sghatl

I have FEP BC/BS and I got prior approval from them before the surgery. My doctor required it before committing to surgery. Once all of the paperwork was completed I received approval in a couple of days. They are my secondary insurance and still approved it. I have Medicare as my primary.

I had a fill this morning. It will be liquids for me for 2 days and then it's food as tolerated.

BTW Katie, you may find that you no longer hate shopping. Your new figure will be an incentive and you will look so much better and thinner in clothes that fit. I know I do. And soon I can shop in regular size pants. I am already there in tops.

Congratulations on making it to Onderland, Katie. I know what an accomplishment it was. I can't wait for my celebration. I am still on target for August 1. The weight loss has really slowed down. I think I am ready for my third fill. I am going to call in the morning. This past week I have developed a case of the hungries. I have managed to corral it so far but choosing some different foods. I have increased my amount of food at each meal by a couple of bites also. I only lost a pound this past week. I really think all of us December bandsters should pat ourselves on the back. We are doing it - living our dream. I saw a statement and it is so true. I LIKE THE WAY THAT I FEEL FAR BETTER THAN ANY FOODS I MAY BE MISSING. I no longer rely on a scooter to get around. I actually took a trip out of state without it and kept up with my sister for the entire 5 days.

Congratulations on getting banded. You will only feel better and better each day from here on out. Very quickly the weight will drop and the knees will feel better. I can shop without the use of a scooter now - just 6 months after surgery. I will be 67 in October so I can relate to how your knees feel. I still can't walk stairs normally and probably never will until I have knee surgery sometime in the future. But I don't mind tackling them anymore. I just go slowly. Good luck in your journey. The first five days are the worst then it's uphill from there.

Two more pounds gone - 209. I am on the final countdown to Onederland. I am getting excited.

Wow, Katiebug. You are really moving along quickly. I am at 211 now - only lost 2 pounds since I last checked in. I was on vacation all of last week so I am happy. 2 pounds a week is my average right now. Keep up the good work and you will be there before you know it.

I lose fairly slowly Katiebug but this week I have lost 4 pounds, a pound a day the past 3 days. Who'd have thunk it. I have set a goal of 8/1/08 to reach Onderland. What do you think? I now have 13 pounds to go.

Katie, I have 14 pounds to go. Maybe we can work on it at the same time. I want to celebrate when I get there and I haven't thought of an appropriate celebration yet.

Way to go. I can only imagine how good that must feel. I am slowly counting down to Onderland myself. I have a ways to go though. I hope to be there by mid to late summer. This has been a good week. I have lost 3 pounds in the past 7 days. The Prilosec is working - no more heartburn. I also am trying to be very conscious of how much I am eating and chewing. The doctor said I was wide open but I am only eating about a cup a meal and I am not hungry between meals. I will wait for a 3rd fill until I stop losing or get hungry. Making good food choices is not a problem for me.

I was the same way after my gall bladder surgery. I found that the pain killers was making me have 'out of control' feelings. Try some liquid tylenol even with the pain killers. It worked alone for me. Please give youself some time. You will be surprised how you will even feel tomorrow and the next and the next. By day five you should be back to normal. Walk it off some too. Are you having the shoulder pain?

Good morning everybody. Congratulations on the great losses I see. You are all doing well. My weight is very slow going now but is moving in the right direction. I have had trouble with reflux for the past 3 weeks. I met my Doctor at the hospital last Monday for a looksee under the fluroscope. He thought he would have to do a slight unfill but was amazed to find out I was really very open. He also checked out my esophagus and found nothing out of the ordinary. So he prescribed a soluable Prevacid and said no steak, no bread, no raw veggies and fruits. The raw stuff was really giving me problems even though they were small bites chewed well. I also seem to be having problems with tomatoey stuff. Actually, the reflux is something I have dealt with my entire life. Luckily I am not hungry between meals and I am not eating more than 1/2 to 1 cup of food. I have to get things to settle down before I will attempt another fill. As long as the scale moves downward I am happy. I have the rest of my life to get off my remaining weight. I am so much more mobile than before I started dieting 16 months ago. I actually went outlet shopping the other day with friends and walked the entire day. We were gone 7 hours. Three months ago I would have had to use my scooter. That's improvement.

Great pictures, Chris. They brought back memories of my Alaska cruise many years ago. How did you like the cruising aspect? I don't remember if this was your first cruise. We choose cruising as our way of travel. I have 3 scheduled, Sep, Oct and Nov. I didn't do well on my last cruise - pb'd a lot and gained 10 pounds. How did you find the eating? I don't want to gain on my upcoming cruises. I can't afford to gain that much weight after all this work.

Couldn't agree with you more Cerrin. Sounds just like my routines. I am getting concerned though at how little I eat. I don't have room for fruits and veggies. Raw foods still giving me trouble. I love salads and after forcing them daily for a week and having trouble with reflux, I had to go back on liquids for 3 days to straighten myself out. I love tomatoes and planted lots this year. What am I going to do if I can't eat them?

I made it to 50 pounds today. I am so excited.

I had my surgery at 66 without any problems whatsoever and am doing very well. I have so much more mobility and energy that I did not have even 5 months ago. I you have any questions, ask away.

Saw my doctor today - he said I'm doing fine. We both decided that I do not need a 3rd fill at this time. I am eating less than 3/4 cup and am never hungry. I eat based on the clock these days - never thought I would get there. I am losing slow - 1 to 2 pounds a week but it's coming off. I went shopping today and got 4 new outfits. I am so stoked. I am tired of wearing my old clothes from 15 years ago. My closet was getting full of things that are really too big to wear anymore. My PCP told me 2 weeks ago to go shopping - my pants were too big.

Have fun on your cruise, Chris. What ship will you be on? Have you cruised before? Be careful - I pb'd every meal for the first 3 days on my last cruise. I had to adjust eating in public with others. Table talk distracted me from eating slowly and chewing well. I had to learn to eat like a bandster and still be social. Good luck. You have been a bandster long enough now so that probably won't be an issue with you. Those darn old habits can return quickly when you don't concentrate.

Chris, good job. You are doing great. Cerrin, you too. We need to keep it up. Mine is slow but steady. My pre-surgery loss is making it slower for me I think. I've only had two fills. I see the doctor the end of next week but I don't think I need another fill at this time. I am not hungry between meals yet.

Add me to the list. Although I have not lost all of it with the band, I did lose it all since i began pursuing the band last year. I had to get my BMI down before I could have surgery.

No, I have not lost over a 100 pounds since surgery. That was my loss since I began my weight loss journey. My BMI was too high for surgery so I lost 68 pounds before I was banded. Read my signature carefully and you will see what I have lost since surgery.

Thanks for thinking about it Chris. My trip was awesome. Anartica was more than beautiful. My mouth hung open the entire trip. We saw some amazing scenery and beautiful contries. I was gone 3 plus weeks and gained 10 pounds. I was on a cruise and most of the food didn't agree with me. Their meats and fish were too overcooked to break down and I couldn't eat their part-cooked vegetables. I ate a lot of potatoes, eggs, cheese and milk. I pb'd 2 meals a day for 3 days in a row and had many more episodes on the trip. It was embarrassing to have to leave the table in the middle of dinner. I finally asked that we be seated at a table for 2 and they granted me my wish. Some of the time I ate too fast, some of the time I didn't chew enough. I was in the beginning stages of learning to live with the band. I think I would do much better now. The good news is that I will have been back a month tomorrow and I have lost those 10 pounds already. Tomorrow I go for my second fill. It's back to the drawing board on learning what you can and cannot eat. I have my second salad tonight since banding. I treated my self the night before as I did before the first fill. I guess I could have eaten one sooner - just didn't try. Guess it will be another 6 weeks before I try one again. My father went into the hospital the day after we got home. He had caught the flu while we were on our trip. To make a long story short, he died 5 days later so it was off to Pennsylvania for the funeral. For the first time in many, many years, I did not gain any weight going home. In fact I lost 2 pounds. My weight loss isn't going fast but it's going down which is what I want. I am in hurry. I'm ready for a fill. I am eating healthily but I think I am eating more at each meal than I should. I am going to a labband conference the first weekend in May. I found it on another forum that someone here mentioned. I am excited to be going. It's in Charlotte, NC and is only about a 4 hour drive from here. I am going by myself and will get to spend one evening with my Aunt and Uncle who live near there. I haven't visited them in 20 years. Looks like it will be well-attended and they have a nice agenda.

My goal for this month is to establish an exercise program of at least 3 days per week. I begin tomorrow. I saw a personal trainer yesterday and he designed a program for me including cardio machines, free weights, and water aerobics at the hospital wellness center where I had my surgery.

I attended seminars at Emory and at DeKalb Medical Center. There are many bariatric Centers of Excellence around the Atlanta area. Try another. You might be surprised at the differences.

ATLSPEEDY, you can do it. Just concentrate on planning for your trip. Keep your mind busy. I took up crocheting to help pass my time. I found out in September that I would be having surgery in December. Now, that was on my request as I had trips planned out of the country for Nov and Feb. So the doctor scheduled it for just after my first trip. I continued to lose weight along the way. You can too. Just keep that head on your shoulders.