lindatatu

Judy it is funny with all the walks you suggested you never mentioned the diabetes walk. It is the 27th at Dunn Tire Park.

Viactiv is a calcium chewable and comes in many flavors such as chocolate and carmel. They are like eating candy. My vitamin is Vital 8 and it is pretty good.

Dee, my surgery is October 13th but should have been Sept 22 so I am ready. Some ideas I have gathered for surgery and post op are: for the hospital take some large ziploc bags to put the ice in for your incisions. Judy had hers leak all over and was all wet so this was her suggestion. One person complained about her roommates tv so earplugs might be a good idea. Lip balm as the hospital air is very dry. I am taking a small fan as I am always hot. I bought a small measuring cup that looks like a shot glass so I can drink the 2 ozs of water every 15 minutes. I read this somewhere in a book but no one has said anything about that on this thread. Can anyone tell us, do you have do that once you are home? Take a pillow for the car ride home to hold against your incisions. For home I have gasx and liquid tylenol. Thanks for asking. Maybe I will get some more good advice.

I have a question. I am not banded but have started the chewable vitamins and calcium. I chew the Viactiv and it seems to take forever. Is it hard to get down. Should I not put the whole thing in my mouth at once?

Wow what a chat fest we have going on here! Jen-and everyone else- we meet at 8am at what used to be the juicery It is now a pizza place. It is where the barricades are that stop cars from driving any further into the park. Someday I will learn what street it is. Val Judy, Nikki and I walked last week. It varies. The time goes so fast when you are with friends. BandofGold - where do you find the reciepes for SB? I always get the site that wants you to sign up for the program and cost money monthly. Bloom - how awful for you with the added stress and probably worrys that something is wrong. Now I am concerned. My pre op is the 29th! I am worried my blood glucose will be too high but hopefully they will take into account I am a diabetic. I had to go off hormones for the month before surgery and that is increasing my anxiety. The other night watching the four year old singing on America's got talent I was bawling like my dog died. My husband told Dr. H it is going to be a long month! I am sure everything will work out. I will be praying for you. Hope to see you guys at the support meeting!

Hi Jen, I see you went to the other site. Read past posts and you will find a lot of good information and people struggling with the same issues as you. You are suppossed to RSVP for the support meeting but I know people don't. I forgot last month. They are on the third Wednesday of the month at 6pm and are held on the first floor. There is a door to the left of the coffee vendor that says do not enter and you enter anyway. The number to call is 859-1168. They last between 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Was any of the 20 pounds you lost pre surgery? If not you are really doing great. I am down 20 pounds since first weigh in and I suspect I will lose some on Phase 1 the week prior to surgery. Do you have any comorbiditys? I am looking forward to "curing" my diabetes and perhaps getting rid of my CPAP machine. I have done a lot of research and read countless books. I have been on hold for a few weeks as I am extremely busy with work (I run a non profit and live where I work so I am lucky that I can work all day and night ) but as soon as it is over, Sept 23rd, I am going back to reading up on the procedure. Being afraid of compliance I am also seeing a therapist/nutritionist. She asked if I was nervous about losing weight and my new body image. I didn't think I was but from what I read a lot of people look in a mirror and still see an obese person. I know when I shop or look at catalogs I still lean towards items that are blousy or full rather than fitted. Hope to meet you at a support meeting or in the park walking.

Hey no excuses. We still walk. This is Buffalo! I hope we walk as long as possible. I don't think the group has gone through a winter yet. I know I will be there this Saturday at 8am. It goes so fast when there is someone walking with you. We talk lapband the whole time. Last week there were four of us. Consider joining us. I will be at the hospital 3 Mondays in a row for pre op, weigh in, and surgery. Preop work is September 29th. Keep up the good work. I hope I lose 20 pounds in the first 9 weeks! Right now I think I will be afraid to eat anything but I guess if I get hungry enough I will. Any tips for a soon to be bander would be apprecited. Right now I am at the age where I have to stop my hormones before surgery. Not looking forward to the side effects! There is a support meeting next Wednesay at 6pm that I plan to go to also. Are you going? It would be great to see you there.

Are you happy with going home the same day? In Buffalo we stay overnight and the next day the doctor does a barium swallow to check the position of the band and then you go home. I understand you don't get a lot of rest in the hospital but I think I like the safety of being there. I will be banded October 13th.

Hi Jen, I would be happy to correspond. But I also want to let you know of a site here with all patients of the CWL clinic at Buffalo General. Do a search for Lap band done in Buffalo, NY (Dr. Hoffman). The first question I have is how are you doing since surgery. I am still waiting. It is October 13th. But I have been very proactive doing research, reading books etc. I am starting to get nervous. Do you go to the support meetings. I have been to the last two. the next one is September 17th at 6pm. Another thing is that a group of us walk on Saturday mornings at 8am. Dr. Hoffman started the group. Next, do you know who your new doctor is yet? Welcome to 20 questions.:thumbdown: I am anxious to hear your progress.

Where'd y'all get your machines? How long did it take; like am I not going to be able to get it in time? I'd like to have it *just in case* but if I can't then I'll be chatting with you, LLL I got my machine at the doctors office the same day I got the results of my sleep study.

Bloom, how long can I expect my preop work to take?

This is going to sound trival after all of blooms concerns....I have never been catherized either and am a bit undone about it....does anyone have acrylic nails and do I really have to take my polish off? I didn't for my last surgery but that was just an endometrial ablation.

Bloom I am a few weeks behind you but have been learning from this site and books. I believe your weight is no longer an issue once you have your insurance authorization. The final weigh in is for their records to see how you do post op. I suspect many people put on a few pounds eating their favorite foods for the "last" time (not necessarily true) As far as the liver, just be true to the pre op 1 week before diet and it will be fine. Yes they will cancel surgery if your liver is not shrunk. Plus even if they do surgery it will be harder on the doctor and you may be under anesthesia longer than necessary. BUT now that I have said that I have all my dates and written instructions and there is nothing about a preop diet on it. Lisa seems to be amenable to phone calls and will probably put you through to the best person. I am glad Judy mentioned the ice packs I had not remembered that. I might suggest cheap frozen bagged veggies that you can refreeze over again as they confirm to your body. I have a list for the hospital that includes lip gloss-they say the air is very dry in the hospital, and ear plugs-for an annoying roomate and gasx and liquid tylenol for home. Hope this helps. You will be fine! My preop testing question is is the blood work fasting? And when do you get the scrips, when you show up at the hospital?

Hi everyone, I have been kind of lax lately so in preperation for surery I decided I would start eating slowly and chew, chew, chew. It took FOREVER to get a small dinner down! I couldn't believe it. So I got flustered and ate faster. Makes me wonder if I will be able to eat slow enough or chew enough. Kudos to everyone who is doing it.:tt2:

Val, I know I haven't been banded yet but I read a lot of information and you are right to take it slow in introducing solid food. I was wondering if before you leave after having a fill do they ask you to drink water so they can make sure it goes down? That seems to be the guide on whether you are filled to full or not. I have read that more than one place. I hope you are filling better.

Bloom, I am 6 weeks away and freaking out! I think it is to be expected. Were you given instructions for a diet? I thought it was 1 or 2 weeks of SB Phase 1. Not to freak you out more but all the books say it is important to follow the preop diet and if the liver isn't shrunk or is soft and mushy it makes the surgery harder and you are under anesthesia longer or they may even cancel surgery. I know you will do the right thing and do fabulously

china, I know how to go to Ticker Factory and pick out what I want but then when it comes to putting it where it goes I am lost. Where do you cut and paste the URL? It is driving me crazy.

I am reading a book by Khaliah Ali called Fighting Weight and her doctors at NYU take new bandsters out to dinner in groups to see how they are eating and in a social situation and they tell them what they are doing wrong. Cool. Lots of good information but the book is mostly her journey in weight loss and gain. But when the doctors write it is excellent advice.

I will be at the park this Saturday, September 6. I am interested in all these walks but aren't you suppossed to get pledges? Are there registration fees?

Happy September 1st! Now I can officially say I will be banded next month! Lapbandtalk sent me a birthday greeting. How cool. Of course they also updated the age on my site. This time next year I plan to be a slim trim 60 year old!:smile:

Speaker37, did you start the process? How far along are you. I don't about any online course. Who are you going to? I go to Buffalo General and Dr. Aaron Hoffman. I get banded on October 13th.

msgigle, are you still out there? There are a lot of Buffalo Bandsters and some of Dr. Hoffmans patients meet Saturday morning to walk in Delaware Park. Do you go to the Support Meetings? I will be banded October 13th.

Hi Jill, Have you done anything about the surgery yet? Dr. Forbes is leaving the practice and moving to NC. So Posner and Hoffman who are excellent and have wonderful stats are becoming overwhelmed with new patients. Even if you are still on the fence I would consider looking into filling an application. It is a lengthy procedure involving Psych evaluation and diet before you are accepted so you have time to back out. My surgery is October 13th. I do not need to loose a lot of weight (maybe 60 lbs) but I am doing it to be healthier and "cure" my diabetes, stomach problems, high BP, etc. Besides being down to only two doctors the band is really becoming popular and is much safer than Gastric Bypass Surgery. If you put in an application you will be invited to a seminar where they explain everything about both surgerys including mortality rates. I believe Sisters hospital has a program also and there is one in Buffalo called Synergy Bariatics. Good Luck.

Hi Nicole, I am usually on another thread but I like to search around once in awhile and I found your post. I too live in Buffalo, South Buffalo to be exact. My surgery is October 13th. It could have been September 22nd but I was busy. It has been a long process but I think I am ready. Actually I would have said I am ready but I was at the beach last week, eating more than usual and am having trouble getting back on track. I am a "light weight" and don't have a whole lot to loose - perhaps 60 total pounds would make me happy. I go to Buffalo General and will have Dr. Hoffman as my surgeon. It will be interesting to hear the perspective of a patient of another surgeon. Let me know if you want to chat. Linda

Good news! I didn't receive a call from the clinic but I got an insurance approval in the mail for October 16th so I guess I have a date! :wink2: Now I am nervous!:thumbdown: