Lana24

I can't even tell you what I would give for a magic bean or a pill or powder...(lol) that could fix all my problems ! But the Enlightened truth is that life is a journey, plain and simple. Without conflict there would be no struggle that forces growth and without growth there would be no life...making this all pointless. Just because someone is related to you does not mean that they KNOW the path, or that they are even on the path it just means you share blood. That's it...

So with that being said I think it is ok to exclude some people, take others under your wing and with the majority a casual hello will do.

I have been over weight my whole adult life and my mother and I had to come to an agreement that my weight was just something we don't talk about. (mainly because she really knows how to sabotage) this was something I had to learn on MY journey if I wanted to keep her in my life. Good luck Lana

Mine was when my kid (at the time she was 3), saw a commercial for slim fast...she patted me on the tummy and told me I should buy it....sad but true

Why am I fat,

I don't like to cry or hurt people so I stuff it down, I stuff it down until all my problems turn to sh*t (literally)...

Do they have any that reduce the butt??? I'm losing all my weight in my boobs (husband is NOT happy) and my big butt is still there..... Bigger than Dallas!!!! I've only been banded 3 weeks but already went down a bra size. WOW!!

aubrie,

did you go down a cup size or bra band size?

lol...Lana I got called that a month or so ago, I was fighting for a parkign spot, I won. When I got this chick yelled out of her car "You stupid skinny bitch" I cried in the mall parking lot...lol...

I agree I see others now very differently. I feel like that robot is standing over me "Danger Will Robinson, Danger". People just can't accept change in others. But what gets my goats is most of them were the ones treating me bad before, I guess I shouldn't expect less now eh?

I know those danger signs...and yes so to speak you are in danger! As we grow and I know getting this band will be a growth process for me our old life sluffs off, our old ways and habits, the people we once chose to spend time with may change, it is all part of the process. The thing now is we can not self protect with food we have to find courage to face it. The world is a scary place when no one likes you, it IS easier to be the fat funny girl who is never seen as a threat. But the pretty girl, the pretty smart girl, the pretty, sexy, smart girl...wow now that is a threat. And the hateful bitches of the world are happy to try and destroy that. Yes you are in danger and so am I...

Hello Everyone,

I need to interject, you are all sooooo right. Its not just limited to weight but a fat girl with a good man is still a "fat" girl, a "fat" girl with a good job is still just a fat girl..but a large weight lose does not "even" the playing field it changes the whole damn game. And yes that tends to piss people off. Remember most of us are ultra sensative (that is why we end up here). I think the first lesson to be learned is that "not everybody is your friend" no matter how friendly they seem. (this includes relatives, cousins parents and nosy neighbors)

and second if nobody knows "personal business" about you then there is nothing to "attack"...all they have left to say is "you skinny bitch"...and I would personally love to hear that!

good luck,

Lana

Well - without being overly graphic.. sliming is when something gets stuck on the way to your stomach, and your body produces lots and lots of saliva and mucas to try and get it down. The icky part is - it doesn't work. The saliva and mucas end up puddling in your mouth and you have to constantly spit it out. It's really gross and I recommend trying to avoid if at all possible.

ICK!

I was in NYC over the weekend and ate a small corner of a street vendor soft pretzel. It got stuck and I was in misery!! I had no where to hide and was ducking behind cars trying to spit it up. It was so "un-lady like!". I hope to NEVER feel that pain again!

yuck (much needed info) and thanks...lol

good luck Michelle..

Mrs SmartyPants,

Don't trip! You did exceptionally well...Like you said you could have eaten 3 and been completely sidelined by the depression that seems to always follow. And then the 3 more burgers, fries, soda and shake to follow just to get rid of the depression from the first 3 burgers...Talk about one hell of a cycle!

Thanks for the encouragement!! I spoke with my surgeons office today and it looks like I'll probably get to get banded on 01/07/08. I'm so excited!

good luck and keep us (those of us waiting) posted

Now I finally see what all the fuss is about. I think I'm liking the band now - FINALLY! I got my 2nd fill last week, and now have 5cc's in my 10cc AP Small Band.

All I can say is..... YOWZA!!!! I had my first PB, my first true "stuck" experience - and I loved it. Crazy, but true. Don't get me wrong, the pain was almost unbearable, but for the first time since surgery I felt like something was finally done. I was starting to think my surgeon didn't actually put the band in, it was all just a dream or something.

I still haven't weighed myself - I hate my scale and haven't stepped on in weeks. I get sooo depressed when I don't see a change, and my scale and I are not on speaking terms right now. I think I'll get up the nerve to step on in a few days. We'll see.

For those who are experiencing frustration (believe me, I did!!!) - hang in there. There is no mistaking true restriction. You'll know it when it happens. There is a light at the end of the tunnel - dont give up hope. I'm blissfully PB'ing and sliming and all those horrible things we shouldn't do. I'm learning that bread is the enemy and drinking anything while eating is a huge mistake. I think I will end up loving this band, even though we got off to a very rocky start

Re-newed hope is a wonderful thing!

Yankee,

what is sliming?????

I was diagnosed with FMS in 1994. My symptoms are much better with my weight loss but I still have "sleep pattern disturbances", as in I wake every couple of hours. Part of the problem is that I work nights, on my nights off, I sometimes can sleep 4 hours straight without waking. After my PS this month and the 6 week recovery period, I'm going to start looking for a different job, as in a day job.

I guess I'm pretty lucky as my PMS has been moderate, the strongest meds I've had to take for pain was Ultram, then I switched to Ibuprofen and now I don't take anything. I know that there are a lot of people that really suffer with FMS and have terrible pain and end up disabled. Hope you don't suffer too much with your newly diagnosed FMS. Good Luck to everyone that has FMS!

Hi Angel,

Thank you so much for your response. I feel a bit better a little relief is better than NONE...I have had symptoms since 1991 but no one could figure it out. When I finally reached the correct "type" of doctor he scratched his head as well. It took him 5 years to figure it out and by the time he did I was "half dead" emotionally. I was in to much pain death seemed like a very reasonable solution. Thank God and the Angels above that it is better. I can live with some pain but not the blinding, headslitting, thigh numbing, death crawl I was living with before. I hope all goes well with the new job search....

best wishes Lana

Well folks, it is done!!!!! All went well, I also got the new band. Just resting at home now. Some shoulder and upper abdominal discomfort but I'll live. Was real groogy after I came home. Today I am much better. I can't believe after so many years of trying I finally got it done.

:clap2::clap2::clap2::clap2:

congrats thunder!

pls keep us informed

Want2,

Thank you so much for your input, so far there are now 2 things that are moving me away from dr machado

#1 no barium after lap band ( could save my life)

#2 maybe too conservative with fills ( I have heard both sides of the flouroscopy and in the end it could make the differances of comfort and taking too much time off to run back and forth to the damn doc's office.

As I am a work in progress, so is my decision as to which doctor I may end up choosing.

Thank you again

Want2,

no 3 things #3 that damn administration fee of 2800.00 (there goes the new washer and dryer I wanted) lol

Just a quick side note... not to discourage anybody, but just wanted to put my 2 cents in about Dr. Machado... (no hate mail, please!) ~ I was banded in Mexico by a great doctor. Been trying to find somebody up here in Sac that will do fills. I went to Dr. M's orientation, which she said would be required for me to attend even if I was just looking for 'fills'. I wont get into how rude she was to me, but my point is this: Dr. M is conservative because she doesn't use flouroscopy to do fills, "I just do it in my office, there's no need for a flouro"... That's why she's conservative. The flouro gives you the most accurant fill, BECAUSE YOU CAN SEE THE DAMN THING ON THE SCREEN. Adding a bit at a time seems, well... like an insurance scam for one thing... and well, we'll leave it at that. In my humble opinion, its a waste of a patients time and money to be strung along on her 6 week journeys. Sorry, but if I need a fill, I need a fill! I've only needed one so far, and getting to where I'll need another here soon (losing weight fast), and my doctor will do it because he (and she) uses flouroscopy.

Sorry about the rant... I don't want to discourage anybody, but if I needed a fill and was told no, I'd be freakin' pissed off!

(if anybody wants to know more about why I can't stand this doc, email me privately. I don't want this to become one of those hate threads!) ~~~ thx.

Want2,

Thank you so much for your input, so far there are now 2 things that are moving me away from dr machado

#1 no barium after lap band ( could save my life)

#2 maybe too conservative with fills ( I have heard both sides of the flouroscopy and in the end it could make the differances of comfort and taking too much time off to run back and forth to the damn doc's office.

As I am a work in progress, so is my decision as to which doctor I may end up choosing.

Thank you again

So, I went to get my second fill today, as I've been feelnig rather hungry. When I saw the barium go through the band pre-adjustment, I was shocked and the doctor said "wow, you are wide open." I asked him why, since I saw last time it was pretty restrictive. He just smiled and said, "Because you are losing weight and there is less fat pushing around the band. The fat pushing around the band also helps restriction, but once you lose fat the band can and will get looser "on it's own." He asked me how restricted I wanted to be and I told him to go for the gusto. He told me I'm "liquid tight" right now, and I'd better chew good in two weeks, when I go back to solids. Very cool.

Three NSV's

1. Wearing jeans I haven't worn in 2.5 years

2. Losing enough weight to affect the band

3. Having the radiology tech say, "Hey, you are looking good, you're getting to be a skinny man!!!" If he wasn't a dude, I would have kissed him, so I just slapped him on the a$$. *kidding*

Hi Kago,

Congrats on the progress I am proud of you...

Pushups, on your toes. They will not only work your back, but your shoulders, arms, and abs. I noticed a bid difference once my trainer made me do them on my toes. I'm up to 26 in a row, but she wants me to work up to 50 in a row. We'll see about that.....

Actually, its funny that you say that its the last place that you're losing because it was the first place that I lost. My back has become completely flat but I have huge issues with the front! Maybe I should do some crunches!!!

that is great advice...

I know this isn't a nice topic but backfat is my problem. I knew I would have extra skin in my tummy, but my back is aweful. I look good from the front so far. Yet my back seems to not be loosing the fat the way the rest of my body is.... I think this is really ugly. I wish I had an idea about what to do about it. I have lost 65lbs and @195 so I want to lose at least another 40-50lbs. I am wondering if that will get better when I lose the rest of my weight? Is there a way to tone your back?

back fat is one small reason we are all here...back fat, front fat, side fat and just plain old fat...lol

Hello! I also have Dr. Machado and when you say program fee do you mean a fee at the orientation? Because the answer is no. I really like Dr. Machado. My only advice for someone looking into the band, dont expect to drop weight super fast in the begining. Dr. M's office is a tad on the conservative side with the fills. You HAVE to wait 6 weeks in between no matter what. First fill 1cc second fill 2cc then after that its .50cc then down to .25. Dr.M is more likely to give you more but not the nurse practitioner. Okay if you have ANY questions feel free to ask.

Kristin,

Did you have surgery with her when she was in the Medclinic building before she became the director of sac bariatrics? Because now that she is director she charges a program fee of 2800.00 above and beyond what insurance will cover. It is an administrative fee to cover group, forum and emails to the staff. That is the ONLY part I am disappointed about...

I'm new to this site, but saw the Sac thread. I am from Folsom and was banded on 1/10/05 by Dr. Laura Machado w/ Sacramento Bariatric. Dr. Bruce Wolfe is also with this practice. As Anne said, he's not a big advocate of the band, mostly b/c of the unknown and he's been doing bypass for YEARS! Dr Machado, on the other hand, is wonderful!! She's an advocate of getting healthy... band or bypass! I found her absolutely wonderful and would highly recommend her to anyone. The office staff is awesome too. I'd be happy to answer any questions on the practice.

Tracey

Banded 1/10/05

Tracey,

When you saw Dr Machado was there a program fee?

Lana - Sorry for the late post. For some reason LBT isn't sending me my messages about people responding now. Hmmm. Imagine, a computer malfunction. Who would have thought? LOL

No, I haven't worried about getting too skinny. One of the beauties of the band is that it's adjustable not only tighter but looser. If I find I can't quit loosing (wow what a thought), I would have them loosen it.

I have warned my family that there will come a time when they will be telling me I'm skinny enough but that my goal is a healthy BMI. I reassured them that I'm not even shooting for the lowest point in that range but that I'm determined to not be overweight or obese.

I'm so excited about all of this. I can't believe it's only 6 days now until I'm banded. It sure has been a long 6 months getting here. I guess I should be grateful because I found out that people who are just starting out on the So. San Francisco Kaiser program are now having to wait 5 to 6 months for their next appointments. That means that it will be close to a year for their surgeries if they don't have any problems that slow them down. That would be really hard. Kaiser seems to be very overwhelmed with the number of patients that are flooding into the bariactric department. I can't help but think that it is because they decided to do the lap band.

Anyway, good luck on your appointment. On the 11th I'll be heading down to SSF to stay the night so I can get up in the morning for surgery. Just think, you'll be heading for your surgery sooner then you think.

Vicki thanks

I have been reading a lot of other posts and the "fear" of being too thin is now gone. I just had to switch my brain to worrying more about health and not so much what the scale says. I also have to wait and find out where my body will fall in all of this. Just because I want a specific size does not mean my body can or can't do it. So all I can do is wait and see.

Your support means the world

hey,

when you saw dr machado was there a program fee?

I am concidering having this done, would like the name of a good dr in Reno or in Sacremento areas? Connie:)

dr laura machado is also good...you can google her and her site will pop up

Hey guys...

I'm still a newbie to the site and am at the very beginning of this process. Although I'm learning a lot, I've never had surgery before so I'm a little nervous. My big question right now is about the breathing tube. Does it hurt?

Any input you guys can give would be great! Congrats to you all!

you'll never know it...

Hi,

I haven't been banded yet (planning on Jan '08) but I was recently diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. My rheumatologist says it might go away when I lose all my weight. I just wondered if anyone here has had FMS and if it improved after your weight loss.

Thanks!

I was diagnosised with fibro also, I had a hysterctomy a year ago and my symptoms are a lot better. I am uncomfortable some days but not miserable. And I also noticed that with a daily Protein shake I have no pain at all. I once heard fibro is a Protein deficency. Works for me...