Fat-2-Phat

The head harness is either a "Gentle Leader" or a "Halti" brand. I use one on my 120lb labrador who loves to take ME for a walk. I found the Gentle Leader or Halti harness works best to reign him back and have him walk along side me in a 'heel' position. Peg

Yes, I went through 6 months of dr supervised nutrition classes, sleep study, psych eval, x-rays, blood work, etc. I'm glad that it took six months because during this time I became more knowledgeable of what I'm doing, why I'm doing this, what to expect, and to just feel much more comfortable with the entire process. I didn't want a quick approval process. I feel I'm more prepared and ready to undergo surgery, deal with the post-surgery issues and begin my new lifestyle. Good luck to everyone! Peg

Yay! Tricare North approved my surgery! Only took 7 days from when I submitted all paperwork to the dr office. Dec 21 is the big day!!!!

Hello, I've been lurking out in these forums for a bit and going to support groups. As a result I put together my personal "Have on Hand" list of items. By no means is it all inclusive, but it covers quite a bit of stuff. Trust this helps. Good luck on your surgery and prayers for a quick recovery. Peg Pre-Surgery Have on Hand Aids: Gas-X strips(reduces gas) Maalox (for gas & laxative effect) Immodium AD (anti-diarreah) Vitafusion gummies (aids in regularity—Target) Listerene breath strips B-12 sublingual tabs (for energy) Pill crusher Throat spray (chloraseptic) Ground flax seed (aids in regularity) Biotene (breath freshener—found in toothpaste aisle) Mederma (minimize scarring at incisions) ü Vitamin E oil (minimize scarring at incisions) ü Coco Butter lotion (minimize scarring at incisions) Chewable Vitamins (Viactiv chocolate) Anti-nausea meds (Emetrol—cherry flavor) Abdomen wrap w/Velcro sleep relaxer –“Calms Forte” at Whole Foods Chewable Papaya enzyme (for being stuck & helps with digestion) Lemon drops (aid in foul taste in mouth during liquid stage diet) Biotin (promotes hair growth) Nioxin (promotes hair growth) Devrom (neutralizes gas or stool foul odor) Benefiber (aids in regularity) calcium citrate (calcium supplement) Hair shampoo/conditioner (prevent hair loss) food stuffs unjury whey chicken Soup Protein Unjury sample pack Whey protein isolate (not concentrate) Chobani yogurt (kid size) Activia cottage cheese Low-fat Swanson broths Flavoring extracts for Protein drinks (vanilla, orange, ) sugar-free popsicles Sugar-free Jello Sugar-free pudding

Yay! I have a confirmed surgery date of Wed, 21 Dec 2011!!!! It's for real now and it feels a wee bit surreal. I'm loving this journey and I'm glad we're all on it together.

Wholeheartedly agree with Roseann! Thank you ALL for your words of encouragement and support. I started a new topic regarding weather on surgery day...I posted it in the other forum for December 2011 bandsters, http://www.lapbandtalk.com/forum/2488-december-2011-bandsters/ Would love to hear your thoughts about severe winter weather on surgery day. Peg

Just curious to see if any other Dec bandsters live in a severe weather area and have thought about severe weather occuring on surgery day. As you may know, the Mid-Atlantic thru the Northeast got pummeled by an early winter snowstorm and knocked out power and closed off several streeets. Because we have surgeries scheduled during a winter month, have you given any thought about what would happen if you or your surgeon couldn't make it to the hospital on surgery day because of foul weather? I lived through Snowmaggedeon a few winters ago and recall that many folks (myself included) became housebound for a few days because the roads weren't cleared. I don't have a "Plan B", but am praying that God bless me with clear blue skies and unobstructed road conditions on my surgery day. Would love to hear your thoughts on the issue. Peg

Yay! I'm excited for you and it seems like your approval came back reasonably quick. I will submit my paperwork next Tues, Nov 1 and I'll be praying and keeping my fingers crossed. Your post gave me hope and I remain optimistic for similiar results. Best of luck...when's your surgery date? I'm hoping I can schedule Dec 21st. Peg

Where in NoVA are you located and who's your surgeon? I live in Loudoun county and will have my band installed by the surgeons at Blue Point Surgical Group out of NoVA Fairfax (Dr. Halmi). I hope to get banded the week prior to Christmas 2011, but that depends upon insurance and whether they approve me or not. Stats: 45 y/o female, not married (divorced), no kids work as defense contractor (boring, huh?) enjoy outdoor activities such as hiking w/my dog, mtn biking, skiing w/friends also enjoy entertaining but that will likely change in my post-op life am a foodie, but must change some of those habits to be successful post-op plan to workout at 5am in my post-op life at Golds Gym in Sterling/Cascades am not too big a music buff nor a movie buff, but I appreciate those who have the talent I'm a dedicated Christ-follower (if that's not your thing, I understand) have a great dog named 'Clyde', he's a rescued labrador retriever and we're now trained as a therapy dog team That's about sums it up. Lemme know if you'd like buddy-up. Peg

I have several mini-rewards set up. I got this idea from someone on this forum. For each 10 pounds of weight loss, I will reward myself with a charm to add to a new charm bracelet that I'll get at the beginning of my surgery month (Dec 2011). If I meet my goal, I'll have 13 charms on my bracelet, each one representing something I want to do...such as the Eiffel tower to represent a trip to Paris, or a pair of skis to represent the next time I ski again with friends, palm tree to reflect my desire to go to Figi or Tahiti, a bicycle to represent a long desire to take a bicycle tour through Tuscany. Of course my big reward will manifest itself as actually doing one of these activities. I look forward to the entire journey, not just the end. I wish each of us good luck on our new journey and exciting new lives. Peg