I had all of my wonderful preop appointments this morning. First thing was the Upper GI. It was pretty bad. They give you this really thick, nasty, contrast to drink while this grumpy old man takes pictures of your stomach. I guess it was OK. They said that I would have another one after my sugery to make sure that the band is in the right place. They warned me that the barium I drink for that one is alot smaller amount due to the fact my stomach won't hold very much... however, it smells and looks like PineSol!!

I also had a chest xray, EKG, lab work, and an appoirtment with my surgeon, Dr. Versman. We went over the procedure again. He wanted to be sure that I didn't have any new questions. He will be putting in one of the newer bands called Realize. He has done many, many bands before mine, but I will be one of the first ones to get this particular one. It is a bit wider than the other one so the slippage rate is a lot less. It also has a different type of band so it may allow for foods to pass a bit easier without getting stuck. Other than that, it is the exact same procedure... they place the band at the top of the stomach to make a pouch; about 4 ounces. The band is attached to a line line and a port that is placed under the skin in the abdomen area. This is where saline may be added to "fill" the band at future appointments.

So everything is on the right track so far. I start my lower calorie drinks on Thursday.... getting really excited now!!