notateechanow

Be sure to park underground! I made the mistake for my first 6 months of parking across the street--it's farther away AND more expensive. Just be sure to take your ticket with you and pay inside. It's not like the Faulkner with the manned booth to pay. I thought you had to switch from the parking garage elevator to the one on the other side of the foyer!! If you take the elevator up to the 2nd floor (The PIKE) then there's an info booth directly on your right as you get off. They can direct you! :frown:

Down 100 pounds....with 40 or so to go! The running is finally paying off! :ohmy: I started at a size 22 or 24 pant, bought a misses 14 today! I have NO idea how to put photos in, so let's hope this works.

Ms Dollaz, The reason they give you the Upper GI is to check for a hiatial hernia. If you have one, they still go ahead with the surgery, but they take the extra 20 or so minutes to repair it while giving you the lap band. No worries. It won't change when you have things done---just what they do while they're in there! Coral, You left your water bottle behind last night. I think Jamie took it with her.... Tova, We've missed you! Hope things are going well. Glad to hear you're losing again!!!! Jay, You were missed, as was Yvonne!! It was kinda quiet without you there, and definitely fewer laughs..... Heidi, What's up girl? How many days til you leave?! Hope you feel better. Tanya, So glad you made the effort to be there less than 2 weeks after surgery! Hope your first day back to work was a good one. Get some rest. You're probably going to be very tired!! Many of us can't go to the next meeting--it's during school vacation week. So....a handful of us intend to go visit Phyllis over at the Faulkner instead. If you're interested, come join us!

Jay, you should be a writer or a comedian. I love how you describe things!! I am going to the meeting and bringing along my friend, Jamie, too. I am going to have to bolt as soon as it's over because I have a friend in from out of state......promised him we'd do St. Patty's partying. I'm in. See you all tomorrow! :scared2:

Jay, I have to warn you that it took me at least 3 months of doing as directed before I lost weight. I strongly urge you to take measurements. I worked out over an hour and a half a day for my first 2 months. I finally met with the nutritionist--and she looked at my diet. She recommended that I increase my protein and CUT BACK on the exercise. I think you should see her, too....keep track of what you eat in a journal to share with her. Track your water, sleep and exercise, too. It's all a balancing act. Once you find the right balance for YOUR body, it'll all start working. I also wanted to tell you that it took me at least 2-3 fills before I noticed restriction.......You didn't gain this weight overnight. This isn't GB surgery. It takes time for your body to adjust. Stick with it, Jay.....it WILL happen. It just takes time.....I know it seems like it takes forever and it does. But it DOES come off.

The surgeons from the Brigham and the Faulkner are the same. you can go to one info session or the other--no need to do both. You will need to stay over night for one night, and the advantage of the Faulkner is the private rooms....no roommate! My experience has been great with this program. The follow up has definitely been adequate for me. Good luck. Definitely go to an info session, but also consider attending a support group meeting, too!

Hey there...Jesse from Jersey is coming up on St. Patty's Day. Trying to talk him into joining me for the meeting, but not sure that's gonna happen. :thumbup: So....he's pushing me to go out for the night, so it's unlikely I'll be joining you after the meeting after all....gotta be a good hostess. :w00t: Will let you know what happens. :tt2:

ABSOLUTELY! I went through a few months of buyer's remorse. I had a lot going on and things to work through---from re-establishing all of my relationships (who knew how much we relied on food to be our connector....) to working on losing weight and not having the desired results. This isn't a sprint--it's a marathon. Along that route you'll encounter some hills, valleys, and definitely some straightaways.....but in the end, your sacrifices NOW will lead to a better life. I promise. It's hard now, no doubt. There are still very hard days for me. It won't go away. You've established your routines and life around eating for so many years. It's such a huge part of our identity! It gets easier. Think about counseling if it's covered by insurance. It was truly one of the best things I did for myself. The band is just one of the tools you'll need for your new life. When the food is taken away, you'll realize it was often something we did to avoid other things in our lives....and now you have no other option but to face those things. You'll get through this and feel like yourself sooner or later. I won't promise you that it's going to get easier right away. It took me a while..but it does get better. Again, the benefits far outweigh a few months of struggle, remorse, and frustration. You'll get there soon enough, Jay. We're here to help you. :thumbup:

Puking is different for everyone. The surgeons will tell you it should never happen. I realize now that I'm not vomiting as much as I thought I was---because I'm not really vomiting. I get nervous that something might feel funky and spit it back up, before it's had the chance to reach my stomach. I've had mornings where oatmeal comes right back at me, but evening when burritos--rice, tortilla, chicken and all---goes down without issue. I never know how my day or night is going to go.....I have never had the wretching vomiting that you'd get if you had the flu. However, I often regurgitate food that I know isn't going to go down or just feels wrong. I've had weeks when I do that several times a day and some weeks when it never happens. You never know....but again, the surgeons say that it shouldn't be happening. Has anyone ever talked with a surgeon who has been banded, though?? I'd be curious to see how different the ideas are.....

Heidi, Focus on the rules and you'll be fine. Be sure that if you're drinking, you drink. No munching. No nibbling. Is it possible you're tight because of your cycle or stress? I find my band to be tremendously sensitive to both. No reason to act like a "responsible adult" on vacation. Heck, it's Jamaica. No one wants that.....especially if you don't have kids with you! So to respond to everything posted prior---there are a few things I learned pre-op: don't admit to snoring or any other health issues for which you're not already medicated. Say you have a wonderful support system during the psych eval---never admitting that anyone in your family has either pysch issues or any kind of addiction. (THEY have no way of knowing!) Smile and just keep smiling. Appointments never run on time, so schedule extra, and most importantly, KEEP ALL OF YOUR RECEIPTS for the co-pays. I have received several bills from the Brigham for appointment for which I PAID. I have no proof, but I've never entered an appointment and NOT paid...Above all, attend support group meetings as these are people who have experienced most of what you will encounter. They will understand everything you're going through in a way that no one else can or will. Use this website as much as you can, too. People are tremendously helpful if you give them the chance to be. It isn't easy and there are a lot of sacrifices. But in the end it is absolutely worth every sacrifice I've made. I'm about 14-15 months post-op and nearly 100 pounds down. I would have given my left leg to lose this much weight but now I don't have to make that sacrifice. :tt2: In the end, the pain, frustration and even vomiting are worth not having to shop at the Avenue or Lane Bryant ever again....... oh, the possibilities!!

Coral, It was great to finally have someone who was banded before all of us to be part of the group. We'd love to have you talk more next time---maybe we'll try not to talk quite so much and give you a chance. It's great to have your experience and knowledge! Thanks for coming. Looking forward to seeing you again!

I'm bringing a friend who had surgery at the Faulkner. She hasn't been to a meeting, so I'm excited to get her to join us......I'm up for going out after.

Any of you ever get pain behind or around your port? Lately I have had these weird twinges of aches on my port side. It's not horrible, but if it was on my band side, I'd probably have gone to my doctor....I just don't see any reason to have the soreness from my port. I had surgery over 14 months ago and haven't had a fill since the end of November......AND it doesn't feel like the pain is coming from the port--it's behind and around the port, but too high to be menstrual pain.....ugh!

Well, if THAT'S the case, then maybe you and I should meet after your fill, and since you can only have liquids, have a few drinks BEFORE the meeting? Sure would make the meeting more interesting. You entertain me sober...I can't imagine how hard I'd laugh at you drunk!!!!!

If Ya'll aren't going, you'd better tell me soon. In our school system it's called EVACUATION DAY and that means it's a day off for me. I was going to go because I figured you all would be there!!!

If I were you, I'd politely call and plead ignorance....and ask if there was some reason they forgot to call or just haven't called. Two weeks seems like a long time to wait for a return phone call. I was persistent and got everything done in less than 2 months....though I didn't need a sleeps study. I'd just ask Jennifer what she recommends and how to get through to them....

You go girl! Excellent. I took to layering sports bras. I realize it's probably easier to buy new ones, but until I'm at a size closer to goal, I can't see the logic in investing $35 each when I have so many. Which reminds me....if anyone is in need of these types of things, in the spring I intend to clean out my drawers and would pass along any that are presentable and in good condition! (I think mine are pretty large---like 46D or 46DD, maybe??) Anyway, can you call and ask them to give you a call should Dr. Vernon have a cancellation? I know you probably need to make plans in advance, but it can't hurt to try....they should know at least a day in advance, right?? Glad to hear you're kicking up the intensity of your workouts! I'm on week 3 of my training for the 5K. I ran for intervals of 5 minutes with 2.5 of walking for almost 55 minutes yesterday...I'll get there, it just won't be easy. :thumbup:

No school tomorrow. :wink: We'll be in school through July at this point...UGH. Enjoy the snow!!