Hollybelles

Brina, I am so sorry about your work situation. I've not had variable hours, but I've been in your shoes, and is stinks! If it's at all possible, come walk with us tomorrow before you go in for your night shift. I'll be there with my water bottle and bug spray Holly

Hi all, I, too, melt in the heat, but I'm willing to give a 5:15 walk in the woods a try at Darton. Jeannie, where do you park, and where do we start? Leslie, I want to meet you there. Allykat, how about you? Let's get rid of some inches together before you have your surgery! I think I have hit onederland (according to my scale) but I'm waiting to get the official "YES" when I weigh myself tomorrow at the OTC. That will be one week out from having my second fill (1cc). I'm at 5 cc out of 10 cc and I can definitely tell the difference. Leslie and Georgia--what times are your appointments tomorrow? Maybe I'll run into one or both of you. Any "secret" sign you want to use? Holly

Mia, I wonder if there is a way to adjust your CPAP machine on your own? I, too, have a CPAP, and was wondering whether significant weight loss would bother my sleeping (not that I've lost significant weight...yet!). I don't have the money for another sleep study, and I have a HUGE deductible which I would rather NOT satisfy this year! Holly

Nip50, I'm 5'4 (and a half ") and last week I was at 201.5. But I've been a baaaaad girl--ate a couple of pieces of pizza in the last few days, and a handful of M&M's. I think I was "rewarding" myself for all the hard work I've done in my yard for the last month. Baaaaad idea. I've got to come up with a new reward system. Anybody have any ideas? Bagweaver, I thought I'd spit out my coffee when I read your post about pulling out our ID cards. (Will they take those as proof of citizenship to cash a check? LOL) Maybe the first person at our (soon-to-be-I-hope) Subway meeting at Wal-Mart can place his or her ID card on the edge of a table. That way we wouldn't have to walk up to strangers and ask, "Bagnato?" or "Bandit?" Holly

Oneder_woman, I had to be there at 6:00 am, but didn't get wheeled into surgery until around 8:00 am. Since the anesthesiologist I chose is a neighbor of mine, I talked to him awhile, and talked to a couple of nurses and orderlies while I was relaxing. For me, the worst part (both before AND after surgery) was inserting the IV in my hand. I got home around 2:30 (I live about 10 minutes from the hospital). Good luck tomorrow! Nip50, I am right on your heels...I hope to see the "onederful 100's" in the next couple of weeks. Congratulations! Mia, I know you are excited about getting your wedding dress altered! Are your ceremony details falling into place? Pam, you probably did hear me talking to Malik. Sorry I missed you! Holly

Georgia Girl, I came in for a weight check around 8:45 on Thursday and was talking to Malik about conditions in Iraq where her boyfriend is. Did I miss you? Holly

Jeannie, I'm sitting at my keyboard shedding crocodile tears at your father's expressing his pride in your achievement. I was an only child, and was definitely "daddy's girl." He died 8 years ago, but I still miss him terribly. I wish so much that I had never gained all this weight. He, like your dad, never said anything about my weight, but I could tell he was disappointed. Even though I've had the surgery, I'll never hear those words from him telling me how proud of me he is. You are blessed. Holly

Leslie, I could do Sundays around 12:30 or 1:00. Anybody else? Jeannie, I'm pretty sure it was Malik's boyfriend because she said he told her about the extended tour before telling his own kids. That would be awful if she also had a son over there! Allykat, I was banded one day after you, so I am tracking one day behind you for fills (so far!). My next on is May 15th, and I think Mia has the right idea--book at least 2 appointments ahead while you're in the office. For everyone: Is there some "signal" or gesture which we can come up with to avoid any embarrassment if we think we recognize a Bandster either in the OTC waiting room, or in public, and would like to say "hello?"

Darn, I had written a post, went to another site, then LOST it! Leslie, You don't need to sneak in anything! Just shop in the grocery aisles, check out in the "10 Items or Less" line (we can't eat a lot anyway), and come to Subway and buy a bottled water from them. Personally I like to buy something from an establishment if I'm using their seats for something other than primarily eating their food. For those of you who are facing their first fill: I got mine yesterday and can am so thankful for Elizabeth's skills. I HATE, repeat, HATE, iterate, HATE needles, but I didn't shed a tear or jump off the table. Next time you folks see Malik, give her a hug. Her boyfriend's stay in Iraq has been (involuntarily) extended from the end of May to the end of July. She was pretty bummed out about it. Since I try to avoid Wal-Mart on Saturdays, when the entire population of the 100+ surrounding counties come to congregate, I suggest we meet on a Friday around lunch time. Is this convenient for anyone? Holly

Since we all have such busy schedules, yet we all need to shop, why not have a meeting at Wal-Mart in the Subway restaurant?

I assume everyone got an email notice that there is going to be an on-line magazine: ""We're excited to announce the launch of LapBandTalk magazine within the next week. The LapBandTalk magazine will be an online publication made up of informative articles written by weight loss professionals who have experience with the Lap-band. We're also looking for individuals who have gone through the Lap-band procedure and would like to share their experience or story with our community. Please respond to this email If you have an interest in contributing to our publication. Have a nice weekend! Best Regards, Alex B." Well, I nominate Brinabrina77 to be the FIRST regular contributor. You know how Reader's Digest has their "Laughter, the Best Medicine" or "Life in the United States" humor pages? All Brinabrina has to do is cut and paste onto a new page and submit her comments! No editing required! I wish I had that kind of writing talent to sustain a career. Keep on posting, girl!

I had to laugh this morning at the "appointment chatter" because when I called Malik to see about a cancellation on April 10th, she said that someone just cancelled and another person had just snapped up the appointment. Then she said something about all the "activity" on the Lap-Band forum. I wonder if there are plans to expand the OTC since there do not seem to be enough hours in the day to get appointments? Should we start a petition? Should we start a separate thread just for OTC appointments?

Okay, serves me right for not keeping up with the board on a daily basis. I see that Georgia Girl would like Jonathan's appointment, but if she changes her mind...... :regular_smile: Holly

Hey Jonathan, was it a 1/2 hour appointment? 'Cuz I'd like to move up my first fill to your date. Thanks, Holly

It doesn't surprise me that Dr. Bagnato is busy with his own patients. Since Chris Smith and Joe Burnette are also doing Lap-Bands, perhaps they would be willing to take on new patients for fills? Both of them are with Albany Surgical...here's a web address to check (I think Albany Surgical's web site is being constructed). WALB.com News, Weather and Sports for Albany, Valdosta and Thomasville. Leading the way for South Georgia. | | Ask the Expert: Surgical While Dr. Bagnato is listed with the other surgeons on this page, he has a separate office and only operates at Palmyra Hospital; the other surgeons use both Palmyra and Phoebe Putney.

Mia and Jeannie, It was great to meet you at lunch last week, and I appreciate you going with me to the OTC to meet Malik. Mia, I'm so sorry to hear you being discouraged. I know people have probably mentioned this before, but please THROW AWAY YOUR SCALE or hide it in the attic. It's nice to have a goal (for your honeymoon) but don't beat yourself up if you don't quite reach it by that deadline. Nobody's perfect. Think about how far you HAVE come, and in a relatively short period of time. We are all rooting for you Glad you could fit in a fill. My first is 7 weeks after surgery. Jeannie's cancelled appointment was too early for me but I told her she could probably auction it off on ebay! Hope to see you soon, Holly

IMHO, I think some things should be private...between husbands and wives, and a few very close friends who can offer support after the surgery. I draw a big distinction between the Lap-Band procedure--which is totally elective and under my control--and diseases which may run in families like cancer, diabetes, addictions, high blood pressure, etc. These things I did not hide from my children; they had the right to know (when they were old enough to understand the implications for their lives). I grew up with an extremely secretive mother but she never kept family health issues from me.

Dear Myn, PLEASE do not make your decision based on finances alone. There are so many ways to come up with your 15% and $150 per visit. I was self-pay and only had the one pre-op visit and one post-op visit, and I guess I'll not see Dr. Bagnato again unless something goes wrong...maybe you'll only have a couple of visits as well. If you have any collateral (car, home, life insurance, stocks), you may be able to get a 2-3 year loan from a bank. If your credit is good, the bank might make you an unsecured loan for a short term. This would be better than charging it on a credit card (unless you have one of those at 7.9%). Also, just because a lot of us like Dr. Bagnato, he's not the only one who is experienced with this kind of surgery. Ask your insurance company for a recommendation, look around this forum for names, and ask all your questions so you feel comfortable with your choice. I'm 53 and got banded so I'd feel better both physically and psychologically. I want to start a new career when I'm an empty nester in a couple of years, and be able to keep up with any grandchildren that may be in my future. At age 29 you have your whole life ahead of you, and 3 kids to keep up with! And you're a student as well! I'm proud of you and I don't even know you! Holly

I have two kids in college and one in high school. I decided to tell only my DH, my mom, and 2 close friends. If my college kids come home and notice a positive change in my appearance, I'll accept any compliments that may come my way. If they don't notice any difference, there won't be any comments one way or another...the topic of weight loss won't come up. I'm doing this for myself, so I choose to keep it to myself. I've read too many posts where news of this type gets out and people expect instant results. People sometimes seem critical when your progress doesn't measure up to their expectations. Just my $.02

Hi everyone, I'm sure this has been suggested before, but here goes. When I was doing research about the Lap-Band, I looked on the internet for live videos of the procedure being done, and I watched the whole thing. It made me feel more confident about having the surgery, and it answered many of my questions before I attended Dr. Bagnato's seminar. When I did ask questions, Dr. Bagnato could tell that I'd seen the surgery being done--I would imagine most surgeons feel better operating on an informed patient. I would recommend that everyone who is thinking about this surgery watch a video about what goes on in the operating room; I know it helped me psychologically when I came out of recovery because I knew what to expect. Here are links to examples of what I watched: Brigham and Women's Hospital Hartford Hospital The only difference between these procedures and the one that Dr. B does is that he places the port in the upper left chest area; the doctors in these videos place the port in the abdomen. Apparently accessing the port (sorry, Mia) is easier when it's in the upper chest. Holly

Hi everyone! I've been reading posts on this thread for a couple of weeks. I love the support you offering one another, especially on those "down" days. I've got a couple of questions. The answers may just depend on each person's physical condition, but I'll ask anyway * For the first fill, how many cc's do they put in? (And is it painful? I HATE needles!) * Has anyone asked for, and gotten, earlier appointments for their first fill? * How often are fills scheduled? Every month, 6 weeks? To Leslie who recently joined--my mom offered to pay the entire $$ of the surgery for me because she was concerned about my health. I will be eternaly grateful for her giving me the chance to change my life. I'll bet your mom feels the same way. Even after losing 8 pounds, I feel like I have more energy. Good luck with your surgery, and get ready for your new life!

Hi everyone! I know it's hard to get a group together, but Mia, Jeannie & Holly are meeting around lunch time on March 20th. Time and place in Albany TBA. Come if you can!

Hey Mia, did you still want to meet for lunch on the 20th? I marked my calendar Holly

Hi Allykat, You are right, I was banded one day after you. I feel very lucky to have avoided any gas pains, and my incisions seem to be healing nicely. Thanks for your words of advice! Holly

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