St. Louis People

[StLouisGal 1]

I have a date. I will get my band at DePaul Hospital on February 15. Dr. Scott is my surgeon. I met him yesterday and I really like him. He is very soft spoken and very thorough. The staff at DePaul is great.

[Chris61 0]

Congradulations on getting a date. It will be here faster than you know it. You must have a great smile at this time. Every thing will go just fine for you. If you have any questions just ask. I had a 3rd fill on Monday and can tell it is there and have to relearn how to eat slow and not to do Soup and food at the same time.

Chris

[StLouisGal 1]

Thanks Chris, It looks like you are doing quite well. 33 pounds in four months is pretty good. Keep it up! How are your wife and sister in law doing?

They talked about your doctor yesterday. My doctor trained him to do the lapband. I think that is pretty neat.

Did you have to do a heart stress test. They called this morning to say that I have to have one. It is scheduled for next week.

Just looking at the list of things I have to do before I leave work is quite daunting so I know that the two weeks will fly.

[JaimeSTL 4]

I'm new here. My name is Jaime, I live in Fenton, near 141 and 21. I have been seeing Dr. Minkin also. I got insurance approval on 1/30. I'm waiting for Dr. Minkin's office to get the approval letter and then I'll get my date then. I'm glad to hear there are other patients of Dr. Minkin's here. I really like him, and I don't say that for many doctors. For anybody still deciding on a surgeon, I would highly recommend him.

Jaime

[Chris61 0]

Welcome to the group Jamie: Wish you all the luck. Make sure that X-ray signs the paper work when you go down for the GI after surgery. Also get your food order in so you can start liquids right away and not have to weight like my wife had to do. At least for me and my sister-in-law that was not the case because we were prepared for that.

Good on getting approved. We had to do the stress test where we were on the tread mill and see how long we could last. I did real good expect for when the plug came out of the wall and shut the system down and the stuff was not sure what to do. If either of you have questions just ask away.

Still getting adjusted to the third fill. It is the best one so far.

Chris

[JaimeSTL 4]

I had the day of testing back in December. I wasn't overly impressed by the admissions staff and the cardiology department. Oh well, that won't have a bearing on my surgery. I passed the stress test and all of the other testing. I might be having gallbladder issues so I have a HIDA scan scheduled for 2/13 and if it is bad, I'll probably had my gallbladder taken out when my band is put in.

How was your experience with the nutritionists at DPH? The one I met for my presurgical counseling spent about 10 minutes with me. I'm so confused on the diet. I'm not much of a cook and not very creative in the kitchen so I am having a hard time coming up with on food ideas. I've read on another board and it seems like other people eat a lot more than what Dr. Minkin recommends. How much do you and your wife eat, Chris? How much have you both lost so far? How long did you have to wait after surgery before you could start exercising?

I would like to lose at least 150 lbs, but I would be even happier if I lost about 180. I'm nervous about it.

[Chris61 0]

Glad to hear you did well on the testing stuff. I hope that you can get the gallbladder issue taken care of. That would be great to have both done at the same time. I have a friend who just went through allt he galbladder stuff and it was not fun.

I will agree with you about the RDH. We spoke to Dr. Mikin about that and told him the same issues. I would follow his list that he has given you. You will find out that he does make changes to it after the first week. I think he is so bussy that he has not taken the time to update his sheet. He lets people try things and see if it works or not. We did not have much of a problem coming up with things the first few weeks. All toll we have both together lost about 60 lbs. I do not weigh everyday etc. I do check everyonce in a while but would rather go by his scale as the offical. I have seen a differance in 10lbs on differant scales. It was about 4 weeks and were able to start back on things. I would suggest that you sit down with him and go over the list of foods he has and talk to him about what to expect etc. The nice thing for us was since we were a week apart I was able to adjust and her sister was a month after us so she knew what to expect. IF you have any more questions or need some more information e-mail me at VCW61@excite.com, and then I can forward it on to you. I have some information as to what to expect on fills and how they work. I find it after wards and has help me understand it more. I hope that this helps you out. You will do just fine with the loss. If you loose between 1-3 lbs a week you are doing just fine. You will loose a lot the first 3 weeks because of the liquid diets and with the surgery. I also would get some protien drinks for after surgery as you will not want to eat much the first week.

Chris

[Missourimom 0]

I am new to this thread. I am Brandy and I was banded on October 31, 2007.

My surgeon was Dr. De La Torre at DePaul Hospital. I really like there office and staff.

I am 3 months Post-op and have lost 56 lbs. I go for my 2nd fill THIS thursday.

I live in Florissant.

[cosmo24 0]

Hello, I just found this thread. I am Annie. I was banded on Jan 25, 2008 by Dr. Scott at Depaul. I have to agree that there office is great. They are very helpful. I have lost 12lbs since Surgery. I get my first fill on March 6th. I am scared of the fill, but sure I am overreacting. I am trying to stick to liquids as much as I can. Do not feel much restriction so I am scared to eat. I don't want to overeat. I do get full very quickly and that's good

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[StLouisGal 1]

Hi MissouriMom and Cosmo24

Glad to see some other DePaul folks here. I am scheduled for surgery with Dr. Scott this Friday. So far I have been extremely pleased with the staff at the WLI and Dr. Scott. The hospital staff for Pre-admission testing has been good. I'll let you know after Friday what I think of the hosptal. I hope I can be 56 lbs down after three months. That is pretty amazing.

[cosmo24 0]

StLouisGal, Good luck on Friday. I hope all goes well for you. The hospital staff nurses, techs, pre op, all were so very nice. Good Luck let me know how things go for you. Annie

[StLouisGal 1]

That is really good to know. Were you on the sixth floor. That is where they said most of their bariatric patients go? I'm nervous enough that I am getting curious about the little details now. Anything you would suggest taking to the hospital? do they have internet access in the hosptial?

[cosmo24 0]

StLouisGal, Your not there long enough to need anything. Maybe a pillow. I was not on the 6th floor. They had me in the step down unit for some reason. I think my o2 stats. I just wanted to sleep. I also got up and walked cause I hated those things they put on your legs. It's good to get up and walk as soon as you feel able. Just try to relax it will all be fine. Annie

[StLouisGal 1]

Thanks Annie,

I'm starting to get a little nervous. It's day after tomorrow, yikes. I still have to do my taxes!!! Thanks for the good wishes. I'll see you in Band Land!

Pat

[JohnC 31]

Hi Msjen, I,m from the Troy area & currently seeking surgery at DuPaul with Dr. de la Torre so I,m relieved to hear you're impressed with him. I've never had surgery before so I'm nervous to say the least, but determined to go through with it. Going to the support group on 20th hope to see you there. JohnC