Lori_K

Congratz AppleSmith! I love your enthusiasm and positive attitude! :thumbup: Keeping on going girl, you will make it to the "2's"! You have indeed "passed the torch", everyday I come here and get so much inspiration. I'm so happy to be a "Double V" ! :crying::heart: Only one more week to go for me, then I'll be a banded double V! I can't believe it's almost here. :smile: Keep up the great work, and please keep sharing your success with us!

I just wanted to add my best wishes to all the people having surgery this week! May everything go beautifully for you, and many blessings for a speedy recovery! I just can't wait to join you :thumbup: God bless and take care everyone! Cheers to the new Valentine's week lap-banders! :smile2:

Warm hugs ladies! I really appreciate all the support and advice! :wub: Karen - yes! Thank-you! That's the show, Big Medicine. I agree, I find it fascinating to watch, although some stores are a bit sad. Still, I've learned so much from it, and as I watch these people be strong and continue to fight, it has helped me to gain my own strength and carry on with my own personal struggles. Honestly, when you first wrote you had pictures of your liver, I thought you were just kidding! :smile2: lol Great idea of your doctor to get pictures, what a nice visual aid and encouragement to really shrink that liver! Congratz on doing such a good job! You're giving me inspiration :thumbup: (just curious - does the doctor give a picture to his patients? Image having your own picture of your liver! It would be something to be proud of! lolol:biggrin:). AppleSmith - thanks for the encouragement! You are right, I really need to stick to my guns and do what needs to be done. 2 pounds a day - Congratz to you, that's terrific! Amy - "my fellow Nemo lover" . . . that made me smile, I needed that, thanks! :wink: I can't thank-you enough for all your words of advice. I hope I do as well with helping others as you ladies have, when my turn comes to being the banded one! (only 10 more days! :tt1:) I'm so glad to hear how well you are doing, that you're healing great and up and out shopping already! I'm really hoping I'll be the same . . . just hearing how well people are doing, has really helped calm my nerves about having the surgery. You're another big inspiration for me! Update on me . . . I am MUCH better today. Whatever flu/cold bug hit me over the weekend, seems to have cleared up. Very odd to feel so weak and feverish for that one day. I'm just glad it's NOT the diet! Today I went and saw my Weight Lost doctor, my nutritionist, and an exercise physiologist. Whew! They were all pleased at my progress and weight loss though, so I was very happy with that. The nutritionist helped me with my pre-op diet . . . instead of drinking 4 HMR Protein shakes a day, I can substitute a special HMR chicken or tomato soup (same protein and calories) or an HMR Protein Bar (again the same). This just helps break up the monotony of the diet a bit . . . I've tried the bars, they are very good and actually more filling than a shake. Wow! Talk about rambling, lol. Please don't ever feel like you're writing too much, I really LOVE reading what you have to say (to all the wonderful people here!) It's really so helpful. I'm feeling great here, back on track and sticking to my plan . . . gonna make that weight loss ticker move MORE! I hope everything continues to go well for you Amy, keep up that great bionic healing! :thumbup: Warm hugs, Lori

Thanks for the info about the carbs/protein Karen! I am feeling a bit better today, still tired, but I've been resting a lot. I will keep what you said about the carbs in mind! I think I'm a bit paranoid about the whole liver shrinkage thing, lol . . . I watched a program on Discovery Health Channel, it was about a clinic that helps the super morbidly obese. The name of the clinic and the show escapes me at the moment. Anyway, the show once showed a surgery of a lady having gastric bypass (with the Laparoscope), and it clearly showed how the liver got in the way . . . it was slipping all over like a piece of Jello, lol. Watching a live surgery doesn't bother me, but after seeing that, I vowed I was really gonna stick to my diet and shrink my liver! I just don't want any complications from the surgery. I really love all your write-ups, they are VERY helpful, and I'm so thankful to you for them. :eek: Congratz on your weight loss too! :thumbup:

Thank-you so much for your kind (and sensible) reply! I did eat more Protein today (I had a second helping of fish), and that did help my hunger. However, I finally know why I'm feeling so down/blah, it's not the diet . . . I musta picked up a flu/cold bug, my temperature is 100.5 F. :thumbdown: I just checked it. Glad my surgery isn't for another 2 weeks or so. Gonna go take some motrin and rest. Thanks again for your help!

Cheers Karen! It's so good to hear you are home and resting comfortably. :regular_smile: Get some well-deserved rest, and I hope your recovery continues to be smooth! Thanks so much (to Karen & everyone) for sharing your experiences, it's really gonna help my nerves when my surgery day gets here (two weeks from today!). I'm still amazed how fast everyone got in and out of the hospital! Awesome! I seem to be the only overnighter so far. Warm (but gentle!) hugs!

UUhhhhggg! I love the Discovery Health Channel, just as it is! :smile: Let Oprah get her own channel. I'm actually neutral in my feelings about Oprah, therefore I don't watch her show often . . . but I did see her show with the teens and WLS. It seems the show was mostly debating whether or not young people under the age of 18 should have the surgery, UNTIL the girl came out who lost all that weight on her own. When Oprah called her "an inspiration" you could see the other teens' faces fall . . . I felt sorry for them. *Maybe* Oprah didn't mean it that way, maybe she did . . . but it did present a negative tone towards WLS. I just don't get the whole "easy way out" thing. SO WHAT?! Is one supposed to get healthier only by doing it "the hard way"? :biggrin: Now mind you, I am not saying any WLS is "easy" . . . I'm with everyone here, we all know it's not. MizPeppy, I agree with you. Perhaps it will just take time for society to accept and understand WLS. For now, if anyone wants to tell me I'm "taking the easy way out" . . . here's my fat butt, KISS IT! If WLS gets me to where I want to go with my health, the heck with what anyone else says/thinks. It's my life. And Mel119, I agree. I too would like to see these young people in about 5 years or so. See if that girl has kept it all off, and how the people with WLS are doing.

WOOT! Big congratz to all the Victorious Valentines who just came home! Dx Mom, CynthiaMcC, Petergriffin, and Bigmarathoner (Amy - I was thinking of you hun!) I'm so happy to see your wonderful stories, and so glad it went well for you! I see a lot of people came home the same day. The hospital I'm going to says it's a "23 hour procedure" :biggrin: meaning I will be staying overnight. So glad to hear the great stories and smooth recoveries! I hope to follow in your footsteps soon. Hugs! (P.S. Pre-op diet: down 7 pounds now, with two weeks to go! UGH lol :smile:)

Bandster.................... Name (Optional)................... Surgery Date _________________________________________________________ TachaBaby505.................Natacha.......................9 January 2008 crystalcml...................Crystal..........................28 January 2008 DxMOM........................Jennifer........................1 Febuary 2008 CynthiaMcC ..................Cynthia......................1 February 2008 Sadie........................Sarah.............................2 February 2008 4jin02.......................Janis...............................4 February 2008 Neenco.......................Dineen..........................4 February 2008 Kittenquite..................Ko................................4 February 2008 slbindc......................Susanne.........................4 February 2008 Babedoe4......................Babe.........................4 February 2008 patticNJ....................Patti................................5 February 2008 petergriffin.................Russ..............................5 February 2008 Big marathoner...............Amy...........................5 February 2008 Michelle9003.................michelle.......................5 February 2008 Beachbum0519.................Alisa........................5 February 2008 girlsmack....................Shannon........................6 February 2008 Peabody......................Amanda........................6 February 2008 JaxBandster..................Karen..........................7 February 2008 EnchantedRuby................Ruby........................7 February 2008 Shinyhappymommy.........Melissa.....................8 February 2008 TinaBobina...................Tina...........................11 February 2008 LilMissBand-Aid..............Irene.......................11 February 2008 Baby Ruth....................Ruth..........................11 February 2008 MightyQ.......................Quinn........................11 February 2008 Angie4b1g....................Angie........................12 February 2008 aveamora.....................Staci.........................12 February 2008 sharon160....................Sharon.....................12 February 2008 GmaDebi...................... Debi ......................... 13 February 2008 Mac the Knife................Mac..........................13 February 2008 travel_anna..................Anna........................13 February 2008 Princess21...................Kimberly....................13 February 2008 Viridescence.................Viri............................14 February 2008 Nikki2001....................Nicole.........................14 February 2008 taismommy....................Tamika.....................14 February 2008 voxwatt......................Cristina.......................14 February 2008 Glynda.......................Glynda.........................15 February 2008 St Louis Gal.................Pat.............................15 February 2008 HappyOne....................Lesly..........................15 February 2008 Bluelion........................O...............................18 February 2008 Rhapsody♥.................Lori........................... 21 February 2008 Valvinnek....................Alyssa.........................25 February 2008 Gibson........................Christy....................... 25 February 2008 Amieru.......................Amie............................26 February 2008 Dana-k.......................Dana...........................26 February 2008 hijabigirl1973..........Stephanie.........................26 February 2008 Mel119.......................Melinda...................... 27 February 2008 Coolcrystal..................Crystal.......................27 February 2008 fireleo.........................Jess..........................29 February 2008 I got a call from my surgeon's office today, they changed my surgery date from Feb. 26 to the 21st . . . so there I am on the list, this date is locked in. I'm wishing all the very best of luck to everyone with their surgeries! I feel blessed to be here with all of you! What a great group :tt1: Hugs all! :confused:

I found a great list/thread from one of the forums here, things to stock up on pre and post-op. Check it out: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f73/post-op-checklists-things-have-before-surgery-14814/ Some great information! I know when my "band time" comes, I'll be needing this!

ROFL :biggrin2: Thanks for the laugh! I just love that movie. My son likes to watch it over and over, but I admit I'm a kid at heart, and I enjoy watching it with him! heh Tomorrow is your special day! Good luck to you, I'll be keeping you in my thoughts and prayers! Looking forward to hearing how you did. If you get nervous going into surgery, just smile and remember all the wonderful people here thinking of you! And ya just gotta smile when you think of Dory . . . I think I have P. Sherman, 42 Wallaby Way, Sydney imprinted on my brain . . . I'm about as forgetful as she is too :wink2: Best of luck with your journey into Bandland! *cheers*!!

Good luck everyone with your surgeries this week, and may you all have a very smooth recovery!

Hi Kelly and Heidabear, welcome! I'm not sure about the Optifast diet, is it all liquid Protein, or are you allowed some foods? Bigmarathoner gave me the best advice . . . to mix up some of the foods I'm allowed during the day. For example, I'm allowed one fruit serving per day . . . This morning, I added 1/3 cup of pineapple chunks (a half of my daily fruit serving) and some coconut extract (no fat or calories) to my vanilla shake. I added some ice, blended it all together, and got a very creamy pina-colada shake! It was delicious . Being creative with my meals for me has helped me to stick to my diet . . . I'm not feeling deprived. Try and make the diet as much fun as you can! You can do this! Another thing I do is to try and focus why I'm doing this . . . whenever I feel hungry, or desire something I shouldn't have, I just think about wearing smaller sizes (I can't WAIT to stop wearing LB clothes! I'm tired of baggy and unattractive!), and having more energy to do the things I want. Learning to let go of the "head hunger" (craving foods you don't need) and replacing it with a healthier, thinner body, really helps too . . . I remember a saying from one of the many diets I've been on in the past . . . there is no food that tastes so good that's better than how great you feel being thin . . . uhhh, ok I probably just hacked that line up, lol But I hope I got the idea across! Good luck to you, I'm sure some of these wonderful people here also have some fabulous advice far better than mine. It does get easier the longer you are on it . . . I've only been 3 days, but I'm loving the energy increase. That right there is helping me to stick strictly to my diet plan! But don't beat yourself up if you slip . . . just get back on track! (Thanks again Bigmarathoner! You've had some terrific advice). Please continue to let us know how you do!

Way to go Angie! Today is day 3 for me, and I am feeling pretty good too . . . I'm VERY surprised how my energy has improved! That alone makes this all worth it! However I have had some hunger, and some headaches. I just took some motrin and told my stomach to shut up, lol. It's getting much better, though . . . this morning after my shake for Breakfast, I was satisfied with it, and didn't feel sleepy afterwards! We can do this! I'm so glad for all this support! Best of all, I made my weight loss ticker MOVE! :biggrin: I'm down 6 pounds already . . . in 3 days? I'm using the same scale, and it's a brand new, high quality one . . . I sure hope it's not lying on me, lol. I bet most of that weight loss is Water weight, but it's SO nice to see the numbers changing!

Wow Amie, congratz to you on your weight loss, that's excellent! Today's only my second day on the diet, and I think I'm going through what Angie said . . . major carb withdrawal. But I'm sticking to it! STRAWBERRIES are my friend, lol. One fruit serving is 2 1/4 cups! I had one cup for Breakfast and I'm saving another cup for later today. A good way to break things up! Keep up the awesome work Amie (and everyone)! I'm hoping to get my ticker to move soon! I'm gonna go make myself move and do some time on my treadmill. Way to cold & snowy outside (although mall walking is fun too).

ROFL . . . that was great Karen! Too funny :biggrin: But you're right, waiting is the hardest part! I was almost a January "bandster", but some of my pre-op doctor appointments got changed from December to later January (by the doctors, not me). So I had to wait a bit longer . . . but I'm not complaining, I've got my surgery date, I'm on the pre-op diet, things are finally happening! And just think . . . by the end of the month, when you're all recovered and enjoying the "mushies" food stage, I'll be just going into surgery! I know I'm gonna be sooooooo nervous! You can sit back, relax, and be glad that it's all over with! Hugs and may your surgery/recovery be smooth!

Good Luck on your surgery Karen! I pray that all goes smoothly for you. My surgery isn't until the end of the month, so I'll be looking forward to hearing how things went for all the Victorious Valentines at the beginning.

February 26th surgery date here too! Woot! I've got good company

Wow, such a big difference in diets! :eek: Your South Beach diet is sounding good right now Taismommy, and good luck to you too! StLouisGal - Very Lucky you! :biggrin: Did your doctor say why you didn't need a pre-op diet? (I'm just curious.) My weight loss doctor (I have a surgeon, weight loss doctor and dietitian) said that if I had lost 5 or 6 pounds, I wouldn't have had to do the pre-op diet either, because my BMI would be 45. She said I'm "right at the border with a BMI of 46". Well, I didn't lose the 5 pounds, lol . . . but honestly, I kinda wanted to do the diet before surgery . . . I think it might make me feel better losing a few pounds before, and this diet is easy enough to follow. But maybe that's why you don't need the pre-op diet? I see your BMI is 45. I wonder if anyone else with a BMI of 45 needed a pre-op diet? And AppleSmith . . . congratz on the weight you lost! Sticking to my diet without cheating for the first day has been an accomplishment for me :biggrin: I'm just gonna take it one day at a time, and try to do the same every day . . . hopefully I'll make my weight loss ticker move soon. I love reading stories like yours though . . . it gives me inspiration to do my best as well. Nice to meet everyone btw! :tongue:

Thanks for the welcome and the support Bigmarathoner! that's a great idea to break up the evening meal a bit . . . a few almonds (a fat serving) would be good about now, lol. Thanks for the help! I'm really gonna try and adhere to the diet as closely as possible . . . I wanna lose that weight! (hoping not to "hiccup" ). Congratz on your weight loss! And the very best of luck to you on your surgery on Tuesday . . . you'll be in my thoughts, I wish you a speedy recovery! I'll be here, checking to see how you are doing!

Best of luck to all those having surgery in the next few days! I'll be looking forward to hearing how you are doing And Baby Ruth, I agree . . . this forum is amazing! I feel very fortunate to be a Victorious Valentine! Such wonderful support!

Hello all, I'm so excited to share that I'm now a Victorious Valentine! Well, I'm going to be, lol . . . I just got my approval for surgery TODAY! I also started my pre-op diet today . . . I need to do at least 2 weeks of this diet to "shrink my liver" to make it easier for surgery. My surgery is scheduled for 2-26-2008 (I'll be a late Valentine, lol) . . . but at least I have a DATE!!! I just wanted to say Thank-You to Angie for the beautiful blinkie! I just spent the last hour or so trying to figure out all this signature/avatar stuff, but I think I've got it! Woot! I'm looking forward to sharing experiences and stories with all of you!

Thank-you Sue! It looks like I have a lot of reading here, but it's all good! Meeting others who have had surgery around the same time as mine (although I need my "date" yet!) would be good, I'd love to share experiences as we go through the process. From looking at your weight loss ticker (I've got to get one of those!) it looks like you've lost 100 pounds! Wow! Congratulations to you. Did that take you long? (if you don't mind me asking). I know everything is not going to happen quickly, it's a slower weight loss than the gastric bypass, but I am curious how long it took some to lose 100 pounds. If I can lose 100 pounds and be 99.5% happy with my lap-band, I'll be overjoyed!

Hi everyone, New person here attempting new tricks, heh. I'm sure I'll get used to all this . . . the smilies are cute! Well, I've been through all my pre-op testing (whew!) and I just got a letter from my doctor, I'm officially approved for the lap-band SURGERY!!!!!!!!!! Yah-hoo! I have to call the surgeon's office on Monday and get my surgery date yet though. I'm very nervous but also very excited! I just wanted to introduce myself, and say hello to everyone! I'm glad I found these forums, I'm looking forward to any help, and just general chatting with other people going through the same experiences. I've been reading up on the lap-band surgery, through the internet and a book I have, but I think this will be much nicer actually chatting/writing with others. I'm nervous about the surgery right now, but I think once that's over I'll be so happy (hoping away!) I need to lose about 100 pounds, I am "morbidly obese" with a BMI of 46. (never thought I'd hear or see myself writing this, lol). So hello everyone! There is so much in these forums to look at, wow . . . where does a new person usually go next? I look forward to meeting some new friends!