Jennyt71

I had mine taken out 18 months after my lap band - but the same surgeon did both operations. I was back at work in less than a week. I've heard the "traditional" way is extremely painful and leaves a very long scar. Hope you can find a surgeon to do it laproscopically.

I just had mine out as well - had attacks several months ago but didnt see the doctor about it until they were so severe I was crying in bed. I lost 75lbs in 14 months before I had the gall bladder attacks. Surgeon said it was full of stones - looked like caviar. Surgery was worse than the band (pain-wise, for me)...I had it on a Tuesday and was back at work the following Monday. With the band I didnt take any pain meds, but with this one I sure did. The belly button incision hurt the worst.

jalivia2 - Congrats on the first big step!! I'm at 10 months since my surgery & couldnt be happier. I'm finally at my "sweet spot" after 4 fills and I'm SO glad I did it. Hope you have the same outcome as me. :sad:

Anyone here planning to run in the Chevron marathon or Aramco half-marathon next January? A group of us at work are planning to sign up next week for the half-marathon and are starting to train...two of us are banded and two are not. If anyone has experience with half-marathons, is 6 months enough to train for one? We're talking about 4 people who do NOT run, but occasionally exercise. Just wondering if any other bandsters are out there planning to run in the marathon & willing to "mentor" us or even help us train? THANKS!!:biggrin:

Thanks jus4kics! I just ordered the extra cups. :tongue2: I'll look for the extra gasket, and if I cant find it I'll be sure and call them.

Its a small blender - you blend the drinks in the actual cup. Walmart.com: The Original Magic Bullet Express Blender/Mixer System: Appliances I just wish you could buy extra cups and colored rings. I love mine, had it for over a year...but I think a seal or something has busted. Now when I blend the drinks, the drink actually spills out and its a mess. I'll just have to break down and buy another one.

Pam - Thank you again. Great group of people!! I wasnt the biggest OR slowest! YAY! I know I wouldve never run that long by myself...thank you again for letting me know about the group!

How was the run last weekend? Are there a lot of people? Just wondering if its going to be like high school gym class. LOL..I am interested in joining, but wanted to ask you how it was first. Saturday morning - 6am - wow...thats torture...but running with others may be the motivation I need. Does your port site hurt when running? Right now I have an abdominal support...thingy...its neoprene and looks like a girdle. LOL...but it helps! Without it, I can really feel the port site. Its not very noticeable under a tshirt though. its just HOT! I'm still thinking it over - since its $120 - but I'm definitely interested. I'll letcha know by the end of the week. Thanks again!!!

Pam726 - Thank you for the link! I'll definitely check it out. I started "running" this week. OMG..everything hurts. I bought the Nike SportBand and hopefully I can keep track of my progress that way. :thumbup:

Well, my coworker and I signed up today. We were the first two in line this afternoon since they're limiting the number of entries...today's limit was 50..that went QUICK. Tomorrow it's open to the public and Im sure it'll sell out as fast as last year. 22,000 spots this year! So - my coworker is in great shape..me, not so much. She has 184 days to kick my butt so we finish this thing. I'll definitely look online for training information. Hopefully over the next 6 months I'll accomplish 2 things: get to my goal weight and finish the half-marathon (by running across the finish line, not on a stretcher).

I have 5 (arms & ankles) and after losing a little over 50lbs, I see no difference. None of mine look distorted or anything. Hopefully after another 45lbs, they'll still look the same.

thank you for the recommendations! I'm kinda weary of trying Ambien - my parents were on it for a very short time and experienced pretty bad side effects. I fell asleep about a hour after taking my 1 pill last night (11pm) but then woke up at 3...I did do better at work today tho. :thumbup: I'll definitely try the Melatonin though. I'm not on any other medications and I dont drink diet cokes or coffee after lunch...so I'll have to talk to the doctor and see what might be going on. Thank you again!

I had Lunesta last year, and its on some wonderful list that my insurance wont cover. :biggrin: I stretched that month's supply out - took it only every 2-3 days..lol

Thanks RestlessMonkey! I'll definitely ask next week when I go in for a fill. I'd like to have blood work done since it'll be 6 months since my surgery and want to see if there's much improvement from the weight loss.

I am due for a fill next week, I can ask about it then...but I figured they wouldnt really help me since its not the band...? I can always ask though. :biggrin:

Glad to see this posting. For the past 2 weeks, I have had next to no sleep. I did the sleep study before surgery and didnt have "bad" apnea (not bad enough to be a co-morbidity). For years and years, I would fall asleep easily, but wake up at exactly 3am every night. After surgery, I slept great, especially once I started losing weight. I actually slept through the night for the first time in over 10 years! My job is not so stressful (actually our busy time starts at the end of August, ugh) and I'm not waking up worrying about deadlines or anything. Im exhausted all day, yawning constantly and taking Vitamins trying to stay awake. When I lay down, I feel anxious and nervous..thinking about 100 things I need to do over the next days, months..whatever. This is crazy! right now I'm taking a 1/2 pill or maybe 1 pill of the Tylenol Simply Sleep. That puts me out pretty good. I took Lunesta for awhile before surgery, but at $60 a month, I just cant do that. I'm going to try some of the recommendations in this thread to see if it gets any better...I hate this feeling and really hate that my boss sees me yawning non-stop. :biggrin: one question - does anyone else get the anxious/nervous "knot in your stomach" feeling when trying to go to sleep? Its almost like a scared feeling - I about come out of my skin whenever I hear a noise. Thanks. :smile2: going to go take my 1/2 pill now and try to get some sleep...

Please tell me how it turns out. I have an appointment next week with my regular doctor because of a very painful big toe "knuckle"?? I dont know how to explain it, but it HURTS and usually just starts out of the blue. I wasnt sure what it was - should I see a podiatrist or rheumatolgist instead?

I'm several months out...but I've never had a problem with bread (once I passed the mushy stage, of course). Ever since the surgery, I cant stomach milk. Not a big deal for me since I was never a huge dairy person...but now I use Silk.

These are so much fun to read...LOL:laugh: 1. Were You Named After Anyone? No 2. When was the Last time You Cried? Dont remember, I'm sure it was during a sappy movie 3. Do You like Your Handwriting? Its ok 4. What Is Your Favorite lunch meat? dont really have a favorite 5. Do You have Kids? Nope 6.If You were Another Person, Would You be Friends with You? yep 7. Do you use Sarcasm a lot? always 8. Do You still have Your Tonsils? Yes 9. Would You Bungee Jump? No! 10. What is Your Favorite Cereal? That I can eat now? Blueberry Special K 11. Do You untie Your Shoes when You take them off? No 12. Do You think You are Strong? eh..not really 13. What is Your Favorite Ice Cream? all time? Baskin Robbins Peanut Butter & chocolate..now? Blue Bell No Sugar Great Divide 14. What is the First thing You notice about People? Their eyes 15, Red or Pink? Red 16. What is The least thing You like about Yourself? being picky - little things irritate me 17. Who do You Miss the Most? My grandparents 18. What Color Pants and Shoes are Wearing now? Jeans and no shoes 19. What was the Last thing You Ate? cereal 20, What are You listening to now? GAC...dont know who this is singing 21 If You were a Crayon what Color would You be? Red 22. Favorite Smells? Soap, cut grass, rain 23. Favorite Sports to Watch? Baseball!! 24. hair Color? dk brown 25. Do You Wear Contacts? No 26. Favorite food? chicken 27. Scary Movies, or Happy Endings? scary 28. Last Movie You saw? on cable last night - Troy 29, Color Shirt/Blouse You are Wearing? Pink 30. Summer or Winter? Winter! 31. Favorite Dessert? Red Velvet Cake 32, Favorite Place ever Traveled? Vegas 33, Where would You like to Travel Next? See friends in Lubbock and St. Louis 34. What Book are Reading now? Nothing at the moment 35, Where were You Born? Houston, TX 36. Big Band or Rap? big Band 37. Interesting Fact about Me? When I was a teenager, I worked delivering pizza for Pizza Hut in 3 states in 1 year. LOL 38. What did You Watch on Televison Last Night? Troy 39. Beatles or Rolling Stones? Stones 40. Do You have a Special Talent? Green thumb

I have one and LOVE it. Very helpful with protein shakes! But I agree, short bursts!!

Hi there! I was banded by Dr. Marvin this past January. Great surgeon & great staff. I have referred several others to him (family and coworkers) and 3 are post-surgery now. We're all doing great and none of us have had any issues with him or his staff. The staff took care of the insurance filings and were always willing to answer my bazillion questions. I highly recommend him and his staff.

Here's a beginner's guide to Twitter: TwitterBackgrounds.com | What is Twitter? A Beginner's Guide to Twitter Hope to see more LBT people on there. :frown: