lottacash

Yes please. BTW what's happening with Canadagirl? Was she there at the meeting?

Hi Doddie, I use hotmail and with that all you do is click on the address line called "BCC" (stands for "Blind Carbon Copy") just below the regular "To" and "CC" (Carbon Copy) lines to insert addresses confidentially. Your email probably has a similar address line.

Hi Doddie, Canadagirl, etc., I'd have come to the meeting had I known it was being held. I hope Canadagirl's husband is OK and she didn't send out an email about the meeting only because she's busy with work, life, etc. I rely on the emails about the meetings to remind me and to tell me the meetings haven't been cancelled for some reason. lottacash (Laura)

Hi, I'm replying from Las Vegas. It's hot here-106 degrees today! Anyway, I spelled Rick's last name the way it's done in Quebec. He may be from somewhere else, so his name may be spelled differently.

I don't know whether the Vancouver Island (Victoria) surgeon will do fills for someone from elsewhere but someone in Vancouver does them. His name is Rick Archambault and he works at St. Paul's Hospital on Burrard St. Doddie63 knows all about him, so maybe she'll also reply to your question. Hi, Doddie63, Laura here!

TravelLady, I forgot to mention you should be pleased your diabetes, etc. has improved. No matter how good weight loss makes you look, if you're dead, you don't look great, so any medical improvement is so much more important! As for going into a warm pool in the rain, be glad you're not stuck under several feet of snow, as I am here in Vancouver, BC. I can't even drive to the pool right now. To those talking about an apron, unfortunately exercise will help reduce the amount of fat on our bodies and build muscle but no amount of exercise will actually reduce that apron. It's caused by excess skin. Only plastic surgery will remove it. Frankly, I'd rather have the apron and maybe wear a girdle or something than risk hours of plastic surgery - but that's just me. My sister had the band and lost 140 pounds and is now considering plastic surgery for her apron and upper arms. I wish her well but I doubt I'll ever do it. BTW, I had my surgery July 16 and have lost over 61 pounds. I've never had a fill and that loss is after a two-week cruise where I ate anything I wanted, including lots of yummy Desserts. On December 20 the scale showed I'd gained 16 pounds in 16 days but all those pounds went away in just over a week as soon as I got home and resumed my usual eating pattern of an average of 1000-1400 calories a day. I've also lost a few more pounds since then, bringing the total to 61.

Travellady, don't beat yourself up. Since you lost so much pre-surgery your body has to "catch up" with the loss. If you are eating nutritious foods in the appropriate quantities and not adding high calorie, low volume stuff, you'll start losing again. As for exercise, I too have a bad knee, so I do something called Arthrocise in a pool. It's basically shallow Water aquacize, which is supposed to be gentler on joints than the regular aquacize, but I don't see much difference between them. If walking on the concrete bottom of a pool is too much for you, try deep water aquacize. I actually think that's a better workout anyway. The only reason I don't do it myself is where I live it's a lot more expensive than the shallow water arthrocise.

Hi Marissa's Mom, I'm the mom of a Marissa too. Mine's 25-years-old. Anyway, I found I couldn't ride a bike when about 300+ pounds. I wasn't strong enough to pedal all that weight along. What I suggest is you go to a local gym and try out their bikes there for free. See how the regular bike feels to you, your back, and your bum, as compared to how a recumbent bike feels. Then you can decide what kind to buy. You might also be able to find a bike rental place where you live to test-ride different bikes for a few dollars before commiting to a bike purchase. The post from the person who mentioned a helmet was very important for when you start riding outside. Where I live it's against the law not to wear a helmet. Protection for your arms and legs, especially when your balance might be somewhat off, is a good idea too.

Hi Doddie, I'll see what Woodhead says at my next appointment (next week). Frankly, I don't see the point in getting a fill, as I'm only eating an average of 900 calories a day and about 55 grams of Protein. I started exercising today by going to an Aquacize class here in Surrey, so I hope that will give my recently sluggish weight loss a boost.

Wow! Congratulations. You're an inspiration to us all.

Hi Doddie, I agree having a doctor close by is an advantage. My sister travelled from Kingston to TO to get her band and has to go there for fills, etc., but I'd hate to have to do that. I didn't even want to go to Washington State for my band. I don't know how Canadagirl does it. I haven't had any real problems since that first one, so I don't know how to assess if Woodhead's office staff has improved. They're not bad people: Woodhead just said he doesn't want to make them into doctors, so I suspect he's told them not to answer questions unless they check with him. Sure cuts down on the malpractice suits, I imagine. It's just an added annoyance when a problem crops up. Of course that "run-around" caused by the voicemail message is totally unacceptable in a surgeon's office. I have no idea whether it's been corrected. Maybe I should place a late-night call just to check.

Thanks, Dab. My husband has been bugging me to weigh myself only once a week too. I'll do that when things seem to be going along smoothly. I feel I'm still in the post-op condition where I'm checking out how things are settling down. I've tried most foods out now but still have to try pasta and get into a normal regimen before I feel I can trust weekly weighings.I'm trying to increase my fluid intake - not easy when I don't feel thirsty.I'm going to start deep water Aquafit tomorrow. I used to do it a few years ago and I'm going to go back to it. It's not too strenuous for me. I'd also like to take some dancing classes, as I love to dance but haven't done it for many years.Thanks for your support.

Thanks, Kellster. My sister, who was banded two years ago, also said I should drink more. I've averaged about three cups a day of liquid, not counting the milk with my Cereal or the fluids that occur naturally in foods like fruit or vegetables. I've found it hard to drink just Water because I'm seldom thirsty but adding Crystal Light has helped, so I'm going to drink more of that. I'm also going to try to drink a cup of coffee once every few days, which I've avoid before this because I've read we should avoid caffeine. I'll see if that helps with my Fluid intake.

Yes, Doddie, I told him about it during my follow-up appointment two weeks later. I also complained about his office staff not answering questions directly. The problem only lasted for the one day and, according to the doctor in Delta Emergency, was caused by my taking Tylenol 3s without food, which irritated my stomach. She advised me to stop taking them, which I did, and to take the prescribed crushable Prevacid for at least three days after the cessation of symptoms, which I also did.

Hi all,It's me - Laura. For those who don't know me I got banded by Dr. Woodhead and his trusty sidekick Dr. Horenstein on July 16. I've attended all the Bandsters meetings for the last few months except for the one held the night I got banded.Canada Girl and Dottie have lots of experience with the banding process, so they are a great resource for anyone with questions.As for my impression of Dr. Woodhead, he's a great surgeon but he does treat the banding segment of his practice as a business. It's a great profit centre for him, so be prepared for that. That doesn't mean he doesn't know his stuff, though.His office staff can be less than helpful. For example, if the office is closed, you get a voicemail directing you to call the Delta Hospital and ask to speak to the surgeon on call for Dr. Woodhead. When I had a problem the day after my surgery and called the office just after it close, I did just that but was told only doctors can speak to doctors, so why did Woodhead's voicemail tell me to phone the hospital? I ended up going to Delta's Emergency Department, where, to my surprise (since the surgery is done there), they didn't know much about banding. Anyway, the reason I went with Woodhead was I had read reviews of Leung which said he was disrespectful towards his patients. Also, he's old and approaching retirement age. Woodhead is under 40, so presumably he'll be around a long time for assistance, fills, etc.Of course, anyone contemplating the surgery should make up his or her mind based on his or her own personality, goals, and needs.BTW, does anyone have experience with their body entering "starvation mode?" I'm averaging only 900 calories a day yet have lost only four pounds in 24 days, an average of 1.16 pounds a week. How can I counteract this genetically programmed setback?

Hi all, I had my banding done on July 16, as scheduled. I lost 10 pounds in the two weeks prior to surgery on a 1000-calorie-a-day regimen. At first I lost a lot of weight quickly post-op (about 18 pounds in the first month) but in the last 24 days I've lost only four pounds. That may sound impressive but, in fact, that's on an average of only 900 calories a day. According to the Mayo Clinic calculator, at my current weight, age, and sedentary lifestyle I should be consuming 2000 calories a day to sustain my current weight, and therefore should be losing about 2.2 pounds a week ((2000-900) X 7 ./. 3500), so how come I'm losing an average of only 1.16 pounds per week? I know our bodies are genetically programmed to go into "starvation mode" when the number of calories we consume is restricted. Has anyone got experience with this phenomenon and does anyone know how to counteract it? I assume exercise will help. Is there anything else that can help with this?

I am looking forward to more posts from Travel Lady, particularly because she is 59. I'm 62 and am concerned my age will create problems with my surgery. My sister, who is 58, had her band put on two years ago, at the age of 56. BTW, my BMI is about 56 and my sister's was over 50 too. Two years out she's lost 132 pounds.

Hi everyone, My BMI is over 50 but the surgeon never suggested I was unsuitable for the lap band. I had my choice of two surgeons who practice within a half-hour's drive from my home. I picked the further one (Dr. Robin Woodhead)even though he's a little more expensive because the nearer one (Dr. W. Leung) is quite old, I've heard, and has a poor bedside manner. Of course, surgical skill is of paramount importance but I want my surgeon to continue practicing for at least a number of years after my operation and the last thing I need to hear from my weight loss surgeon is that I shouldn't have stuffed my fat face, or words to that effect (I've heard he said that to someone). I had to balance these things with the fact that the further surgeon has only done about 40 lap band surgeries, as opposed to over 300 for the closer one. But with that much experience and the fact I have no comorbidities, I am reasonably confident with my choice. Of course, that doesn't take into account that I am terrified of dying while under general anaesthetic, but no surgeon's experience could rid me of that, I think.

Hi all, I'm a Canadian who has about 200 pounds to lose to get to the ideal insurance-company-tables weight. My banding is scheduled for July 16, 2008 and this is the first time I've posted to this site. I was moved to do so by the "burnt ends" food item in this post. What is it? Barbecued food that is burnt is carcinogenic, so if that's the case with this thing, I think you're actually better off health-wise not being able to tolerate it. My sister, who was banded two years ago, can't tolerate meat but has no problem with chicken breast. One of the members of a bandsters group I've gone to can't eat the breast of chicken, only the thighs. She says it's too "dense," so I guess you never can tell what foods you'll have problems with. In four days, on a 1000-calorie pre-op diet, I lost five pounds, so I hope it augurs well for my post-op life.