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Joyce, What kind of work do you do? I sit at a desk all day (no lifting or anything). I had my surgery on a Monday and was back to work that Thursday. I know that others, however, were off work longer (e.g. caregivers that need to lift patients, ...) Also, when I had my initial consult with Dr. Choban, she said that she wanted me to lose 10 pounds before surgery - to help shrink the liver to make it easier to do the laparascopic surgery. She even "threatened" that if I didn't lose the 10 lbs., she would not do the surgery after I got there. I don't know if she was serious or not. I think I did Slimfast the week before surgery just to make sure I lost the 10 lbs. By the way, she is wonderful. She has a great bedside manner, is very easy to talk to and will answer any questions you have. I had almost all of my other clearances done before I could get in to see her and had done a ton of research, as well. By the time I went for my initial consult, I had two pages, typed, single-spaced of questions. Since my band, I had her do my 1st hernia surgery and she is doing my 2nd one in a couple weeks. Anyhoo, good luck on your journey. You are in good hands!

Hang in there! Obviously, nobody can guarantee smooth sailing, but I, for one, have no regrets about my decision to get banded. I think just about everybody on this thread will tell you the same thing. It's only natural to have doubts and a case of the jitters, but it will all be worth it. Good luck with your surgery and welcome to the club of losers!

Hi all, Well, I get to have Dr. Choban operate on me again - but not for bariatric. I recently found out I have a bilateral (double) inguinal hernia, so she is fixing the left one this Monday. The other one will be done about 6 weeks later. I saw her on Thursday and scheduled the surgery for Monday. Things sure move a lot more quickly when you don't have to worry about clearances and insurance approvals. Too bad she can't get rid of some excess skin while she's at it. By the way, did I already say that it sucks to get old!

I have never had a problem with pain. The only problems I've had have been of my own doing. Two things: (1) If I eat too fast, I get severe hiccups. And once you've eaten, you can't drink water to get rid of the hiccups. It just makes you feel worse. (2) I have a tendency to want to be in the "clean plate club". Even though I know I have to eat less (physically) and even though I take smaller portions, I sometimes don't put the fork down when I should. If I'm full and know I should stop eating, if there's only 2 or 3 bites left on the plate, I want to finish it. DON'T DO IT! It makes you miserable ... makes you WANT to throw-up to get rid of the horrible, miserable feeling that follows. And vomiting too much can dislodge the band. ... So that's it - when they tell you to eat slowly and chew, chew, chew, they mean it. And when you are full - stop eating! Other than that, I have had no problems and I have no regrets.

It's tough when the spouse doesn't support your having the surgery. I know ... I've heard it all: "You don't need surgery ... you can lose it on your own ... ". I did lose 60 pounds a few years ago ... but then gained it back - and then some. She's still not very supportive, even after my success in losing weight, but I don't regret having it done. And I really appreciate having support from the bandsters on this forum. Meanwhile, she continues to keep eating more, gaining more, and "saying" she needs to lose weight but not doing anything about it. But me ... I just keep my mouth shut. :blushing:

I was "pre-diabetic" before my band. My family doc kept hounding me to exercise and lose weight or I would have to start doing self-injections with Byetta. I was also diagnosed with sleep apnea during my pre-surgery clearances. I am now just under 15 months post-op. My glucose has dropped to 78, my cholesterol is 88, triglycerides, HDL and LDL are equally impressive, and my sleep apnea and snoring have disappeared. From what I have read, this is not uncommon so, yes, "reversing" the path towards diabetes is a definite possibility for you. Keep your fingers crossed!

Hi Niki & Kathy, Figured I'd jump in here. Congratulations to both of you - that's great news! I finally got another fill last week. I hadn't had one since October and the last three months were quite frustrating. No matter what I did, I couldn't lose - only 4 lbs. in three months. So I've already lost five in the first week since the fill. That's what I'm talking about! I originally had set my own goal (about 20 lbs. higher than the dietitian's goal) but now that I've hit it, I definitely want to keep going - especially since "their" goal is in sight. That's enough rambling. Talk to you soon.

Hi Kathy, Yup, it's been a great year, except I'm a little bummed right now. After what had been continual losses for the first 11 months, I've hit a wall. Seems like no matter how hard I try, I haven't lost any in the last 5 weeks. Coincidentally, that's when we got our gym membership and I've been working out 4-5 times a week. I keep telling myself that I'm gaining muscle (since I'm lifting weights), but it's still disappointing & frustrating not being able to lose. I told myself at the very beginning that if I lost 100 poinds I'd be happy, but now that I'm at 98, I want to keep going (another 10-20 more to go). Plus, I got "rejected" by the style show committee. Oh well, I guess I should be thankful for my successes so far. It has been an awesome year and I made some new friends in the process.

Hi ladies, Seems like I'm the only guy on this thread. Oh well .... Just checking in. All is well. I saw Dr. Choban this morning - no fill again. I lost 16 lbs. since the last time, so now I don't see her again for 3 months instead of 6 weeks. I'm thinking about applying for the fashion show but haven't decided yet. Oh yeah, my daily walking routine kind of went by the wayside when it got so darned cold, so we joined a gym last night. Hopefully, that will get me back on track for exercising. Hang in there everybody and keep on being "losers". :bananalama: Have a Happy Valentines Day!

Hi Kathy, Niki and everybody else, I haven't posted in a while so I thought I would touch base. Looks like there are a lot of new folks out there starting the journey. I agree with Niki - they won't regret it. Kathy, it looks like you are holding the thread together as usual with all of your good comments and community support. I'm doing pretty well. I've been keeping busy (especially this month) with church (four services on Christmas Eve) and a new granddaughter in October. (That makes two now to spoil). My fill in August was only 1/2 cc and was no help. It was really a struggle to lose during that stretch. Almost seemed like the "bandster hell" period right after surgery. But then my next fill really did the trick (only 1 cc). I didn't even get one in December and don't think I'll need one in February. Woohoo! I think I've finally hit my sweet spot. In fact, I sometimes think there may be a tiny bit too much restriction, but I am hesitant to have any removed for fear of the consequences. Anyhoo, I love hearing all the compliments and getting new clothes. And not just the clothes, but the kind of clothes. I no longer worry about wearing dark colors to hide the fat, I no longer buy pants at the fat store with elastic waists, and now I actually buy shirts that NEED to be tucked in instead of hanging out. I just gave away all of my fat clothes - except for one shirt and a pair of pants to keep for a before/after picture. Again, I encourage all of you newbies to hang in there and jump through the necessary hoops. The band does work and can change your life. Talk to you soon. Hope you all had a Merry Christmas and will have a Happy (skinnier) New Year!

They never said who she was - just that she was learning to do fills. I got the impression from their little side conversation about medical school, interning, and carrying pagers, that she was a new doctor or something. Kathy, When I had my 2nd fill, Dr. Choban did take out all the fluid to see how much was in there. This time, however, as soon as she walked in the room she said, "I'm only giving you 1/2 cc since you already have 8." And that was before they even prepped me. But based on what she told me before (that they put in 1.5 cc during surgery), I now have 6.5 cc. I'm definitely not feeling the restriction I did after each of the first two fills. If I don't see good weight loss, I'm going to try to get more - soon.

I'm still here ... just keeping busy. I had my 3rd fill this week. She only gave me .5 cc after saying that I was already at 8 cc and probably close to hitting my sweet spot. I was caught off-guard and didn't think fast enough to point out that I only had 6 cc not 8. So the fill helped a little bit but not as much as the first two. By the way, Dr. C. was in the exam room but somebody else did the fill. I think it was a new (young female) doctor. Hopefully, that will help take the load off of scheduling fills. It took her three tries before she hit the port. Fortunately, I didn't feel her poking around since the lidocaine did its job. Also, I hit 60 pounds at this weigh-in. Woohoo!

Hey Angie, If you haven't tried it already, you might try calling Missy. Her # is 234-2052. You'll probably get her voicemail, too, but maybe she'll call you back. I think maybe her voicemail message gives you the option to page her, as well. Good luck & hang in there, girl!

Niki, I checked my notes a few weeks ago and seem to remember that it said the first year we would check in (for a potential fill) every 6 weeks. In the second year, it's every 3 months. So that may be why they told Debbie 3 months, BUT it's stupid for them then to say, "Well, we can't schedule you that far in advance." Personally, I would have just kept calling back until they finally scheduled me. But you shouldn't HAVE to do that!

I received my survey, as well. I filled out the easy part first - with the ratings. Now for the fun part - writing the comments. Oh, by the way ... I hit the big " 5 - 0" this week (and I don't mean my age - I already hit that a while ago). :biggrin: I've been doing a LOT of walking lately and, unfortunately, with this crazy weather have been rained on more than once. I guess I won't melt! :thumbs_up:

Hi Kathy, Great to hear your vacation went well, as well as hitting your milestone. :crying: I think I finally figured out how to slow down my eating and force myself to stop when I get the initial "full" feeling. It is working, though, and I am still losing. I got some new clothes for Father's Day and can finally wear a shirt that tucks in without feeling self-conscious about it. I'm going to be flying at the end of July and, as you, hope I won't need the seat belt extender. Keep up the good work and keep on skrinking, shamrock!

That's great, Angie! It'll be here before you know it. I know it's been a long process, but it will be worth the wait. Now it's another "hurry up & wait" for Charlene to call with your big date.

Hi KT, I'm still here. I posted a couple times about a week ago after my 2nd fill on June 5th. I'm finding this fill a little different than the first. I can't eat nearly as much - I found out the hard way. If I eat too much or too fast, I get severe hiccups, not to mention being VERY uncomfortable - to the point of sliming. So today I've really been watching my portion sizes and slowness of eating. Seem to be doing better now. Glad to hear you're doing better since your unfill. Hopefully, you will continue to do well.

Dr. C decides what size band to use. I think lately she's using the AP-Large for everybody. And while I was under the impression that there was no restriction in place with the initial placement of the band, she told me this week (during my fill) that they typically put in 2cc during surgery. So I actually have about 6.5cc now, after two fills, not the 4.5cc that I thought.

Marie, I had an 11:00 appt. and got there right at 11, but was in the waiting room a while. There were several of us bandsters (ndwife and a couple others) at one end of the room having our own little support group meeting. Don't feel like you're interrupting. Everyone is always free to join in.

Lynlynkr, Yeah, I'm kind of like you. I still struggle with not chewing enough and eating too fast. As a result, I get hiccups ALOT! I'd say you should go for the cake (a small piece, of course) for your b'day. Might as well enjoy it while you can! Also, you had an earlier post with a couple of questions. Dr. C told me if I had the surgery on Monday to plan on taking a week off from work and if I had it on Wednesday, I should be able to go back on Monday. I am a part-time church organist and had the surgery on Monday of Holy Week. I went back to work on Thursday and part of Friday, but then had 3 church services to play for on Thursday & Friday, so by the end of the week I was pretty worn out (with 3 more services to play for on Easter). I know some people took off a week or two, but their jobs involved lifting patients and the like. I have a desk job, so sitting at work wasn't much different than sitting at home. It just depends on what your job entails. As far as vacation, originally I was going to go to Niagara Falls two weeks post-op. I asked Dr. C about it and she said I should go. (I ended up not going b/c Skybus cancelled the flight.) My main concern was being able to follow the post-op diet while traveling. I'll stop rambling. Hope some of this is helpful.

Lynlynkr, Since you've already had your initial consult with Dr. Choban and your insurance has approved your surgery, I'd say keep on going with losing weight before surgery. I'm sure Dr. C probably told you she wants you to lose at least 10 lbs. before surgery. In fact, she even threatened that if you don't lose enough (or gain), she might cancel it that day. (I don't really know if she would.) Anyhoo, she said that since the procedure is done laparascopically, losing weight before surgery will shrink the liver, which makes it a lot easier for her to work on you. As far as removing the band, I've only heard of one person on this thread that had problems. That is with - presumably - a leak, and I think she might end up having the band replaced due to a malfunction. And while it is, indeed, a reversible procedure (unlike the RNY), they don't encourage having it removed and I certainly have no intent of doing so. .... Good luck with your surgery in July. It'll be here before you know it! (It's the old "hurry up and wait".)

I guess I better check in with the Shamrocks. Sounds like my fill is lasting a little longer than Sue & Kathy's. It's not quite as tight in the morning as it was initially and I'm starting to be able to eat a little more for lunch & dinner. But in general, I'm still pretty happy with it. I'm on a kick now where I get a small Wendy's chili and add one or two fat-free hot dogs (cut up). That gives me a little over 300 calories and I can go about 5 hours before starting to get hungry again. My biggest problem is the same as always - sitting around in the evenings and wanting to eat during every commercial - but that's not because I'm hungry. That's a mental thing I need to overcome - and I'm working on it. The good news - I am still losing. My 2nd fill is scheduled for June 5th.

Hi Joy, I work on Brice Rd. (right next to Genji!) and live near Rt 256 & Tussing - technically in Pick'town but very close to the Burg. I think I started walking within a few days after surgery. Currently, I try to walk about 5 times a week, anywhere from 40 minutes to an hour. I have a membership at the Power Shack but have yet to get off my butt and actually get over there to work out. Once I get started, I think I'll be okay, as I used to go to Lifetime Fitness (about 5 years ago) when I lived up that way. By the way, I LOVE your Shrinko de Mayo logo. Es muy awesome! Hasta luego.

I'll get a real test tomorrow. My daughter will be out-of-town this weekend (we'll be babysitting the grandbaby ) so she's taking us out to dinner for Mother's Day tomorrow night. We're going to our favorite place: Genji Japanese Steakhouse on Brice Road. I used to eat a boatload of fried rice with yum-yum sauce and strip steak . I think I might try a tiny bit of rice but don't want to run into the same problem someone else had recently and end up at the E.R. And even though they tell you "no steak", Dr. C. said a tender filet mignon would probably be okay (in very small bites). Hopefully I won't have any adverse effects. It's going to be real tough passing up all that rice and watching everybody else eat. I should probably eat before I go so I'll at least be full and not feel like eating.