leatha_g

girls just havin fun.. lol, can't get over the dog with that boa...

Megan and the awesome cards ..

This is what happens when you jump in the swimming pool and didn't bring the stuff to re-do your hair.... and, of course, Delarla, the great stripper w/ boa..

Michelle again..

Michelle, Carol and hmm.. someone's tatas...

Ginny, Saturday night under the laser light show on Fremont street.

Welcome Brenda!! You have definitely come to a great place for experience and encouragement. Arm yourself with all the knowledge you can! read, read, read all the posts. We've all gone through that initial phase of just finding out what it takes and whether we can actually do it. It's tough, but part of the process. By the time you get to surgery, you will have the information necessary to make your transition a smoother one! Good luck!

Well. I made it home safely AND I have to tell you all. I had already won enough money to cover my dinners, taxis and gambling, but on the way out. I stopped by a Wheel of Fortune slot machine and decided to wager some of my $1's while wasting time. Much to my extreme satisfaction, I hit a few 50's, then I hit the 1000!! Made myself about $269 in less than half an hour. So all in all. I paid for my entire trip (air and all) and made a few extra bucks too! So. I'm very happy about that. I had a great time! I loved spending time with everyone! It's so nice to put faces and personalities with all these great words of experience and encouragement and I must say I really enjoyed the bonding experiences. Lisa is much prettier in person and I just love her craziness! Penni is everybit as sweet and genuine as she seems here and gorgeous! Donali is the doll we've all known about all along and thank you ladies so much for all the gifts. Very thoughtful. Michelle is absolutely beautiful. Man, she has electric blue eyes. Very down to earth, honest and a total pleasure to hang out with. I really had a great time with her, Vera and Ginny on Saturday night. Megan, so much more adorable than her avatar and genuinely gorgeous in personality too. It's always so refreshing to meet people who are openly honest, kind and good at heart. She's all the things she seems to be here in her words and more. Texas Babs looks fabulous and the model bandster. I'm so glad to have finally met her after reading her posts and watching her success for the last 16 months. And Ginny is an absolute doll! I'm looking forward to seeing her again. Cute, cute, cute girl with a great head on her shoulders! Karen is an absolute inspiration and I so enjoyed just talking to her and hearing her story (we all have one, ya know). Karen, you should be so proud of yourself. Your goodness and integrity shows through and that is something you can't buy with all the money in the world. I really loved that you shared some of yourself with us and with Lisa, too. Thank you all for being who you are and for sharing part of that with so many who truly do need the inspiration and the encouragement to take back their lives and their self-esteems. As Karen says - pay it forward. You never know who's really listening and watching who you are and how it might effect their lives. Thank you all for a great weekend! I hope I didn't miss anyone. If I did it wasn't intentional, it's just 1:20am and I'm braindead. This truly was a good weekend for me and I'm so glad I was able to go. Hugs to everyone! I haven't looked at my photos yet, but I will try to post any that turned out. I'm not a great photographer, but we'll see. ... G'nite.

Now, is that an NSV or what? A bathing suit big enough to fall off... I don't even mind that one of the girls got loose! hope ya'll enjoyed the show - no one has seen em in a while.. lol.

OMG lmao

Were you not aware that protein would be your focus in eating? Or that the band would force you to eat slower and chew longer? Have you tried cutting your portions into pea-sized bites? You're correct - fibrous foods can cause you some problems. I was told all of this before I was banded. No offense, but I'm just really surprised that this seems to be a problem for you. It's not really the band's fault. It sounds as if it's working just as it was designed to work. Perhaps a slight un-fill would make things a bit easier for you? Let us know how it goes!!

YAY!!!:banana :Bunny :banana :Bunny :banana :Bunny :banana :Bunny :banana :Bunny :banana :Bunny I'm so happy to hear everything is a GO!! I really hope everything goes well for you from here on out!

I was able to shower the day after surgery. But, you do not want to immerse your incisions until they have at least scabbed over. I'm really sorry that you had no post-op instructions and I agree that you should have a local Dr in the event of emergencies because things can and do happen with the band. This really is one of the most important parts of preparing to be banded - aftercare. I wish you luck with it. You can go to www.inamed.com and click on the surgeon locator. They will send you a list with all certified banding/fill docs in your area. Also, there is a link for you to see the patient handbook and an article explaining the difference in the two bands. Good luck to you! http://www.inamed.com/pdf/health/94829F_LB_Patient_Book.pdf http://www.gisurgery.net/OverviewObesityBariatricSurgery.pdf

Great job!! I love that you have taken this slow and steady. Are you in Ft Hood?

I'm wondering if I should look up bail bondsmen in advance? lol

Welcome and good luck with your banding journey! Feel free to browse the sections of this forum. There is a great wealth of experience and info to be found!!

welcome gagirl! i'm sure you'll find loads and loads of info in all the various threads here on this site. it's all free for the taking. if you have something more specific, we'll all be glad to try to answer. as for me. i've been banded since may 2003, rebanded in july. lost 67lbs and have re-gained health i thought i'd lost forever. i was banded in the US, so I can only tell you i've heard some great things about MOST mx docs, not all. good luck to you!

Glad to hear you're home and doing well! Let the fun begin!!

If you have not had your first fill. It is very common to stall or even gain once you re-introduce solid foods. There are many threads here with that same sense of frustration. If your Water intake is up to what it should be and you are exercising 3-5 times a week, at least 30 minutes, then now may be the time that you implement the bandster eating rules, which are Proteins first, veggies second, anything else IF you have room, try to keep the volume to 1 cup or less (some are adamant about the 1/2 cup), drink only up until 1/2 hour before and not again until 1 hr later - DO not drink while eating. Then, you may find it helpful to enter your daily intake in www.fitday.com just to see where your proteins/carbs really fall. Some of us can't lose taking in carbs at all, but even moreso if they outweigh the proteins we're taking in. Other than these suggestions, my suggestion is to relax, try to remember you are not yet filled and this is very common. The first 6 weeks is meant only for healing, any weight loss at this point is purely bonus! This is white-knuckle time until you begin getting fills and find your level of restriction. Just so you understand, we've all been there. I think I gained the 12lbs I lost before my surgery, but it quickly came off once I started losing. This too shall pass. :-)

Great post!! It's always so nice to see the positive posts, especially for the new-comers or pre-ops! You're doing great! Welcome to the board!

The waiting is definitely the hardest part. When I was diagnosed with Lupus way back in 1983 and I was a 23 yr old mother of a 2 yr old. It was the longest 15 days of my life. The best thing I've learned since then: no matter what the circumstance; time never suspends. You just keep moving through it. What matters is the grace with which you handle it.

lol, how did i miss this post? ohboy..

My brother and sister-in-law came to stay the night with me on Monday night. They had their first appt with my lapband surgeon and are now waiting to see if they can get approved by insurance. They brought me this picture. I'm so glad they are really enjoying their bikes. They often take cross-country trips. To think that my brother had double bypass on his iliac arteries just at New Year's. It's hard to put into words how very scared I was for him and how happy I am that he's LIVING his life and hopefully will be banded and live even better. He's the one who helped me with one of my first NSV's by making sure I got to ride with him. (first time on a bike since i was skinny - 1978). God really did something special when he brought this guy into our family. :-)

lordy, lordy.. lol. nice bike, delarla. are you still working that second job? lol. you are too much! have fun on it, but be safe!! congrats!

Nope. There is nothing at all wrong with the Swedish band. Many people opt for it, however, many American doctors will not touch it because it is not the one that is FDA approved in the US. I have heard of some Radiologists who will do fills on it, but it could become an issue if a person cannot find local treatment in the event of complications or something more serious than a fill. I'm not well versed on all of this, however, I do know that J&J is currently in trials with a band which could be this same band. This could be a good thing for those who find that they do not have an Inamed band in the future. It's still a dirty rotten thing to do to patients, knowing they will need an FDA approved band to be seen in the states. Makes you wonder a bit about the person's over-all character. ???