Turler

OMG...I missed the whole damn beautiful day! I started my 12 hour shifts today. Oh, and guess what? I work tomorrow too and it's gonna be 70 frickin degrees out AGAIN!! And again, I'm gonna miss it! So...how was your day? ) Everyone have a nice ride? Enjoy the weather? LOL J: I hope you wore the shorts! Too hot for pants...WOO HOO! Hey, good job too...I see your ticker is moving! Oh...did I mention I'm hungry? ~C

Wow Kat, I will be praying for you! Sounds like you've done well. I pray you continue to stay healthy. It's good to hear that the Band gave you some of your life back too! ~C

How is everyone doing? Check in and keep us updated!!

Thank you all for your kind words. I'm glad I get to be part of this amazing group! ~Carol

I hope everyone enjoyed the beautiful weather this weekend. It was absolutely perfect here! Gee, that's something you hear very often from us Ohio and Michigan folks! HP: Congrats on your major accomplishment! Way to go! I'm sorry for your family's loss. Take care. J: Be careful on the path...it can be chaos with all the walkers, skateboarders, rollerbladers and critters! Have fun though! Have a great week everyone! ~C

Wow Becky, Thank you! I'm glad I could help! I think our attitude toward this process can determine the outcome. Keep reading...there is a LOT of good information on here and a lot of wisdom from those who are already banded! Good luck to you!

Wow! It sort of sounds like they are taking advantage of you. I've heard of offices like that. They prey off of the desperate, knowing you'll do anything to get your life back. Such a shame, especially when your insurance will pay for this stuff! Good for you though for finding someplace else to spend your money!

LMAO!! Too funny!

You all are so kind...I am lucky to be here and proud to be part of LBT!

Wow! Well see there, I WAS wrong! I hadn't heard of any surgeons not doing the EGD part. Sorry for giving misinformation. Take care, ~C

Kat: What kind of cancer did you have?

Thank you...it's amazing that cancer has no discrimination. It doesn't matter that we feel just fine. So often people DON"T have any symptoms or worse, you think you've got something as normal as a hemorrhoid and it can turn on you! I'm so glad you were brave enough to get your colonoscopy! So many people, especially young people won't do it. Thank YOU for sharing! I have been unsure about telling my story for lots of reasons, but one is that I don't want to scare anyone. I want to be successful with the Band and heck, who doesn't want to be a poster child for it or the next commercial even, but I am afraid that my story will scare people off!!

HP: You poor thing! What a day! I'm glad everyone is safe and sound. Nothing worse than losing your kid...OMG I would be panicked! ~C

Okay, I have gotten brave today and decided to tell my story here on LBT. I just heart you guys, and it's one way for you all to know how I ended up here. It's kinda long, but here goes if your interested: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f17/lapband-found-my-cancer-57636/ ~C

Yes, unfortunately this is very common! They want you to hear all the options, and know what is involved before you get to your appointment. This also helps field any questions you may have, they will most likely answer at the seminar. Usually you can make your appointment right away after you've attended. A lot of insurance companies require that you attend these also. Sorry, I know it's frustrating. Good luck! I hope you get to go soon!

Wendy, I agree with you. It's hard to have people watching and judging us as it is (because of our size), but then to have them watching and judging what we eat after surgery is too much for me! I am in a weird situation myself. I am a nurse and I work with the staff that will do my surgery. I can't go to a different hospital due to insurance, so I am stuck with some people knowing where I'd rather have kept it to myself. I think I won't be able to keep it a secret for much longer though. It's hard to hide this liquid diet and I think it'll be even harder to hide the mushies. We'll see. I don't want to be weird about it, but I want my privacy too!

Thanks J...it was time I guess. I'm so ready to get the help I need to lose weight and be healthier. I've got a little extra motivation you could say. ~C

Thank you both. I didn't know if I was ever going to tell this, but I decided it was time. It was so hard to write, and so many things I wanted to say. I feel blessed (strange huh?) TG: You made me cry too! ~C

I believe it is a requirement for the LapBand surgery. I might be wrong, but I've never heard of any doctor not doing it before they band you. They are looking at the integrity of your esophagus and stomach. They look for a hiatal hernia, GERD and take biopsies of your stomach to check for a bacteria called H. Pylori. They need to know all these things before they band you. If you have the bacteria, they will need to treat it with a very specific course of antibiotics. The course of treatment is usually a few weeks, but then banding can occur after that. Chances are, your surgeon will want this done anyway. Check to see if s/he wants to do it themselves or is it okay for you to go to your GI doc. It's great you are thinking ahead though. Good luck! Looks like all your appointments are all set! :tt1: ~C

Yeah, I had to do the 6 month diet too. Just be careful not to miss ANY of your appointments or they can deny you and require you to start all over. They just want to see how dedicated you are, see if you can lose weight (losing some is fine, but if you get below the required BMI they will deny you) and usually those who don't want it bad enough will give up and drop out of the program. I had to journal all my food, print it out (they turned it in to the insurance company) and go to all the other appointments they have you do too! It's a long journey, but they kept me busy doing all the required stuff so the time went by fast. But like the other poster, I had to wait another 3 months for a surgery date!!! Some other people on this board have gotten approved and done super fast, like within a week or a little more, but each insurance company is different. I am currently on the preop liquid diet and it hasn't been bad at all. I thought it would be, but the Protein shakes keep you feeling full. Hang in there! You can do this!!! Good luck! ~C

TX: Sounds awesome!!!! I'm so glad you had a good time! What a chaotic beginning, but it sounds like that didn't take anything away from the ride. I heart cops! :tt1: I can't wait to see the pictures!! ~C

Cameltoe is a slang term that refers to the outline of the female labia majora when seen through tight, form-fitting clothes.

Hey! I went there last week as one of my 'last meals' and got the spinach dip and it was GROSS! It looked weird...really, really green, like bright green and it was bland. Even the chips sucked. No fair. I wanted yummy stuff. They had to have done something different to their recipe. Thanks for giving me something to complain about...albeit FOOD!! lol

OMG...I LOVE the Patchwork one!! I've only seen it in the little "petite tote" size. Other than that, not too inspired either! Oh well...have a great day everyone! I'm off to drink a protein shake now! Yummy. ~C

April 10th!!!!! WOO HOO!!!! And, I am all about purses chica. I loooove them. There are some I just have a hard time paying the asking price for. Like Vera Bradley...love em, but just can't justify $100 for a cloth purse! Ya know?