rockstar

My surgeon also charges a program fee of $200. When he broke it down and explained why he charged it, it made sense. There are extra costs when dealing with bariatric patients, apparently. But that cost less than I would spend on diet pills and diet programs so I had no problem paying it.

My surgeon does not allow any dairy or Protein to be consumed during the pre-op liquid diet. :wub:

Hi, Sara. I don't have any definite answers for you but I'm going through the same thing. My surgery is October 11th and I just got hired on at Cabela's (large outdoorsy store) for the holiday season... which will require me to be on my feet and walking about 90% of my 8 hour shift. So I can definitely let you know if it's doable because I have no other choices! Keep in touch! :wub:

I think the insurance can review your paperwork for up to 30 days... so if you're 3 weeks in, hopefully you've only got 1 more week (at most) to wait! I'm keeping my fingers and toes crossed for ya!

Congrats girl! I received my approval last Friday and a weight was definitely lifted off my shoulders. My surgery date is one day before yours! Go us!!

I'm pretty sure that goes away after your first fill. Maybe someone more educated in the experience will help you out.

Welcome!! Please take your shoes off and stay a while. :] Let us know how your journey is progressing!

Welcome! You definitely came to the right place if you're interested in the gastric banding surgery. Read through the posts and you'll know more than you ever thought possible! This site has been so valuable to me in helping me decide which surgery would be the best for me. I started reading this forum in July 09 and now know that the Lap band (actually the Realize band) is the right surgery for me! Keep us all posted on your journey!! And good luck! You're among friends now. :]

I haven't been banded yet but I just wanted to tell you good luck and you're gonna do great! You're gonna have to comfort me when I get closer to my surgery date and you're all healed and feeling good! GOOD LUCK and keep us posted!!!

I had a similar experience to most above me. My psych eval lady was also a nutritionist so I had both chats in one session. Took about 40 minutes total. She wanted to know my parents, siblings, and my own medical history, my mental health history, and then we talked about the surgery, it's risks, and what I knew about it. I was very nervous about it because I'm not a big fan of psychologists and such but it was very easy and as soon as I relaxed, it was like chatting with anyone.

Good luck and let us know!!

If you don't count the year of decision making for me, my process would have taken right around 5 weeks. It took about a week for the insurance to approve me but all of my tests (psych, nut, consult) were available right away... like within a day or two of me calling to make an appointment. That may be unusual but it worked out. I'm going on vacation at the end of this month so I opted to push my surgery back a couple weeks... but I don't see why you couldn't accomplish everything quickly. And, of course, research, research, research! This is not the surgery for everyone!

Best of luck to you! Keep us all informed how your journey continues. And of course, good luck tomorrow!

Just wanted to ask who your surgeon is. I'm in St. Charles, MO and I saw you were from MO. Just curious!! :thumbup:

Hi and welcome! I'm a reformed lurker so I hope you'll step out of the shadows and post more about your journey! We'd all love to hear your progress. :] Congrats and God bless!

Just wanted to say hey and welcome! These boards are the best I've found (Ssshh, don't tell the other ones) with a lot of awesome and upbeat people. Welcome and good luck on your journey! Keep us all posted!!:thumbup:

Well I hope and pray it's a lucky day for both of us, AllieB! :tongue2::thumbup:

Congrats!! Even if that scale weighed you wrong, so what!! Maybe you lost 15.2 lbs! That's amazing, keep up the good work! :smile:

Got my approval yesterday, fellow Boo-tiful bandsters! Everything is set for October 11th, pre-op on October 5th.:bored: Can't wait to start my clear liquid and sugar free diet on October 4th. Oh wait ... yes, I can wait! :smile: Also ... how did you guys make that image? I went to the glitter graphics site and can't find the Harry Potter text. I want one!! :w00t:

Congrats! I love cruises! My surgery date is actually pushed back slightly because of a vacation I'm going on at the end of this month. I sure am going to enjoy the food before I come home and immediately start a week of clear liquids!

Unfortunately (or fortunately?) every surgeon is different in what they request for pre-op and for how long. My surgeon also does the ONLY clear liquid and sugar free pre-op diet. Be glad you only have three days! My husband had 2 weeks of it for his bypass and I will have a whole week starting October 4th. Just stick to it and it'll be over before you know. :smile::thumbup:

When I presented my PCP with the fact that I wanted WLS she simply just said, "Why don't you eat less and work out more?" I wanted to strangle her. Don't you think overweight people know how to lose weight? I'm sure I know more about nutrition and fitness than most healthy people. (Maybe...) But that doesn't magically work. So my advice for you would be to read these boards and research surgeons in your area. Take the time to really research. All surgeons require you attend an informational seminar and/or a support group. These are very helpful and I actually went to two of them before I really decided this is what I truly wanted. Take it slow. All the pieces will fall in to place soon!

I'd like to burn mine and dance around them naked in the full moon light... But I'll most likely donate them. :}:smile:

Tomorrow is another day! 500 extra calories your first day isn't going to kill your pre-op diet and you're doing well so far! I'm sure it's hard to cut calories that low that quick. Keep up the good work!

Hey and welcome John! A lot of us have gone through similar experiences as yourself. I, too, have researched having the lap band for over a year and just received my approval yesterday for a surgery date of October 11th. :} So you can officially join the unofficial group of October banders! Congrats! (It's very exclusive;) If you need a bandster buddy through your pre-op and surgery, drop me a line! I need all the support I can get!