SpecialK

BTW - good luck to both of you for losing weight in order to be able to have a future in starting a family at a healthy weight. God Bless you both!

Hi Octoberfest -- I also had Dr. Price as my surgeon and he asked me if I didn't want to consider RNY too but I was firm that I wanted lapband and he said okay, if you know you'll have to work at it, then that's what we'll do. That with RNY the weight would come off much faster but I was okay with the pace I'm at. I'm at -70 lbs from where I was a year ago and I'm about 30% of my excess weight gone in a year and that is a fantastic rate of loss as far as I'm concerned and I see the potential to be at -100 lbs by my bandiversary on March 17 2009 so hang in there. If you want lapband then be committed but I respect whatever decision you make with the doc. BTW - after Dr. Price did my surgery, Dr. Miller has been my follow up surgeon for my fills and I've been very happy with him too. I think he assisted Dr. Price on my March surgery anyway and vice versa, Dr. Choban assists on Dr. Miller or Dr. Price assists for the other two, they work as a team and that's great to know there is redundancy on who can take care of us long term.

I hope we can keep this going by just copying the old post of the person prior to yours and add or update your scale progress. NAME..............................surgery date.....todays date....Lbs lost 1. SpecialK .............................3/17/08........11/3/08............70 lbs 2. scrappy_friend .....................3/17/08........9/4/08............54.0 lbs 3. aJoneen.............................. 3/04/08........9/4/08............31.0 lbs 4. WestCoastMom..................... 3/27/08........9/4/08............60.0 lbs 5. julietj1970............................ 3/03/08........9/4/08............40 lbs 6. SugarBean........................... 3/24/08........9/4/08............88 lbs 7. Tess415................................3/10/08........10/808............65 lbs 8. jegtlf.....................................3/24/08........9/5/08............56lbs 9. emmersglue ..........................3/18/08........9/5/08............48lbs 10. lglenn3000............................3/17/08........10/4/08............32 lbs 11. Busy....................................3/17/08........9/6/08............41 lbs. 12. tp78.....................................3/13/08........9/25/08............44lbs. 13.potatie..................................3/27/08........10/26/08...........72lbs 14. TKT2FLY...............................3/17/08........9/14/08...........63lbs 15. MSBoss08...............................3/06/08........9/17/08..........64lbs 16. Hazel-Eyes............................3/14/08........10/8/08...........33 lbs 17. hungry4help............................3/3/08...........9/18/08........65lbs 18. sisterc..................................3/17/08..........9/18/08........28 lbs 19. Anniedub...............................3/6/08............9/26/08........55 lbs 20. wishin4.................................3/26/08..........9/26/08........48 lbs 21. AuntLucy...............................3/10/08.........9/26/08........64 lbs 22. nycm00.................................3/24/08.........9/25/08........60lbs. 23.Desdemona............................3/19/08........10/03/08........58lbs.

I have to share with you that we had the neat experience at the Water aerobics class where our instructor is the kind of wild and wacky lady who wraps up the class each time with a little social get to know you thing like sharing your name and favorite color, or whatever - just to help us all enjoy time in class together. Well, she really topped herself on October 30th and brought us Smarties Candies - only 25 calories for a package as treats - a smart treat -- and she read us a story book at the end of the class that was so good, we were all chanting along with her as she read the book, Go Hazel, Go Hazel, Go Hazel! Its a great story about a overweight good little witch (nothing scary) who wants to go to a Halloween Ball and she goes to get a costume and finds nothing will fit. She goes on a diet and exercises like crazy and they go through all the gyrations she went through to be beautiful and get a date to the Ball. So here's Boris her date thinking she did it all for him, to please him... Go Figure! and she says Heck no! I did this for me... The book had a great comical ending, so I won't spoil it if you want to get the book. I found some used copies in good condition off Amazon.com and bought me a couple, one to share with our bariatric program coordinator at our hospital for maybe next October's support group meeting. Here's a image file of the book front for those who might be interested. It really spoke to my heart about some of the struggles those of us who have been overweight have been through!

I've started backing off to stay off the scale on a daily basis and now going to try just weighing weekly to not get discouraged if things aren't going faster. I did hit a milestone of -70 lbs since where I was last October but I lost some in my 2 weeks of pre-op diet so the surgeon's office gives me less credit than that - only counting what weight you have lost post surgery when I go in for checkups. So mentally, I'm still celebrating 70 by my own accountability of knowing where I've been. I think with the extra exercise I'm doing that I'm having the same experience that things are toning up and changing shape even if the number of pounds is not drastically dropping. I figure if I am building muscle during this stage with the exercise the muscle eventually will help me burn more calories daily so I'm in this for the long haul. Happy November!

Well I had been staying off the scale for 2 weeks until the "Labor Day to Hallow-lean!" challenge ended today so I woke up ready to see how I have been doing. I didn't hit the goal of -14 lbs I had set out to do but I did lose 10.5 in that period of time so I'm really happy with that. I have 4 lbs until some new numbers so that's my next goal! I have annual physical exam scheduled with my primary care doctor in November and I'd love to be at least -70 lbs since last year on that day. Remember this is a doctor who was anti-WLS so I will be glad to show her there are positive things it can do.

This was hard. Thanks for helping motivate me. I'm still happy with what I accomplished. Happy Halloween! ****NAME***********START WEIGHT*****CURRENT WEIGHT*******GOAL********LBS. LOST **** ************************:frown: ***********:teeth_smile:**********:thumbup: 1dayatime..........263............259............243............4 2BHealthE!.........194............179............194............0 ahsem2bme..........244............244............225............0 Aphrodite1984......208............208............190............0 Ariel..............199............191.3..........185..........7.6 ArmyWife4life......209.5..........209.5..........190............0 Bea1128............210.5..........200.5..........188............10 blueriley..........206............206............190............0 Brandymom1234......227............151.9..........135..........4.1 Caramia71..........208............202............195............6 cQQlgirl...........194............188............185............6 DebinFl............181............177............168............4 georgiagirl........245............227............220...........18 HarleyGirl.........188............182............175............6 HeatherO...........155............143............140...........12 Ivyrose325.........212............212............199............0 Jazzyywan..........255............255............190............0 KikiVal315.........237.5..........229............220..........8.5 Lana24.............208............193............190............2 laurigee...........180............169............160...........11 Leslie2Lose........220............214............205............6 lindar172 .........274.2..........258............256.........16.2 LisaB..............205.5..........192............180.........13.5 livn4thm...........235............229............210............6 Luu2008............203............199.5..........183..........3.5 mamato3............186............186............170............0 MarinaBleu.........226.5..........226.5..........216............0 memom..............210............210............168...........42 Minxz..............299............286............280............9 mominlv13..........299.8..........282.4..........280.........17.4 Momof5.............192.5..........187.5..........175..........5.0 nip50..............175............166............160............9 NukeChik...........218............212............208............6 NurseNiki..........258............244............239...........14 odamay.............242............242............225............0 paige65............252............240............232............8 Peaches11..........205............205............194............0 pj_txlady..........220............213.5..........200..........6.5 Redtulips3.........180............171............169............9 Renewedhope........171............162............150............9 reif78.............294............195............185............0 savimama...........216............216............200............0 shaversd...........230.5..........225............210..........5.5 SpecialK...........294............283.5..........280.........10.5 Tess...............304............296............280............8 tp78...............201............192............180............9 Turler.............225............213............210...........12 wendyw.............192............179............172...........13 wowox7.............195............175............170...........20 WyominGirl.........327............321............312............6

Thanks for letting us know how Kenna is doing. That is fantastic progress!

Heather -- I wore the pretty salmon-pink colored coat you gave me and it buttons up the front beautiful and is really cozy! Thanks so much. I can't wait until I too can show where it has room to spare or can wrap around me extra inches! Congratulations on how far you've come since last winter.

Hi. My hospital bariatric program has a bariatric support group on the first Monday of each month. It is for RNY and lapband patients combined. The bariatric nurse coordinator schedules the meeting and chairs it and has guest speakers. Different patients get up and share informally their scale or non-scale victories. We open it up for questions for pre-surgery candidates. They actually require all pre-surgery candidates to get a certificate that they attended at least one support group meeting. Some of our topics have included: Dealing with the Holidays Vacation planning Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Overeaters Anonymous New Years Resolutions Relationships and Sex Therapy food as a Nutrition Tool Self Esteem Ask the Expert Patient Panel - open Q&A forum Patient Style Show at a local mall - its a big event in April I'm actually helping plan a January scrapbooking our weight loss journey meeting so that those of us who are taking pictures along the way can put them into a book or organize them and Celebrate our journey. I'd be interested in what topics other groups have had so I can pass along suggestions for the 2009 meetings for us. We also have a separate Bariatric Nutrition Support Group meeting separate from what I described above. Its only for post-op patients and you can come and get help on any areas you are struggling with,get ideas on food planning, etc. Finally, a group of us that met on Lapbandtalk decided to meet in person at a local food court at a mall (a public place so its non-threatening to anyone the first time to come and check us out). It is a combined group of four different hospital/bariatric centers in our town of patients pre-op and post op and we usually have anywhere from 5-10 people a month. We sit and have coffee/drinks or whatever from 2-4 pm on the 2nd Saturday of the month and its been a great way to diversify and see what different programs are like. Now, I have to tell you, my hospital's bariatric coordinator isn't thrilled with the idea because I'm finding it is a competitive thing to get patients for cost reasons, but for those of us who want support, its been fabulous. We have even started swapping clothes with each other and giving help and advice/our experiences only, no medical advice, to self-pays who went out of town but live her locally. I mark the spot where we meet with a Helium Balloon so new folks can find us in the food court. It works like a charm. The mall staff has never bothered us because we are sitting there eating or drinking some of their food but many of us bring our own Water bottles and things along.

MsCathy-- don't feel selfish at all. I had some of the same feelings of being liberated when my mother's husband that had Alzheimers and needed 24 hours a day care finally passed away that gave both her some rest and freedom as well as for me too. It is a natural release and its God's blessing to you to now rest content in that you did all you could. :thumbup:

SailorChristy - yes I had to go be evaluated in a sleep study and now have had a CPAP machine for about 2 years and I'm glad I did it. The actual testing process at the sleep center was very hard on me too. I couldn't get past the idea of being wired up and watched while I tried to sleep. I was exhausted when I went home after both nights there, took a shower and got the gunk out of my hair, and went to bed and slept for real at home for the morning. Hang in there on the personal relationship front too. I am still single at this point but the more relationships I went through where I thought this guy or that one respected me for who I was and not just for size, and when things didn't work out I was always down. So, here I am now doing this lapband program just for myself, not for catching or keeping a man by getting thinner or prettier. I forget, are you in the pre-op stages, doing all the pre-surgery approvals and clearances? That part did take alot out of me jumping through those hoops but I would tell you to just keep going and it will be so worth it.

I'm glad to hear that the first thing you did was absolutely the right thing -- checking with your own surgeon. I'm glad to hear he tried to reassure you that its okay. Trust him and if its still painful, call him again. On the gaining before 1st fill, I have heard of folks doing that because your band is wide open and you can eat just about anything so just keep trying the best you can to stick to maybe 1200 calories or so, get exercise, and hang in there. With each fill things will be better.

No fill for me today at my check up - I told him I didn't think I needed one for now and he said, Okay, from what you are describing I'd have to say I agree with you. I had lost 8 lbs in the 6 weeks since my last fill and I didn't think that was so great but he was pleased and said to keep up the exercise and he'd see me again in 6 weeks - I have a post Thanksgiving appt so I guess I better watch my P's & Q's (turkey, dressing, etc. too!) on the holiday dinner so I don't gain. P.S. I took a -62 lbs picture with Dr. Miller today -- what a nice doc!

This was kind of a neat thing to try to check out what I mentally could think of as Before and After. It lets you pick height, weight, facial characteristics, body type, hair color, and a few things but its just to give you an idea. http://preventionweightloss.mvm.com/rodale_wl_ctx/jsp/sim.jsp :teeth_smile: Kinda cool! Weight loss simulator.doc

Yes, I'd say I'm definitely at my sweet spot - I'm at 1/2 to 3/4 cup maximum at a time right now and I'm doing all I can to make that 1/2 cup be as good as I can make it. I need to get better at doing 6x a day with 1/2 cup instead of trying to eat 3/4 to 1 cup 3-4 times. Every day is a new learning experience but with tomorrow Oct 17 being 7 months out for me, I wouldn't trade it for anything. Keep on Shrinking Shamrocks! You inspire me and this is one of my favorite threads to follow because I know we are all at the same place in journey post op.

Tomorrow will be 7 months out from my surgery. Are you out there GregW and Suecasb? How are you doing? The time if flying by incredibly fast. I'm stuck around 63 lbs right now but just working the program every day. Feeling like I am at my sweet spot with only being about to eat about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of food at a time. Okay, so I tried experimenting with getting a hotdog and french fries at lunch today for something different to eat that I hadn't tried in forever. I ate maybe 8 total fries and was so stuffed I threw the rest away. Can't stand cold french fries so that was a big waste of money I won't try again. I tossed aside the bun on the hotdog and with slow steady small bites, was able to eat the hotdog. Wow -- 1 year ago I would have been able to eat at least 2 or 3 hot dogs with the buns, probably potato chips as a side and of course wash it all down with a big Diet Pepsi...as if diet pop would save calories. Duh! Life sure is different -- Good different!

I'll be bringing some of my larger 3x size Christmas shirts, sweaters, adn things that no longer fit if anyone needs those sizes for the holidays! I could use a couple 2x Christmas things if anyone is past that stage by that mid-November point.

I live alone so I'll be thankful that I don't have anyone to blame except for myself if tempting things find their way inside my house...but I can believe how hard it is when someone you love puts temptation in your path. I tripped up in the candy aisle at the store with a Reese's cup packet that called my name with all the aisles of Halloween candy everywhere and such a bargain on sale (2 for $1) but not a bargain if it takes time to lose those pounds again. Keep on shrinking Shamrocks... step away from the candy and donuts!

Carol and Niki - we did miss you yesterday but each month we seem to add new faces so this little informal group is such a blessing to me. We had a lady named Kenna join us yesterday from Barix and she is having her surgery on Tuesday a.m. so say a prayer and keep good thoughts for her. We answered lots of questions for her and I hope didn't scare her too much with our stories of being stuck or restricted, etc. but at least she knows what real banded people really do day to day. She asked each of us, would you do this again or do you regret it and we all resoundingly said we'd get banded again in a heartbeat. Take care. Carol- Loved getting home in time to watch the 2nd half of the game on TV --so jealous you got to go to the game in person at the horseshoe!

Hi Shawn, You've found the USA Local Support Group - Ohio subforum of Lapbandtalk and yes, there is a Columbus thread on it. We chat up a storm from different perspectives with those of us from Riverside's Fresh Start, Mt. Carmel's, OSU, Barix, or even self pay bandsters in the area. Welcome! We also get together once a month at Polaris Mall. Keep an eye out under the Ohio Subforum for info about the November meeting. HeatherA is from Fresh Start's program and she keeps us organized. Bookmark this as a Favorite if you'd like to take you right to the Ohio subforum. http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f56/

Susan -- aka Seebs -- Happy October Bandiversary-- I think you said -84 lbs and that is wonderful! Congratulations.

Good to hear from you Sarah. Hang in there! Dr. Miller does a great job on my fills - hits my port within seconds and painless. So nice!

At our local Walk from Obesity last weekend, Allergan had a representative there who was handing out information and he had actual samples of the AP bands and the ports we could see and touch and he was really interested to talk with us about our experiences. Couple interesting facts for the attached scanned pages of the brochure I thought were most interesting to me: 1. Comparison of the AP-S band to the AP-L band in side by side in one photo so you can see the relative difference of the two band sizes. 2. Comparison of the regular size port and the mini-port in one photo. 3. Comparison of Allergan's previous band versions to the AP band version. 4. Good close up photo of what the pillows of the band inside the band where the saline goes. 5. Good close up photo of what the buckle looks like. 6. Good picture of a band around a stomach forming the pouch. 7. Charts I've seen before comparing statistics on AGLB (Adjustable Gastric Lap Band) to RNY Gastric Bypass and also now to the VSG- cal Sleeve Gastrectomy. 8. I asked the Allergan directly about the potential for a bad fill episode where they miss your port if they are hitting the tubing and potentially causing a leak for the saline. He said no, look at picture of the port's plastic area that is a semi-hard plastic or silicone and see where there is a piece about 6" long that projects from the port and then after about 6" the flexible tubing begins that goes up to where the band itself is at. He said this was an improvement in design made by Allergan after they learned of some leak issues in early model ports if the tubing was nicked during a fill because the flexible tubing went right up to the port itself. So for some of the newbies and longer term bandsters who may have tried hunting on the internet or this forum for good pictures of the band and ports, enjoy! :smile2: P.S. Hold on, the site is warning me to make the file attachments smaller so I'll repost the attachments.

Look for us between Chik-Fil-A and Great Indoors at the Polaris Mall food court. There will be a yellow Smiley Face helium baloon marking our spot.