harbottled

Hello everyone!! I am so glad I found this site. I'm finally getting closer to my surgery. I don't have an exact date but my doctor and I are thinking the 2nd or 3rd week of November. Wow. That seems so far away. I thought I would have had my surgery by now but my insurance came back and said I had to have 6 months of supervised weight loss visits. 4 down, 2 to go. I can't wait. I'm so excited. My doctor is Diego Velarde and he practices in Palm Bay, Florida. That's where I live. Anyone out there close? I would love to find a close buddy to go thru this with. Any advice, suggestions, motivation is greatly appreciated!! I hope to learn alot from this forum. I don't think anyone can be too prepared. Hope to hear back from some new friends.

Well, here I am. I was banded 11/24/09. Just 2 days before Thanksgiving. What was I thinkin??? LOL. Actually, now I'm 6 weeks post-op and overall, I think I'm doing good. I've lost 42 lbs already but the last couple of weeks have become tougher. I'm finding myself trying new foods and not having any trouble with anything. Seems like the only time something gets "caught" is when I forgot and eat too fast or don't chew my food good enough. I need to work on eating slower and taking smaller bites. Anyone have any good ideas/suggestions for easy quick snacks that are good for us?? I seem to be starting to crave chips and dip, and/or anything salty. Weight loss is slowing down but I'm due for my 2nd fill on 2/1. I don't know if I can wait 2 more weeks because I'm h-u-n-g-r-y!!!

:thumbup::thumbup: Hello friends!! Just wanted to let everyone know that I was finally banded yesterday, Nov. 24. Woo Hoo!!! And now the journey begins. Never thought I'd make it thru my 2 week pre-op diet especially the last 4 days of nothing but clear liquids, but I did it. I even lost 13 lbs in the two weeks. Woo Hoo!! Had my surgery yesterday and just two days before Thanksgiving. Everyone tried to talk me in to putting it off until after the holidays but I just couldn't do it. I was soooo ready!! I'm still very sore but time will heal that. Now I'm back on the clear liquids atleast until I go back to see my doc next Wednesday. I can do it!!! I'm new here to this site, so where do I go next? Is there any special forum that I need to concentrate on? There are so many. I don't even know where to begin. Am I an "official" November bandster now?? LOL. Any advice or words of encouragement are greatly appreciated!! I can use all the help I can get. Soooooooooooooo excited!!!

Hey everyone!! I am soooooooooooo excited!! I just got my surgery date today and I'm scheduled for November 24. 13 more days and just 2 days before Thanksgiving!! I'm ready though!! More than ready. No one in my family want me to have it right before Thanksgiving. They all want to to wait until the week after. But I don't think I can. I've already waited way too long. I keep thinking about it, weighing my options and now I'm not sure. I keep telling myself that the most important thing about Thanksgiving is spending time with family, not gorging myself. But with my surgery just being two days before Turkey Day, I'll be on a clear liquid diet. Nothing more. Won't be able to even cheat. But I'm ok with that. I can do it. My doctor says that because of my diabetes, he is keeping me overnight. No outpatient for me. Not really excited about staying over but I'll manage. Anyway, just wanted to share my news and ask for any tips, tricks, words of encouragement, etc. I definitely need all the support I can get. Debbie

Well, my last visit of my 6th month supervised weight loss visits is Friday. I'm thinking about going ahead and starting my 2 week pre-op diet on my own tomorrow, thinking I'll be one step ahead. When I go on Friday, he would start me on the 2 week pre-op then but I thought if I go ahead and start tomorrow, when I go Friday for my last visit, we will be ready to submit the final paperwork to my insurance for approval. The doctor seems to think it won't take the insurance very long (maybe a week). So, if I have to do a 2 week pre-op diet, I'll have one week over and if my insurance comes back quick maybe I'll only have to wait one more week of dieting instead of 2 more. What does everyone think? Good idea? Bad idea? I'm so excited and I just want to be ready as soon as the insurance gives final approval. Does this make sense? But, I'm nervous about this whole liquid 2 week pre-op diet. Can I do it?? I have to do it. My life depends on it. But 2 whole weeks of nothing but liquids without having the surgery seems so hard. Any advice and/or words of encouragement are greatly appreciated.

Hello everyone! I'm new here and really excited. I'm about 3-4 weeks from my surgery date if all goes well. I'm starting to get really nervous about controlling my diabetes. I've read some threads on this subject but most of them are old posts. I'm looking to get some info/advice from other bandsters on how to keep my BS from dropping all the time since I won't be eating like I've been used to. Especially worried about the first weeks after surgery. And I've also read that people with Type 1 diabetes lose weight alot slower than others and this really discourages me. Anyone with advice/info/experience with this? My sugars already run low sometimes anyway. Any help is greatly appreciated.

Anyone out there from the Central Florida area? Looking to find a support person near me. TIA!! :seeya:

Oh my!! That doesn't sound good. I sure hope they don't give me the run around. When my doctor's office first contacted my insurance, it went pretty smooth. Even when they came back and said I had to do the supervised visits. It was pretty quick. Although, waiting for 6 months to pass sure doesn't seem like it. My doc has already done the medically necessary letter and I think with all surgeries, your PCP has to do a H&P on you. What else could they want??? I hope this is it. Hopefully after my 6th visit, my doc will submit the final paperwork and we get the go ahead within a week or two. My fingers are crossed. So, how has your first week been? Any complications? Anything you weren't ready for or expecting? Tell me everything!! I'm really eager!!