Caterpillarfly

Surgery-wise, I'm most afraid of the anesthesia as well, which is a fear my mother instilled in me. As much as I hate the idea of getting put out if I don't have to be, I think about it this way: Is it better to be put out now for this surgery that is going to help me physically and emotionally for the rest of my life, or later when I have to have surgery for a heart attack or whatever other illness or complications I get from being heavy all my life? I'd rather make this change now while I'm young, instead of facing more serious illness later. That at least makes me feel better about the surgery. Too bad all the fear and food issues aren't quite that simple.

Hey Angel, I am located just south of Atlanta, GA and I'm scheduled for May 13th! Jessica

Two of my favorites... "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take." -Wayne Gretzky Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely, but rather to skid in sideways, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and screaming "WOO HOO! What a ride!"

This makes me a little nervous...I'm not banded yet, but in the past few months I've been experiencing rapid/irregular/hard heartbeats. I've been to the doctor and had an EKG and an Echocardiogram. The doctor said nothing is wrong and that it's probably just stress, but it concerns me that people are seeing this get worse. I've totally given up caffeine for the past 3 months and I've been trying not to stress out, but it still happens occasionally and even keeps me up all night sometimes.

Thank you both for your input and support. I'm feeling a little better after talking to my mother. It's funny, when this started I was the one who had to talk her into believing that this is the right thing for me and that it was safe and effective. I figured that if I told her I was questioning it, she'd tell me not to do it, but she actually was SO encouraging and positive. She really got me feeling better about the whole situation, and I'm grateful that I have her support for this process. Bizzy, I'm sorry that you're not finding the support system you need at home, but you definitely have all of us. I like your idea of looking into finding a support group. As much as this procedure is going to hopefully make us "normal" in terms of weight and food intake, there are things about us that will NEVER be the same, and I'm sure it's something that only another bandster would understand. Slim, I LOVE your name...congrats on the weight you've already lost! I'm so grateful that I've got all of you guys...I've chosen not to tell anyone but my mother, grandmother, and best girlfriend, none of whom live near me, so I have very few people to confide in and share this process with.

I live in Atlanta, GA, but I am originally from Buffalo, NY.

Every day we get closer and closer to May... May 2- Christal May 5- Tracy, Sandy May 6- Shawna, Jemo97 May 7- Makeupqueen, Mely, Ellen, Pix May 8- Mae May 13- Jessica, Molly, Brenda, Bella, Michele May 19- Lexy, Amy May 21- Sarah, Pen May 22- Krysten, Jaime, Lena May 26- Shelly May 27- Kammi, Sydney May 28- Nora May 30- Three Sixty Six May 31- Tonya

I am so excited and nervous too...I looked down at my ticker today and it's only one month and 3 days away! It seemed like it was so far away when I first got my date. Bella, I'm so glad we've got another bandser on the same day as me. We'll have to keep in touch! May 2- Christal May 5- Tracy, Sandy May 6- Shawna, Jemo97 May 7- Makeupqueen, Mely, Ellen May 8- Mae May 13- Jessica, Molly, Brenda, Bella May 19- Lexy, Amy May 21- Sarah May 22- Krysten, Jaime, Lena May 26- Shelly May 27- Kammi May 28- Nora May 30- Three Sixty Six May 31- Tonya

Pix, I'm sorry that your date got pushed back but I am so glad that you'll be joining the May Flowers! We're a great group and I'm looking forward to next month when the journey begins for all of us. Stop by the May forum and say hello! If you're looking to make your Alfredo lighter, you have to check out HungryGirl.com. She has some GREAT light Alfredo recipes. Check out this page, which has a million variations, as well as the Original Fettuccine Girlfredo recipe. Hungry Girl - Thursday Newsletter Enjoy! Jessica

We've got quite the list going...during May we'll have someone at just about every part of the journey! Let me know if I'm missing anyone! May 2- Christal May 5- Tracy, Sandy May 6- Shawna May 7- Makeupqueen, Mely May 8- Mae May 13- Jessica, Molly, Brenda May 19- Lexy, Amy May 21- Sarah May 22- Krysten, Jaime, Lena May 26- Shelly May 27- Kammi May 28- Nora May 30- Three Sixty Six May 31- Tonya

Christal, you're our new guinea pig! You'll get to tell us all about it! Jaime, I added you after you posted in the other thread! I'm so happy to see how many of us there are! May 2- Christal May 5- Tracy, Sandy May 6- Shawna May 7- Makeupqueen May 13- Jessica, Molly, Brenda May 19- Lexy, Amy May 21- Sarah May 22- Krysten, Jaime May 26- Shelly May 27- Kammi May 28- Nora May 30- Three Sixty Six May 31- Tonya

Great to see another bandster on the same day as me! I went through our introduction post and grabbed a few more names and dates. Hopefully we'll be able to get the whole month's schedule set so we can check up on each other! May 5- Tracy, Sandy May 13- Jessica, Molly, Brenda May 19- Lexy, Amy May 22- Krysten, Jaime May 26- Shelly May 27- Kammi May 28- Nora May 30- Three Sixty Six May 21- Tonya

Welcome welcome! May 5- Tracy, Sldeems May 13- Jessica, Molly May 19- Lexy, Amy May 22- Krysten May 26- Shelly May 27- Kammi

I TOTALLY understand! The second I got my surgery date I started eating EVERYTHING. I was getting my food from a drive thru daily and the guy at the Dairy Queen literally KNEW me! After gaining 6 pounds in 3 weeks I knew I REALLY had to get myself under control. I'm going to a wedding a few days before my surgery, and I don't want to go feeling bloated and huge. My pre-op diet doesn't start for a few weeks, but I've started doing Medifast just to get myself in control. Two whole days and I've managed to stick to it. We all deserve to enjoy the things we love and won't eat for a while, but we don't want to go crazy! Good luck keeping it in control before your big day!

Hey Dicev! So glad to hear you've got a date...you're a May Flower! May 6th was my original band date, but I wound up getting pushed back to May 13th. You should stop by the May 2008 forum and introduce yourself. Welcome to the board! Jessica

I think that as long as your honest and explain WHY you're doing this, she'll understand. Telling my mother was hard, but she ultimately wants me to be happy and healthy, so she's supportive and will come stay with me for a week to take care of me after the surgery. My father still doesn't know, and I'm not sure if he'll ever know. I mentioned the surgery to him about 4 years ago when I first starting considering it, and he flipped out. He doesn't believe in anything artificial and thinks that everything can be accomplished with "good old-fashioned hard work." He's definitely one of those people who thinks that this would be the "easy way out." At the time I needed his approval and his financial support, but now I don't need either. When my mother told him that she was coming up to take care of me, she told him that I was having surgery due to my polycystic ovaries, and he didn't ask for any details. I hate lying, but I know he'd never support me, and if I ever had financial problems in the future he'd say it was my own fault since I'm a self pay. I personally am not telling anyone but my mother, grandmother, aunt, and best friend about what I'm having done. While I know some people would be supportive, I know others would be negative or jealous, or feel that I didn't "deserve" my weight loss because I "cheated." I know that I am doing this for myself, and I don't need anyone else's opinion to alter how I feel about myself or my decision.

Kammi, To keep track of your posts, click on the My Account tab on the blue bar at the top of the page. It will show you every thread you've posted in that has recently received a response. You can also set up your account so that you get emailed everytime someone responds to a thread you posted in. (It doesn't get annoying and email you a million times...it only sends you one email until the next time you visit the website.) Hope that helps! Jessica

Woo! Looks like you're the earliest of us so far. I'm sure we'll be asking you a million questions! May 5- Tracy May 13- Jessica, Molly May 19- Lexy, Amy May 22- Krysten May 26- Shelly May 27- Kammi

Okay, so we've got... May 13- Jessica, Molly May 19- Lexy, Amy May 22- Krysten May 26- Shelly May 27- Kamicola

Like all of you, I have become completely consumed with preparing for the band and I spend so much time here...but I'm learning so much! I don't think I would have been completely prepared to make the decision if all this information weren't available to me. I've been in last supper mode since I got my surgery date, but after gaining about 6 pounds I realized I need to put on the brakes and prepare myself for the healthy lifestyle I'm hoping to attain. Like most of you, my biggest fear isn't the surgery, but the thought of failure. This band is only a tool, and my life is still in MY hands, which obviously hasn't worked out too well so far. But as a self-pay, I'll have those monthly reminders every time I make a payment that I cannot afford to fail.

I am lucky May 13th! May 13- Jessica May 19- Lexy May 22- Krysten May 26- Shelly

For anyone who wants to use the logo without the picture: Go to My Account Edit Signature Click the "Insert Image" button (It looks like a little yellow postcard) Enter the following URL: http://users.hanson.net/heroicdiva/MayMiracles2 OR Save this picture and upload to signature: If you have any questions, let me know!

Hey everyone! Anyone who wants to use my logo can email me your picture and name or post it in this thread. To email, just click on my name next to my post, click "Email Caterpillarfly" and send me a quick email. I'll have to email you back before you can attach the files, I just don't like posting my email address on message boards because of spam. I can definitely add a little bee for Bizzy too! Can we create a thread of just surgery dates so we can create a little master calendar? I'm so excited...it's all starting to become very real! :biggrin:

Looks like it's going to be May Flowers! Here's the edited version of my logo for the occasion! I know a few others came up with logos, so we can vote on that as well if everyone doesn't agree on this one. LOL we're very democratic here... Keep in mind that you won't all have a picture of me :thumbup:

Hey everyone! I live in Stockbridge and I'm scheduled for May 13th with Dr. Hart in Atlanta. I've heard really good things about Dr. Hart but I can't find much info on True Results Weight Loss who the surgery is through. Anyone have any experience with them?