my_genre

Trish, Thanks for the feedback. They had originally discussed fusing my vertebrae, but said because I chose to be banded, have successfully lost weight since then, and I am young that replacing my discs is the way to go. I will have no limitations in activities or range of motion after I recover and they last 80 whopping years. I am glad your mother did well with her surgery. Does her back ever hurt her when it is cold or it rains? Thanks Trish, -Debra

I just got my Spanx in the mail today. I went out on a limb and ordered 4 pair of the control 'panties'. I tried them on and love them. Word of caution if you order -they run pretty big. My mom said the sell them on QVC sometimes and they are cheaper there. Good luck.

Well, it took me a little bit to get back in to see Dr. Lopez for my final o.k.. That was more my fault than his, our schedules were not meshing due to the fact that I was really busy. After I saw him, we set up surgery for two weeks later. I am lucky enough to stay home with my children, so I did not have to worry about the 'job' thing. They did however tell me no work for two weeks when I was going through the discharge directions, that included lifting my son who is over the 20 lb. limit. As far as driving, I forgot to ask too, I just started driving after I went in for my post-op appointment. It would be great to get together sometime. There were three other people in the hospital that had surgery the same day I did, but I did not visit with anyone. I was just so focused on the change I had just made and resting before I went home. -Debra

Hey Sherry, Congratulations on your approval!!! What a Thanksgiving treat for you! I had to stay overnight because I live about 3 hours away. I went to the Heartland Spine and Specialty Hospital http://www.hssh.org/, they are VERY GOOD and it is a very nice, modern facility. They took wonderful care of me. It is honestly the best facility that I have ever used. I must say this was all very easy, the surgery and stay, so don't let yourself get 'too' nervous. -Debra

If it is so easy to hit the tubing or the port wrong during a fill, why are the fills not being done under fluoro in the first place? I would think this would be a standard, instead of causing people costly repairs and the physical trauma of more surgery. Am I way off base on this???? I have not had my first fill yet, but it is ridiculous that people are having to go through problems that are SOOOOO easy to avoid. And....furthermore if the doctor or PA is chosing to go in blind, shouldn't they have some liability for damaging the band or its components? Boy, I would be hot if that happened to me and I am so sorry for all of you that have been through this or are going through this now. -Debra

If anyone is around the Springfield, Missouri area or is willing to travel, I have some gorgeous puppies to go to wonderful homes. They are black Lab purebreds and just so sweet and very playful. We also have a beautiful female 1.5 year old chocolate lab to go to a new home. Let me know if you are interested and I will be happy to provide more information. -Debra

Wheetsin that would be awesome. Thanks so much for the offer. -Debra

CandySmooch-<O:p</O:p We have two puppies left, a male and female. They are incredibly sweet and really like to play. I have three children and the puppies love them so much. I will actually be coming to Kansas City </ST1:parea the 13<SUP>th</SUP> for a fill. My doc is in <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com<ST1<ST1:place Lenexa</ST1:p</st1:City>. I will get you pics by this weekend, if you want to message me your email address. Labs are typically sweet natured, tend to be lower-keyed and very dedicated.<O:p</O:p Godiva, our chocolate lab really needs more time than we can give her right now. My husband and I are going all the time, we just are not home enough to work with her. She is very sweet, but timid. I think the home we got her from was abusive and we have had a hard time housebreaking her because our schedules lead to inconsistencies with her training. I think she would make someone a wonderful dog, but it needs to be someone that can really dedicate some time to her. She weighs about 70 lbs. <O:p</O:p <O:p</O:p Thank you so much for asking. We really love our dogs and want them to go to great, loving homes.

We are not charging anything for them. We just want them to go to wonderful homes. We have spent a lot of time with them and are quite attached. They will make awesome pets and great walking partners for those of us that walk or run. They are eight weeks old yesterday. Cute!!!

You look absolutely beautiful .Congrats on your wonderful success. Way to go!!!!

I just wanted to share the good news with everyone. I was banded the 7th and have felt a little uneasy about whether or not I was making the right decisions at this stage in the game (my Dr. has given me a lot of freedom with food choices already, etc.). Well, I just weighed and I am down 20.5 lbs since surgery day. Woohoo!!!! I am really excited and hope the others that have been recently banded are having great successes as well.

Congrats Fee! That is wonderful!

Hello. I was banded on the 7th of november and I am feeling so down tonight. I had my post-op appoinment yesterday and they remove all of my staples...thank goodness!!!!! I forgot to ask what size band the doctor ended up using with me and don't go back for a month. I am wondering about some things..... My doctor had me on liquids and then mushy foods by the 5th day. At my appoinment yesterday he said i could move to the soft phase which is anything you can mush with your fork including chicken, In two weeks, he said I could have whatever I want (within reason), including beef and hard fruits and veggies. Is this normal? Also, after the first three days beyond surgery, I was sooooo hungry. I feel like I am eating way too much (I can easily eat a cup of food before I feel full), and I am so afraid I am going to stretch my pouch. I feel like I am failing at this so early after being banded. Has anyone else felt this way? How much should I be able to eat now? I do not feel restriction until I am almost too full and I am taking my time and eating slowly and chewing well. I think some of this is head hunger too. I am trying to retrain myself and lose the bad habits. I just really need some support now, does anyone have any ideas? -Debra

What is PBing anyways?

I called my doctor's office and spoke to his PA. He said it was fine that I could eat that much right now and that I wont stretch my pouch unless I really force it down and to go ahead and eat until full. He said my swelling must have gone down rather quicker and that they had used a VG band on me , and there is no fill in it yet. So everything is normal as far as they are concerned. My first fill is the 13th and he said they will put 4cc's in. So I feel somewhat better about all this. Thanks to everyone for their support. You are all awesome! -Debra

I had the laparoscopic version and he stapled every one of my incisions. I found it odd but he does that with all his patients. All of my incisions, except the larger port one, are almost already gone. I just have a tiny bit of scabbing. I was showing my husband last night how quickly they have healed and he was wowed too. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> I did not think I should be able to consume so much either. I am going to call them today and ask what is going on…they told me to just eat until full….and it seems to be far more than it should. Maybe, my swelling just went down quicker than most. I don’t know.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> I think you are right that we all go into surgery expecting a certain type of outcome and response from our bodies and when it is not ‘textbook’ we tend to work ourselves up. <o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> I don feel a lot better today than last night. I do notice a difference in the way my body feels just from the quality of the new foods. I have lost 15 pounds to this point, so something is working. <o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> Take care also.<o:p></o:p> Debra

Congrats on your big day tommorrow!!!!! I was just banded on the 7th and it was a really positive experience. I was out within 15 seconds of them giving me the magic potion and I woke up not even knowing surgery had happened. I had to feel for my incisions to be sure. Recovery has been going well. You will do awesome! -Debra

Thanks Kathy, I don't regret my decision at all. I am just worried that it wont work like it should or I have been messing it up. There are a lot of new habits to learn and old habits to break. I have always been a grazer and I will catch myself reaching for something without even thinking about it. -Debra

HarleyNana, Thanks a bunch. Do you remember how much you could eat at around the two week mark? Thanks, Debra

My surgery is in six hours and I cannot sleep!!!!!!! Thought I would get on here for some support (I'm a little scared). I look forward to tommorrow evening, when everything is done.

Thanks for the all the wonderful support. Surgery went great! I came home the day after and have been doing well. I have lost 15lbs. since Monday and I am so excited. I got to start 'cheater' foods yesterday (mashed potatoes, cream of wheat, etc.). I don't get hungry very often, but boy when I get hungry...I am really hungry. It amazes me how quickly that hunger goes away after 4 or 5 bites. I really feel like I made a great decision. :) :D

I am finally approved!!!!! Found out about 15 minutes ago. Thank goodness for UHC, they are awesome! :) -Debra

I really appreciate the support from EVERYONE. Thank you for being excited with me, although I am not really sure it has sunk in yet. I do not have a date yet. Should have something by Monday. Woohoo! I feel like I just won tickets to the 'Skinnyland Amusement Park". Everyone have a great weekend. -Debra

Gosh, now I don't know what to do. I was just passing on the info. I recieved from MWIBS. I am really nervous now since I am waiting for my approval. I don't know who to go with for surgery. MWIBS was so great for me because they are opening an office in Springfield, Missouri-so I have somewhere close to go for my fills. This all makes me very uneasy.:sick