ilse72

Congratulations! That is wonderful! Great job!

Good luck, Anne and Teresamc! I don't even have my seminar until July 24th (unless someone cancels for the seminar on July 10th so I can get into it). Please keep us posted on your journey. Teresamc, is your friend also having the lapband done or is she just going along with you to lend help and support?

Awww, froggi, I'm so sorry! Some people can be so thoughtless and cruel. Ignore them...they are the type that always think the worst of everyone. You had an honest question and hopefully, you got some help.

Sorry, the way your wrote your original post, it wasn't clear that it was about you. But, on another note, many cities in Alabama are a great place to live...not just Huntsville. We moved here (AL) about 6 years ago and have no intentions of ever leaving. I was always a northerner before this move. :embaressed_smile:

Angie, you can also email me or IM me anytime. The little icons under my avatar are for aim, msn and yahoo messenger...all you need to do is click on them. Good luck on your journey to lapband land!

No, my husband won't be able to help me. He will take me, pick me up and then take me home but then I will be on my own. Our home is in one city, but my husband and youngest work in another city 1.5 hours away. So, we have a condo there. They live there during the week and are only home on weekends. Normally, he would take off to help me but his company was recently bought out and they are in the midst of conversions so time off isn't permitted right from August through the beginning of Dec. My oldest son bought a new home the same day he got engaged and moved in a month later. He is a policeman and works 2 pm to 1 am so he won't be able to help either. I am not worried though. I have had 3 prior laparoscopies so am familiar with what to expect. I will just have a few more incisions this time.

Hi Lynlynkr! My husband and I will celebrate 36 years this year. Hard to believe it has been that long! And, like you, I want to be with him for at least another 36 years so I must get thin and healthy. We will both benefit from it! Good luck to you in your quest to be thin, healthy and there to share life with your husband!

I've spoken to quite a few who went self pay. Most got their appointments about 2 weeks after the seminar and then had surgery anywhere from 2 to 3 weeks after the surgeon's appointment. That will put me into the end of August or September sometime since my seminar isn't until July 24th. I keep hoping there is a cancellation so I can attend the July 10th seminar and move things up a bit. My main concern is my BMI. I am borderline (33.3) and some surgeons are real sticklers for that 35. Office assistant seemed to think I was close enough so I am praying and keeping my fingers crossed.

Can't believe I am answering this, but as a nurse, I have answered it before...just not so publicly! There are 5 - 7 calories per teaspoon of ejacualate.

January 10, 2009...so a little more than 6 months away. It will be here before we know it. Do you know how long you will have to wait for your surgery once you have the loan? Do you have the surgeon all lined up and the seminar out of the way?

While I want to look good for my husband, I am really doing this for me. I am tired of being obese, of being the "fat friend", of avoiding having my photo taken, of having trouble with clothing (I am petite and try to find an 18/20 in petite! They stop at size 14.). I was always very thin (102) until I hit my 40s so everyone tells me I have a distorted view of what I really look like. I think they are wrong...fat is fat and I am definitely fat! I want to be able to look in a mirror without cringing or to go to my PCP and not look around to see who might overhear my weight when it is checked. Yes, this is definitely for me!

Abrouill, LOL...I had to laugh when you said, "In the end, more often that not I get my way! " It is the same way for me. My hubby loves me so much that he would move heaven and earth to get me what I want. Timing on this isn't great but he knew I wanted it and wanted it before our oldest son's wedding so he told me to go for it. Our savings might be meager for a while but we will manage.

Hi! I'm a low BMI also and not banded yet. I will also be a self pay so don't have to worry about any hoops.

If you are around women though, they are going to talk weight loss/dieting/exercise/eating no matter what! It is a major concern of theirs. Having a man present won't prevent that topic from coming up. Believe me, it has no bearing on your new self, or your old self, it is simply a very common topic when women get together. Be proud of your accomplishments and don't give their conversation a thought! Congratulations on reaching goal and maintaining it!

Manatee, sorry to say, I don't think moving away will help. When females get together, sooner or later the topic of eating/exercise/weight loss/dieting comes up. Blame it on our society which pushed the idea of an anorexic female as the perfect image. Hollywood, magazines, newspapers, etc. all push that a woman isn't pretty if she isn't rail thin and sick looking. That is a lot of pressure for women to deal with so eating/exercise/weight loss/dieting becomes a major focus and topic of womens' conversations.

I thought I'd pick a weight that puts me in the exact middle of a healthy BMI for my height (that would be 113 pounds) and I can live with that. However, I'd really love to get to what I weighed until my 40's which was 102. Being realistic though, I will be thrilled with anything that is in the normal BMI range. I just don't want to be obese anymore!

Welcome and congratulations on your lapband. I wish you much success on your road to health!

That is correct. The surgeon who does your surgery (unless you are planning on going out of the country for it) will do your follow up appointments and all your fills. Later, if you move and you stay in the U.S. your surgeon might even be able to refer you to a doctor for any fills you may need in the future. Doctors realize that patients lives may involve moving so they often have contacts in other areas/states where they can refer their patients. Also, many states have fill centers and there is always a chance that your move will be to a state with a fill center. I imagine it is only a matter of time before all states will have them.

Hi! I am also from Alabama and a lapband hopeful. An online search revealed no fill centers in Alabama but there are two in Georgia (I had searched a few weeks ago). If you don't have a lapband yet but use a local surgeon, he will do your fills. Another option is to call all the bariatric offices to see if any of them do fills when they did not perform the surgery.

Once I get my band and lose weight, I fully expect to be an A also. I was an A up until I gained my weight and that area is always the first area I lose weight.

Things I won't miss about being fat. 1. Not being able to buy petite clothing (petites seem to end at size 14). 2. Having strangers look at what I order/eat in a restaurant. 3. Having trouble getting up from the floor after kneeling to do something. 4. Dreading shopping for clothing. 5. Being the "fat friend".

Mom22, not sure who you are asking. If you are asking me, I don't know yet when my surgery will be. I am a self-pay and have my seminar on July 24th. I heard that this doctor usually does surgery 2-3 weeks after appointment on those not using insurance. If so, the surgery should be the end of August or in September if the doctor agrees to do it.

I just want to eat at my favorite restaurant since I have no idea when I will get there again post op. We go there once a month or so since it is out of town. I always order the same thing, a petit filet mignon (5oz) with baked potato and salad. The filet is so tender and moist that it literally melts in your mouth. Yumm!

I have to admit that I also worry what the result of a lapband will be on my migraines (don't have a lapband yet). I never had a migraine until after my total hysterectomy but, when I got them, I got them with a vengeance! Mine last 3 days! My main triggers are not enough sleep, barometric changes, strong smells and jittery movies (like Blair Witch, etc). Many medications and preventatives were tried without success. I even self-injected imitrex. I finally went migraine-free for a year using an OTC vitamin cocktail my neurologist suggested I try. But, after a year, the migraines were back. I now take relpax which doesn't get rid of then but makes them tolerable. I figure the surgery will either kill the migraines or intensify them. I hope for the former but only time will tell.

I want this surgery so badly that it can't happen soon enough! The last thing I would do is sabotage it or my progress by not following my doctor's instructions. I am determined to do exactly what I am instructed because I want to succeed! I will also be a self-pay and I can't imagine dishing out all that money and then not following through. I would feel guilty over the expense since the money could be spent on so many other things. However, my husband and I feel that this is a great investment with the reward of improving my health, improving my self-esteem, and so many other things. My husband is considering the surgery too after hearing me talk about it so much. :ohmy: