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Momma, I was told by my surgeon to crush all pills and open all caps if allowed. Also buy chewables or liquids. Better safe than sorry.

It varies from person to person. I think it also depends on if you are insurance-pay or self-pay. All he told me was to lose 10#...no special diet.

Hi Diggity! Welcome to Lap-Band World. This website is great. You can learn so much from the folks here (sometimes TMI, too...lol). I attend Dr. Spivak's support group every Tuesday night at 7 pm in his office. Pre-Banders are welcome. Hope to see you next week.

Hello fellow educators! Haven't read this thread in a while due to summer college classes. Everybody seems ready for a well deserved break. In my school district, late work is graded no higher than a 70% and it must all be turned in one week prior to the end of a grading period. I had my surgery on 4-27-07 and had lots of concerns about what I could and couldn't eat during our 30 minute lunch. What seemed to work best was the WW Smart Ones dinners and the Healthy Choice dinners. I tried a few Lean Cuisine dinners, but didn't like the flavor. As for BPing in front of your students...try doing it in front of the whole faculty at a working lunch on inservice day...lol! I was sitting with the head principal and an assistant principal and some turkey got stuck. I excused myself to a trash can at the far corner of the commons and stood there with my back to everyone until it passed. One of the science teachers brought me some wet/dry paper towels and after about 10 minutes it all passed. Everybody hang in there and have a good week!

I've used the Richard Simmons 20 minute workout tape before. It's very easy to follow, no fancy dance steps and will get your heart pumping. It helped me lose 100 lbs about 5 years ago. Over time I've gained it all back plus some. Now I'm in band-land.

TracyK, I live in Webster, close to the mall. Did you say you were a Spivak patient? If so, would you like to carpool to Dr. Spivak's support meetings sometime?

TracyK, What part of Houston do you live in? As for your DH...start putting money in an account that he can't access so you can get your house.

I went to my 1st support group at Dr. Spivak's office last Tuesday. About 16 people showed up. We talked about all kinds of things. Next week a banded psychologist is giving a talk. It is very informal. Please try to come next week.

Hi Shrinking Violets. I sure do enjoy reading all the info in your posts. I went in for my 1st fill Thursday. What an experience! The assistant that was assigned to me couldn't get the needle into my port. She ended up poking me 2 times. She said my port was very deep and left to get Dr. Spivak. He comes in and before I could blink he had the needle inserted into my port. I didn't feel a thing. He has the magic hands! I stood for the floroscope and drank a little bit of barium. It wasn't too bad. It was so cool seeing the barium flow through the pouch and into the lower stomach. I ended up with a 1.7 cc fill. Dr. Spivak also told me I had a 10 cc band. Before the fill, I had to eat slowly, but could eat just about anything. :hungry: Now I can only eat about a cup of food and have to chew, chew, chew to keep the stomach monster happy. The band is such an amazing tool. OK, now I have to exercise more. I plan to walk more each day. Ya'll have a great weekend!

ricebird, I was banded by Dr. Spivak 4-27-07. He is a very skilled surgeon with a wonderful bedside manner. His staff is great, too. I self-paid at $12,900 and that includes 1 year free aftercare and fills. His staff also has regular support group meetings every Tuesday at his office. You can't go wrong with Dr. Spivak. My surgery was at Park Plaza Hospital on a Friday. Dr. Spivak was afraid I might develope blood clots because of severe dehydration, so he kept me overnight and I had a couple of heperan shots. I've had no problems or complications at all. Good luck...

josiebies, I used Dr. Spivak. He does his own siminars and his bedside manner is great. His staff is awesome. The after care and fills are free for one year and so are the support groups on Tuesday nights. What part of Houston are you in?

Lauraj23, It gets harder and harder each year to be a teacher. If teaching was just a 9-5 job, it would be great, but the amount of hours we put in after 5 pm and on Saturdays is unbelievable and without pay. If you ask, most teachers will tell you it takes at least a week to recover from the school year being over. It takes a special person to stay with it until retirement. Me...I've been fortunate to work in 2 very good school districts over the past 25 years and my students have been let's say...less motivated each year, but pretty much well behaved. I can retire in 3 1/2 years, if I want to...WooHoo! My plans this summer include a 2 week Pre-AP Chemistry course at University of Houston Downtown and a week long Chemistry course in El Paso. Both at my expense. The rest of the summer is for ME and remodeling my house. School starts again for me August 20 with kids hitting the door Aug 27. Oh and I have jury duty in June, too. Sure we only work 187 days (1/2 a year), but we only get paid for working that number of days. Oh and divide that amount by 12 months. Not much left after bills and taxes. OK...I'll get off my soap box...

I used Dr. Spivak in Houston, TX. My surgery was at Park Plaza Hospital. The self-pay cost was $12,900 and that includes a year of after care and fills as well as support meetings every Tuesday night. Spivak has a wonderful bedside manner and his staff is great. He's one of the best laproscopic surgeons in Houston. Goo Luck...

Kity, I've been a high school Chemistry teacher for 25 years. I teach at Kempner HS outside of Houston, TX. We finished up last Friday and worked graduation Saturday. WooHoo! SCHOOL'S OUT!! WooHoo!!! Now I can spend the summer on ME...and doing some house remodeling. What are your plans this summer? The end is near...lol

Thanks Kity. Are you a teacher?

Hi everyone! I joined bandland on April 27 '07 in Houston. I'm going in for my 1st fill this Thursday. I've noticed since my surgery that I've been able to gradually eat almost anything (bread & tuna are no-no's), but in much smaller portions. After reading the posts on the experiences of others, I think I'm ready for that fill. I've got a long way to go in my weightloss journey (200+ # ) and I need all the help and support I can get. Have a good week...

Hi fellow teachers. I teach Chemistry at Kempner High School outside of Houston, Tx (2500 + students). I've been teaching for 25 years. This past year was the best I've ever had. Kids were great! We had graduation today and I was sad to see them go. I was banded on April 27, 2007 by Dr. Spivak. Haven't had a fill yet, but will talk to the doctor Thursday about it. Some things I can't eat...tuna and soft bread. I can tolerate almost anything else. Our lunch at school was only 30 minutes which made eating slow hard. I usually took a Smart Ones or Healthy Choice dinner, Lite yogurt for a snack and SF pudding. I drank Water all day long. Now that school's out I can concentrate on exercising more and eating better. I hope to return to school much thinner in late August. Take care...Debra

I had my band done by Dr. Spivak at Park Plaza, also. I had to stay a night at the hospital b/c of blood clot concerns and the staff was wonderful. Couldn't have ask for better care.

Info on ulcers, no...but clenching your teeth & headaches, yes.I was clenching my teeth so bsdly that I was fracturing my tooth enamel and had the worst headaches ever whenI woke up. I got a night guard for my teeth. It's one of those plastic mouth guards. You can get one for about $20 at Wal-aMart or a Walgreens/CVS pharmacy or pay a dentist to custom make you one. Good Luck!

Kacee, I live in Webster and there is another lady in Friendswood, too. It's hard for me to go now b/c of school, but in 2 weeks I will be FREE. You can contact me at rho_zs@yahoo.com Thanks,

I was banded on April 27, 2007 and had to stay in the hospital for 1 night because of blood clot risk. I had the leg pressure gadgets on when I woke up in my room and remember at least getting 2 Heparin shots.

Thanks Maziemommy! I have a lot of restriction and have to be very careful about what I eat or I get that balled-up pain in my back and tummy. Take care...

Hi! My name is Debra and I live in Webster. I used Dr. Spivak in Houston. I had my surgery on April 27, 2007. This is all new to me, but I'm learning. Still figuring out what I can eat and what I can't eat. So far I've lost 20#...WooHoo! My doctor and his staff are great! Contact me any time and we can learn together.

Hi Ya'll! I'm 11 days out from surgery and had my 1st check-up with my regular doctor. He was very impressed with the small incesions Dr. Spevak made and was even more impressed when I hopped on the scale and had lost 20#...WooHoo!!! He took me off 2 of my bp meds, too. DBL...WooHoo!!! Thanks for all the help so far...

Lower back pain can also be caused by being dehydrated. Drink plenty of water.