the best me

Good thought. I always knew you were a smart feller.

Did I not predict they'd be mad?!! You guys are cracking me up. There's got to be a way to hear this without calling and asking to be put on hold! Bobalooey, you are such a rubble-rouser! Wait, Kelly, you were/are on WHAT Commercial?!! Do tell!!

Don't regret your post Melissa. It brings out good conversation and thoughts from others. Even the tough stuff can be so helpful. As for your situation, it makes ya wonder, I suppose, just how related what you learned from that is translated into your weight issues. I'll bet you get some other good replies!! I'd bring it up if I were you. Just mention that looking back at aold pics...you can see the pounds pack on after that incident. On the other hand, you were 16 at the time. It wouldn't be unusual for pounds to pack on anyway. There are some good threads about "body armor" and that type of thing. Do a search or let me know if you need some help finding good ones. It might give you ideas getting info from old posts. Anyhow, your psych eval will go fine. Don't worry!! Jodie, you have quite a story, young lady. I love reading your posts. You are funny and honest. It's hard to believe you are only 17. You have alot to give at such a young age. Watch out world!!

I agree, You should always follow your doctor's advice regarding your pre-op diet. And you should NOT cheat. But for Jen, the deed was done. If she had posted and said "Help! I'm on my liquid pre-op and I'm so hungry I want to cheat!!!" I would have given very different advice. Knowing she had already cheated, and knowing others had slid by despite it, however undeservingly, well, I stand behind my post. You are RIGHT! though. Noone should cheat at all!!! Hey, normally, I"M the stick in the mud!! Good job, Bernadette!

Okay girls, you both are so beautiful!! I have a question though...Houston. July. Long sleeves. Suede jacket (beautiful, btw). Can I blame this unusual dress on a hurricane? How was Kenny Chesney? Did you see Renee? Good luck on your fill!!! You are a lovely young lady, such pretty skin and I love your make-up!

Glad you are feeling a bit better today. Concentrate on your mom. The beauty of the band is it will be there when you are ready. You have it. It isn't going anywhere. Do your best but don't beat yourself up. You are under more stress than you sometimes think! I'm proud of you. I know your mom appreciates just your being there for her. You are doing a great thing and it's worth this little bump in the road. ((((hugs)))))) for you AND your mom!!

Jonathan, you are one handsome feller! Cute, nice, kind, a pastor, a Dad, smart, good-lookin', giving, and SINGLE!!!!! You would almost give my hubby a run for his money...ahh, but I just love him so! too bad! hehe Great weight loss! Well done!

Yay Colleen! Thinking of you today. Hope you are well! Can't wait to hear from you! Happy band day tomorrow Niecie! Be sure to let us know how it goes, yippeee!!!

If they are steri-strips, leave them on. Please remove and replace bandaids or gauze pads or anything that stays wet...you don't want wet covers over your incisions! I'm sure you know this. But if it's steri-strips, like Angie said, they stay.

August 27th, 11:30 at Ruby Tuesdays on Arrowood. I'm so there!!!!

Way to bump, good job! Let's see. Looking back, I wasn't surprised by anything, thanks to LBT. I wish I had known/realized just how small a small sip would be. I wish I didn't have the tendancy to push my band, just to see how hard it's going to bite back. I wish I had known how to listen to my band better. I wish I had never opened that V-8 on day 4 after surgery. Too acidic!! I guess I would find out about the post-op menu and post-op follow-up schedule. I would find out what band your doc anticipates you having, although he/she won't decide until your surgery. What will your first fill look like? In other wrods, catch the surgeons vision for you...know what I mean? Also, will you be doing the pre-op liguid diet? Hmmm, if I think of more I'll post. Good question!

Look at all the NC friends showing up for you Mellie! Come back!!

I'm cracking up and relating!!! Very funny! Congratulations!!! Glad it all went so well. Here you go!!!!!

Yay LBT! Ther is NO way I could do this without you all. I LOVE it here!!! I love all of you!

Okay, that MSNUser box keeps popping up when I look at this thread, it appears to be directly related to Jodie's web posts...? Anyhow, looking forward to your pics Jodie! Teresa! What beautiful pics! The lake is, indeed, awe-inspiring. Cute boys, cute puppies. And YOU look GREAT!!!

Robyn, yes, the very tight in the chest is restriction. The good part about the flouro is you KNOW fluids can pass at a good rate. The only variable may be that you end up with some swelling (I tend to do this a bit too easily) and the swelling makes things even tighter than they were under the flouro. Take it easy. Eat slowly. Even more slowly than you think! And for goodness sakes chew well. If you manage to get stuck and PB, your swelling issues will take you round and round and an unfill is your only option (just did this). Did the doc say how long to do liquids after your fill? Most here recommend 24 hours, but it appears you need to check things out before you go out of town...wise. You should know when you try to eat something well chewed. Let us know how lunch goes. You may have to put up with a good tight fill on your weekend away. I guess it's up to you, do you want a stress free weekend with no fill concerns? Would you rather tolerate your fill for a while until it loosens a little with weight loss? I'd say keep the fill, but lets be sure it's not too tight. It's a fine line between well-resticted and just too darn tight. For me, a .4cc unfill made a huge difference.

The band is not giving you it's best when not properly filled. I can PROMISE you that there is NO WAY you can eat that much in a day with proper restriction. You don't have the time or energy, nor do you want nothing but chips and Cookies all day. True, the calories, fat and carbs can add up very quickly, as you now know. Remember, this is a journey. You do some learning along the way! Don't beat yourself up! Some bandsters have some success doing Nutrisystems or Weight Watchers for a time while adjusting to banded life and find it very helpful. I like the advice given so far. Get your treat in, journal your food, get a fill! When were you banded? Do you have a fill? What size is your band? We are all here to help. You can do this!!!

I can't wait to see who actually calls this...they are going to be SOO mad at you!!!! That's really funny though!

I have BC/BS of NC Blue Options. I went to BCBS.com and typed in my plan number/enrolled, etc and looked up weight loss surgery. RNY is covered if your BMI is over 40 or over 35 with 2 co-morbidities. Lap Band is specifically excluded. I paid cash and went to Mexico. Not the answer you were looking for, I'll bet! Sorry. Do you have the gumption and patience to attempt a fight? I know I didn't. Let us know what you do. Hey, Welcome to LBT! Where are you in NC? I'm in the Charlotte area.

I agree!! Look, we now have an Option 3. Will option 3 work for you? Does that give you enough time? We can start without you if you don't mind, as long as you can come!

Yes!!!! That's the info I needed! NO! We aren't stuck on IHOP, are we? I can see Ruby Tuesday from the highway, that's PERFECT if we are doing 11am and not 9:30. What do ya'll say, Ruby Tuesdays, I-77 at Arrowood, 11AM, Saturday the 27th? Yes?!!!!

Check out this other thread... http://www.lapbandtalk.com/showthread.php?t=8331

That's exactly what I do, too, Michelle. Nicole, I looked up "nerve" on a search and got 4 pages...if I knew how to spell it, I could do a better search. Want me to start a new thread asking for info about that nerve? Or you start it. I'd like to get more scoop than..."there's this nerve" Of course, that may be all there is to it!

Lynn, you may also be able to get a letter from your OBGyn documenting your weight? I don't know that this qualifies as weight loss attempts, but if your doc said "follow south Beach" and you did for 6 weeks and lost 10 pounds then gained 15 after stopping the plan? I dunno. Just throwing it out there. Start writing notes to yourself about your weight loss history...even put it in list form. I had a list made that looked like this: April 1997 168 pounds ( I know this because that's when I was married) December 1998 208 pounds (quit smoking, gained weight) (I know this weight because I got pregnant then) etc... so I made the whole page of this long list saying what I did, how much I weighed and the months and years. My PCP made a photocopy of it and put it in my medical record. It was NOT fancy! Hand-written on yellow legal paper. She treated it like GOLD! Maybe if you get something typed up from your head and give it to your doc, it becomes part of your medical record and has some "official" status. Let us know...

Thank you Dr Pleatmen. I have a question and since I'm not a medical person, I hope I can ask this well...it has to do with the band and stoma. I know the stomach is supposed to be tightly in place as it passes through the band, creating the stoma. It is not supposed to slip up and down inside the band, yes? So does the band, a non-eroded band, embed itself into the outside stomach wall? Or is there always a "loosness" between the band and the stomach? This may be better asked this way? Is the band suposed to adhere to the stomach as it heals? This would, it seems to me, help prevent slippage but increase the risk of erosion? Also, I think there are 2 types of erosion: from the outside in and from the inside out. Maybe that could be answered on your FAQ page? The slip/erosion potential is always hanging over my head, as with many other banded patients. I suppose it helps to have an idea of what's going on inside. I want to keep my band for a very long time (forever!) but, frankly, I wonder if it will last. It doesn't seem possible for the band and stomach to "get along together" well enough to last a lifetime, but other implants last as long, so why not? But then, the stomach is soft tissue, not a hip bone. I dunno, just a question to ease my mind? Sorry so long-winded...hope my ramblings give you an idea of my concerns. If it can improve your FAQ section, all the better. BTW, the FAQ section is great! Again, thanks!