Questions for my Lap Band Buddies out there....

I am starting to freak out a bit. I start pre-op on Friday. So it is count down time and all these doubts are starting to surface. Is this normal? Did you guys go through this? Questions:

1. ANY REGRETS? Are you happy with your decision and would you do it again?
2. ARE YOU SORRY, YOU DIDN'T GIVE TRADITIONAL DIETING ONE MORE TRY?
3. WHAT IS THE WORST THING ABOUT HAVING THE BAND?
4. WHAT IS THE BEST THING ABOUT HAVING THE BAND?
5. On a scale of 1 to 10 HOW HARD WAS/IS IT PSYCHOLOGICALLY TO GET OVER THE FACT THAT YOU CAN'T EAT THE SAME WAY ANYMORE?
6. HAS BEING BANDED MADE YOUR PERSONALITY CHANGE? For the better or worse? 
7. Are you still able to party a little? (I am a wine drinker...can't imagine giving it up completely) and are you a party pooper now cause you can't party as much?
8. HOW MUCH HAPPIER ARE YOU WITH YOUR BODY? I am wondering what I will look like 50-80 lbs thinner. I am 47 and will have a "lose skin" issue.
9. HAVE YOUR RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHERS CHANGED? Spouses? Family? Friends? Strangers?
10. DO YOU FEEL LIKE THE SAME PERSON OR COMPLETELY DIFFERENT NOW THAT YOU HAVE LOST WEIGHT?

I hope to hear back from some of you...or maybe you can direct me to some of your past posts where I can get some of your wisdom and answers to these questions.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO YOU ALL!

Changes

I guess I need to take some before pictures right? I was just looking at Amy's recent pics of her bare back, and in her shirt with no pants....I love that girl! So it made me start to think about what I should wear for my before picture. Like maybe some tight sweats and a tank shirt? That way you get to see the bumps, lumbs, and flab. Or should I remain clothed in just some normal sweats that just show my size. Or, do the dignified, more ladylike thing and just wear normal clothes?  I am not sure, but need to figure it out pretty soon. . .

I am really starting to think about the surgery a lot now. (less than a month away) I am a bit scarred and worried and really freaked out about the lifestyle change this is going to be for me. My food life as I know it, will soon be very different.  As David Bowie said...Ch ch ch chaaanges! LISTEN  Maybe that can be my theme song when I am down? 

Also not looking forward to the pre-diet or liquid phase. It will be tough not being able to eat over the holidays. Christmas is only 14 days post-op, so I guess I will still be on liquids, or mushies, right? Not fun. Hopefully, I will have no appetite so it won't be a big deal. HOPEFULLY!!! But geeze, what is one holiday? I have treated my whole life like it was a holiday and ate everything is sight...

I am trying to read as much as I can to prepare myself for what is ahead. And will spend some time going back over some of your blogs, to see what you went through...

I GOT A DATE!!!!! (no, not with a guy, I am married!)

Finally got approval from insurance and have a tentative date of December 11, 2009....WOW!!!!

More to follow, been busy with other stuff life has thrown at me so I have neglected my Lap Band world...but will be back on the band-wagon soon and bugging you guys cause I am sure I will be a basket case in the weeks to come....WOW....can't believe it! Happy and a bit FREAKED OUT at the same time.

Love and hope you are all well,

Linda

Still Waiting!!!!

Greetings all,
It has been a while since my last post and I am still waiting to hear back from the Surgeons office. I met with him on 9/23 and they said we wouldn't know anyting until around mid October, so I am waiting. I called the office on Thursday but have not heard back from them yet...which is pissing me off a bit. I mean talk about bad manners! But don't worry, I will call again. I have an appointment with the regular weight loss MD at the hospital today and I will ask her to get on the phone and find out what the heck is going on.  More news soon, hopefully!!!

Jinx

Don't want to jinx myself, but I was putting some summer clothes in storage today and I had this realization that if all goes according to plan I will not be wearing them next summer...and I got really excited! The thought of getting rid of all these 22-24-26 2x 3x clothes sounds great! But then, I stopped myself short and thought....one step at a time, that is what got me this far, don't jump the gun, etc. So with that said, I won't get rid of anything until it is time to, and they actually don't fit anymore, and I figure that way, I will reverse any jinx that I may have created by thinking too far ahead :-)

Band Size?

Just curious what size band most of you have. The doctor said he either puts a 10cc or a 14cc band in. Most men get the 14cc and he said only about 30% of his female patients get the 14cc and the rest 10cc. Any thoughts or explanations on this would help me out, because I think he said he determines it on a patient by patient basis. But I also thought he said that it was partially up to us. Guess I will have to clarify that with him.

Surgeon Meeting Minutes

Here is a picture of my surgeon, Kevin Krause. He looks nice doesn't he? Well he is nicer than nice. A real gem of a guy and very well respected. The meeting went really well. He told me I was an excellent candidate and considers me low risk. He is very positive about lab-band surgery in general. (He also performs RnY). There were 3 patients in the meeting, where he explained the procedure and answered any questions we had, then he met with us individually. Get this, one of the other patients was an ER Doctor! He was in his scrubs and came up to the meeting directly from the ER. That really put me at ease. I mean, if another MD is considering this, than you know it is a well thought out option. So, I am pretty excited and feeling very positive today! The office manager Sue, calls the shots in the office and seems really nice and very helpful. I told her I need to have this surgery done before year end to save myself $2500, since we have already met our deductible. She doesn't think it will be a problem. My insurance is different that BCBS, who usually approves it pretty quickly, but since I met the requirements, she thinks it will go through. She will be submitting it in about two weeks for approval, then I will hear back from her. And we can proceed from there. If all goes well, I am hoping I can have the surgery sometime in November. Keep your fingers crossed!