JanetC

How long a wait is it for NHS? That's awful! And to "punish" you for being even more in need of the banding? Ewww!! I will tell you though, I think the money's worth it. Ok, I can't speak personally yet (give me 2 weeks), but I hear others saying that they would do it again in a heartbeat, even if they had to self-pay. Good luck with your consult & I hope the money comes together for you!

I totally understand what you're saying! Our surgeon seemed to want to slow us down, which ticked me off, lol. They have their program all setup (see this person this week, this person next, etc), so once you walk in the door you're on their timing. By the way, expect another delay after all the appointments -- for the pre-op diet. Depending on your surgeon, the diet period can be 3 days or 3 months -- and the diet can be pure liquid, liquid / solids, or lo-fat Atkins. Of course you can always jump the gun on that one & start losing now. Since you've had your first appointment, they have your starting weight documented. If you start losing now, you may have their requirement done before they expect it! (Our surgeon requires a 10 pound loss. It differs from surgeon to surgeon -- I've heard as low as none & as high as 10% body weight.) And THEN!!, when we were ready to schedule the surgery, he was going out of town for a seminar! I couldn't believe it! That put us back another month. Granted, we're talking Feb 13 & 15 rather then Jan 10, but still!! Anyway, all that to say I'm sorry for what you're going through. Hope things speed up for you! (( Hugs!! ))

My surgeon told us about the 1 band that he had leak (of the 200 surgeries he's done). It wouldn't hold saline. They attempted to fix the leak without removing it, but literally couldn't find the leak, even after inserting dye. Eventually they did a revision & replaced the band with a new one that held the saline. It's the only band he's ever removed... and he replaced it the same day. I didn't ask if they found the leak once it was out, lol. Sorry I don't have any first hand knowledge.

Hiya Jen-Jen! Great to see another DFW bandster. Welcome to LBT!!

Welcome to Choirgirl & Justamom (and anyone else I missed)! Glad to have you on board!

Wow, young & gorgeous & brave! Welcome to LBT! You're doing great, keep up the good work!

Hi DeAnn & welcome to LBT!! Ask tons of questions, folks here love to help.

Hi Peggy & welcome!

Welcome to LBT, Txkrause! I may have to give in & get myself a ticker now, lol. Also, while you're shopping around, one of the folks here posted a GREAT site (imho). And someone else suggested using Beneprotein to make any meal / drink into a Protein one! http://store.bariatriceating.com/ http://www.resource.walgreens.com/search/search_results.jsp?_dyncharset=ASCII&term=Beneprotein&section=A&%2Fsearch%2Fsearchbase%2FSearchOptions.resultsperPage=5&_D%3A%2Fsearch%2Fsearchbase%2FSearchOptions.resultsperPage=+&_DARGS=%2Fcommon%2Fnavigation%2Fheader_fg.jsp.1&x=0&y=0 Sorry that link is so ugly, but Walgreen's is the only place I've found it so far. Good luck! I'm dreading the starving part myself. (2 weeks until surgery, woot!!)

Congrats on the weight loss & new doctor... and good luck on the slip. Hopefully it slips right back down!! ((( HUGS!! )))

((( HUGS!!! ))) Sending you all kind of white light tonight!! We'll be praying for you.

Wow, grats Diane! Mine's on the 15th too! Exciting, isn't it? :roll:

I do believe the fear has made Mikey crack, lol. Sorry ya'll had to live through it! On the serious side, I'm dealing with it too. I'm swinging from hysteria, hope, delirious joy, fear, panic that I'll die or fail, back to hope, back to despair... I'm so tired! I'll be praying for you Leener! And for all of us Feb banders. :Banane23:

Thanks Anne! Ya'll made it easy to jump in!

Our PT started us out walking 10 min, 3 times a week. We're supposed to work up, adding 2 min every week, until we get to 30 min & stick with the 3 times a week part. At that point, we're to go back in & be re-evaluated. Now, what we're really doing, lol. We discovered a video game, lol, DDR (Dance, Dance Revolution -- PS2 or XBox). We drug the mats back out & started out again... training mode, beginner level, speed 3, 1 song (about 2 min). After 2 weeks, we're up to training / beginner / speed 5 / 6 songs (12 min). And Mikey's starting to feel competitve, so I have to keep smacking him down, mwahaha! (j/k) The main thing is just to move. If you're chair bound, move your arms. If it hurts to walk, try Water aerobics or DDR, lol. Find something that gets you moving! And if it's been a LONG time (like for us), keep it really slow in the beginning. We're in this for the long haul! Eventually we'll get to weights & major cardio, but for now, our little dance routine is doing the job. Good luck!

**Wave** to DaMama. Welcome to the site!! Welcome to Peggy as well! To change your custom title (the 2nd name): 1. Go up to the user menu (up top, blue bar) 2. On the left where it says "User CP" 3. Click on that 4. In the user CP, click on: "Edit Profile" (3rd in the list on the left) 5. A little down the page, there's a box called the "Custom User Title". Clear it out, or click on the Reset box. Either should get rid of the 2nd line. Or you can put something clever in there (I'm not clever, lol, so mine's blank). To create a post, when you're on a forum's "home" page... the page showing all the topics that are going: top left, just under the blue menu bar, is a button "New Thread". Click on it & you're on the way. Most people go to the "Introductions" forum to start, but you don't have to, we'll wave at you no matter where you're at! Good luck! If you need any help, feel free to PM (private message) me. ** Hugs & welcome to the journey!! **

Sorry to hijack, but I thought I'd answer RoziRoze ... there's a post with all the abbreviations & their definitions: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/showthread.php?t=7959 It may seem that folks are ignoring you, but I'm sure it's not on purpose. Everyone here is really nice & willing to help, you just have to get their attention. I think the problem may be that you're asking questions on threads about something else. Often folks just read the first post & then respond, they're not reading everything everyone says. If you start a new post, you'll get more responses directed at you. (When you're on the page that shows a list of topics, there should be a "New Post" button on the top left corner of the page.) For your smiley question, you type a colon & then a close-parenthesis to get a smiley : + ) :Banane39: -- that's the basic one. A semi-colon + close-parenthesis makes a wink ; + ) . For more options, when you're posting a reply, click on the "Go Advanced" button below the quick reply box... or click on the "Post Reply" button bottom left. Either should bring up a page that has the smileys listed... just click on one to get it inserted into your post. Hope that helps! :Banane29: In answer to the original thread, I'm not banded yet, lol :roll:, but my doctor's average is 57 pounds for the first year, 30 for the second & 10 for the 3rd.

Self-pay, $18,900 (gulp!!). Included: psychiatric group (bi-monthly), support group (monthly), unlimited nutritionist visits & quarterly visits with a physical therapist as well as unlimited fills for the first year. We may have gotten ripped off, I try not to think about it. So far I've been really, really happy with the team spirit.

Oh my word, thank you! I've been looking for a good price on Isopure RTD (Ready To Drink)... this site has the best price yet, and a variety pack, woohoo!! And those coffee drinks are definitely going to have to be tried! Thanks!

That's so awesome! Congrats!!

Grats on the banding!!

Ya gotta admit she's the poster child for the band... almost exactly 2 pounds a week. I wish everyone's trip could be that smooth! But it does give me hope that we CAN do it! And the best thing: When I hear all of you saying that you have control over when you stop, that you can stop before the food is gone (including every edible scrap in the fridge), I get a lot of hope. I would love to lose 2 pounds a week until I'm at goal, but to be honest, I'd be happy just not gaining anymore! I did like her tips & am trying to add some of them into my lifestyle now. Hopefully they'll help my banding be a success too!

All of the above. Fat childhood, which of course led to injury, which led to sedentary life, then bad food & exercise choices (carbs & NONE!!, to be exact). My family history is a story of obesity & I plain ol' really, really, really like food.

For me food is an issue. It is almost sinful, if not totally so. As I’m eating Breakfast, I’m dwelling on what I’m going to eat for lunch. As I eat lunch… etc. When I’m in church & things are quiet, it’s a lovely time to think about the delicious, huge, satisfying lunch I’m going to have. When things go late I get panicky, worried that I’m not going to get to eat before the “food headache” sets in. I do believe that I have made an idol out of food & I worship at it 3-6 times daily, if not more. And when I’m not currently worshiping, I’m thinking about how wonderful the last time was, or how good the next time will be. I need to get it under control. I want to get it under control. It’s killing me spiritually, let alone physically, emotionally, etc. I’ve prayed & prayed & prayed to get the demon of food off my back. I’ve submitted myself to God’s control, I’ve had hands laid on me, I’ve done fasts & every diet known to man. I, however, am a weak creature. As it’s been said, “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” “I don’t do what I want to do, but the thing that I don’t want to do, that’s what I end up doing." Yeah, I took ’em out of context, but it so sums me up. But seriously, I eat for more reasons than that it’s my idol of choice. It drugs my anxieties, fills my voids emotionally, etc, etc. And now, after years & years of food worship, my need for food is so strong that it will take a miracle to change me. It would be wonderful to go to church Sunday & suddenly not crave food ever again. To have my miracle without any non-spiritual intervention. But we can’t all be that lucky. I believe that God has brought this tool, the miracle that is lap-band, into my life to help me overcome my sin. I have proved over & over & over that I am not strong enough, even with His help. It seems I’m not able to turn myself over completely enough or something. I continuously find myself back worshipping at the food altar. I trust & believe that through the lap-band, I’ll be able to control my urges, with His help. This is not a miracle pill. We won’t suddenly be thin & over our food issues. But He WILL be there every step of the way… holding our hands, welcoming our attention as we focus it back on Him. And hopefully as I gain control over food, as I’m able to stop stuffing my face BEFORE it hurts & quit worrying about where the next meal is coming from, I’ll be able to focus on the other issues, the REAL reasons I started over-eating to begin with. And as they pop to the surface I’ll need His help to deal with them, to bring them under His control. The process terrifies me, but I’m trusting Him to be there when I cry out in fear. So basically, I believe that God is using the lap-band as a tool to bring me back under His umbrella, to hold me tight & show me that I AM worthy & that I AM loved. P.S. You can see why Mikey & I are together, lol, it’s so we can give long-winded speeches to each other!

Hey Amy, I wanted to go read what the Atkins folks were saying, but I don't think I was on the right forum. Which one did you go to? Could you link to your post? Thanks!