vickyd

I am in New Orleans and will be banded on Dec 2nd...where are you located?

Hi Everyone! Here is my info... Name: Vicky Age: 45 Band Date: December 2nd Start weight: 330 Current weight: 325 Goal weight: 170 Favorite exercise: recumbent bicycle Occupation: accountant Hobbies: reading, knitting, watching movies and spending time with my family :blushing:

I have been "test driving" shakes for a couple of weeks and the one that I have liked the most is Isopure from GNC. It is lactose free (which is a big thing for me) and I have tried vanilla and chocolate (I think vanilla will give me the most options). Also, my dietician gave me a printout with ideas of ways you can change the taste of the shakes - one of my favorites was to mix strawberry protein powder with crystal lite lemonade...it tastes like strawberry lemonade... I would recommend you try as many different kinds as you can...everyone's tastes are different... Good luck!:tt2:

I struggled with this same question for quite a while...finally, I brought it up with my therapist and he said "why do you have to tell anyone (other than my husband)? It really isn't any of their business." Hearing that from him really helped me feel better about my decision... I had only planned to tell my husband and no one else, but once I found out that my surgery will be on December 2nd and I would be on a liquid diet on Thanksgiving I had to tell a few more people. In the end, I have only told my husband, my sons, my mother and my mother in law. My mother in law is coming to stay with us for a week during Thanksgiving week so I really had to tell her and I couldn't justify telling her and not my mother. I deliberately did not tell my father (and my mother has promised not to tell him) because he can't keep a secret to save his life. Everyone I have told has been extremely supportive and have promised not to say anything...I was very honest with them about my reasons for not wanting everyone to know and I feel strongly that they will all honor my request. In the end, this is a very personal decision and you need to do what you feel comfortable doing... Good luck!

I go in for my pre-surgical consult, testing and a last meeting with the dietician on the 22nd. I am going to ask her if it would be ok for me to have a small amount of turkey and some veggies on Thanksgiving Day only...we'll see what they say...I love Thanksgiving dinner - it is my favorite but if I can't have it I consider that a small price to pay...

I start my 2 week liquid diet this Thursday the 18th...I am a little nervous about sticking to it (especially during Thanksgiving) but I have a good support system so hopefully all will go well. Has anyone thought about what you want your last meal before surgery to be? My husband is taking me out to dinner on Wednesday to a very nice restaurant and I plan to have whatever I want on the menu...I can't believe I am THIS close!!!

I know what you mean. When the dietician said that to me, I went home and spent quite a bit of time second guessing myself about my decisions but when I mentioned my concerns to my husband he reminded me of all of the research I had done and all of the people I had talked to and that really helped me stick to my guns. Good luck!

I just got off the phone with my surgeon's office...surgery is set for Dec 2nd!!! I start my liquid diet on Nov 18th (a week before Thanksgiving) - which is the pits - but otherwise I am so excited to finally have a date to look forward to. Also, I finally got my courage up and told my mother and my mother-in-law last week. I had originally not planned to tell anyone other than my husband but my MIL is coming to visit for Thanksgiving and I knew I would probably be on the liquid diet so I had to tell her...and, of course, couldn't tell her and not tell my mom. I wasn't sure what to expect from either of them but I am happy to say that they were both very supportive and happy for me! I don't think I will be telling anyone else (and I told both of them that I want to keep it private) so hopefully they won't spill the Beans...

When I met with the nutritionist she said that she thought I should seriously consider bypass or gastric sleeve because of the amount of weight I need to lose (about the same as you need to lose). I told her that I had given this a lot of thought and had done the research and felt very confident that I was making the right decision for me. She seemed to accept that and it hasn't been an issue... That said, I know that I will have to work hard at this because of the amount of weight I need to lose...the Lap-Band isn't a magic bullet but I really think that it will be the right tool for me to help change my habits. In the end, it is a personal decision that only you can make.

I am having surgery on a Thursday and am not telling anyone at work. As far as my boss is concerned, I am having a minor outpatient procedure on Thursday and have arranged to take Thursday and Friday off. I plan to be back at work on Monday but with my job I have the option to work at home occasionally so if I am not feeling up to par then I will exercise that option.

Mine took a little less than 2 weeks to get the approval. Good luck!!

My surgeon requires a 2 week all liquid diet - I am kind of easing into it in that I have started "test-driving" shakes. I went out last weekend and bought several different brands to see which ones I like best. Right now, I am just having them for breakfast each day...I start the real thing on the 18th (and I'm not looking forward to it)...

LOL...I completely understand what you are saying. I specifically didn't tell my father because he can't keep a secret to save his life. If he knows then everyone he has ever met in his life will know too...that's just the way he is...

In many ways, I like the fact that the approval process isn't immediate (maybe, I'm strange with that thought)...I think going through the process weeds out some people who aren't serious about the surgery. If you aren't willing to go through the process to get approved, then chances are that you won't be willing to do what you need to do after surgery. In the end, although it took a few months, it really didn't seem to take that long for me to get approved for surgery and because I have gone through the process I am 100% convinced that this is the right thing for me to do and am very excited about the journey. Like others have said, the LAP-BAND is a tool...in the end, we all have to do the work...

I had a long discussion about this with my therapist about a month ago and he said that he didn't see why I needed to tell anyone if I don't want to...it is none of their business!! Once the pounds start coming off you can just tell them that you are working with a dietician to change your eating habits (technically, this is true). I have decided not to tell anyone at work (or the majority of my family) because I don't want to feel like everyone is watching everything I put in my mouth. I have told my husband, my kids, my mom and my mother in law...but that is all I plan to tell at this point. My advice is to do whatever you are comfortable with...

I am scheduled for Dec 2nd and I am so excited to end 2010 and start 2011 on a positive note!

My doctor's office sent in my paperwork to my insurance company a little over a week ago and when I got home tonight there was a letter saying I am approved!!!!! I can't wait to call my Dr. in the morning to see when I can schedule my surgery! So excited!!!!!!!:smile2:

I had to have an endoscopy as part of my pre-op testing because when they did the barium swallow test it showed reflux. They just needed to check and make sure that it wasn't severe and that I don't have an ulcer or anything else that might impact their ability to successfully band me. The procedure was very easy. They used a light sedation (kind of like a colonoscopy) so I was pretty much out of it but not totally. Because of the sedation, I had to have my husband there to drive me home but it really wasn't bad at all. Good luck!

Normally, the seminar is just informational. In mine, they talked about the different options for Bariatric surgery and then answered questions. My Dr's office would not allow me to make an appointment for my initial consultation until I attended the seminar, but I don't think every doctor has that same policy...you will need to contact the surgeon's office to find out for sure.

I have been getting everything in place for a possible late October or early November surgery until this week...I went in on Monday to have my chest x-ray, stomach x-ray and labs done. Later Monday night I started having severe chest pains...enough to make me have my husband take me to the hospital. As it turns out, it wasn't a heart attack and they couldn't really determine what it was until I got the results of my stomach x-ray. The x-ray showed significant acid reflux - news to me, since the only time I have ever had reflux like symptoms was a couple of times where I ate a lot of food late at night and I haven't even had that in months. Evidently, the barium they had me drink, combined with rolling from side to side on the table while they watched the barium flow through aggravated something...very strange. Now, I have to have an endoscopy next week to determine what the cause is and they are telling me that if we can't get it under control then I am no longer a candidate for the band. Has anyone else ever experienced anything like this?

I just had mine this past week. It was a series of personality questions on a computer in the psychologist's office. Not a big deal at all...it took about 45 minutes. I should have the results back in about a week or so...fingers crossed I'm sure your evaluation will go well...good luck!

This is the first I have heard about a Lap-Band med alert necklace...I hadn't thought about having to get one...

This is such a personal decision and what is right for someone else may not be right for you... I am just starting my journey towards getting banded (I am in the middle of the necessary tests, phych evals, etc) with the hopes of getting banded by late October or early November. I have told my husband (obviously) but no one else. I don't know yet if I will tell anyone else initially...but I don't think I will because even though I know that my family will be super-supportive, I don't want the main topic of conversation every time I see them to be focused on my weight or what I am (or are not) eating. This journey will be a life-changing experience for me and I don't want to do it under a microscope. Once I feel like I have things under control (and the weight is coming off), if I am directly asked if I had surgery then I won't lie about it...I'm just not going to volunteer the information.

Thank you all for the words of encouragement! I absolutely LOVED Amber. I think she will be great to work with. Now I just need to get all of my tests and evaluations completed (I have my psych consult tomorrow)...I am hoping to be banded by late October or early November...

How did your surgery go? When I spoke with Amber she said that I should plan to spend one night in the hospital...is that what you did? Do you have any advice?