giveyouthemoon

Can't see them here either. I think they were posted to a passworded site and maybe that's why they don't come across??

Probably because they haven't been around as long as so there is concern over complications after surgery. Once more people get banded without problems the price will come down.

You know what I found over the weekend? Powdered egg whites. Wow, all protein and nothing else. Added some of that to my morning protein drink and powie, upped my protein by a lot! Cool stuff!

I had NO choice in the matter....mine is about two inches directly above my belly button. The location is fine for me.

My surgeon was $6500, my hospital was $6500 and anesthesia was $1000. All total, $14K including one year of fills. FABULOUS hospital as well!!

I'd say 15 is plenty. That's enough to have gone through it plenty times and to know how it goes. Having a surgeon you trust is very important.

I'm also a closet bandster, only people VERY close to me that I trust know. As for going to showers or whatever...hell, tell them you are on a diet, or doing lo carb, or something like that. People usually go "ooh! Good for YOU" then back off. I was getting offended that people kept monitoring how much I ate until I said "you know, I'm lo carbing....just trying to get a few pounds off" and people leave me alone now. Good luck with your decision to tell or not tell. You know, a lot of people still haven't heard of the band so if you tell be totally prepared to answer a LOT of questions. Congrats on your surgery date! I'm so excited for you!!

Read the labels, it is the best source of info. Grams used to measure Protein don't equal weight in grams. I can see how that's confusing tho.....

How long you will have pain after surgery really depends on each individual person. For me, I'm a HUGE weenie, so I had pain (and took meds for it) for about a week after surgery. Some people here say it only took them a day or two. I do have the say the pain was never so bad it was excruciating (except for the one time when I didn't take my pain meds on time and that was the next day after surgery). The pain is VERY tolerable when well managed with pain meds from your doctor.

Me too....got weighed while in my faboo fashionable gown and socks just a mere moments before surgery. And like daisydoodle said...I gained five pounds in the hosptial, they REALLY pump you full of fluids!!

Whoo, fanTAStic question. Thank you for putting it more eleoquently that I could have. I'll wait alongside you for some answer. I seem to start to cough a lot when it appears I'm full. Or at least I usually stop at that point. But it seems like I can eat A LOT. I haven't had a fill yet....but then again...there are times when it seems like I can hardly eat at all. Anyhow, enough rambling...I can hardly wait to see what the experienced LBT'ers have to say.

I was terribly swollen the first week or so and was miserable because I could barely get anything down. Yeah, I had the runs VERY bad for almost two weeks. They never really cleared up until I started on mushies. Like My O My said, every day gets a little bit better. Stay strong, it DOES improve. Are you walking at all? I mean even around your living room. For some reason, it seemed to me the more I got up and around the better the swelling felt. I wonder too if they gave you any anti-inflamitory meds. I got two shots while in the hospital for the swelling and I think that made a huge difference too.

Hey Rachael, I went through a seven year relationship with a man who was a user and a taker. He rarely gave me anything in return and I worked my heart and fingers to the bone to make that relationship work. And it did...for seven long years. He was a heartbreaker. He didn't treat me that bad, just sucked me dry day after day until I couldn't take it anymore. I kept trying to break up with him but he kept managing to convince me to come back. Finally....right after I'd spent a month in the hospital with my dying father he broke it off. What a loser eh? He left me just when I needed him the most. He had the chance to make good, to give back to me and he took his opportunity to run. Losing him has been one of the hardest things ever in my life. But you know what? I'm FAR better for it! I'm stronger, happier, more independent. I see the world through better eyes now. It won't be easy to end this....there will be many nights of you crying your eyes out from lonliness.....but in the end you'll be better and stronger for having taken back your life and your spirit. You're planning on being banded and that is a HUGE change to make in your life. Don't be surprised if ending your relationship isn't the last of the big changes you'll make in the coming years. Best of luck and HUGE hugs!

Make sure you envision them eyeing you with extreme jealousy for your lean taut body. Hey, it's YOUR fantasy, you can make it however you want!!

My work had given me some (very very few) stock options like six years ago and they have been underwater all that time. Our company is finally doing well and the stock options were worth something so I sold them and that covered a little more than half. The rest I scraped up from savings. I have no savings now....but that's okay, it was worth it.

Whoooo hoooooo! Those last days are the MOST nerve wracking. We're all sending you TONS of good vibes. It will be over before you know it! Remember....walk walk walk. That's first and foremost, get that gas out! I didn't suffer the sore shoulder pain and I think it was because I walked and walked. Don't worry if you feel scared as heck in those last moments before surgery, that's TOTALLY normal! Make sure you post when you are on the other side so we can all give you some loves and hugs!!

Yikes! I had a breathing tube done, but it was put in after I was already out and removed before I woke up. The breathing tube is very standard but not insertion while awake. I guess you'd better decide now what fun place you are going to go mentally while they do that. I have to do that at the dentist or when I have blood drawn. Close my eyes and go somewhere else for a while. Best of luck to you and congrats on your surgery date!!!!!

Yay, I'm going to Colorado Springs next weekend. Flying AND high elevation! Whoo hoo, you mean I might actually have restriction and not this "see food eat food" thing I'm doing now?? Wow....imagine the possibilities.....

I had to do a liquid diet before sugery. Not the Optifast stuff, just liquids only. Didn't feel sick but did feel hungry. When doing liquids it's important to constantly have liquids going in order not to get too hungry. When one thing is finished I had to get on to the next one and stay ahead of being hungry. Yes I lost weight and yes I had liquid BM's but I have a very sensitive system so it doesn't take much for me to get the runs. For most surgeons it is very important that you lose weight before surgery in order to slightly shrink your liver and thus it makes the surgery easier and more successful. It is important to think about how to make this work in order to be successful at this.

Sitting for too long after I was banded was probably the hardest part. I have a seated job and found my incisions would get "tight" and I had to stand and move around. That being said, I think you can probably make the bus trip work. Esp. if there will be stopping every couple hours so you can walk around. Be advised, I personally had terrible diahrrea for the first two weeks after surgery. Others end up constipated. Just something to consider if you will be on a bus. Also, it has been three weeks since my surgery and I still get worn out pretty quick so you'll just have to be aware of your own body's needs and act accordingly. The bus trip sounds fun! Where are you going???

Yeah I'm doing a form of Atkins. I probably go a skosh higher on carbs than that book dictates....tho Atkins DOES say to find the right level of carbs, to keep adding until you are losing at an okay rate. My level may be a bit higher than others in order for me not to get neurotic. I also on some days do a Carb Addicts plan where you eat low carb all day and in the last meal of the day, you have some Protein then you can have some very much not lo carb foods. You have to get it all done within a set amount of time to make it work. It's how I manage to stay sane with lo carbing because I do needs some sweets now and again.

Mari Ann - that is an incredibly sad person that could be so hateful. She must be very unhappy with herself to feel like she has to lash out at others. We can't change the way other people think but we can control how we feel about ourselves. Please don't allow that crazy comment to get stuck in your head. Realize her comment was more about her and her own unhappiness than it was about you. It still hurts a lot thought, and I send you HUGE {{{{hugs}}}} I'm sorry something like this had to happen. It seems that hate and prejudice against heavy people is still okay in our society.

I recognize your picture.....was your picture on a Dr's website? I remember your picture from my pre-surgery search on the net. I may have just managed to stumble across your website but I DEFINITELY remember your picture!!! GREAT success you've had. Sorry to hear your band slipped. Do your doctors know why it slipped? Or just one of those things???

Brother....if you are walking around with two grapefruits in yer shorts....you've got more problems than I even imagined.....

Okay boys....Imagine that each of your cojones is the size of a large grapefuit and weighs about a pound and a half......then imagine trying to walk around like that without any type of support. Case closed.