susancarole

Hi All! Lisa, Deb and Sue, hope you are all recovering fast! You will find that this week will be much better for you! Fran and Miriam, it's your turn now.....good luck this week! Let us know if we can be of some help to you! AND>>>>WOW- what a great day yesterday meeting Chris, Christine and Amanda! You are all awesome. It's amazing how we all have different issues, and that is why it is so great to meet and talk. Chris...with your personality, I can already tell that you will sail through your upcoming surgery on Dec. 3! You have a wonderful attitude- keep it up !!! Christine, I can not believe our children have had the same teacher (ok so it's 12 years apart, but still- amazing.) And you are so sweet! Amanda, great to get some advice from someone who has been banded back in March. Thanks to you all for yesterday! Hopefully we can meet everyone else soon! Have a great day all! Sue

Oh and I forgot....we have to get Fran though it next week! WOW, lots of stuff happening. Fran, you will be just fine like everyone else !!!!!

Way to go Lisa, Debbie and Sue !!!!!!! See that, the worst is over! Just a little more of the liquid diets to go, and you will be great! Make sure you are all using that breathing apparatus they gave you to take home from the hospital. (Incentive Spirometer) I had not used it that much and developed some minor breathing issues...so USE IT! You all might experience a little discomfort at the port sight and might have some trouble lying on that side for a few days. It took me like 5 days to be able to lie on that side of my body. But, I promise, that pain will disappear! Now, let's all be an inspiration to each other...and we will get Chris through it as well! By the way Chris, Can't wait to meet you and Chris #2 on Sunday. I will be the one ordering a large black iced tea and I think I will be wearing a pair of brown jeans. Take care all............... Sue

Hi Everyone, Yay Lisa, you did it....and good luck to all our friends who went today! Can't wait to hear from you all! Chris and Chris.....I will be at Starbucks on Sunday at 2 pm....Can't wait to meet both of you.

If we do get together this Sunday, I am sure Chris #1 will not mind if you come along! We will keep each other posted!

Hi Everyone: Hey Sue and Debbie, good luck to you on Thursday! I know you will both do great! Chris, I can come out to Sayville on Sunday if you want! I could probably get to Starbucks by about 2 pm and meet you for some coffee. Would that possibly work for you? Let me know! And LISA, even though we know you can't read this right now, WE ALL know that you did great today! Can't wait to hear from you..... Sue

Oh wow, I almost forgot, NANCY, good luck to you also! Please come and join us when we all meet! Sue

Hi ALL ! Lisa (Lcubed), I remember the weekend before my surgery (labor day weekend) and I was a nervous wreck. Since I did not tell a lot of people about it, I had only my husband and daughter to support me. YOU HAVE ALL of US to support you! You are doing a great thing that is going to change your life in ALL positive ways !!!!! I will be looking forward to your post on here after your surgery. We can all meet and support you, Fran, Debbie, Chris and Sue and anyone else who wants to come! I hit the 47 pound mark yesterday and I am feeling GREAT! And that is about 10 weeks! YOU GO GIRL! I am happy and excited for you. Sue

Hey Sue, Hang in there...the first two days are the hardest, just remember to have Soup too! Don't just have the shakes. You can even have low fat noodle soup- I know I did! Good luck tomorrow for the pre-op! Sue

Chris, We could meet just about any time. I know that you work, so we could do it around your work schedule. I would love to meet you before your surgery.....I could really give you a pep-talk! Just let me know, Sue

Hi All, Welcome to: Nancy, Messy, msJessy and ssankofa73! Lisa, (Lcubed) you must be getting so excited that your surgery is next week. How are you doing with the liquids? Messy, unjury sounds better to me too. Go for it! Sue129, Sounds like you will be in good company on the 13th. It is great that you got to meet someone having surgery the same day. You might even see each other in the pre-op room you go into while you wait for surgery! Nicolle (twiceblessed) is having surgery on the 13th also, right? Fran, I gained 7 pounds between my initial visit last Nov and my surgery date in early Sept. Don't sweat it! It was great that Lisa P (Slim2be) got the samples of the shakes to try first. I never would have ordered all that medifast if I had thought to get samples! Dr. Geiss and Powers office recommended the Medifast through their nutritionist, Christine. That's the only reason why I ordered it. But, take other's advice on this subject if you can, because they are all right (about the taste anyway!) Fatgirlny did you get your date yet? A quick hello to: elisa, candle, amanda, twiceblessed, Chris, amy and musicmir also. Have a great night everyone! Sue

Fran, You know, you should not feel guilty that you have not started liquids yet! They just require it for 7 days. And like you said, you need to do it for 3 weeks anyway (the week prior and two weeks after surgery). Trust me when I tell you that you will be sick of liquids. SO, don't stress yourself out now !!!!! As far as the medifast is concerned, that is the only shake I used- even though I was not fond of it. I had bought so much so, PLEASE- DO NOT purchase the whole 3 weeks of it! Besides it being expensive, you will grow very tired of it as well. AND< I HAVE so much left over that I would be happy to give you some when we all can meet sometime!!!!! Hi to everyone else also! Sue

Cappy, I just wanted you (and everyone still to be banded) that I was so afraid of the breathing tube thing. I had a breathing tube once before when I had parathyroid surgery 10 years ago and I remembered the controversy of my breathing pa ssage not being clear. BUT, let me put your mind at rest about that.......You will meet with an anesthesiologist during your pre-surgical testing. They check out your breathing passageway and will be able to reassure you that everything will be fine! I was worried because of the last time I had it, but honestly, I did not even have a sore throat after this lap band procedure. I think that the anesthesia group they use is very very good! And....you will not feel it going in or coming out...you are asleep for it all! NOBODY was more paranoid about this than me. You will be fine !!!!

Hi All, Wow, lots of posts! Cappy- You crack me up, but you also sound like me (especially about the mother in law part!) I never told my inlaws either. They live in Ocean City MD, and we will be seeing them on Thanksgiving.- And I still am not going to tell them. Oh and about your husband's cousin- don't worry about his successes and failures. You are highly motivated, I can tell, and you will do just fine. And, you have all of us for support! It won't be long now !!!!!! Lisa (Lcubed)- I agree with the others, that you can not drive home by yourself. The hospital will not allow it. I see that you had an offer of a ride from Amanda...that is very sweet, or I could get you as well. As far as starting the liquids early, I did it one day early myself. The more fat you rid from your liver, the better! And Candle is right, the first few days are rough, but you will get thru it just fine! YOU GO GIRL, getting close now! Let us know how you are doing with those liquids! Chris, The next time I am out in Sayville visiting my parents, we should meet up. I could try to drive out just before your surgery to give you a pep talk. We could meet in Starbucks on Main Street if you want. We could both have a black iced tea! Candle, You are 100 percent right about the exercise. We went through the surgery nearly the same way. I had no pain also after surgery and was exercising a few days after. I think that exercising (walking or something) is key to keeping the metabolism going and it works very well in combination with the band. My gosh, you are doing so well and are an inspiration to us all. Have a great day everyone and keep up the good work. Banded: 9/2/08 Dr. Powers 42 lbs. gone forever

Hi Everyone! So, Amanda, you were at the same support group meeting! I do remember you. I had gone because I thought that one of the surgeons or the fellow would be there. I have a great friend who was banded by that group approx. 4 years ago and she told me that Dr. Powers was always at those groups. I guess not any more. I am with you, that particular meeting was a waste. But, I really like the people in this forum! Lisa and Cappy- wow, the time is near! Be sure to come on here while you are doing your liquids! We will give you all the support and encouragement you need. FatgirlinNY- I did not use their psych consult, I used my own. So, I am unable to tell you what to expect- sorry! A big hello also to Chris, Candle and Slim2be.....and everyone else I might have forgotten. I did hit the 40 pound mark this past Friday! YAY.

I am sorry I forgot to reply to Candle: Thanks so very much for your encouragement! It is really great to hear that you were having the same issues as I am! I am very happy so far with everything- and you are right, I should not compare myself to anyone else. But, it sure is nice to know that with all YOUR success, you at one time felt just like me.

Hi All, Lisa, Good questions! And I can atleast give you the answer to the first one! I also had a small hiatal hernia. I just asked Dr. Powers on Monday if he fixed it, and.....HE DID! He said mine was miniscule, but he fixed it anyway. And, Dr. Geiss did fix my surgery buddy's hernia as well. You can ask at the meeting about your specific meds...they will tell you what exactly to do. And that would be great to form our own support group (not that I am discouraging any of you from going to the one with the surgical group.) Keep up all your great thoughts everyone! Sue

Hi Everyone, Chris, good idea to focus on other fun things to do! I am taking a Water color class. It really helps to keep busy to break old eating habits. So I went to the support group meeting last night.....paid $20.00. The two people running the meeting were C. Santori (nutritionist) and Dr. "Willow" (psychologist). There were about 20 "patients" there. We had everyone from newly banded with in two weeks to one woman who was out 8 months. In all honesty, I did not get much out of the meeting that they did not already tell you in the education class before surgery. A few people gave some recipes. There were two women who said that they had "plateaued" and wanted to know how to move on with their weight loss. The only conclusion for these two women was "go talk to the physician assistant, or your doctor." I was under the impression that one of the doctors goes to the meetings, but I guess, not any more. Truthfully, I am not the support group kind of gal, but I guess others found it helpful. I went because my two surgery buddies were there also. We are going to be each other's support! OH< AND, coming to this site helps soooo much! You all have been great, and we can support each other! Have a great day! Sue

Hi All.... Amanda, I am going to the group meeting tonight. As a matter of fact I am leaving my house in about 40 min. I will let you know what they discuss! Cappy- I know how you are feeling- we can ALL relate. But you are right about one thing. Once the weight starts coming off, I am telling you that you will not care one bit about that pizza. (Although, I have had pizza, just not a lot of it.) After a few weeks, you would probably get down like 1/2 a slice! I am not having any trouble with breads, but some of my surgery buddies are having a tougher time with it. Your mind will definitely adjust! And, I can not wait to hear how you are doing with it all. I am going to get you ALL to go to the next support group right with me! Lisa and Cappy, wow you are ten days apart for surgery.....eat those bagels now..lol. And, Chris, you are really not far behine them! Good luck and we will all stay in touch! Sue

Hi Everyone! Ok well in answering Lisa, I was supposed to have my first fill today, but, Dr. Powers did not think I needed it! So, it's Dec. 8th now for me! Since I had lost over 30 pounds since late August, the doc really felt that I was right on track! NOW, I told him that I really feel no restriction when I eat and that I could eat a lot more. (So, I basically restrict myself.) He asked me if I am hungry in between meals, and I can honestly say that I am not. So, even though I am self-restricting, (basically eating from a salad plate with my cut down portions) Dr. Powers feels that the band is definitely helping because I am not that hungry. And, even though he wants to see me in 6 to 8 weeks, I can come in earlier if I start to plateau. He still says that if I lose 1 to 2 pounds a week, I should be happy and consider that a great success. So, I was happy enough with that answer. So, I will keep you all posted on how I am doing withOUT my fill !!! And really,,,,, I am very happy with the amount of weight I have lost already. I have so many clothes that are big on me. ALSO, I am going to the support group tomorrow night. I will be sure to report back to everyone if I learn something new...(or just to say HI again!) Have a great day tomorrow all! Sue

Hi Everyone, Shrinking(Chris) I know exactly how you feel about your date being put off until December- and I know how frustrating it is dealing with all the doctors offices. I really wanted to put blame on them myself, but in reality, it is all probably for the best. I was supposed to have surgery in June, and did not get it until Sept 2! You have this band in for LIFE, so, what's another month or two, right? As I understand the "mushy" stage, it is the consistency of the food to let your stomach heal from the surgery. You have to go back to liquids and mushy after the Fills as well, but only for a day or two. And I agree about Brooke Shields...lol...those commercials are terrible. Have a great day all! Sue

Hey ALL! Believe me, take Lisa P's suggestion about the other Protein shake. The one that the doctor's office recommends is really not great tasting, (medifast) and it is mega expensive. I am going to try to bring some with me to the next support meeting to see if anyone needs it. I might as well share it, so someone else can save some money! And Slim2be (Lisa) my surgery date was Sept. 2. I am going for my first fill this coming Monday.

That is great news Sue.... And a big hello to everyone else! How is everyone doing this week? Sue

Hi ALL! Hey, Lisa, Fran and Sue129, You are really NOT alone when you say that you are eating more and "things you shouldn't" right before surgery. I think we all did that....atleast I did too! And, you are right, there just are certain things that you really will not be having after surgery, and one of them is carbonated bev's. AND, I REALLY really really miss my diet coke. But, I will not take the chance of having my band stretch just for a diet coke! Hang in there ladies, I swear it gets easier. And don't put too much stress on yourselves about gaining this pre-operative few pounds! Banded 9/2/08 34 pounds gone forever Dr. C Powers

Hi Chris, I am so happy that you got your date! YAY....I know, the only bummer is that you have to be on liquids on Thanksgiving. That's ok, we all made it through. I even had to go to the US OPEN tennis one day on liquids. And it was about 90 degrees that day. And, I was with a group of people eating up a storm. I just kept to the story about the nutritionist and the liquids...it was fine. It will be here before you know it! One of my friends from surgery had her first fill today (from sept 2) and I am dying to know how she is feeling. She called earlier, but I was out. Again, wtg Chris.... Welcome to Amanda! (another Dr. P patient, yay!)