I Got My Surgery Date...Where Are The November Bandsters?

[heather.vasquez 0]

I am getting banded on Nov 13. I guess my only fears are that the band won't work for me. I mean I have been good about sticking to the preop diet and have lost 11 pounds since Oct 21st. But I think the fear is that my body just won't respond and I will plateau at a weightloss of 30-50 pounds when I really need to lose more like 100-120. Part of me just doesn't believe my body can be small. I have been over weight my whole life.

I know how you feel... for the past 18 years I have been overweight... I'm waiting for the day to go on rides with kids at the amusment parks, to be able to walk into anystore to buy clothes!!!. I worry about plateaus but there are so many people on here to helps us through all our obsticals. Good luck on your surgery.

[jsz24 0]

Hello everyone, well I'm on my 2nd day of the pre-diet, its funny how everyones diet is different. I can only have liquids and 3 Protein Shakes a day, so far so good. I am not really hungry but I do want to eat. I have to keep talking myself out of it. I will keep everyone posted about my day. I have to stay in the hospital one day due to sleep apnea, but hopefully I get to come home early. Thanks for being here for us Nov bandsters. :biggrin:

[LAYTONBI 0]

:biggrin::thumbup: I got approved today and my banding date is on Nov 3 rd. I was so excited but everything is kinda happening so fast. I got to pre op tomorrow. My tummy is in my throat. I will be going through this by myself cause my hubby is over seas and my family is on the east coast so I am here by myself. My kids will be kept by a friend that lives in Ok. She is coming down to help for a couple of days. But after that I am on my own. I am so so so scared.. But happy at the same time.

[andrea11 0]

I hear ..same feelings here..was denied last week and 5 days later it was reversed...band date is nov 7th...as soon as i rec'd the approval I was not able to eat my lunch...no restrictive diet for the week before either but i thought i would just keep it light until then...

best of luck to all of us in November!

[chicagomom312 0]

Hi all - I guess I should just jump in here myself to say hi and to stop lurking :teeth_smile:

I've been going through the whole process of medically supervised weight loss since July 2008, and I've been approved and scheduled for surgery on 11/20/08. It happened slightly faster than I expected - the UIC medical team has been great and with a little bit of proactive questions from me, I think I shaved 2 months off of the required 6 months of waiting.

I'm excited like everyone else, and a bit scared like vanilla and others are worried about with respect to actually losing weight. I feel like I've always been overweight, and the idea of being anything less than 200lbs just seems so impossible at times. But the upside is that I have lost about 10lbs since I started in July, my PCP and surgeon and psych. eval. all point to me being a very good candidate.

I guess we have to believe that this is the tool we've been looking for to help us get past that last roadblock. It isn't a magic wand, and by everything I've read about the pre/post op diet and such, it isn't going to be a walk in the park. Good luck to you all and I hope to be a more regular poster on the forum.

kathleen

[MonikaMMH 0]

NOV. 5th for me. HAting this clear liquid, no cafine no sugar diet, yuck! sick and tired of all the pills and needles,protein drinks and now i have to have Iron infusions....sheesh i must be all out of whack! who'd of thought! well anything to loose the weight and not die of a heart attack. I live alone ( well with the kitty) and family is kinda busy with their own familys, so i am a little nervous about handling everything by myself. lol i already made a big chart to track the meds and stuff i need to take it takes up the whole wall in the kitchen.

my best friend is being very unsupportive about this, i just dont understand why, every one else is being supportive. its very fustrating, since i spend so much time with her. i cant even talk to her about it, she just starts getting all angry. :teeth_smile:

[bjperkins54 0]

Wow -- there really is a difference in pre-op diets. Mine is cut out the carbs and sugars and reduce caffeine -no liquid diet until after surery. I've been working toward this since March when I started the 6 mo diet/nutritionist visits....and as the doc said, Aetna initally turned me town and he had to conference with them -- then they reversed...then it moved fast! Good luck to everyone -- it is scary but exciting.

[bjperkins54 0]

Monika....it's very likely she's just worried. I know my husband finds anything negative about my upcoming surgery that he can, but it's just because he's worried. Sit down with your friend and talk honestly with her --- make her talk to you -- that's what I had to do with my husband. He is supportive of me, but very worried about the surgery, so by understanding that, I can deal with him easier. Good luck with your friend, you need all the support you can get!

[chicagomom312 0]

my best friend is being very unsupportive about this, i just dont understand why, every one else is being supportive. its very fustrating, since i spend so much time with her. i cant even talk to her about it, she just starts getting all angry.

Hi Monika - I guess one thing that I haven't dealt with is what to tell family and friends. My husband knows and has come around to being supportive - his initial reaction was more mixed than I would have imagined. He was worried about losing me to the operation, complications, anesthesia and then he was unconvinced that I wasn't taking this like a "magic bullet". Anyways, 4 months later, he is totally on-board and understands how important this is for me. My son is 18 months old - so no complications there :teeth_smile:

As for friends, this is where I totally feel you Monika. I haven't told my close friends yet. Part of me is like - look, lemme just get through this and then if the weight is really dropping, and they ask, then I'll tell them. It's not that I don't think they'll be supportive, but that sometimes you never know exactly where your friends may be at with respect to their own body-images, etc.

I have found that when someone reacts angrily to something, especially dealing with body image, that is often a sure-fire sign that they may be having issues too. Just speculation, but it may help when she is being unsupportive to tell her about all the pills and shots you're looking forward to stopping. I think people initially really think losing weight is about body image, and they fail to see all the real health problems it can create. ok, sorry this got so long. but good luck!

k

[DivaStyleCoach 89]

Whazzup, People?:teeth_smile:

I'm scheduled for surgery on November 17th and I can't wait! Jesangel76 - I'm being banded at Yale in New Haven as well...have you been to the new Lap Band support group?

I started this process in August, with a discussion with my PCP - he said he thought I'd be a good candidate and wrote the referral letter to get the ball rolling. Pre-op appts with Nutritionist and Psych eval done in September, and I was hoping to be banded in October, but no such luck.

I completed my EKG and blood work today, have a final consult with my PCP for a medical history on Monday the 7th, and a one-on-one with the surgeon on Nov 11th. I'm so excited that I'm vibrating in my seat at work and I'm so HAPPY!

I've been fighting my weight since I was 12 - more than 30 years! I originally looked into the bypass, since I have a sister-friend who did it and was successful, and her hubby recently did it and has lost nearly 100 lbs. I decided the permanent change to my digestive system was not what I wanted to do and investigated the band instead.

Now it's almost here and I can't wait! I'm so looking forward to getting off the medication - I'm a type II diabetic with borderline high blood pressure and a family history of the same. I want this to work - hell, I'll do whatever I have to do to MAKE it work.

I'm doing my own 2-week combo diet - two Protein shakes during the day, a regular meal (LeanCuisine, WW or normal food) at night with the family, and fruit to supplement during the day. I've already lost 10 before starting this, and I hope to lose another 10 plus shrink my liver before surgery to make it easier on my surgeon.

I'm very excited to be here, to be at this phase in the process, and wanted to welcome all my fellow Notorious Novembers!

[heather.vasquez 0]

Monica & Chicago Mom, I know exactly how you feel. I get the but you have such a pretty face or your just fine the way you are why would you do that. My Mother is a Nurse and she has been the worst. My Husband is so-so not sure if he is worried that if I loose the weight I will be a different person. Either way I'm doing this so I can live a long happy life for myself and my children. I no longer want to fear fitting in a booth, squeezing into an airline seat (which I travel alot for my job) or squeezing down the isle without smacking them with my back side. People who don't suffer from obesity don't always know how hard this is for us. This is a big choice we have made and it's not something we have stepped into lightly.

[Glammaw 15]

I will be banded on 11/21 and I know what you mean! Come on 11/21!

[loser4life 0]

:smile2: My surgery date is Tuesday Nov 18th!!!

My path to surgery date was : Went to the initial education class in July, 2008. Attended support group meeting. Had initial consult appointment. Attended two appointments for physch evaluation. Did research on what was needed for insurance. Completed six month diet with PCP where I had a bonus of already having existing notes of diet at some previous visits. Both my primary (Aetna with 6 month diet) and secondary (United HealthCare with five years med history) approved within days of request. Attended pre-surgery consult with doctor and nutritionist. Tested positive for H. Pylori and beginning to take the meds for 14 days (allergic to penicillin so have to take a special route). The pre-surgery diet to begin Nov 4th is 12 days of 1200 calories any way I choose. Then 2 days of primarily liquid and minimal food. Dr. wants to see 1-5 lbs lost during pre-surgery diet. Then will be surgery day!! Also, made the call to get paperwork to request Short Term Disability leave from work. Dotting all the i's and crossing all the t's. I'm so ready !!!

[jsz24 0]

Well I just went trick & treating with my grandkids , boy was it hard not putting that candy in my mouth, but I didnt. I am day 3 and so far so good, but I really wanna eat, not hungry just want to eat everything my family is eating. I told my sister mustard is probably going to look good tomorrow, lol. I know if we keep up with each other, we all are going to do fine.

[Mom6 0]

Hi everyone, I just registered with lapbandtalk tonite. I got my approval from my insurance and my surgery is Nov 12th. I started the 14-day diet on 10/28 and as of tonite I have already lost 4 pounds. WOW! I was not expecting that. I have such mixed emotions about this, I am not sure what to say. I am scared, happy, worried, and even hungry. Do you all feel this too? This is absolutely something I want to do for not only myself but my family. I just can't believe it's really going to happen :smile2: