Banded!

Hi everyone!  I am home from being banded on 7-9.  I wrote about my experience under the post below that Tammy started. Thank you for all the help!

Congrads on your surgery! I have a few questions; i have been working on this program for the second time in the last couple years but this time i'm sticking to it. I got laid off from my job and started paying the cobra because i want this surgery so bad. I am going to be doing the lapband. I have been doing this program at the CMC since March. I lost 4 lbs and the nutrionist said if i lose that by my july app she will schedule me with the doctor. I am so upset because my appointment with the Doctor is Oct 24th. I don't understand why its so far away and what happens after this? Do they schedule the surgery right after the drs. appoinment? I was going to call them and see if they can reschedule it for earlier in October because i am paying the cobra and its close to $450 a month. Any information would be great. Thanks

Hi Diane! Wow I am so sorry to hear about how long it is taking you to get appointments!!!  That is a horrible length of time to have to wait.   I don't know much about the CMC program, but at the Elliot's program, I saw the doctor on May 18.  I was called about a week later with my surgery date which was July 9.  The whole process took me about 10 months total.  Cindy

So you saw your doctor in May and they scheduled your surgery for July? Wow i hope i don't have to wait 2 more months for the surgery, especially when i am paying for it myself. That kind of stinks. I was going to call them tomorrow at lunch time (starting my new job) to change the appoinment for earlier in the month. I made arraingemnets with my new employer to put it into my job offer to pay me my salary when i was out for the surgery since i wasn't charging there insurance to pay for it. I'll see what the doctors office can do. Doesn't hurt to try. So what happens to you now, are you on a liquid diet, for how long? How many days were you in the hospital, how many days out of work? Sorry if there are too many questions i'm getting very excited for mine. My boyfriend is not very suportive, because he doesn't want me to do i. I had to explain to him that its not about him!!! LOL Thanks for chatting with me.

Hi Diane, No problem, we are all here to help, and we all had the same questions that you do!  Again, the CMC program may be different, but at my program, we go on the Full liquid diet for 2 weeks before surgery, to get your stomach ready, and also to shrink your liver.  Then the day of surgery, I got a clear liquid tray which had broth, jello and juice on it for lunch and dinner.  I stayed in the hospital one night, and the next morning had to do a swallow test, where I had to drink barium while they watched on X-ray to see where it went, I guess to check placement of the band.  For lunch I had to eat a full liquid diet (pudding) and they let me go after I was able to tolerate that. I have a friend who did the CMC program in January, and I don't think they usually stay in the hospital overnight.  YOu might want to post a new topic looking for other CMC'ers for some of your program specific questions.