Keia

Thank you so much. Your stats are awesome!

You mentioned that you're only 6 pounds from goal. That's great! I just had my pre-op Monday and the doctor said that banders only loose 40 - 50% of their excess body weight. I thought that was pretty discouraging, but I'm glad to see that you're close to your goal. Congratulations!

Congrats! And good luck!

Hi, my file is on the last person's desk at my doctor's office. I've been told there are files ahead of me; it could be a few weeks before it's actually submitted. Yikes! I've already met my deductible this year, I start grad school Jan 3. I feel like I'm running out of time. If you have UHC, how long before you received a response?

How do you get an insurance coordinator? I did the 6 month program because my doctor's office said UHC required it. Reading all of the posts, I now think only the doctor requires it. But that's a great idea to call UHC everyday. Thanks!

My file is on the last person's desk before going to my insurance company. I'm really hoping to have the surgery this year. I start grad school Jan 3. I'm really getting nervous that it won't happen this year. Good luck to you!

Oh my gosh, I could just cry. I never considered UHC denying me. I don't remember what my BMI was, I do have high blood pressure. Now I'm really freaking out. I have two more classes to go; Oct 14 is my last one. My co-worker is waiting to hear from them, he finished last month. Best of luck to you. Please let me know how it goes.

The only thing I've taken for pain is just Liquid Motrin. My incisions well the ones I can see don't look bad. I have 5 total but 2 of them were still bleeding a little so they have pressure dressings on them. I get to take them off tomorrow and take a shower. 5 incisions? Oh my, I thought it was only 4. But I am so happy (and jealous) for all of you. Speedy recovery to you all!

This is a lot of great advice for a pre-bander. Thanks!

Congrats on the weight loss! What do you think has been the hardest thing so far?

So how did your appointment go?

Today is my third of six classes and I'm going to be up a pound from last month. :thumbup: Each month I swear that I'm going to be down next time. I even started exercising three times a week and logging my calories, and I still gained! OMG, I could just cry. I get so jealous when I see other people on here who lose so much weight pre-op and I can't seem to move the scale five pounds. What a way to start my day.:confused:

Funny. One of my cousins wore ankle bracelets also. She finally qualified. Unfortunately I qualified legally :-) I'm 5'7", weigh 241 and have high blood pressure. I've always been overweight but I've been this height since I was 12 so that helped me hide it. I ran track from 7th grade through high school. So when I stopped running and went to college, my weight ballooned from 175 to 240 by the time I graduated. I managed to maintain around 225 for about 6 years. Then I tried Weight Watchers, got down to 197, stayed there for two years. Then I moved to another state, got out of my routine and hit 256 for the first time. So I'm going to do my best to lose some weight before my surgery. I've already started exercising three times a week. Good luck to you!

How ironic! I just finished eating lunch and was trying to focus on chewing everything very well before swallowing. I was curious to see if I'd still eat all of my food or not. I did (a little disappointed even though everything is measured out). I'm pre-op. This is good info. Thanks,

I haven't been banded yet. But my nutritionist told me to avoid caffeine because it can cause an ulcer.

I've had my psych consult, had the bloodwork, EKG and met with the dietician. My insurance company makes me complete 6 BLAST (Bariatric Life After Surgery). I've been reading other people's posts about having their upper GI. What is that?

Good luck. I'm so happy for you!

I'm so green. I didn't know there would be a pre-op diet. How long do you have to be on it? I see from your posts that they can be different diets.

Thanks. There's a lot of stuff I still have to learn.