Hello boards :)

[Tara Anne 0]

Just wanted to say hello and introduce myself to everyone. I imagine I'll spend lots of time on here during the two weeks post-surgery that I'll be bored and at home!

I just got approval from insurance yesterday (HOOORAY!) after 4 long months of the long process I'm sure you're all familiar with. I go to see my surgeon, Dr. Papasavas (in CT), on April 6th for my pre-op appointment and to find out my surgery date. So excited, hoping they have one available very soon!!

I've been reading about the surgery alot, and over the past 4 months, everything has sunk in and I feel like I'm making the right choice for me. The only think I'm really nervous about is being cranky during the liquid diet the week prior while seeing people all around me at work eating

A little about me - I'm about to turn 30 and I've struggled with my weight my whole life. Recently diagnosed with PCOS and allergic to the normal medication prescribed, so the side effects of the disease frightened me into looking into something different to lose weight, since the normal ways haven't worked beyond 10-20 lbs. Losing a significant amount of weight can help to treat PCOS, which causes infertility, diabeties, etc, etc...

Looking forward to really being healthy and didn't want to wait any longer to make it happen

[momof3armybrats 1]

Hello! Just wanted to say welcome and congrats on your decision to have the surgery. My surgery date is scheduled for April 5th. I am so excited to begin the journey to a new and healthier me. I am on my week of liquids right now and it has not been as bad as I thought. My hubby and children have done what they can to make it easier on me. I just sit back and think about how this is only temporary, and is necessary to begin the journey.

I would love to be a source of support for you. Good Luck!!

Just wanted to say hello and introduce myself to everyone. I imagine I'll spend lots of time on here during the two weeks post-surgery that I'll be bored and at home!

I just got approval from insurance yesterday (HOOORAY!) after 4 long months of the long process I'm sure you're all familiar with. I go to see my surgeon, Dr. Papasavas (in CT), on April 6th for my pre-op appointment and to find out my surgery date. So excited, hoping they have one available very soon!!

I've been reading about the surgery alot, and over the past 4 months, everything has sunk in and I feel like I'm making the right choice for me. The only think I'm really nervous about is being cranky during the liquid diet the week prior while seeing people all around me at work eating

A little about me - I'm about to turn 30 and I've struggled with my weight my whole life. Recently diagnosed with PCOS and allergic to the normal medication prescribed, so the side effects of the disease frightened me into looking into something different to lose weight, since the normal ways haven't worked beyond 10-20 lbs. Losing a significant amount of weight can help to treat PCOS, which causes infertility, diabeties, etc, etc...

Looking forward to really being healthy and didn't want to wait any longer to make it happen

[Kristi Twisti 18]

Hi Tara Anne! I have PCOS as well and this is one of the bigger reasons I was banded. I want to be healthy of course, and to have more energy, but I really want a family at some point. This surgery seems to give everyone such a great tool towards their weight loss. Their actually is also a PCOS type forum on this site so that is really nice. I somehow missed it for awhile so just a heads up in case you're like me. lol

Congrats on your decision to get banded. The surgery is a peice of a cake. Actually I wish the surgery WAS a peice of cake, it's been a month since I've had one of those. lol Anyhow, it really was so easy, and the nurses and doctors are so great. Make sure you choose a surgical group you really feel comfy with, that would be my best advice. Also, checking out a support group, even before your banded could be really helpful. Everyone there was so excited for my decision, it just made it feel that much better.

Best wishes on getting a quick surgery date!! Congrats momof3armybrats on your surgery date!!:waytogo:

[Tara Anne 0]

Momof3armybrats - congrats on getting your surgery date, that is so exciting! I'm glad to hear the liquid diet isn't too bad! I actually live alone right now (moving in with my boyfriend in June) so that could be a good or a bad thing - good because I don't have to watch anyone else eat, except at work, bad because I'm home all alone with no one watching But I've been practicing with my Protein shakes every day and I'm actually so excited to start the liquid diet, since that means it's finally really happening. I would love to hear how it goes after the 5th!

Kristi Twisti - that's great to hear from another person with PCOS that had lap band! I actually saw a lot about WLS on the PSCOS boards at soulcysters, but it seems like a lot of the people over there have had gastric bypass and seem to be very in favor of that surgery, so I came over here looking for more lap-band specific info. I will definitely look for that forum.

I feel the same way about the fertility, I definitely want to have children, and with the state of my PCOS I probably won't be able to get pregnant without in vitro, and then if I do there's the miscarriage risks. So I'm very excited that dramatic weight loss can help reverse the PCOS.

I actually work at a hospital so I went with the surgical group affiliated here, and I know a lot of people at work who have had it done, so I do feel good about the group/doctors/nurses. I feel good about having the surgery here because I'm so familiar with the hospital. They actually require two monthly support group meetings before surgery (which I went to) and recommend attending for the rest of your life. I'm thinking about going, but it's such a large group of people, the majority of them pre-op and mixed between lap band and gastric - so I'm thinking about looking for a more specific support group for after, maybe a smaller group of post-op people. Just have to figure out how to find one

Kristi - how long ago did you have your surgery?

[Kristi Twisti 18]

Hi Tara Anne, I had surgery on March 24th, which is why I'm stalking the forums, since I'm home still. I head back to work tomorrow though so I'll get some normalcy back. I'm glad you were able to find a good surgical group and one so close. Plus with working there I'm sure you get to see both the good and the bad of the people who have had the surgery.

It's great you have a support group to go to but I see your issue. The support group I am going to is through my surgical group but it is lap-band only. It seems like whichever surgery is chosen, the person defends it like it's politics. The gastric bypass people really push that and the banders push banding. I'm not sure I would want to go to a mixed support group. The one I was able to go to, there was about 10 of us including 2 banded nurses who work there. I thought it was perfect, everyone got to talk and give advice. I definitely would recommend seeking out a smaller, gastric banding only group.

As far as the pcos, I had found soulcysters and was so excited but I couldn't seem to get added as a member. The system said you had to be okayed by an admin I guess and I waited months and it never happend. I'm sure that's a hiccup or something but I did get good info as I could read everything, I just couldn't reply. I really am hoping with losing some weight and getting healthier, hubby and I will be able to start a family in the next few years. We both really want a baby, but I know how important good health will be too.

I guess because of my size, the weight is falling off quickly right now so I feel like i'm getting a good jump on things. My belly seems much less swollen than it did but I'm still having to take really small sips of Water and gatorade, and still can't "eat" much so I'm sure that's helping the weight loss. I was able to eat almost 2 ounces of greek yogurt for dinner so I thought that was pretty good. I haven't seen much discussed about greek yogurt but it has lots of Protein so I thought it would be a good choice. Technically, I'm supposed to be on Clear Liquids until tomorrow but I figure if I eat super slow I was okay to move up a few days in the process.

Best of Luck to you with moving forwards in your process!!

[Tara Anne 0]

That's a relief to hear you kept yogurt down and it's less than one week after surgery! My nutritionist (and all the surgical group's literature too) talked about greek yogurt alot - she recommend chobani plain or vanilla because it's lower in surgar, but she definitely keeps mentioning greek yogurt as one of the first soft foods since it's high in Protein, so it sounds like a good choice to me

Yes, it does seem very much like politics, which ever surgery you choose people are very adament about it being the right one!

I definitely see the good and bad side of things here with working at the hospital, I think that's what made me finally take the plunge. One person I know at work got the flu/high fever a couple months after, twice, and ended up in the ER both times because her stomach swelled and she couldn't keep anything down, was dehydrated/vomiting... and yet she still is the biggest advocate and said she wouldn't change a thing and would do it all over again. They took all of her "fill" out, so she could recover from the flu, then got re-filled. So that's reassuring if she went through that and is still happy with it!

[Kristi Twisti 18]

That's great to hear about the Greek yogurt, thanks!

It's great you've seen some horror stories first hand and still want to proceed. I had a family friend that had a lot of problems with her gastric bypass but she is still very happy with her choice too. I think just getting the weight off is such a relief on your body, that you can take some bad with all the good.

[Tammy30 0]

Just wanted to say hello and introduce myself to everyone. I imagine I'll spend lots of time on here during the two weeks post-surgery that I'll be bored and at home!

I just got approval from insurance yesterday (HOOORAY!) after 4 long months of the long process I'm sure you're all familiar with. I go to see my surgeon, Dr. Papasavas (in CT), on April 6th for my pre-op appointment and to find out my surgery date. So excited, hoping they have one available very soon!!

I've been reading about the surgery alot, and over the past 4 months, everything has sunk in and I feel like I'm making the right choice for me. The only think I'm really nervous about is being cranky during the liquid diet the week prior while seeing people all around me at work eating

A little about me - I'm about to turn 30 and I've struggled with my weight my whole life. Recently diagnosed with PCOS and allergic to the normal medication prescribed, so the side effects of the disease frightened me into looking into something different to lose weight, since the normal ways haven't worked beyond 10-20 lbs. Losing a significant amount of weight can help to treat PCOS, which causes infertility, diabeties, etc, etc...

Looking forward to really being healthy and didn't want to wait any longer to make it happen

I commend you....I am in the same boat...just turned 30 in March...I want my life back...

[Tara Anne 0]

I commend you....I am in the same boat...just turned 30 in March...I want my life back...

I hear you... I kept thinking something would change and I'd be able to really lose weight "this time" but then the more I thought about it the more I realized, if I don't do something more drastic now, I'll be in the same place in another 5 or 10 years, wishing I had done it sooner I'm really hopeful I'll feel healthier and have more energy and just not have to worry about stupid things like fitting in a roller-coaster (which was horrible this winter at Universal Studios!).

When do you have your surgery Tammy or have you had it already?