John

Specifically on the Eastern Shore by any chance? Did the band in '04 and have relapsed. My fault. Back then there was no support group over here and no other bandsters that I could find. Hoping there may be a few by now, especially on the upper shore. If so, I look forward to hearing from you. John

I'm in Chestertown.

Thanks. Didn't have any luck...most likely operator error! But I'm still looking. John

I know, I should probably be on the men's forum, but is there anyone out there on the upper Eastern Shore (Q.A., Kent Counties?) Banded in early 2004 and relapsed, I really NEED to get back on track! Thanks! John

Pizzaman: Damn...what can I say about the nurse? Just keep working on the fluids, I felt like my stomach was full of foam for a few days...and sipping the water a bit at a time seemed to displace it. Carried a soda can around like a spitoon for a few days. Kinda gross to others, but the heck with them...this is about you. Keep going! The liquid stage will pass. You'll be surprised how much you lose and then when you get to the mushy food, chew the hell out of it and you'll be surprised at how much flavor there is that way. What really surprised me was that post op for a long time, and still occasionally, driving by a fast food place or in a grocery with a deli, the smell would make me queasy...and NOTHING has ever done that. One thing you might want to look for is something called "Natural Lemon" or Natural Lime." Probably around the baking items or Splenda. It's pure dehydrated lemon or lime juice in powder form. I add just a tiny bit to water and nothing else and it makes it seem more refreshing. Or you can add a touch of Splenda also for lime or lemonade. When you get to the food stages, it's great also. A bottle equals about 40 lemons.

Thanks for all the positive comments everyone. Today was a bit off, but recovered well as the day went on. Just gotta stick with the plan and remember what fun it'll be on the back end. Who know's? Maybe time for another Harley... As to "gold standards"...I heard and have read the same as most here likely did. I rejected it out of hand for a couple of reasons. First, studies I read showed that the post op "pouch" would grow at the rate of about 10% a year from normal stretching. So in 10 years or less, the pouch is the same size as your stomach. Also for me, with the traveling I do and the sometimes lack of decent (clean) medical facilities sometimes several hours away, the risk of a staple popping, leakage and infection was an unacceptable risk. Finally, I had seen and heard too many folks who were having problems with the GB. So the band was a no brainer. As far as my back slide, that was my fault, not the band. Would I do it (the Lap Band)again? Absolutely. Insurance...in Maryland, the state legslature passed a law a few years back requiring that insurance companies doing business in the state could not deny the surgery. They were smart to recognize the long term health care costs far exceeded the cost of surgery.

Bruce: Thanks for the encouragement. The game began again yesterday and went pretty good. Just a matter of paying attention to what's important...today's pretty good too. One step at a time. John Saturday 512 BMI 77 Today 510 Goal 200

Steve: You'll wake up to a beautiful nursing student...and you'll be in a hospital gown.... Seriously, you'll likely feel a bit bloated and gassy, don't worry about taking anything, they'll handle it for you. As soon as you can, get up and start moving around, it helps your body absorb the gas they pumped into you so they could see and work. It'll also make it easier for you to be able to swallow liquids a day or two after...which is a benchmark for getting out of the hospital. You'll be amazed how hungry you are not going to be in the first days and weeks...at least I was. Everyone is a bit different. As you can see from my posts, I'm new here. The support and positive emails have been great. I fell off the process for two years; no one's fault but mine. Never had any support in this area and finding this has been great. I have no doubt that this time I WILL remove the 325 pounds I need to to be where I want. BMI of 77 just won't cut it anymore. Like you, I'm doing it for my grandson. 3 years old and has already dealt with cancer and his Army dad taking a hike with a woman in his unit. If he can keep a smile on his face and laugh like he does, I can do this for him. Congrats of the birth, happy b'day and have a great surgery! John

Got banded 2 years ago. All went great...was well on my way after dropping 100 pounds...planned to lose another 150...but work and things caused me to backslide. Being out of the country for awhile and having a doc whose followup was less than what I wanted didn't help...but that's my fault for not raising the roof. Or taking care of myself. Anyway, I've been looking for good info and this looks like a great start. Have made an apppointment with a nutritionist to restart the process. I have a long way to go, but don't intend to drop the ball again.