faithmd

This unbanded junior defers to the Tired Old Man...

You might have difficulty finding a surgeon who will place a band at your BMI, I would definitely call and ask before traveling any great distance to a seminar. I remembered seeing a thread recently where someone had mentioned a great price at a Denver surgeon, so I went and found it, here's the link, and I wish you the best!: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/help-cost-dfw-t30196.html?t=30196&highlight=denver+surgeon And here's a WHOLE THREAD dedicated to him :clap2: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/considering-dr-kirshenbaum-t26213.html?t=26213 Hope that helps!

I have to ask, what is the pineapple juice or the papaya enzyme for? (I'll buy some right away to have on hand for after banding.) I love this place!

I didn't get to ask questions of anyone while taking my MMPI-2. So when I got to the "I always tell the truth" T/F question, I though about if for a moment, and then looked back at the instructions that said answer true if it is true or mostly true, and false if it is false or mostly false. I had to answer it false, at least it mostly was.... Oooo, I wonder if that makes me a weirdo?

Excellent idea, Dixiecharm! If I had known (or realized that) I certainly would have gone and purchased one on ebay. But now I think I'll follow Devane's lead and think of it as a loan. When I get small enough that I don't need an extender on at least three different planes/airlines, I'll leave it on a flight with the airline I borrowed it from.

Oh for goodness sake! Isn't this called LapBandtalk? I don't recall it being called politicalcandidatetalk. I think it's great that this board does allow discussions of a political and religious nature (many other places will delete threads about politics and religion), but I would hope folks don't get so wound up over a simple political discussion that arrows start flying and people start threatening to leave. It's awesome that there are subforums here for people to discuss things other than just the band, but it is a discussion, everyone has different views, that's what makes the world go 'round. When someone starts a thread, especially of a political or religious nature, there is always going to be someone who believes differently than you do. And since this is a forum, there will be contrary responses.

When the therapist asked me if I'd ever been in trouble with the law, arrested or anything like that, I said no. Then I immediately said, "Define that, cause I was hauled in twice as a teenager for protesting things." He looked at me sideways, wrote a few notes and said, "That's not what I meant, but thanks for bringing that up." :omg: :faint:

Ah, so that's what it looks like on radiograph? Thanks so very much. I called Allergan today to ask what the VG versus the AP versus the Omniform is. I guess the AP isn't going to be out until the summer sometime, but I wanted to know what to ask my surgeon about in my consultation. Now that I see the VG, it all makes sense. Hopefully all will go well for your patient.

Fantastic job sticking to your plan!!! Another suggestion for those cake-y times is to say that you've recently started eating low-carb, or that you've discovered you can't eat gluten, or something like that. I've noticed that since I've been trying to make better food choices, when we have potlucks at work and I'm not eating something that everyone else is, it is pointed out as well. And if I merely say I'm watching what I eat, invariably someone says something like, "oh one little bite won't hurt" or "I made this last night, you've just GOT to try it" or something like that. At this point I've decided not to tell anyone that I'm going to be banded, so I'm lining up my "little white lies" now.

Thanks very much for putting that up! Fascinating! One question, is the band closed? It looks like it is still open, or is the band just that large? (Perhaps a VG band versus a 10 or 9.75?)

For coach I like Midwest or American. I have found American to have quite a bit of legroom and I could lower the tray at 315#. I've needed an extender since about 275#, but I have large hips. I just took one with me one time when I deplaned, so now I have my own. I know, that was very wrong:bandit , but I was getting tired of asking for one when I boarded and then having them say they'd bring me one (happening more and more frequently). Invariably someone would forget and they'd have to go and get one when I wasn't buckled as they did the pre-flight check. Embarrassing and annoying! :angry

I just had my eval and took that annoying MMPI-2 yesterday. How many different ways can they ask if I am a sexual deviant or if I love my parents? Sheesh!

Lori, here is a link to a thread that explains the various abbreviations, it's a great thread! http://www.lapbandtalk.com/abbreviations-and-they-t7959.html I'm going to suggest you use the search feature and type in the word regrets, there are quite a few threads here asking about that very issue. I figure that in addition to the response you get to this thread, it might be good to see what others have said as well. It is a big decision, I haven't yet been banded, but I know this is the right choice for me. I'm not living a "normal" life now (but what is normal, anyway?). food is ruling my life and my weight is preventing me from doing things I want to do. Of course my life will change, and I will never have the same relationship with food that I do now. But that's a very good thing.

That is also different from one clinician to another. But most of what I've read around the net is a minimum of 60 grams a day and many people try to get at least 100 grams to prevent hair loss.

Oooooo, if it takes off in the US, this could be very, very bad!

That's what I'd do. It'd make me NUTS, too!

As I said above, I sooooo agree with you about the hair loss thing absolutely terrifying me, too. In all I've read, the above tips do help (keep Protein up-some say above 100gms a day; take Biotin supplements and a good multivitamin; and use a shampoo formulated to prevent hair loss-one is Nioxin, you can get it online). I see your point, at your height I guess 163 is quite a bit to carry on your small frame. I didn't realize until you posted what your height was (BTW, I didn't say "'only'" 163 lbs...I know sometimes carrying even 10 extra pounds makes people feel uncomfortable). I guess I just get so used to seeing those BMI tickers, sorry... Thank you very much for posting back to me. I also had no idea you were in the UK until you said it and also didn't know at what BMI the NHS will pay for the band. Now I understand why so many go to Belgium or nother places to get their bands placed (like we go to Mexico). Again, I do wish you all the luck in the world on your upcoming surgery, you'll be successful, I know you will! And won't it be great to get off those BP meds? (I was on them for a while for a heart arrhythmia, they made me feel awful.) Keep us updated on your progess, will ya?

Losing hair is one of the very first things I heard about with any WLS. Of course the likelihood is much higher with the bypass, but I have heard of it all along with the band as well. There's lots of good tips here in this thread, and you can use the search function and find other threads about it as well. There's also lots of good info out there on the net. I totally agree with you! I'm terrified of losing my hair. Other than my awesome personality :biggrin1: , it's probably the most attractive thing about me. I have hair to my waist and if I lose it, I really don't know what I'd do. So I prefer not to worry about it and am taking all these suggestions and stocking up on the Biotin, Vitamins, Protein powders and Nioxin shampoo. Just as a side note, are you self-pay for your band? At 163lbs, I would be surprised if an insurance company would pay for it. If they are, can I ask what you submitted? It might be helpful for those of us having trouble getting our insurace to pay. March 11th is coming soon, how very exciting! I wish you a speedy and easy recovery, good luck!!! :clap2:

I'm kind of amazed you weren't told how a surgery goes. Certainly some minor surgical procedures don't require intubation, but something like this falls under the category of needing intubation. Especially for us larger folks who are much more likely to have sleep apnea, they want to have control of our airway. And no one told you about the incentive spirometer? Sheesh, I'd make the suggestion to your docs office that in the future they might want to be a bit more informative to their patients about what's going to happen to them...I think it's only fair that people know what will be happening. I'm glad things went well and you didn't have any discomfort, and thankfully your mom was able to help you out with some things. And she's right, clearing your throat doesn't count :bananajump:

I'm not banded yet but I'm trying to eat like I will have to (chewing well, trying out mushy foods/protein drinks). Last night I bought some jars of meat baby food. I bought beef, ham, turkey, and chicken. I tried the chicken this morning and it really wasn't too bad. But I can't imagine eating some of the pureed stuff I saw in the hospital when I used to pass trays. UGH! I had better figure out what I can and can't eat before I am forced to puree things myself. I like the idea of chewing until basically pureed in my mouth. At least then I can still enjoy the initial texture.

And I'll take the scale

I like that, Cascadian!

When I lost weight two years ago (of course I've agained it all back, plus some) it took about 50 lbs for me, too.

If you don't get a response here, there is a Yahoo! group about bands and insurance. Check them out. But the best way to know is to pick up the phone and call the company and ask. You'll get the appropriate answer. Sometimes different policies with the same company can have different riders. Might depend on if your workplace bought the Bariatric rider or not. That's why it is important to call them and find out what your specific policy includes.

Thanks for this thread. I hope to be banded soon and was wondering what a "sweet spot" and what a "good fill" level is to folks. Thanks for expressing it so well, Kat!