nicnaknut

Hello and Welcome Rosey.... All of us here on this thread will say that you made the best choice in selecting Dr K for your band surgery....I haven't had my surgery yet, but I can list a couple of the questions that I asked Dr K when I had my consultation with him.. They are the pretty basic questions, but were the one's important to me.... Some of the others here will help and give you more information... You came to the right place as this is a great group, very helpful and supportive... 1. Will I get the VG or AP band? 2. What is the average recovery time? 3. What do I do if I have problems after surgery? 4. What about the pre-op diet? 5. How long after surgery before I need my first fill? 6. What kind of medications will I need? You will find Dr K to be the kindest man and will answer your questions no matter how many.... I have several other questions that I am saving to ask Paula the nutritionist... Good luck to you and keep us posted on your journey..

Hey Holly.... WELCOME back!!!.... It's good to see you back here on the board... We have missed you.. You go girl and keep up the exercise.. That's great that it makes you feel so good, that's what we like to hear.. :welcomeB: to Babs, BluesByrd and Want so bad.... We are happy to have you join the October - TENacious TENS group.... I am being banded on October 16th by Dr K in Colorado, so in just 3 short weeks I will be starting the pre-op diet... For those who are getting their bands soon, please keep us posted on how you are doing on your pre-op. We all need to follow along on this journey together and share our concerns and accomplishments.... Right now I am working on getting over the "Last Supper" mentality... I am trying to eat everything I can think of.... I am also stressing out about Thanksgiving and wondering if I will be able to eat turkey, dressing and pumpkin pie or if I will get sick... Am I thinking crazy or what???? Happy Friday to all and have a great weekend....

Hi everyone... Thanks for all of the great info that is being shared here... elinrw.... Congratulations on being banded just a week ago... So glad to hear you are doing so well... Most Dr's don't have an age limit when it comes to knee and hip replacement surgery.. My MIL was in her early 80's and had a knee and hip replaced.... The weight loss should give you some relief on your knees and hips. Good luck to you... Kat.... Thanks for the great info... It helpd me alot to understand how things work with the band... NM Sunshine.... I agree this is the best forum to get good information and support from.... Just think if you and I would not have found this forum we would not be getting banded and would have continued on being frustrated overweight people...... Happy Friday to all and have a great weekend....

NM Sunshine..... Thanks for the popsicle idea... I keep forgetting about them and I sure could use them now, especially at night when I'm having my sugar craving.. I have them on my grocery list now, so thanks again... Mal.... Thanks for the kind words.. I'm sure hoping that Thanksgiving will be ok... I just need to quit stressing about it... want2bemeagain.... That's funny both of us out in San Francisco having pictures taken and don't recognize ourselves... Do you think it is the SF sunshine that is distorting our otherwise beautiful faces and giving us double/triple chins??? lol Don't worry, giving up real sugar and getting use to the sugar free stuff will be the easy part of the overall picture for your band success... I would say that after you are banded and your body is all healed up, having a teaspoon of sugar in your morning coffee won't be a big deal... On your next post could you change the size of the text?? I had to get my magnifying glass out to read it...lol... My old lady eyes aren't as good as they use to be.... Happy weekend to all...

Hello all... That is interesting about the fills and not being exact... I can understand the contributing factors such as bloating an constipation, but it seems as though the Dr would know how many cc's he put in the syringe and put through your port.... NM Sunshine.... I think you will have a little bit of restriction after your surgery due to swelling from the band placement and incisions... Depending on how fast you heal I guess determines how fast the swelling goes down and you lose the temporary restriction.... Keep up the strength with the pre-op diet and you will do ok. Sometimes it just takes a little longer for the weight to come off... I had to chuckle about the pushing the cart all over Wally World but cannot walk or stand on our own for long cause I am the exact same way... However, for exercise it might help if you did go cruising around Wally World every day or every other day for awhile... I'm thinking that I may try that since I don't stay in one place long enough to join a gym... crabcake.... Good luck on your fill and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the scales will tip down so you can change your ticker... Dynamo.... Thanks for the link, I will be sure to check it out.. Good for you on your 3rd fill, it sounds like you may have reached your sweet spot.... kedasmom.... Congratulations on your 28 lbs weight loss and getting off of one of your BP medications.. That is great!! I sure can relate to you and the food holidays. I am already starting to stress out about Thanksgiving... I will be a month and half post surgery and wonder if I will be able to have any turkey, dressing and pumpkin pie.... I worry that I will get the PB's just when I am starting to enjoy the good food... Plus I haven't seen all my kids and grandkids for 6 months and I want to be with them and have a great time like we do every year and not get sick from eating too much or to fast... Lots of good wishes to everyone for a good weekend...

Hello all, It sure is good to meet everyone.. I will be going in for surgery on October 16th in Denver to Dr Kirshenbaum... It is still a month away but I am already getting anxious and can hardly wait... I want this surgery so bad and have just a little over 100 lbs to lose. In just 3 short weeks I will be starting my pre-op diet and will be doing that while my DH and I travel from northern California to Colorado. We are originally from Grand Junction, Colorado and have been spending the summer in our motorhome here close to San Francisco... I have been fighting that last supper mentality lately and have been trying to get in all of my favorite foods, like meatloaf, spaghetti, chicken and dumplings, etc... I am acting as though I will never be able to eat them again... It is crazy the way my mind is acting about food... :hungry: I will be about one and a half months post surgery at Thanksgiving and am worried about what I will be able to eat... Is anyone else stressing out about this or is it just me?? :help: Sallyjo.... Congratulations on being so close to your goal in just a short 18 months.... I bet it feels so good to wear a size 10 jeans.... You deserve it dahhling... :Banane45: Foxygramma.... Sorry to hear that the weight is taking so long to leave you... Sometimes it just takes a little longer for some of us "oldies".. Are you able to get in any exercise? That may help the pounds come off a little faster... Keep the faith and all will work out in the end... Phyllser.... That's awful that you are having such a hard time getting your first fill... I agree with Foxygramma that I would check with my Dr to see if you can get on the cancellation list or try another Dr... Also you might want to check out Fill Centers USA to see if they have a place close to you to get a fill.... My DH does just about everything for me too except the laundry.. I am too particular about it to let him do it... He is happy to let me do it anyway.. I don't get any fight out of him... :star: I can't walk far either so we just try to take short trips so I can walk on my own. Thank God for Crocs shoes or I would have to get a scooter too.. I also have COPD/emphysema and that makes it hard to do anything especially fast walking or stairs without running out of breath... Where do you and DH go in the winter? My DH and I live full time and travel in our motorhome. We have spent the summer here in northern California and will leave the 1st of October for Colorado for surgery and then travel to Arizona for the winter... Walter.... Congratulations on your first fill... Hope it works out good for you.. Just be careful on Saturday when company is there that you take small bites and chew, chew, chew cause I'm sure you don't want to PB while your company is there... If I remember right, you are the oldest on here and I really look up to you for wanting to be healthy for years to come.... You are an inspiration to all of us.... If you get a chance it would be fun if you would post some before and after pictures..... gmccon.... Greg... Congratulations on getting banded... It is great that you felt like posting so soon after your surgery... It sounds like you are doing good and are on your way to a speedy recovery.... Be sure to walk as much as you can to get rid of the gas... Good luck on the liquid diet, it will soon be over and you will be back to eating regular food, just not as much..... I can relate with you on the high carb and greasy foods, I can't eat just one...lol... But that is what got us overweight in the first place, so I guess we will have to retrain our way of eating and thinking of food... Please keep us posted on your progress.... aussieladie.... Welcome and Good Luck to you on your journey to a healthier life.... suecasb.... Good luck for a quick insurance approval and the start of your lapband journey... My DH has to help me put my shoes and socks on because I can't bend over nor are my arms long enough to do it myself... My belly is so big and it bothers me too much to bend over.. I also get hot and when it is hot outside my feet and ankles swell up so much that I can hardly walk... On top of that I am still having hot flashes... Wishes to you all for a nice weekend....

Hello All.... My gosh I stay away for a week and I'm so far behind that it is taking awhile to catch up... Want2bmeagain.... Wow, your surgery is coming up fast... Congrats on the pound lost on the pre-op diet... I can only imagine how hard it is to stay on the straight and narrow and not cheat on the pre-op.... Woofay is right, the Splenda tastes much better than the Sweet-N-Low... I have been testing out the different flavors of Crystal Light to go in my bottle water and that seems to help with the sweetness craving... They also taste pretty good too and help with the daily water quota.. In one of your past postings you mentioned that you didn't recognize yourself in pictures... Well, that is the same with me.. DH and I went to San Francisco and took a ferry to Alcatraz prison this past Wednesday and pictures were taken of us as there and I swear that my DH was with someone else!! It sure as heck wasn't me!! Being fill buddies would be fun... Hopefully we can work something out one of these times... I won't get my band until next month.... Dynamo.... Congratulations on your weight loss... That's great!! But, I'm sorry to hear about your house flooding and IRS issues.. However, it sounds like you are getting things done rather quickly. Good Luck to you on the IRS audit, hopefully they will find a big mistake and give you a nice refund... Lap Dancer.... Thank you so much for the thoughts for the day postings.. They are great and makes you think about some issues... The pictures of your family are great... Sweet, sweet kitties, dog and Byron the goldfish... Shelbi.... Your surgery time is coming up soon as well... Thanks for the Hi and same back to you... Hope all is well and you are doing ok... Mare.... Congratulations on your 20 lbs weight loss.. That's great!!! Marcy.... Happy 10th Anniversary to you and DH!!! Sorry to hear that chicken is sticking... Do ya think the chickens are protesting after the big chicken slaughter? :bounce: Woofay.... Good Luck to you on your port replacement... We are so lucky to have found Dr K.. He has got to be one of the greatest Dr's ever!! Isn't it a great feeling when the Dr's scale says that you have lost weight.... Congratulations!!! Jennifer.... Happy Birthday to you and my Sincere Sympathy on the loss of your Grandfather.... Your Grandmother is so fortunate to have you there to help her... Big ((((Hugs)))) to you.... Littleroo and Taynah.... Yea, Yippee :clap2: You are now officially members of the band!! It sounds like the two of you are doing well post surgery... Best wishes on your healthier life..... LSzeliga.... Welcome and Good Luck to you on your journey into bandland.... Hello to all that I missed, good luck and good wishes to you.... In just 3 short weeks I will be starting my pre-op diet in anticipation of my surgery on the 16th of October.... I am already getting nervous about that and am fighting the last supper mentality... Even though Dr K said I only need to do a 7 day diet, I want to do 2 weeks just to make sure that my liver is in good shape... DH and I will be on the road working our way from northern California to Denver during that 2 week period, so it will be extra hard since we eat out alot when traveling... Another thing that is bothering me is Thanksgiving... I will be about a month and half post surgery and wonder if I will be able to have a taste of everything that makes Thanksgiving so delightful... (See there I go worrying about food again...) Has anyone else thought about this and how will they handle it?? Am I being to silly about it?? Sorry for the long post.. I was just trying to catch up.... Take care all...

Hello and Welcome... Barbara, Want, and Nettie.... It is nice to meet you and have you join us on our weight loss journey... Cheri..... WOW!!! Wtg!!! 60 pounds... That is fantastic... Congratulations!!! :clap2: What is hmr500??? Is it a Protein powder?? If so where can you get it?? Sorry for the questions....

Wow LS... 23 pounds already, WTG!!! That's great, sounds like you lose weight pretty fast... I'm curious on what kind of shakes you drank... Were they Protein powder?? I'll start my pre-op diet on the 2nd of October.. That will give me 2 weeks before surgery... Hopefully I can go 2 weeks...

Hello and a BIG Welcome to all of the new October bandsters, LSzeliga, Cheri, and Mandy... LSzeliga.... I'm being banded by Dr K on the 16th... Good Luck to you on the 11th... Cheri and Mandy.... You are getting banded just one day apart... Good Luck to both of you... Keep us posted on how you do...

Claramae..... Wow, you sure did have one of those "Everything that could go wrong" surgeries... Happy to hear that you are doing better now that you are home from that wicked hospital..... However, I do have to Thank You for the laughs... I was laughing so hard and loud reading your story, my hubby was wondering what the heck was so funny... I had told him about you before, cause I wanted him to know that other husbands help their wives do most everything around the house like he does. Hopefully it will be smooth sailing for you from now on.... Anyway thanks again for the laughs...

Lap Dancer.... Thank you soooo much for sharing those... It really puts a lot of things in perspective and provides plenty of food for thought...

Hey sweetie..... Come on over to the the TENacious TENS group... This is for all of the October banders... You can find us under "Monthly Support Groups" and October 2007.... We would love to have you as a member of our group..... See you there!!!! :clap2:

LSzeliga.... Welcome to the TENacious Tens.. It's nice to have a Floridian with us.... I am being banded by Dr K on October 16th and I am also self pay.... I was down your way last winter, started out in Daytona Beach and ended up in Ocala... I really enjoyed Ocala... There is a slight possibility that I may be back in Daytona Beach sometime this winter... My dad lives there and I may go down and visit him.... Good Luck on your weight loss journey..

Hi There... Sorry to hear about your pain... It sounds like you are having an awfully hard time with it.... I have never experienced anything like that in all my years of battling back pain... However, I don't think I could have taken my back pain without the help of my chiropractor. I swear between him and my massage therapist they keep me walking... If the medication doesn't help, I would suggest going to a Chiropractor... Good Luck to you and please keep us posted on what works for you and the pain...

Yep, That's what I was told by Dr K, was that I needed to do a low carb high Protein diet for about 10 days to 2 weeks pre-op.. So I will do Atkins again..lol.. I was able to find some good whey Protein powder from GNC that was pretty reasonable in price.. I got one of the flavored ones and it has 20 grams of protein per scoop which you mix with 8 ozs of liquid. If I remember right, I think they had some unflavored too.. I need to go back and take a look as I need to start getting prepared...

mermaidpuppy... For all that you have been through to get an appointment for your lap band surgery I think the Dr should give it to you for nothing... You poor soul, what a mess you have been through and then to top it off you end up in an auto accident and total your little mustang convertable.... All I can say is "Bless your little pea pickin heart" and Good Luck wishes are being sent your way...

Hi Teresa... Congratulations on getting your band and it is good to hear that everything is going good for you.... Just a suggestion, but you might want to look under the "General" category and 'Monthly Support Groups'.. There is a thread there for the July banders.... Continued good luck and much success on your weight loss...

I was also planning on going to Monterrey, Mexico until I found Dr Kirshenbaum in Denver, Colorado. I am being banded by him on October 16th and his fee is $9950 for everything plus 3 months follow up care.... Dr K and his staff are top notch and are very highly recommended... There is a link to his web site below in my signature... Check him out.... Good Luck to you in your journey...

Lafs.... How was your consultation with Paula... I have mine coming up next month... She has emailed me the post-op eating schedule, etc and I have read through it a couple of times and will do it again before my consultation with her.... Does she give you good ideas and lots of information to help in your success of the band? What did she suggest that you do for your pre-op diet? I am soooooo looking foward to getting my band....

Colorado Crazy... Gosh, I'm afraid I couldn't answer your question, since I am a Dr K patient. I am totally biased for Dr K... No offense to Dr Snyder but I don't know anything about him... Hopefully someone else can help you.... You may want to do a search of this site for some of Dr Snyders patients and get their opinions..... Good Luck to you on your journey..

Wow Walter.... 72 and smiling... That is great!!!!! Good for you to get the band no matter how old you are... You are an inspiration to a lot of the older people.... It just goes to show that age is just a number.... In answer to your concern... Your band is in there and it is ok for you to still be able to eat and not feel full yet... Your band is wide open and doesn't have any restriction yet, because you are still going through the healing process.... About a month after your surgery the Dr will put a fill in your band and you should start getting that full feeling you are looking for.... It sounds like you are doing very well post surgery and losing weight... Good Luck to you and keep on keeping on....

Hi Emily..... There are several real good Dr's in Mexico... Dr Rumbaut in Monterrey, Mexico is a good one and there is Dr Gonzales in Tiajuna, Mexico..... OR .... There is Dr Kirshenbaum in Denver, Colorado who does it for $9950 and that covers everything, including 3 months after care... There are finance companies that will give you a medical loan for the lap band. I would search this site for info on that.... I am self pay also and being banded by Dr Kirshenbaum on October 16th... There is a link to his web site below my signature if your are interested.... Welcome to this site and Good Luck on your lap band journey....

Hi FoxyGramma.... I sure can see where that would be a problem trying to find someone that you can trust to help you with things.... I have thought on many occaisions that I would like to hire someone to come and help to take the pressure off of my DH, but I find myself in your situation trying to find someone I can trust.... So, I'll just wait until I lose some of this weight and tackle it myself.... Hopefully you will be able to find someone you can trust.... keep up the faith....... Have a great weekend.....

Hey Susie, Welcome..... You are being banded one day before me, I'm being banded on the 16th.... WTG on the weight loss already..... I just haven't been able to take control yet of my bad eating habits... So good job!!!! It's great to have an Aussie on this journey with us....