andyisbanned

I am beginning to wonder if we can pull this meet and greet off at least on a grand scale of all Bama Bandster in one place. We are not just getting enough interest generated. I think we need to back up and punt. Maybe we need to look at some regional meet and greet groupings. Some have mention that traveling 2 hours is not an option. I am willing to travel. However, in light of the wishes of others. Maybe we could do a meet & greet in Huntsville or Madison for those in the North Alabama region. I think we could meet in some park like the one over in Madison or at Delano Park in Decatur. Those in LA (Lower Alabama) could set up one down there. I do not know much about Southern Alabama. I do know I will be in Gulf Shores on vacation June 24-27. If anyone wants to meet me while I am there please let me know thru this forum or send me a private message. Those from central Alabama maybe still have one at Oak Mountain Park near Pelham. I would try to go to the one in Pelham has I would like to meet more bandsters. I just need some feed back on this idea. I also need some help to plan and pull this meeting off. I so want to meet those here. I have been fortunate enough to meet a few from here that use my doctor while at his office this last week. It is always so neat to finally get to meet someone, put a face with the name, and chat with them in person. I love my LBT family and I realy want to meet you guys & gals!

Here are few techniques to help you with modification of your behavior and attitude toward food. Do not eat in front of the TV Do not read while eating Pre-portion food and pot the box or package away Keep tempting goods out of the house Do not go to the grocery store hungry Make a shopping list and stick to it Use smaller plates and bowls Keep healthy foods available Focus on activities other than eating Brush your teeth after meals or if feeling the desire to eat Do not eat standing up at parties or buffets Do not stand at the food table at parties Offer to bring a healthy food item to a party Park you car far away from your destination Take the stairs instead of the elevator Keep a food and exercise journal

Patricia: I am glad my post helped you. I have not encounter any problems after a fill thus far. Of course, I have only had 2 fills with my third scheduled for June 12th. The following is information was provided by Dr. Britt and his office staff during my pre-op class concerning adjustments or fills: Dr. Britt follows the recommend guidelines from the manufacturer which is 6 weeks between fills. He will adjust the schedule based on individual needs of the patient. My fills have been every 6 weeks apart. He did say this time after my fill, that if I needed to return early to just call the office. He did ask that I give this new fill 2-3 weeks to work. So if I need another fill, I will be going back early. The adjust-ability of the Lap Band is one of the great advantages of the Lap Band over the gastric bypass or duodenal switch. The Vertical Band Gastroplasty or VBG, is a restrictive operation but is not adjustable. After a period of 6 weeks following Lap Band placement, a patient may require an adjustment known as a "fill" Three main factors are used to determine whether or not to add Fluid to the Lap Band: 1. weight loss, 2. level of hunger, 3. degree of restriction. If the patient is not losing adequate weight (less than 1-2 lbs. per week), is ravenous, and seems to be able to eat more with meals, then it is time to do a fill. Most adjustments can be done in the office in less than 15 minutes. Fluoroscope or X-ray is only necessary if the adjustment port cannot be accessed in the office. Dr. Britt uses the Fluoroscope over at X-ray for each fill, which makes a fill take less than 2 minutes. It takes longer to get on the table and the prep than the actual fill. It is so cool to watch your fill on the Fluoroscope. The 1st adjustment is done no sooner than 6 weeks post-operatively and is a 1cc volume fill. My 1st fill was a standard amount of 2cc. Subsequent adjustments are done at 4-6 week intervals based on the aforementioned criteria. The second and third fills may measure 0.5 cc to 3-4cc. My second fill was 2cc. I now have 4cc in my 14cc band. It is important to look out for negative symptoms after an adjustment. Symptoms of chest pain after eating and drinking, nausea, vomiting, and reflux can mean the Lap Band is overly tight. More subtle signs can be night time coughing and choking, and inability to eat a range of foods. It is important that patients remember that weight loss is to be gentle and gradual. Patients must resist the temptation to be too tight too fast. This can lead to dysfunctional eating habits, in which the patients convert their diet to liquids calories. If obstructive symptoms are present, then fluid should be removed from the band. Each doctor is different in how he/she proceeds with your fill schedule and the amount of fill. Just remember to work with your doctor, you are a team working together to help you meet your goal! Yes, I have heard of some having their port flip after surgery. The port is attached to a muscle and as you lose weight it may flip. I believe the incidents of this happening are very low. I do not know of any of Dr. Britt or Dr. Groves patients that have encounter this problem. As a surgical team, they have performed approximately 300 Lap-band procedures in the last 3 years. They average about 100 or so Lap-Bands per year at the present rate. I really think you will love them and their staff. As I stated, I drove to Guntersville to Marshall North for surgery and it was a very good experience. The hospital staff took good care of me. If you have any more questions, I would be glad to try to answer them.

Patricia: Dr. Groves is wonderful. I use Dr. Britt, his partner. They perform the surgery together. Both are wonderful at doing lap-bands. Several here have used Dr. Groves and/or Dr. Britt. They have surgery rights at Crestwood in Huntsville, Marshall Medical North in Guntersville, and Marshall Medical South in Albertville. They have an office to see patients in Madison over at the outpatient center on Lanier Road by Walmart. I drive to the Guntersville office for my fills. They only in the Madison office a few times a month. However, they do a monthly seminar at the Madison Outpatient center. Just call their office to schedule a spot in their free seminar. Their number is (256) 840-5547 or visit their website: http://www.samc.stirsite.com/home.html I am glad to call them part of my team for my WLS journey. I went to their seminar and knew after talking with them, they were the ones to handle my care. I love my Lap-Band and I love Dr. Britt & their staff. I would recommend them to anyone.

Any of these would do, I guess. I could reach any of these parks in about 2 hours. I would vote for Oak Mountain Park since it has so much to offer and we could all do a Lap-band's hike together. We need to get more Bama banders reading this thread and providing some input.

I would say let's meet in Birmingham, but I am not familiar with Birmingham. I have no idea where or what is available to meet in or at down there. Is there a park or place we could meet?

Happy Mother's Day to all. We need to pause not only today, but everyday and thank the good Lord for our Mothers. Moms are the angel God porvided to watch over us as we grew up. Mom is still there to comfort us when we need it. So a special thank you to all mothers!

Congrats Gone! I hope all is well. You are now a member of Band-Land. Welcome! Dr. Groves and Dr. Britt are awesome. I have enjoyed every minute of my time dealing with them and their staff. I am glad to have my band and glad to say Dr. Britt is my doctor. Things are going well with my band. This 2nd fill seems to be providing some restriction. I hope fill #3 does the trick and I hit my sweet spot. Just remember to walk all you can, sip Water, take a little gas-x and use a heating pad on you tummy to help with the gas. Gas and gas pain were my biggest problem after surgery, but the walking along with the other things I mentioned helped me a lot. The gas should only last 3-4 days. Good luck and please update us on your progress. Again welcome to the land of band!

Cullman is about 40 miles north of birmingham up I-65.

Congrats Missy!!!! I hope you are doing well since surgery!

Southern Missy: I started my 6 month diet in June of 2007 and completed my diet in December 2007. I submit my paper work after my consults were completed in January. I was approved by BCBS on January 25th. I had my pre-op class with my surgeons office a few days after approval. We set my surgery date at the pre-op visit. I could have had my surgery with Dr. Britt the next week, but I choose to wait until Feb. 14th 2008, so my wife would be off work to be with me. I guess it really is up to you & your surgeon just how quickly to get you into surgery once approved. I had to have at least a week to complete my pre-op diet to help shrink my liver. This is key to help make surgery easier and quicker for my surgeon. So this is a factor to consider if your surgeon requires a pre-op diet. I hope this helps you.:welldoneclap:

Happy Mother's Day to all. We need to pause not only today, but everyday and thank the good Lord for our Mothers. Moms are the angel God porvided to watch over us as we grew up. Mom is still there to comfort us when we need it. So a special thank you to all mothers!