bloomerific

Good luck to y'all getting fills this week!!!! And Dee---good luck tomorrow!!!

I think Dr. Hoffman will love seeing all of you on one day, ha ha! He's probably used to all of the silliness that comes with us. I think he's acclimating to me, anyway. :cursing: I'm looking forward to walking on the 11th and support on the 15th! I've not been feeling well in the morning, almost as if my body's trying to catch up to my brain. This morning I just felt awful--sweaty, clammy, run-down. I don't think I'm getting enough protein in during the day. Granted, I haven't been writing down things---maybe I should? I'm taking all of the required vitamins too...what do you guys think? I'm two weeks out now, moving to soft food tomorrow...what the heck? My thing with the fills...in my estimation, by the time it gets to where I can't get any more fills, I will be able to run my a$$ off and will be totally used to eating healthily, and when I don't the band will still be there stopping my bad habits if they pop up. I won't even care how much saline I've got goin' on! :cool2: :w00t: At least that's what I'm hoping!

Good morning, everyone! It's so good to see so many posts in here lately. :biggrin: *waves to everyone who hasn't been around lately and to the newbies* I'm still on pureed food...made it through the wedding that I was in this weekend! It was at Samuel's and they were VERY accommodating and pureed my entire meal (minus the salad/cake/Baked Alaska...I just mushed up a little of the latter two, and the thought of pureed salad made me sick). Granted, pureed filet mignon is probably the only way I'll ever eat it again but it was gross until I salted and peppered. I felt bad that I was only able to eat about 10 tablespoons of everything combined, but hey whatcha gonna do? I also ate a little piece of cake...but not until yesterday. :thumbup: I tried regular scrambled eggs on Saturday morning and they didn't get stuck but they definitely gave me a stomachache. I'm with y'all who are eating out of willpower (though, it's SO MUCH EASIER now) because of fears of getting stuck. On Sunday I had fat free yogurt from Tops (I was at my sister's and she didn't have much around) and it made me so gassy! OMG! Must've been the asparatame. But Aldi FF yogurt doesn't do that? So weird. I haven't slimed/PB'ed/etc. yet...I have felt very uncomfortable a couple of times and it's always after just one extra teaspoon of whatever I'm eating....it's crazy! My warning sign is usually hiccupping. Except for Water when I'm not eating...I love that I can still drink water because I think I have an addiction, lol.... I guess when I move to real solid foods (which won't be until next Wednesday I guess) I'm really going to figure out what works. On Friday there was BBQ pork at the rehearsal dinner with no puree option and I basically took really small bites and pureed them in my mouth, like Jeanne said I would eventually do. It worked out but I'm still nervous! Anyway, there's my update...I will definitely be at the Support Group meeting on the 15th, and hopefully at the park on the 11th!

Linda--you are so right, people either like or don't whatever program they're in, you know? Or, they just come here for all of their info. :tongue2: :wink2: Congrats on the growth of your ministry, by the way!!! I wish I'd seen the coverage; I wonder if it's on the channel 4 website anywhere. I tend to think that Sister's program is rated so high because they haven't outgrown themselves, like BGH. They're a smaller hospital, and are working within their means and are able to answer all of the questions that are out there. They're doing a lot of good!! Sister's was an option for me when I first started looking into bariatric surgery (for bypass) before I decided the band was for me. At the time they weren't doing banding. Buckets--I have BCBS, I believe the minimum is 5% loss; but with comorbidities, etc. it'll be an easy approval. The clinic had me lose more weight than the insurance asked for, but that was just to lower my BMI even more.

Judy---yeah, I thought at this stage (the way Jeanne explained) is that I have to puree absolutely everything. Granted, I've cheated with cottage cheese but after yesterday's egg debacle...I'm letting up a bit!!! Blech! When was Linda on Channel 4? And what for? Ooh that rhymed...:crying:

I will have to agree with you, Judy. On everything, actually!!! I was just putting my two cents in before. :rolleyes2: :drool: The BGH program is very comprehensive, but there are parts that aren't being discussed with us...I mean, like I said--The Hoff was upset that I hadn't been told about protein drinks. It's the communication system, I think, because they're so overwhelmed. The wait is long, but I really do feel supported and I think for me that's the most important thing. My friends have also had great results and are very happy with the program at Sister's...for me, Dr. Hoffman especially was much more experienced with the band. But honestly...you've got to get into a program ASAP to get yourself motivated and a part of something. Get in whereever you can!!! Remember, my original application was LOST!!!! We DEFINITELY need a more updated way of communication from them. All of my info usually comes from the internet!!! Thanks, LLL! It's so funny, now that I can "eat" my pureed stuff---I'm afraid to eat because I don't know how it's going to feel to be full. Don't get me wrong, I've been eating, but I'm so used to filling myself WAY past where I should...I don't know how to handle this!! By the way---pureeing scrambled eggs is absolutely DISGUSTING. I will never do that again unless I put buttloads of ketchup on them. And since I'm not eating ketchup right now because of the sugar content...NOPE!

I'm back from my appt./work...and I lost 19 lbs. in 12 days (Laurie and Barb said "1 week" but I reminded them that I technically weighed in on the 10th, and they said, "oh whatever, silly!")!!!! Of course that's mostly water weight, but I already feel differently. I've been moved to pureed food--I'm currently eating some pureed chicken salad and sweet potatoes...getting through the chicken first, of course! I already feel full after like 10 little bites...I only made about 1/4 c. of it. Dr. Hoffman was really intense about how he made my stomach the size of an egg, and I've got to pay attention to how much I put in there so I'm wicked anal about it. No stretching will be happening here! In two weeks I'll be able to go in a pool, so that's when I'm going back to water aerobics at the Y here in Lockport. My next appt. is in 5 weeks, by then I'll know if I need a fill or not. Eek! He said everything looked good and I've lost 60 lbs. since I met him and he wants me to "blow him away" at my next appointment. Face it, I'm psyched up! Akirrastar...I would be super pushy with Buffalo General. Through my research here and in other sites, and with people I know who have gone through Sister's...this is a better program. Just call incessantly. Same for you, Buckets. The doctors at Buffalo General are more experienced with bands.

Blah, I hope it goes away soon. :cry_smile: But I am glad it's not just me. I picked up the rest of my Lortab prescription this afternoon, the pharmacy only had enough for 5 doses and I finished the last dose last night. I'm not a fan of controlled substances, so I too use it for bad nights. I've got to work too, can you imagine going to work on Lortab? How would I even get there, lol!!! :cool2: I'm kind of excited for my follow up appt. tomorrow, looking forward to seeing how much I've lost! Then maybe I'll make a ticker. About how much did y'all lose in the first week?

I think the ability to move the liver is surgeon specific; sometimes it has to do with band experience. I gave my surgeon my concerns about my liver and if it would be "thin" enough...and he told me that he's done over 500, and that he's never had an issue. After surgery he said, "see, I told you--no problems! Your liver looked good!" and all I had done was a week of "sort of" low-carbs. :cry_smile: I hope that you've had surgery rescheduled!!

Welcome to everyone new!! Yay, more peeps!!! 1) My shoulder is KILLING ME. I'm like, dying. Hopefully Dr. Hoffman's got some advice for me tomorrow. Anybody else who has been banded...did you have this? Do you still have this? OMGGGGG. I'm using my heat pack and at night I'm Lortabing it up. 2) The glue came out of one of my little incisions yesterday in the shower, and I freaked out and promptly put a bandaid over it. I wonder if that's okay...it still looks "open" and I'm freaking. Who know that post-op would be so fun?

Hey China! I'm glad to see you over here as well! They told me to lose 50 lbs. before surgery, I lost 40, and they were REALLY excited about that. I mean, the NP was practically peeing herself. :thumbup: I barely exercised until the summer...but in a month I'd lost 28 by just sticking to South Beach. So if you're gonna exercise (it was the end of the school year for me and close to impossible), awesome! You're going to be FINE FINE FINE! :eek: I'm going to start walking in the park after the first weekend in October, so I'll be sure to meet you!

Okay...I feel much better, thanks Judy/band/etc. ! Now if my eye would stop twitching (I doubt this has anything to do with anything but being tired)... Skinny ahoy!

Hey ladies!! My port site seems to be the worst pain incision wise; the others don't even hurt--I presume this is normal. Speaking of normal...is it normal for my left shoulder/collarbone area to still ache? I'm thinking it's referred pain from being pulled in a bazillion ways...as well as gas still in there. It hurts when I cough or breathe very deeply...I'm seeing Dr. Hoffman on Tuesday but I'm such a hypochondriac... Also, there's a bruise under my port incision...weird? Oh--and I slept on my stomach for the first time last night, I had no choice...my neck hurt so badly it was the only comfy place! That won't mess up anything will it? /paranoid

So, Angie et. al., how are you doing? I'm getting some referred pain through my shoulder/collarbone whenever I cough, etc. but there's prolly some gas in there still. :eek: My port site hurts the worst of all the incisions...I don't think the others hurt at all! :thumbup:

Heyyyyyyyyyyyyyy all! I know, it's taken me a few days to come on here and tell y'all that I'm okay, but check it out---I'm okay! I was SO nervous on Monday, it was pretty evident. And leaving me in the holding area for so long made me even more nervous--I was all by myself, boo! But once they got a vein and gave me an IV, then hooked me up with calming meds and took me into the OR, I was good. Last thing I remember is the oxygen mask and a nurse saying, "we'll take really good care of you." I woke up in recovery all spacey and my back hurt. I'm at my sister's house, I've been there all week, but I'm going home tonight. I'm really achy through my shoulder--I guess it's the leftover CO2 and the referred pain from being yanked and pulled and prodded in surgery. I drank Atkins shakes for most of the week along with water and a little chicken stock but now I'm drinking protein powder shakes and they're kinda gross but I'm dealing. The Clinic was all in such arms about my white blood cell count last Wednesday that they never told me to get protein shakes and stuff to have at home...Dr. Hoffman seemed a little mad that nobody told me that. I think it was attributed to them sticking me with Laurie, a different NP than I was used to (I was used to seeing Barb) and maybeher not knowing me or something. Dr. Hoffman said the white blood cell count was NEVER an issue with him. I love how everyone but the surgeon got all bajiggity. :thumbup: Anyway, I'm still really excited...I'll be more excited when I can kick these protein shakes down the road. They're gross, let's face it. :thumbdown: And I'm okay drinking chicken stock, right? And eating sugar free jello? I know it's low carb protein, and little to no sugar. He was mad that I thought I could drink apple juice all week. Noperooni. Feeling good, really excited, can't wait to start walking with y'all in October (my next weekends are filled with weddings and Girl Scout camp stuff)!!!! I've missed you!!!

Well, ladies...here we go! My dog's at my friend's house, I've been through the ringer with the Fleet Phospho-Soda (blech), drinking water, and starving! 6:30 a.m. will be when I'll get to BuffGen! Wish me luck!!! I'm a bit nervous but I guess if anything happens...the hospital is the best place to be, right?

I'm being banded on Monday as well!!! Good luck!

Okay, okay, okay!!!! It's finally happening, peeps! My lap band surgery is on Monday at 9:30 a.m. and it's SOLID. My blood cell count was still elevated, so BuffGen denied my medical clearance for a 2nd time, so I went to the doctor today and she cleared my clogged ears and found---a slight ear infection! That I never even FELT. She faxed the info to BuffGen, then I called Lisa and she told me Dr. Hoffman said he's fine with it since I'm on a zpack! YES. Also...I got a loaner CPAP from CPAP XPress!!!! They were AMAZING and I highly recommend it...their respiratory chick was in West Seneca (I went to Transit) so they let the girl on duty there set it all for me with her boss on the phone (whom I had spoken to earlier). Now, at the end of next week or whenever, I'll be able to get my own machine since they took all my info for insurance. Seriously, I can't say enough good things!!! Thanks y'all for the support you've given me, I've needed it since the process was so long!!! Just send me good karma on Monday seeing as though it still is surgery, albeit easy and quick. Anesthesia does crazy things to some people. :wink2: And since I've only ever had my tonsils out...and I was 17...you never ever know! YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't wait to support all the peeps who are almost there as well...Linda, China...the way I've been supported by not only them but all of you!! Thanks!!!

I love that this thread continues to get new peeps in it, welcome Jen! And of course I still love reading everybody's stuff and how inspirational and supportive everyone is...LLL, Judy, Linda, band, etc. Sorry, I'm all sorts of emotional right now. China---I'm also a "bigger" bandster and I did really awesome on SB (like most people). They asked me to lose 50 lbs., probably to "test" me, and I lost 40 or so and they were bouncing off the walls up there. You'll be totally fine...phase 1 really sheds the fat just like it claims. I'm back on it as we speak in prep for my Monday surgery. THAT IS IF IT HAPPENS....guess what, friends? I went for my final weigh in yesterday, all anxious about my weight---lost 2 more lbs. (woot) then stuck around in the room waiting for Barb. Now, I don't know about you guys but I feel like I'm part of a family up there, so used to Malissa and Marietta and Barb and even Jeanne---and when they change something up, I get thrown. I was supposed to see Barb but saw... Lauren? I can't even remember her first name but her last name was Schmidt (which was easy, since that's my last name). Nothing against her, of course, but she didn't know me she didn't know what was up. Anywho, she starts asking me if I was sick when I did my preop testing. I told her no, not at all. I say that the worst that could MAYBE be going on is that my ear is clogged and maybe there's an infection brewing. Long story short---my white blood cells are elevated, 11.4 and they're only supposed to be up to 10.8 or something. My doctor cleared me with those numbers, they refused the clearance, they sent my doctor a new form, my doctor cleared me again because I guess my normal count is elevated, they refused it AGAIN. So I had to go for another CBC this afternoon, and I have to go to my doctor tomorrow morning (disrupting my day at school) to have her clear my ear, which is the only way for all of this to still happen especially if my CBC still comes back elevated. I'm sorry to dump all of this on you guys, and I understand the risks because this is "elective surgery," but I have come so damn far, even to have Dr. Hoffman tell me in an email that he's not worried about moving my liver---he's never had an issue with anyone no matter how large the liver was--to be stopped by a few extra white blood cells. I know I'm jumping to conclusions, but I'm having a bad feeling about all of this, and that my surgery is going to be postponed. I cried at the center yesterday, I completely went hysterical in the car, it just doesn't seem fair and I don't know what to do. I haven't gotten my CPAP today because I figured why rush if it's not going to even happen. This just sucks.

Band---don't worry about it...I really took no offense, and you didn't put your foot in your mouth. Not at all!!! I was just putting it out there that I don't have kids, but I don't want kids so it's all good. :thumbup: :smile: So I'm going to go to Apnea Care or CPAP Express on Thursday after work. I'll be able to get something, as long as I don't have to pay too much cashola, I don't get paid until next week and I'm already strapped. For those wondering, I had my sleep study back in May but I just got my results because I happened to call for them because I needed to go to my medical clearance appointment. Come to find out, my PCP has had the results FOREVER and has never done a damn thing about them. Thank God I'm switching from her, what a tool! It's almost as if she's been trying to sabotage me or something. I definitely will use my machine once I get it, I actually look forward to it. 5 days!

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!

Emotionally crazy, Judy? That doesn't even begin to cover it; I'm totally bipolar or something. I'm so glad that it's not just me, that others have gone loopy before their surgery as well. That's the beauty of talkin' here! I'm really clueless, I thought for some reason they'd have me on the CPAP the whole time like I was stuck in some movie about pod people...then again I'm also having dreams about hospitals. LLL--I may be using your case if I can't swing all of this activity, but now that I know it won't be that much I should be able to acquire the thing. Did you guys broadcast your surgery to everyone? I find that I totally am...without even thinking about it twice. Mainly because I know I'm doing this for the right reasons, and I don't care if people think that I'm taking the "easy way out." People who think that have never had a weight issue, face it! :biggrin:

Sorry guys, I get nervous about weird stuff. Not that surgery is weird stuff, it's just the little things surrounding everything. WHAT? The CPAP is that much, even with insurance???!!!!????? OMG. I can't afford that right now. I was diagnosed in May but I didn't have a copy of my sleep study until my August appointment, and I haven't had the time to get the machine. Oh man. I'm effed.

Hello, hello...you guys are awesome, you're really making me feel better!:redface: LLL--I'm not really worried about showing myself all around; these peeps are medical people they've seen this stuff before. It's just the thought of having something stuck where things don't normally go *in*, you know? :smile: I know that once I'm there, I'll be fine. Just---blah!!! Vicki--No, I haven't had kids! For this precise reason! It's such a choice for me, I don't want anything poppin' out of there any time soon!!! Ha ha ha whenever I put it like that, it's like I would have puppies or something. Though puppies would be easier to pop out! Ha ha ha ha I hope it's in and out when I have no clue. :frown: I'll be fine, really....because like you said, I'm quite a strong woman!!! Linda--I've definitely learned that no concern is trivial! I too wondered about the polish, especially on my toes. I understand fingernails but toes? So weird!! And the preop stuff took just about 2 hours with the waiting in between, going up to xray, etc. It's really nothing except the blood part...the nurse poked the top of my inner elbow...who does that? I pointed to where they always get blood--and boom, there it was. :huh2: So...bloodwork, urine sample, EKG (that literally took 1 minute once all the thingeys were pasted on), then up to xray for a chest xray. They go over all the junk you need to know for the day of surgery, give you a health care proxy, etc. Easy peasy! I got medical clearance from my PCP today as well! Now, to get the pesky CPAP machine...I'm running out of time! For those who had to get it...where'd ya get it? And how long did it take?