401(k) loan, IRA distribution, and Health One Visa loan). Also, I will start buying all the required dietary needs (liquids, etc) and the gas-x strips, etc. Oh, this time is going to fly and crawl at the same time! lol

Oh, I have a great recipe. Tastes a lot like mashed potatoes, without all the carbs. Mashed cauliflower 2 pound head of cauliflower, cut into florets (about 8 cups) 2 tbs. sour cream 2 tbs. heavy cream 1 1/2 tbs. butter Salt & peper to taste Boil cauliflower in salted Water for 10-12 minutes, until tender. Drain. In batches in food processor, process until smooth. Add sour cream, heavy cream, butter and S&P. Serve with your favorite dinner. When I first heard of this recipe, I thought ew, but once I made it I said Yummy! I think the next time I make it I will add a little bit of the dried ranch dressing/seasoning mix to give it a ranch flavor.

Not sure if anyone has posted a recipe for fish tacos, but I love this one. I got it from the Better Homes & Garden cookbook in the Fish chapter. It's yummy! Fish tacos 12 oz tilapia filets, defrosted, rinsed, and patted dry, cut into 3/4 inch strips 1/2 tbs. olive oil 1/4 tsp. cumin 1/8 tsp. garlic powder Mix oil and spices, add fish to coat, then bake in 450 degree F oven for 4-6 minutes, or until flakes with fork. 1.5 cups shredded cabbage or cole slaw mix 2 tbs. mayonaise 1.5 tsp. fresh lime juice Mix mayonaise and lime juice in bottom of bowl, add cabbage, toss to coat. Mango salsa 3/4 cup diced ripe mango or peach 2 green onions, finely chopped 1/2 jalapeno, seeded, diced (or more if you like it spicier) 1/3 orange or red bell pepper, seeded, diced 1/4 tsp. fresh lime zest 1.5 tsp. fresh lime juice (or more to taste) 1/2 tbs. olive oil 1.5 tsp. vinegar (I use apple cidar vinegar) 2 tbs. cilantro, finely chopped (optional) Mix the above ingredients in a bowl. 8 white corn tortillas (may use yellow corn) Take two paper towels, dampen with Water, place tortillas inside, and microwave for 1 minute, or until heated through. Serves 4-6 (but if not banded, serves 2-4) Make the salsa and cabbage mixtures before baking the fish. Take one (or two) corn tortillas, place on plate. Add a bit of the cabbage mixture, then some fish, and top with salsa. Enjoy!

Hi Jachut, I've read many of your posts, and what you say makes a lot of sense. During this time before banding, I'm using the solid food high Protein low carb diet to shrink my liver, rather than as a new "life style" for me. I expect once I get my band and have healed, then I am going to eat everything in moderation (or eat what I can in moderation). The one thing I haven't decided up yet if I'm going to cut entirely from my diet post-band is bread. I think that will be more trial and error than anything else. But for now, it's the high protein low carb diet for me. Oh, and don't worry, I'm still getting lots of veggies in. Just not potatoes. I'm even eating one piece of fruit a day, but no fruit juice, in order to keep my sugar intake low.

I plan on taking a week. That's what my surgeon recommends, so that's what I'm going for.

Hi Jenny, I'm not in Northern Colorado, but in Pueblo. However, I wanted to say hi and welcome to LBT. I'm using Dr. Smith in Pueblo. I've had my initial consult, dietician and psych consults, and now am just waiting for a surgery date. Good luck with your journey!

For me, I drink out of a 16.9 oz water bottle all day, however, I tend to guzzle my water. I think I will have to change up to drinking out of a glass with ice in it. It seems like I sip more using that. Of course, if it didn't have ice it in, I'd probably guzzle, but it's hard to guzzle when you have ice hitting your lips and getting in the way.

I'm self pay and my doctor required it. I met with the psych for about 20 minutes, did about 90 minutes of testing (answering questions on paper) then talked with him for over an hour. In fact, we would have continued talking even more if I didn't have to leave for my dietician consult. He charged $275 for the consult. I think the reason behind it is to see if we have really given due consideration to what we're doing, how we think it will effect us, etc. The tests I took included a medical history (about 10 pages long), alcohol use, drug use, and three or four others. What the psych said to me was that he was really trying to determine if I had the cognitive ability to realize what I'm doing. My consult was like an added bonus as my psych had gotten the band in May of this year, so he was able to give me his own personal experience plus answer questions about the band. Only downside was that he was doing things that my dietician told me I shouldn't (like drinking soda, and eating McDonalds, etc.). Just shop around, find a good price, but also find out how long it will take to get the report to the surgeon. You don't want to be waiting around for weeks on the report.