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Have to be at the hospital at 6:00am tomorrow. Hope that means that I am #1. Strangely enough I am not at all excited or nervous, just ready to get this done so I can move on with the rest of my life. Seems like all I have done is read and plan and read and plan. After spending so much time on this site, I feel that I am more than ready and hopefully will be able to profit from everything the rest of you have experienced for the the last month. I think the information will be invaluable over the next few days. Keep me in your thoughts tomorrow. Will post when I am banded and able. Mary

Hi Ron, Maybe I missed it somewhere in trying to catch up with all of the messages. When were you banded and how are you doing?

Try fillcentersusa.com. They have a number of fill centers and I know there is at least one in Houston. http://www.fillcentersusa.com/locator/index.php

Hi, I live in Hearthstone and am having my surgery on Wednesday of this week. Would love to support each other and anyone else that is in this areas. Are you currently banded and if so how long ago?

Thanks, now it makes sense.

I have seen "Bump" on several messages. Can someone tell me what that means.

Hello, Well even for a "older" group, looks like I am going to be the "senior" I am scheduled to be banded next Wednesday, Jan 31 and I will be 66 years old on Jan 30. I am excited and really look forward to having some long term control for the first time in my life. I am sure my story is the same as most, I can lose the weight, but I just can't seem to keep it off. :scared: I had finally given up on diets, because it was not worth the time and effort (and expense of new clothes, that I couldn't wear after 2-3 months), to say nothing of the disappointment in myself. But, I am convinced this will work for me. I have no illusions that the band will do the work for me, but what a relief to know that there will something to "remind" me when I eat too much. My cardiologist is very supportive and so is my family. I am excited to join the bandster world and excited to find a group that is close enough to my age to be able to relate to problems other than "that time of the month" and "what do I do if I get pregnant" LOL. Will let you know how things go next week.

I also take meds for BP and also for cholesterol. Both are fairly large. I checked with my cardiologist and was told that both meds could be crushed without any problem. I am just going to crack mine is several pieces and not worry about dissolving it or grinding it into powder. As someone else already said, if is about the size of an M&M it should go down fine. They did tell me that the cholestrol med would taste terrible and might want to put it in some applesauce. But, I am hoping that if I just break it into 4 or 5 pieces I can just swallow it with Water. Of course, none of this is from experience yet, I am scheduled for next wednesday.

Yes, I saw this posted and it sounds great. I plan on attending. I should be about 6 weeks post op at that point.

What did your doctors/nutrionists tell you about daily calories? I have heard two schools of though: Eat 600-800 or eat 1000 or eat at least 1200. What do you guys think? I believe the general rule of thumb is 1000-1200 calories a day. Below that your metabolism starts to adjust (slow-down) to the lower intake. I bet as you begin to eat again you pouch will adjust to a little larger amounts and you will be able to get in an adequate number of calories. Also, I believe that the metabolic slowdown is one of the major reasons for exercise. It builds muscle which is more efficient at burning fat. Gosh there are a lot of us scheduled for the 31st. I think I have everything I need to get me through the first week or so. Sherilyn thanks for the comment on benefiber. I almost bought some yesterday and decided at the last minute, I would just stick with my metamucil. Glad that I did. It's interesting some people have diarrrhea and others have constipation. Hopefully, I will neither. Anyway, I am ready to do this and move on. Seems like this is all I have thought about forever. Good luck to all who are scheduled for next week.

Anyone have input on how they handled blood pressure and cholesterol medications? My PCP was not sure about crushing them and has to check with the company rep. Just wondering what others experience has been. Scheduled for 1/31/07 with Dr. Spivak. :clap2:

Hello Ladies (and gentlemen) I have been lurking around for the last month reading and educating myself as much as possible. Am scheduled for Jan 31 and am finally feeling like this will really happen. I also paid today and that definitely made it more real. (I am self pay) As far as the position is concerned, you are covered by a drape, so nothing is really exposed to the world. But your right, it is weird. If your unconscious you won't know anyway. That's what I keep in my mind. As far as I am concerned they could stand me on my head, if this will work for me. For those having problems getting enough protein, I recently ordered some New Whey liquid protein from bariatriceating.com. It has 25 gms of protein in 2.9 ounces and taste like jello shots. (non alcoholic). I have a supply for right after surgery because I figure I can get the 2.9 ounces down a couple of times a day to keep my protein intake up. Hoping that it will work for me until I can move on to more solid food. My surgeon lets us start soft foods in 48 hrs, but I have a supply of protein powder, just in case. I have ordered a set of protein samples from Unjury, as a number of people have recommended it. Finally beginning to get excited. FYI, I have learned so much from reading this thread. Glad I will get to be one of the January gang. Even if just barely.

I am scheduled for surgery on the 31st of this month. One week to go, yaa!!! My post op instructions say "no anti inflamatory meds without first checking with the doctor" I know that anti inflamatory meds can be irritating to your stomach, maybe that is why they are a no-no.

Hi Kima,There is a very active January Bandsters thread. Go to the general forums and scroll down until you see the January Bandsters thread. Lots of discussion and support.

Hi Susan, There is a very active thread of January Bandsters (everyone is getting banded in Jan) It is in the General forum. Just scroll down until you see the January bandsters thread.

Hi Everyone, I somewhat new. Have been looking around the site for information for about a month. Am scheduled for Jan 31st with Dr. Spivak. Am so looking forward to being able to have some control over my appetite. For those of you that have experienced thigh pain, I wonder if it is because of the position that they put you in for surgery. They open your legs up and the surgeon stands between them while he works. :omg: Makes my legs hurt to think about it. Anyway, please add me to the January bandster list. Will barely make it, but I will be part of the group.

I am paying for my surgery with a 401 K loan. At least I will be paying myself the interest. My surgery will be Jan 31 in Houston. The cost is 13,000.00 and I am convinced that it will be worth every penny. I consider myself very lucky that I can afford to do this on my own. It's shame that we have to put a price on our health.

I have researched most of the docs in the Houston area and chose Dr. Spivak because he participated in the FDA studies for the device. I believe he is the only surgeon in TX that participated. My major concern with the other surgeons is that they are just jumping on the bandwagon since the surgey was approved by the FDA. I work in research and know that participation in clinical trials is not always an indication of quality, but that coupled with the info I have gotten from this site and my personal reaction to him convinced me he as the best choice for me. I liked his staff, they were very friendly and supportive. Several of them have had the surgery themselves, so they were good sources of information. From what I have been able to tell from the posts, he and the staff are very supportive. Also, I liked him personally, he seems like a caring person. I did get any "arrogance" vibes from him. If you are self pay, they have a special for the month of January that covers everything for 12,900.00. This included the fills for the first year. Good luck with your decision, it takes a lot of sour searching to reach your decision.