amartyn1

ok i weighed myself also and originally i lost 5 pounds within the 2 days - but then this morning i got on the scale and 4 of them were back :tongue2: I honestly do not know why. I have been on the protein shakes since Saturday am - absolutely no cheating -- no desire to do so - i have even made the shakes with water - i have 1 cup of low sodium broth a day with the required 4 shakes and the water --- i do not understand this - and am sad and helpful hints out there ...

HI - i am patiently waiting for my surgical date - but i had a question for all of you bandsters... for anyone who had / has GERD .... and takes/took Nexium ... were you able to stop you medication after surgery ? My surgeon told me that i would not need it after surgery , but that scares me since i currently take it 2x's a day and if i were to stop now the vomiting would be horrible .... please let me know your experiences.....:thumbup:

I also have BCBS IL PPO and was approved the first time:thumbup: the surgeon sent a letter of medical necessity , a year and a half of weight loss visits ( even though i only needed 3 months ) a letter from my Internist - because i do not have any co-morbidities, my most recent EKG - normal and my surgeons consult note. In all honesty i was very surprised to get my approval so fast with in a week because of all the worries stated on this site. I would ask for a copy of everything that your surgeon sent in and then call BCBS and see what else they need . I personally get a copy of all of my medical records when ever i do anything - :wink2: Good luck with your journey -- I get banded November 17th :w00t:

Well finishing day two of the protein shakes and they are not that bad - at least they fill you up and keep you full - i save my beef broth for dinner time so that i feel like i am eating something - instead of just sitting there . i was actually surprised this morning , i got on the scale and was down 3 pounds from yesterday interesting - hopefully everyone is doing great !!! and what a perfect time to have this done ,, our hardest test will be early on - the "wonderful " holidays and all of those calorie-laden treats.... if we all can get thru this period we all can get thru anything :w00t:

Sandy HI - hope you are doing well ! Well i have my date - i am being banded on November 17th at St. Alexius Medical Center. i am very excited and a bit nervous . i started the required Protein shakes on Saturday - i received the phone on Friday at lunch time . The Protein Shakes do fill you up , i got through 3 of them yesterday , only because i wasn't home. they also allow you to have broth, sugar free Jello and sugar free Popsicles. i did have a beef broth last night just to feel like i was eating something , but honestly i did not really need it. they ask that you have 4-5 shakes a day so today i am going to try and plan out a schedule to get them all in plus the Water they want you to drink. On Monday i go and have my pre-ops done -- the blood work, cxr, and upper GI . and then really surgery is a week from Tuesday. I will keep you up to date on my progress. the hardest part at the end is the waiting . I am not sure how to start a new thread with pulling you name to it so any help with that would be great

thank you so much and congratulations on your progress - it really looks like you have done wonderfully

HI everyone in this group I just received my call at lunch and will be banded on November 17th and i am so excited. this has been a long process - only because i choose to change surgical groups at the end of my first process. So i had to start pretty much all from scratch. So i cant wait until i get out of work and can jump up and down and do the happy dance .... yea yea yea yea :cursing:

Thank you so much for the encouraging comments - it does put me at ease a bit --- for all the GERD people you all understand the "security blanket" effect nexium is to us ... i am looking forward to the day of no more medication and a whole new me =-] kind of like a rebirth !!!

So now i have finished all of my doctor appts, test's , classes and misc. requirements that the program has requested of me -- the approval from insurance has been in for several weeks and still no surgical date. All i am waiting for is a clearance from the pulomonoligist. He holds the key to my future ...... So last week, after i found out that information i wrote a very nice letter to him and faxed it ... basically asking him to please fax my clearance to my surgeons office ... and so i wait .... now thinking - wait thanksgiving is coming up and i still have the 2 weeks of liquid protein shakes to do ..... i realize that patience is a virtue and seriously after doing everything and getting to this point the waiting makes you a little crazy. i sit by the phone waiting for it to ring ( hypothetically ) i can t make any plans , cant really do much until i get that phone call - and i was told not to call the surgeons office because they are busy and once they get my clearance they will call me .... and so i am continuing (Sp) my journey in patience . Please let me know if anyone else has gotten frustrated with the waiting ......

Moxi Hi - i just spoke to my pulmonoligist office and my MD is on vacation .... It would have been nice to be told this .. and so i go back to my journey on patience ... are you starting to see my frustrations ? he will be back on Thursday and depending on his schedule ( as it should be ) he will get to my clearance by Thursday or Friday and by the time the center calls me and arranges of me to get the Protein shakes and i follow the regiment - 2 weeks we are looking at the week of Thanksgiving .... When originally i was to be "fast tracked" through this program and should have had surgery say mid October .... Now i am still excited by like everyone else there are work schedules and family issues to deal with ... and since i am in limbo-land i cant plan anything --- but soon i will be one of the bandsters .... so i have to remember that good things happen to people that wait and that everything happens for a reason so i have to trust in that .....

Moxi hi and thank you for your suggestion , but i have called and was told to be patient .... so thus my journey in patience continues.. I have to laugh because reading so many of these posts .. the majority of the problems are getting the insurance to approve the surgery. That was my easiest part -- approved the first time around. The surgeon i am seeing is excellent and the amount of patients that go through this facility is amasing so i realise that i am not the only person, i would just appreciate the respect of being treated like a human being. I also realise that good things happen to those who wait ....hopefully soon one day i will be able to join the world of the bandsters....

this is the most motivational post on this site ... i think we all get caught up in the pre op testing and requirements that the various facilities require that we forget why we initially started this journey. this journey is for us - not for our mothers, fathers, husbands, wifes or friends. It is for us .... It is easy to get caught up in the frustrations of approvals and "what another requirement ? " and oh my god the liquid diet ... once in a while we all need to stop and read this and the positive self thoughts that everyone has posted :blushing: I really love this site because everyone here UNDERSTANDS the physical and emotional side of obesity.. so when we all make it to the other side of the scale we will appreciate life more :laugh: thanks for everyone and the upbeat and positive motivational posts !!!

Hi - Its annette - i am getting ready to start my pre op diet - which is a wonderful 14 days of liquid Protein shakes 4-5 times a day. This is a full Meal Replacement program !!! you may want to try and call the center to see if you can start with you dietitian and nutrition classes which are mandatory anyway and they go through what to expect with eating pre and post op. We have spoken before and the funny thing is i am repeating everything that i had previously done - but since i want the services of the Kane center and tired of playing everyones games i am shutting my mouth and just doing it. but i would recommend that you try to get your pulmonary visit out of the way , the sleep study done, the psychologist Saturday class and the nutrition stuff Done if they will let you . They may not until you get your approval. Hope this helps Annette

Jen Thank you - i understand what you are saying ... actually had i stuck with my original surgeon i would be having surgery next week .... thus this is kind of adding to my frustration .... enough about that - and yes CDH is a wonderful hospital -- -i worked there for 4 years on the neuro spine unit --oooggghhh some 20 years ago and my sis had her twins there 3 yrs ago and they were in NICU for 6 weeks -- the nurses and staff make you feel at home :wink2: it is nice . The sx's at the Kane center are wonderful and so are there medical assistants ... and the weird thing is .. i have never "jumped" from one MD to another before in my life i am a little weirded out , but i am not comfortable with some issues.... i agree it probably was the best thing to change from my first sx, but the whole lack of warm and fuzzies or even caring has bothered me a bit ... I realize they are a busy facility but are you really that busy that you can not talk with consideration to a patient ???

Sandy Hi - just thought i would give you an update ..... and maybe you can live a little vicariously through me , so maybe you can understand my frustrations..... I called the kane center today since i have not heard from them and was told by the Dr that i would hear something from the Insurance person Monday or Tuesday .... and i happen to get the same old song and dance on my voicemail..... " we wont get your chart for 2 -2 1/2 weeks and then we will call you and tell you what you need to do before we submit to your insurance company" thank you have a good day .... what the hell === excuse my language , but there is NO human touch with this office .... i called her back and left her a nice voice mail and stated again that i have been approved, i have done everything they asked of me and i was told that i would be fast tracked and that Dr G would process this since i have gone through the process already ..... I truly feel like it is just a mill house of people - Sandy please understand , and hopefully when you are at this point you will.... after you have been working really hard at this for over a year , and then because of suggestion you change BUT you are one of those rare people that have everything done and your mindset is there to have this done and then all you get is the run around you get a bit frustrated . I guess i also get a bit frustrated because i know how the patients are treated in the offices i manage and i would never tolerate the coldness that i get from the Kane staff --- Dr G was wonderful , his medical assistant was phenomenal but the front staff .... well ..... the warm and fuzzies just aren't there :wink2:

Just out of curiosity -- who did you see at CDH -- I am a bit frustrated with the kane center ..... please read my post after this one :wink2: Annette

Sandy , Hi and good evening -- thankfully monday is almost over . well last update was my surgical consult last thursday . Then this past saturday i attended a post surgical support group meeting at Alexian Brothers Hospital. It was actually pretty good - you actually get to here "issues" that Banders are having. This was actually a prereq with in your 30 days pre surgery. I will give the office until Wednesday to call before i call -- i may also call and schedule my pulmonogy appt. Per Dr. Guske - i pretty much just have to start the pre op stuff - UGI and Abdominal ultrasound and blood work. Then the wonderful 2 weeks of protien shakes. If you think the waiting is hard were you are at... just wait until you get to this point :eek: but i am keeping myself busy with work and other "healthy" updates - ie going to the dermatologist to get some moles removed ect ... i will keep you and everyone else updated as to were i am at .. i just want to have my date ... Soon that will be here!!! ps - Sandy , can you please tell me how to get the ticker up ??? the link i found here has been suspended becaue of inactivity :frown: thank you

ok i had my consult this evening :smile: and it went great !!! because i have my insurance approval and my prereqs done i am able to be fast tracked through i do have to see a pulmonoligist and then pre op tests ...Yaaa oh ya i have a support group meeting i have to attend on saturday :thumbup: all of this is easy to do .. the hard work will start with the liquid diet and then surgery ... that is the time that my life style will change forever BUT for the better .. I am very excited hopefully within 3 weeks i will be an honorable member of the bandster group

Babecakes accordign to the insurance - it is the procedure that gets approved, and yes that can get transferred to another surgeon as long as that surgeon is contracted with that insurance. Goog luck to you .. it is a long journey and YOU have to be comfortable with your decision , not just with what procedure you are having done , but with who is doing it and all of the people involved along the way ..... Keep a positive attitude and outlook :smile: Annette

babecakes.... very intersting post because i have felt like the front staff i cold and i am just a hassle ... i have been approved by another surgeon and am told that the approval i transferable ... may i ask who you are going to ? -- the hard part --- or perplexing part is teh first surgeons office is calling to schedule my procedure .. so i am a bti torn ..... i also have my own feelings about some of the testing they make you go through ... techinically a sleep study i req'd for bypass ... for everyone else readin this please do not think i am bashing them i am not ... just maybe venting .. i think i am a little confused .. i want to go to some one that has a lot of experience but i do not want to be nickel and dimed to death with un-neccesary testing and delays --

Good evening everyone ...... it is so great to see everyones progress and the positive attitudes :thumbup: i think we all have moments were we questions an wonder if we are doing the right thing or not . Personally i am mentally there .... ask me 2 weeks before surgery - hehe ( the nerve will kick in ) I am seeing Dr Guske thursday afternoon .... have all my medical records in my binder and ready to go ... i actually have some questions about the pulmonalgist --especially since i am approved for surgery already and i dont have sleep apnea. but we will see -- other then the pulmanology - i have everything done so i am praying that they will put me on the fast track program . I am fortunate that my internist supports wls - plus i am a practice manager for an Internal Medicine practice so i understand the "medical " side of things..BUT when you are going thru something yourself .. it is still the same as everyone else.. maybe a bit more extreme because i know a bit more of the "what ifs...." but our patients at work that have gone through wls- of both types all seem to be doing really good and making the lifestyle changes they needed to . As for the comment - i wont be able to eat what i like anymore ...YES we will be able to - just not for a while and when we do it will be in very small portions :tongue: and honestly we all became the people we are today because of portion control of some sort I am joining a healthclub tomorrow ..... I have given up my tanning for exercise .... but i know it will be worth it ...Honestly my hardest part will be not being able to use a straw :scared2: you actually inhale to much air .. that is pretty much all i drink with ..... sounds petty but its a security thing ... well everyone have a great night !! Annette

HI everyone - i can try and help you as best as i can ... first let me explain that i am so close to the end , that i think it just made me crazy waiting last week... as for my previous surgeon - there was nothing wrong with him... i just realised that i can not go through this major life change for "convenience" to me ( the surgeon was in the same building i work in ) i need to have a surgeon with alot of experience. in a way i am a bit frustrated with myself because i would probably be having surgery in 2 weeks if i didnt change. the seminar was really good :seeya: the binder is really great -- when i spoke with one of the gals last week i was advised strongly to go to the support meeting this coming saturday at SAMC for stress management . i have my surgical consultaiton this thursday in AH - with Dr Guske , although i did ask them to call me with any cancels for monday .. i am so close to banding i can feel it ... mentally i am also ready ... this isnt an "easy out " and i completely understand -- this is a life change adn only a tool in that change -- as i get closier to my date i will keep you both updated in my progress -- the best of luck to you - i am going to "friend " you so that i can locate you easily :blushing:

the seminar was very good -- i actually just finished going through the binder they give you . I am very impressed with the way the whole program is structured. I have my appt with the surgeon on 10-1-09 hoping they can actually get me in monday - if they have a cancellation :seeya: then it is the pulmonary consult - i will set up on monday and the facility getting my approval letter switched from the previous surgeon to the kane center. i am still hoping for october :blushing: Thank you for asking -- i am still excited - now i just need to research realize band -- i was a lap bander -- but i am just curious to see the difference - so you know when you are getting your band ???

please do not think i was saying anything negative , by no means did i mean to imply that .. i was just wondering how the office was once you get past the required seminar. the surgeons come highly recommeneded and i am looking forward to tomorrow. i guess just any insight about the future. this waiting is the hard part good luck to all in there journeys to rediscovering the new you !!!

Conrgats on getting your approval - i am right there with you, the waiting is the hardest part ... but it will be worth it :scared2: how exciting for you