Short n' Sassy

I second what Mecia said. Dr. Trahan and staff are wonderful. I am so glad I had the surgery. My bmi has gone from 38 to 31. Yeaaaah! I know you are anxious. We all were, but soon you will be on the other side with us. I feel better than I have for years and you will too. I was amazed at how well I felt following the surgery. I've had 2 prior surgeries and this recuperation was by far much easier. I had no problem going back to work in 2 weeks. I've only been to 1 support group meeting. I ride to work with my husband, so it is hard to stay in town for the meetings. I need to work it out so that I can go more. The best part of all, I finally enjoy shopping for clothes again.

That is so great. I'm glad Southern Health is finally getting their act together. It will be the best thing you ever did for yourself.

I'm so happy that you have finished the 3 month requirements. I wouldn't worry about the weight, you just came off the holidays. You will probably take off several pounds within the first 2 weeks following your surgery. I lost 11 pounds. It really helps with the motivation. I bet you hear earlier from Southern Health than they told you. The insurance company is pretty fast with an answer. You should do okay with the approval. I think Dr. Trahan's staff has the hang of the requirements now. They are all very nice people to work with. I want to tell you that I am so glad I had the surgery. You will too! I still struggle from time to time with mental hunger, but the band lets you know that you can't over indulge too much. I've had 3 fills. The last fill really did a good job. The first two didn't help for very long, so don't let that worry you. It appears to be a normal complaint. I think the 3rd one for me is almost on the money. Feel free to contact me anytime. I'm very excited for you and know you will be successful in your new journey.

I haven't written much lately but I have been following everyones messages. It is so nice to know that I'm not the only one that feels like eating a horse one day and a grape the next. It is so weird. I go for my second fill today. I hope this gets me on a more even track.

I would be happy to help you out. I am 52 years old and had several family doctors over the years. I have to say that the one I have now is by far the best. His name is Warren Quillian and he is located on Pantops Mountain. His office number is 979-4440. He was on the hiring committee that brought in Dr. Trahan to head the new Bariatric Center at the Martha Jefferson Hospital. Dr. Quillian is so kind and knowledgeable regarding weight loss and weight loss surgery. He also has a wonderful staff. He also is aware of the insurance requirements if you should decide to have surgery. I had it done and I am so glad. I finally feel like I have a great tool to help me lose weight. Good luck to you and feel free to email me anytime.

My bmi was almost 38. I have high cholesterol and blood pressure. I was on medication for both, but since the surgery, I have been able to stop the cholesterol meds. I also had really bad esophageal reflux and hiatal hernia. Dr. Trahan fixed the hernia and now my reflux is gone. No more medicine for that either. I've had my first fill the week before Thanksgiving. It helped a little, but I am going for a second fill on 12/17. I hear it takes 2 or 3 fills to get the correct restriction. I've had 3 surgerys and this was the easiest as far as recuperation. The only thing hard was the liquid diet. I was so hungry for a while. My stomach never made so many noises. It has all been worth it though. I lost 11 lbs within the first 2 weeks following the surgery. Good luck to you on your journey and contact me anytime if you have questios.

Yes, Dr. Trahan did my surgery. You are in good hands. He knows all the requirements for Southern Health.

I finally got approved and had my surgery on 10/7. Southern Health is really picky. You have to be on a well documented diet for 3 months, exercise program, and my doctor provided behavior modification material for me to read. Your doctor needs to do a really good job documenting everything. Southern Health can provide you with a list of what is required too. Good luck! Feel free to email me with questions.

I'm feeling some restriction. He took out 1/2 cc of air that he said probably occurred during surgery and then added 3.5 cc of saline. I was on liquids until lunch time today. I ate about 1/2 c. sweet potatoes and felt full. I was eating a lot more prior to the fill. I ate about noon and it is 2:13 now and not feeling hungry. He said that I may experience some swelling and once that goes down, I may find that I may need a second fill prior to my appointment Dec. 30. I could come as early as 2 weeks if I was feeling too hungry between meals. I am hoping that will do the trick and will hold me for a while.

I was banded on 10/7. I just had my first fill yesterday. For those of you that haven't had this done, it was so easy. Not painful at all. The only thing I felt was kind of a bee sting when my doctor numbed the area with lidocaine. I thought he was still feeling around for the port and he was actually finishing up the fill. Don't get discouraged about the lack of restriction and feeling like you can eat anything.From what I have been reading about the band this is to be expected for now and will probably not work its best until after the 2nd fill. We've taken years to put on this weight so we just need to hang in there a little longer for the weight to start really coming off. I am betting by Christmas, all of the Oct. bandsters should really start to see a difference. We are going to make this happen and just think, by next spring, we are going to be looking fabulous!!!!

Dirigo, I haven't been on the forum for a while. I am so glad to hear that you and your family are doing well. As you know from your wife and daughter, each day gets a little better. It's your turn to be taken care of. I'm now a month out from my banding. I'm happy to say that I have lost 12 lbs. Whoo hooo! And I feel really great. I get my first fill on Nov. 19. Continue to feel better and take care.

Hi October Bandsters, I'm feeling better everyday. Banded 10/7. Still working on getting in enough protein. I've lost 9.4 lbs since the surgery. Doing a lot of walking. I'm starting to work from home now. Will so for the next week. I am an office/finance manager, so I can do a lot of stuff on my computer. I feel very blessed to be able to do that and not return back to work so early. I hope all of my fellow banders are doing well. From what I have read, the ones that have had surgery are doing pretty well. What is expected anyway. That is great. And to those of you due to have your surgery this week, I will keep you in my prayers. I also want to thank those that have sent me private emails with well wishes. I really appreciate it. Take care for now.

Hi everybody, Had my surgery Tues and came home yesterday. Things went well. I did have a large hiatal hernia that was repaired. I just came in from walking outside for a bit. No vomiting thank goodness. Had a little nausea this morning after I tried a little protien and skim milk combo. That will be my hardest thing to deal with. I just hate the taste of the protein powder. I go back to work on the 20th. I hope all of my fellow banders that have had their surgery are doing well. I think about you all the time. Take care for now.