signgirl

mamato3, so happy to have you here! I know all about the pre-surgery anxiety! LOL! You'll do just fine. I was overweight my whole life too. I've had my first fill so far and have gone from a loose size 24 to an 18. I was able to wear a shirt that didn't have a number before the X All the best to you tomorrow.

5grnkidz! :welcome:Welcome to bandland! I had Dr. Clark too. Good to hear you are doing well. I didn't have that much of a gas pain problem, but I used the Gas-X dissolving strips. They work pretty good.:nod:

mamato3! Happy new year! Good to hear from you. My goodness your date is just around the corner! I was banded 10-31-07 and love it! the hardest part for me was the pre-surgery anxiety! LOL! Seriously! Once the surgery was over it was all good...got to feeling better and better each day that went by. Oh sure, I was sore, but by day three, things were starting to get easier. (like rolling out of bed! lol) All the best to you! Come on over to the NJ Jan. chat...great support there, and the NJ is pretty much just a name, as many of us are from all over. :eek:

Hey there folks! I'm encouraged by everyone that had some setbacks, 'cause I know now that I'm not a total flop! I didn't do as well as I should have. I was gobbling up the sugar free candy until I read the nutritional values panel: 26gr.carbohydrates! UGH! Dianne, 6 miles?! that's great! You were probably riding your bike while I was sittin on my.... LOL! Sherry, I keep sayin' "wish this change would hurry-up and just get it over with!" too! I feel for ya! (womanly woes, lol) I step outside in the winter and steam is commin' off my head!.... whew!!!! Now that's a phase I wish would hurry up and go somewhere!! Jessica AND Betty thanks for the info! Y'all have a great day tomorrow!

Happy New Year Troy! (and Everybody!) I was banded this past Halloween and found the whole process to be pretty easy. I found the surgery center I wanted to use. i followed their requirements and at the same time they submitted everything for me to my insurance co. I already had been documented at my dr. office as being 100lbs (or more) overweight.(a requirement). If there are co-morbidity issues (like sleep apnea, diabetes, etc...) considerations will be given for that. My insurance approval came quickly (within days of submitting), and I have heard of others taking much longer. Some wre even initially denied, but persevered and won approval!!! Lap band was the right choice for me...and I'm convinced that it would probably be the best choice for my son too. He's about 5'9, won't tell his weight but he's 23 yrs. old and wears a size 44Waist/29 L. jeans. His obstructive sleep apnea is off the charts! and we have diabetes in our family. If I would reccommend it to my son, I'd reccommend it to everyone interested.

Sherry, congratulations on getting to ONEDERLAND!!!! Fabulous! :mad: Mandy, I tackled one closet today LOL!!! Just a lot of sort and toss! I think I need to do that with every drawer, closet, cupboard and cabinet in the house!!!! The painting/decorating make-over sounds cool...love to see some pics when you're done! Eileen, An ipod touch!!!!! Lucky chickadee! I KNOW that's fun, fun, fun! 'fraid I'm gonna hafta hang with this 30gigger for quite a while...tons of music, movies, music videos, tv shows and I STILL have loads of storage left!! Betty, do you think Pat went to cancun? or some other vacation spot? When is her big day? Talkin' about ya Pat, better get back in here! LOL! Kat, sounds like you're gonna have a great time tonight! Me....I never go anywhere for NYE. :scared: I guess it's not sooooooo bad. DH hates crowds, and was never one for going to party places. We did have a good afternoon today tho' This afternoon we drove 5 miles down the road to visit the Jamestown settlement museum. So many facinating artifacts! Funny how sometimes you just don't think about the treasures in your own backyard! The fort at Jamestown, the Ships at Jamestown, and just the other day DH and I went for a walk down the main road in colonial Williamsburg (2 miles down the road!) College of William and Mary just across the street from it. Yep, we live in a tourist town. It's great but there is a price to pay....You can't even ATTEMPT to go out to dinner at any restaurant in the summertime (slammed full). But still...I love it here! Jessica, What's the area like away from the AI? Is it safe? I'll be doing an All-Inclusive first week in March. We're going to Cozumel. Little island across from the yucatan peninsula. Although we're at an AI and everything we need/want is there, we like to venture into the town and experience the culture. Cindy, Ann, Eileen #2, Hope you folks are doing well! HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYBODY!!!!!

Hey Cindy, I know what you mean about TSO! what a great show! I keep looking at he closets, but so far, that's as far as my closet cleaning has gone!LOL!

Hi Eileen (reillye), Glad to have you join us. This group is the greatest group of folks around! I'm from Williamsburg Virginia. Got banded on Halloween, and these gals have been a huge help. Pat, we keep missing each other! Miss you. Haven't talked to you in soooooo long! Jessica your weight loss has been great! Your'e gonna be such a hottie by the time you go to the DR! BTW, where are you gong to be staying there? I've never been there, but have been thinking about it. Kat, you gave me far too much credit!!!!! I don't have the sense to stop when those first bites are giving me troubles! lol! I must think that the uncomfortable feeling in my chest won't be impacted by yet another bite!!!!!!!! But then Thank goodness for the band! Betty, Eileen, Mandy, Cindy, Ann, and all...... Hope you are all well and having a great holiday!!!!!!!!!!

Merry Christmas! Wishing you all a happy holiday!!! And thank you for all the beautiful Christmas cards! (you know who you are ) I think of you all often.

Anwyn, the band today had been behavin', LOL. things seem OK, havn't had any problems, but I'm sure I will 'cause I tend to push the envelope sometimes. Eileen, I think going slow is probably the No. 1 thing to always keep in mind! Seems like, if that first bite screws up...that's it! I'm learnin', though. Thank goodness got you gals to talk too about it!

Thanks a bunch Eileen, Sherry and Betty. Yesterday sure was strange...with that "stuck" and spit stuff going on!!!!!! I stayed on some heavy liquids and by noonish today, I had no problems eating a tablespoon of tuna salad, half of a salmon burger and 3 wheat crackers w/ garlic spread on them! OK so that's a it much after that episode, LOL....I was just so happy to be able to eat again!! Hope everyone is doing great. How 'bout you Pat? Whatcha up to?

Thick liquids are OK. Doing that now. No panic here...just really needed the comments/advise on the best way to deal with it, from those that have been there, had that! knew you gals would probably have suggestions thanks I really appreciate it :huggie:

thanks betty....I think he said.3

Well I finally made it back! Missed all you guys and have been "back reading" trying to get caught up. My boss just got back from his wedding in Jamaica, so it was very busy that week for me while he was gone. He married a co-worker, so we were down 2 people at once....small business, so it was a noticable impact. Then my brother went in for an outpatient proceedure only to have cardiac problems and had to stay in the hospital for a few days. He's home now. What with the Christmas "last minute" stuff and all, it's been busy. Also, all you experienced banders.....NEED your advice/comments. On wednesday the 12th, I had my first fill. liquids for 2 days and mushies for one day. Today I havn't been able to eat a single thing!!!! (DH is un-nerved by it, which is kinda not helping either.) I very slowly and carefully, thoroughly chew a very tiny bite of egg or bacon or dk. meat turkey (all of this no more than a thimble full) and it causes a lump in my chest and it all comes back up (plus a "heapin' helpin' 'o slime!) I cant even keep down a thimble sized taste of yoguert! :speechles Well, it's dinnertime and the tummy is rumbling since I haven't been able to eat, so I'm going to try the Protein drink.

WooHoo Mamato3!!!!!!!!! So happy for you!!!! I can totally relate to the feeling, I was just banded On Oct. 31. Today was my first fill. I am still soooooo happy that I made this decision and i'm glad that you will begin your own journey toward a healthier you!

Bettyboop68, I was wondering about the same kind of sensation. Mine sounds like yours does, and sometimes when I sit for too long in the same position, it "pulls" enough to go "ow". My first fill is on the 12th, Dec. I'll be sure to ask about it! Hey there Pat! How is the vacation search going? See you on the NJ side!

Good mornin' Everybody! I hope ya'll don't mind me starting a NJ November thread. I didn't know if there was a protocol in place since you guys have been together for so long! LOL! Yesterday (1st day banded) really wasn't too bad at all. No sore throat or chapped lips from the breathing tube, that was great. More discomfort than pain, except when I tried to get in or out of bed. Our bed is one of those temperPedic mattresses, which basically means your hand sinks into the bed whenever you try to use it to push-off (making it tough). Think I'll stick to chairs today Jessica, everybody is of course, different....but for me it really has not been bad (knocking on wooden head). Unless it's gonnna sneak up on me I havn't had any of those shoulder gas pains I've read about. But there sure is a lot of rumbling in the tummy......it's probably still trying to recover from all the smell in the October thread: red candy apples, caramel apples, Cookies galore, stuffed jalapenos! Chrissie how was the date? Great I hope. Sounded like a nice comfortable way to spend it. Pat thanks so much for letting folks know how things went for me. At the time I was just feeling a little too nauseous to post. They gave me some Dilaudid (sounds like delotta) and I think thats what made me queasy. Cindy & Mandy you guys deserve a big hand for all that you did to make a happy time for all the children. Today you breathe a little, I hope! Mandy, Awesome Jack-O-Lanterns!!!! Hey Betty, Can you believe somebody's actually UP at this hour?!!!! LOL! Been laying around since the surgery yesterday morn. now I can't sleep! I notice where you were the first one up in the October thread Kat, hope your house is still in one piece, after grandson's visit! Sherry, you're right about the protien shakes. I knew they were'nt gonna be great, so my first day banded was my first taste, ugh....I sprinkled a little cinnamon on top so I could smell & taste that a little. It sorta helped. Hey Jess, see you in bandland on Tuesday I can't believe I'm actually thinking of doing some Christmas shopping saturday. It's been a thing with me to take off on my birthday to do that. I thought I'd be out of commission, but I don't feel too bad :clap2: Have a great day everybody!!!!

hi there gals, how's everyone doing? Just had an appt. with the nutritionist, who tells me I seem to be doing well with food choices etc. Dec. 12 is my first fill Thanks Betty for the encouragement re that first fill. I hope I'm one of those people who can tell the difference from the first fill. I hear some can't. Anne, thanks for asking...yeah the Thanksgiving was ok...was kinda funny tho' when a relative (who didn't know about my surgery) saw my "sampler" plate with a tablespoon of this and a tablespoon of that commented: what the heck are you? A costco sample person?! (LOL)

REDGIRL, my doctor told me to concentrate on three meals a day with no snacking in between. if I needed a snack, it had to be a planned snack, and that If i needed help dealing with the hunger, drink a protein drink. All doctors are different, it would seem. My struggle is to tryto get in the 90 rams of protein a day that they say is necessary.

Hey Jessica, glad to hear from you You have been doing so well...and sticking to the 3 meals only, no snacking? My hat's off to you!!!! My tummy gets to growling in between meals and I'm reaching for a little protein beverage!

congratulations tizen on that impressive weight loss, and thanks for the pep talk...I needed that! I go for my first fill on Dec 12. Good luck with your fill and with, what I'm sure will be, your continued sucess!

Found something on fills. Probably all old hat to y'all, but even though it mentions first fill, it gave some pointers on fills in general. Lap-band adjustment - Laparoscopic Band adjustment in Phoenix Arizona (AZ)

cQQlgirl, How can one even begin to get near 90 grams of protein a day without the protein drinks? What did they say was the reason for saying NO PROTEIN DRINKS at all?

Oh Cindy....Didn't know it was your bithday! Hope you had a great time. All you gals crack me up!!!! LOL! TOO FUNNY.....flyin' monkeys, santas, snowmen...... I have trying to be good with the hydration (no, not cocktails), and get the protein in....my biggest downfall now is not getting in any aerobics. I have a meeting with the nutritionist on Tuesday. I guess thats when I'm supposed to be released from mushies....but actually the Doc said theres no difference between mushie stage and real food stage, as long as you chew, chew, chew! I think what really gnaws at the back of my mind is that first fill. Mine will be Dec. 12. I hear so much about stuff getting "stuck" and other issues......I'm afraid , although I've been trying, that my bite will be too big, or I'll eat too fast. I guess I'm just afraid of having something unpredicted happening. My DH, with all good intentions, keeps asking....are you sure you can have that? or (and this is my favorite, NOT) you eating again? I'm at about 1,000 cal a day, but if he sees me eat something in between, its a peice of cheese, or a peice of SF hard candy, or SF jello....anything to stave off this tummy growling :rolleyes GRRRRRRRR! Sure is gonna be hard getting back to work after a four day weekend! Then the following week, my boss will be in Jamacia getting married (three times a charm). I'll be filling in for him and dealing with being shorthanded because his bride to be is also an employee:faint:. Hope everyone has a good nite, TTYL

Hi Gals, well I decided to brave the friday madness. JCPenny opened at 4:00 so I was up at 3:30am. I wanted to snag an Onedia flatware set (279.00 for 69.00!) ...success, got it! Isn't that ironic,that I finally get a decent flatware set AFTER bariatric surgery!!!!!LOL I did also pick up an LCD tv, waited in line for 45 min. this morning to get into Target and missed the tv....came home checked the sales again, headed out to staples and got a nice tv (happy girl . Sherry I'm with you...seen one lure, seen 'em all. DH is a fishing fanatic! I've spent many a day at Bass Pro shop...usually wanted to go look at the clothes insted, then got depressed at that cause most of the sizes are for thinner women!!!! Sorry to hear about your son. Hope he starts feeling better soon. Wow Pat, Dec. 3?!!!! that's quick! Is it at the HRSC? I'd love to have the results from a surgery like that! But first things first for me....gotta get this weight off!!!! I almost cried, I GAINED three pounds!!!! Didn't bother to change the ticker...too bummed. Two more weeks til first fill. Mandy, loved the free rice link! I've forwarded it, but not until I wore myself out building up the vocab! LOL! Good luck with the closets. Betty, Hope you have a crazy, sexy Anniversary....like some other people we know Seriously, hope it's a good one!!!!