KathrynRose

I am glad to see everyone doing well. I have now had four fills and I might have restriction. The restriction did not come after the last fill, it actually came after a bad stomach virus this weekend. We'll see if it lasts. This stomach virus has worked wonders for me, not eating for two days has helped me to refocus my brain. Lack of desire for food helped me to see what I was eating in a new light. OK it also helps that the thought of food still makes me feel kind of queasy.

I Will be at the meeting tonight, I really need the support, I really hope to meet everyone.

I am just wondering so that I can prepare myself.

No, I am an adoptive mother, hoping to adopt another child. I actually hate the term birth mother, but I have learned that most people at least know what I am talking about. I call my son's birth mother his mother, I am also his mother. I see no problem with him having two mothers, but other people think I am weird for that. The baby is due in South Carolina, that is why I would have to cancel my appointment.

I am in bandster hell, so I have not lost or gained any weight since the first week. Dr. C. did not have any openings at 6 weeks post op, so I have an appointment with him at 7 weeks post op, which I may have to miss because another birth mother has chosen us and she is due any day. I am hoping the baby waits to come until after I get my first fill! I think I would have to wait another six weeks for a fill if the baby comes sooner.

I am drinking the Carnation stuff. I feel like I am starving to death. I still have five more days of liquids. I also have to slow myself down when drinking. I think I could actually gulp the stuff down. I now try to wait three minutes in between drinks as a way to stretch it out 30 minutes.

I just got banded at UMASS, and I can agree that they are impersonal (I like it that way), but they did not require me to go on South Beach, all they required was some weight loss between the time you saw the doctor and the time you met the surgeon. I was told it could be as little as two pounds. The time between when I met Dr. Gitkind and when I met Dr. C was four months. This is a far cry from requiring someone to lose two pounds a week. According to their scales, in four months I lost 13 pounds (and I lost more than most people in my group who got surgery) This comes to a little over three pounds a month. I did not even really change the way I ate except to eat smaller bites and chew them thoroughly. My friend is still in the program and she has gained 15 pounds since she started. They are working with her still because she quit smoking and they know that people gain when they quit. Their only weight loss requirement for her is that she lose some of the weight she gained since she quit smoking. I just wanted people who read this thread to know that everyone's experience at UMASS is different.

I had a mild cold at the time of my surgery and they still did it. If you have enough time to get over the worst, you should be fine.

Got my band May 5th at 9:30, went home at two. I still have a lot of pain where my port is if I move around. my port is about an inch above my waistline. I am already tired of protein drinks.

This is the insurance I have. They approved me in 10 days for surgery. I adore this insurance! Yes it only costs the co-pay, it is just lovely.

1st Orientation Meeting: 9/13/07 2nd Orientation Meeting:9/27/07 Met Doctor: 11/15/07 Surgery Consult 4/1/08 Barium swallow 4/21, Pre-surgical testing4/30 Endoscopy 4/25 Met Therapist: 12/9/07, 3/05/08 Met Nutritionist: 01/14/08 Series of four classes 2/5, 2/12, 2/19, 2/26 Series of five physiological classes 3/11, 3/18, 3/25, 4/1, 4/8

1st Orientation Meeting: 9/13/07 2nd Orientation Meeting:9/27/07 Met Doctor: 11/15/07 Surgery Consult 4/1/08 Barium swallow 4/21, Pre-surgical testing4/30 Endoscopy 4/25 Met Therapist: 12/9/07, 3/05/08 Met Nutritionist: 01/14/08 Series of four classes 2/5, 2/12, 2/19, 2/26 Series of five physiological classes 3/11, 3/18, 3/25, 4/1, 4/8

I was on clear liquids for one day. I am having a hard time getting in all of the liquids, I am still up right now because I still have more Protein drink to get down. It is funny because I am hungry, but can't really have much. I feel like I am sipping constantly. The pain is mostly when I get up and sit down, I am lucky, though, my mother has one of those power chairs, so I sit there. We also have a handicapped toilet for her which is wonderful. I don't need the pain pills at all except for when I know I will be moving around a lot. My biggest problem is trying to convince my two year old not to body slam me with his wonderful hugs. He is getting very grouchy and reverting in his potty training because I am not giving him as much physical contact at he needs. I feel like I will be much better by Saturday.

I am now banded. I can't wait until the June end of the month meeting, will any of you be there. Right now my port incision really hurts, but everything else feels fine. Actually it only hurts if I get up and walk.

I got my Realize band on May 5th. My port site feels like someone is stabbing me, the rest of the incisions don't hurt.

I agree with you!

I am scheduled for May 5th also!

I was originally scheduled for May 1st, but now it is May 5th.

laurend- You can file an amended return anytime, you do not have to wait for next year!

Got my date May 5th

Great, they said I could be banded in as little as six weeks, it would depend on how the adoption goes. You were apparently Dr. Kelly's 21st Realize band. Dr. Czierniak said, "He is putting in his 21st Realize band today." I thought, "I know who that is!" I don't know who will be doing my surgery because he has to get to 25 bands before the other two can put them in. For others reading, they have put in hundreds of bands, they are just starting to put in Realize bands. I am glad everything went well. Did they call you to set up the Esophogeal study, or did you have to call them?

Hey, Amp. I have my surgery consult the same day as your surgery! My consult is at 1, maybe I will see you in there. I can't go to the Thursday meeting for the next three months because we need to take foster parent training classes and they are only on Thursday nights. I took us six months to get into these classes. They start on the 27th and go for 10 weeks. I hope to make it to the June meeting. Of course by then I will probably already be banded!

I don't know I have not heard of anyone denied by a doc. I was thinking you might get denied by insurance because you only have one co-morbidity and with a BMI below 40 you have to have two. Have you lost weight since your initial consult. Even that would not get you denied, you would just be in the program longer. Are you a smoker? You do have to quit smoking. I don't know that is all I can think of.

Jfran - YES, I have been denied coverage because of PCOS, my husband was also denied coverage due to my PCOS, believe it or not. We paid through the nose for student health insurance, and we searched for jobs that had medical coverage. Basically I have become accustomed to the fact that when we job hunt, we HAVE to get jobs with medical coverage. We also make sure we never let our insurance lapse for more than 63 days so that we don't fall under the preexisting conditions clauses.

Thanks for the congrats! Right now I am having a hard time keeping everything straight between the surgery, the adoption, and my mother being in the hospital.