Tricia K.

I've heard of the 18 mos. to 2 years for gastric bypass patients but not for band patients. My surgeon said I only had to wait a year to get pregnant. Good luck with whatever you choose.

Awesome!!

Ok, I just returned home from a 2 mile walk and will be going bowling tonight for 2 1/2 hours (minimum)....I'm doing ok for the week.

I'll join this challenge. I'm already bowling 1 night a week for 2 1/2 hrs. as well as taking a Krav Maga class 1 night a week for 1 hour. I'm sure I can add 3 more days of aerobics into my schedule. I'm already under 1200 calories per day so that won't be a problem. Are we tracking our progress somewhere/somehow?

Registering on this site might help you locate a surgeon in Aruba. Just make sure you register with the address of the hotel where you're staying, not your home address, as it will provide you the surgeon closest to the address provided. http://www.lap-band.com/lapband2/locator.jsp Good luck!!

I went the self-pay route as well. My surgeon was Dr. Thomas Lavin at Surgical Specialists of Louisiana. The low-risk, outpatient surgery, which includes surgeon fees, hospital fees, anesthesiologist and 1 year of follow-up care with fills is $12,900. It does not cover the pre-surgery blood work, the psych evaluation (approx. $50), the initial visit fee of $125 or any necessary sleep studies, etc. Thankfully, I didn't require any pre-surgery sleep study or other tests. Plus, my regular insurance paid for the blood work. The only fees beyond the actual surgery that I paid for out of pocket were the initial visit and psych evaluation, which totaled $175. Check out their web site at www.whyweight.com.

I lost 23 lbs. between my surgery date (9/16/05) and my first fill (11/3/05). Prior to my fill, I was still eating significantly less than I did pre-surgery but now my restriction is even better. With that said, I hope to lose an average of 5-10 lbs. per month from now on.

Yes, every doctor is different. Today I went in for my first fill and my doctor told me that I should stay on full liquids today and tomorrow morning, mushies tomorrow afternoon and evening and then proceed to solid foods the following day.

I just returned home from getting my first fill and I didn't feel a thing. I wasn't nervous at all but rather curious.

Like Bensmum, my surgeon only required that I go on an all-liquid diet the day before my surgery. When I met with him 2 weeks before the surgery, he did suggest that I try to lose 5-7 lbs. prior to surgery to shrink the size of my liver. But, I only lost 2 lbs. pre-surgery, which was fine by him. The ONLY thing they don't want you to do is gain pre-surgery. Even losing 1-2 lbs. will help shrink your liver. If you're going to eat solid foods, make sure it's high Protein and NO CARBS!! In between your high protein foods, drink the liquids. You may also try Protein shakes, which can be quite filling. Good luck!!

It seems that every surgeon has a different post-surgery diet. I was only on mushies for about a week and then started on solid foods. You just have to introduce one new thing at a time. But, as long as you're already on solid foods, you should be able to eat candy - - just don't over-do it next time. Eat ONE piece!! As far as your morning pain is concerned, it may have been that you ate the candy late at night and then went to bed. You didn't give your new stomach enough time to digest the candy so when you woke up, your band was tight and caused some discomfort. Just make sure you discuss all of this with your doctor tomorrow.

Hello everyone. I joined the other day and have been perusing the board ever since. I thought it was about time that I said hello. I was banded on 9/16/05 and am doing extremely well. I had outpatient surgery and was leaving the surgery center an hour and a half after having surgery. The nurses seemed rather amazed. Anyway, I've had no complications and things are progressing well. Check my signature for my weight loss results. Have a great day!

Ok, well I'm happy to hear that I'm not the only one. I'm glad you don't have a temperature or other problems with the incision. Since there's only 1 day difference in our surgery dates, we'll have to go through this together. Here's hoping for a speedy recovery on your incision!

Thanks, Kathy. I too had stitches and steri-strips and don't really consider the one incision that's currently a bit red a big problem. I just want it to look like the others ones....NOW! LOL...anyway, I'm happy to hear that you didn't have any problems.

I wasn't referring to the port site. I was referring to one of the other incisions. I did go to the doc last week and she said as long as it doesn't get bigger and my temp doesn't get to 101 or above, there's nothing to worry about. She said it may ooze a little pus but it's nothing to be alarmed about. My question was whether or not anyone else had this happen to them and, if so, how long did it take for the redness to go away and the incision scar to look dark purple like the others. Thanks!

I'm having a different issue with one of my non-port incisions. 4 of my incisions have healed perfectly fine but one is still very red and raised. I don't have a temperature but I noticed a yellow substance just under the skin last night so I sterilized a needle, poked at it and a little bit of pus came out. Has anyone else had this issue and will it eventually resolve itself? Any info would be appreciated. Thanks!

I was banded on 9/16/05 and wasn't at all nervous about the anesthesia. I had every confidence in my surgeon and the anesthesiologist. Just make sure that you ask the anesthesiologist any questions you may have. This may alleviate your fears. My stomach felt a little weird but not bad. I had a little bit of pain from the incisions but nothing else. You may feel the liquids draining from the pouch but it doesn't hurt. Just take it easy and don't do any lifting, try not to bend if you don't have to, and make sure you have someone there to help you in the event you need it. Good luck!!

I wore elastic waist shorts (no button, no zipper), a loose t-shirt, bra and panties to and from the surgical center. I had surgery at 8am and walked out at 10:30am - same day.

Be sure that you're still getting enough Iron in your system because Viactiv doesn't have iron. Good luck to you!

I was banded on 9/16/05 and haven't had my first fill yet so I don't have much restriction. However, I make sure that I eat only to the point of satisfaction, NOT full. Here's a typical day for me: Breakfast: 8 oz. yogurt Mid-morning: 8 oz. Protein drink Lunch: small piece of baked chicken, a few bites of broccoli Mid-afternoon: 8 oz. Protein Drink Dinner: 5-6 pieces of imitation crab meat, 1-2 string cheese Sometimes, I'll have a granola bar if I'm out and about and won't be back home in time for my scheduled meal. I can now guzzle Water like I did before surgery - only on an empty stomach though. I drink anywhere between 48-64oz. of flavored water a day. However, I was only able to sip the first few days after surgery because I was still swollen.

Congratulations!! Keep us posted on your healing progress.

Why am I fat? Well, for the longest time, I couldn't figure out why I was the only heavy person in my immediate family. My parents cooked healthy meals for us growing up, I was never one to over eat, I was active, I didn't sneak junk food or eat late a night, etc. However, from about the age of 11 or 12, I started gaining weight, no matter what or how much I ate. It wasn't until about 5 years ago when my primary care physician asked me if I had ever been tested for Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) that I found out the reason for my weight gain....yes, I tested positive for PCOS. For those of you unfamiliar with PCOS, here's what happens: At the onset of menstruation, rather than your body using the stored fat for energy, it hordes it and pumps out more insulin instead. Now, admittedly, as an adult, I haven't always made the wisest food choices but I also didn't eat a lot. My husband commented one time that I "ate like a bird." Of course, compared to the portions he eats, everyone eats like a bird!! Unfortunately though, I'm one of those people with PCOS that can lose a certain amount of weight by exercising and dieting alone, but the weight loss will stop at a certain point. Hence my decision to be banded. I need all of the help I can get!

Thanks diva and Starr. Good luck to both of you!!

Thanks Roadqueen, Haygal and Jessiebear!

Thanks, Kathy.