jmegirl

oooh, egg drop soup! what a great idea!!! :crying:

I've read on this site that several bandsters have adopted a Band Notebook of sorts, to write down anything and everything that comes to mind about the Band. Foods to avoid, portion size, Do's and Don'ts, etc. I think I'm going to start that this weekend!

Man, I wish I had. You two are cracking me up!!! You've got me laughing hysterically at my desk. :tongue: I can't wait to meet you guys!! We'd have so much fun! :w00t: I've been reading Puff Mama for days now, and it just dawned on me that Puff Mama is a throw-back to Puff Daddy. :wink2: I'm only 26, how can I be that behind in the times? I mean, I knew Heavy DD was a throw-back to Heavy D, but missing the Puff reference? Sheesh!

I'm being banded 11/5 and I have the same questions. Come on, all you professional bandsters out there - what did you need during that first week post-op? What do you wish you'd had? I've already heard that a super-comfortable sports bra is a must. But I think I'll just let these puppies go free and unrestrained for a few days! :tongue2::thumbup:

Of COURSE the naked girl would be in 1st place. What a dirty society we live in, swayed by a couple naked boobies. WHATEVER! The site is blocked for me when I access it at work, so I'll do it from both computers tonight when I get home!

My guess would be not allowing enough time for all the liquid to go down. Also, if it is taking that long for liquid to go down, perhaps you really are a little too tight. But I've yet to be banded, so I'm really just speculating based on the mountain of stuff I've read regarding Banding. Good luck figuring this out! Keep us updated. Your experience could help others!

OMG if you're being serious...:thumbup: I only said that half-joking. No way a completely anonymous person from the internet would offer me a ride! That's just too kind! Gosh, you guys are amazing! :tongue2:

Woohoo!! GO PACK!! NC State is a great school. :thumbup: But I'm only saying that because I've been working on my Undergraduate degree for 8yrs and will FINALLY be graduating this December from good ol' NCSU. :tongue2: Also, I haven't actually confirmed those numbers with the local Fill Centers people. I am going to do that one day soon, so I'll let you know what I find out if you're interested. Ultimately though, I think I'll travel back and forth to Dr. K, as long as I'm not needing a fill every month! That would get to be way too expensive. I might have to solicit a ride (from one of you locals) between the Denver Airport and Dr. K's office when I come into town for my fills! After a $220-250 plane ticket, another $40 for a rental car sure is a lot of money!

Where did you get the impression that I didn't think this was a real surgery??? :tongue2: Of course it's a real surgery! And it's not that my husband isn't "sticking up for me". Not at all. It's just that in this family, most importantly his deeply-rooted traditionalist Southern family, it's the job of the "New" family to do Thanksgiving. Typically, his Grandmother hosts the event every year, but since we are the newest "family" then we get the job this year. Next year it'll go back to Grandma, until she passes. At which time it will more than likely move on to my DH's mother. It's just tradition and it's not about forcing anything. It's about accepting the family I've married into and continuing with a tradition they've had for years. My husband isn't just throwing me out to pasture, aka KITCHEN, and letting me roll around in the hay by myself. He's offered to help in any way he can - but I know he's not a cook, lol. So my mom is also coming over to help prepare the meal and make sure the house looks nice. I refuse to tell my in-laws about the surgery. At least not right now. They're just getting used to the idea of "ME" as part of the family, so I am not going to throw another huge log on the fire by telling them I've having weight-loss surgery. It is absolutely out of the question. If you can't understand that, then I'm sorry. Since I am not telling them about my surgery, then that means I can't tell them that it's better if Grandma hosts Thanksgiving again this year. I can't just go against tradition like that. Again, I'm sorry if you can't understand that either. My husband and my mom are both stepping in to help out, so at this point, all I need to figure out is what I'm going to eat that day. I just need to make a list of the things I can eat, and make sure I prepare those foods that day. And just for the record, I had my phone consult with Dr. Kirshenbaum yesterday, and I asked him about Thanksgiving. He said at 21 days I should be eating mostly normal foods, as long as I can handle it. He said that, aside from being tired, I should be fine.

Just throwing in my two cents, for what it's worth. I agree with you. Every post that JEANBEAN has made is regarding Dr. Enochs and how "wonderful" he is. If he's that hard-up for patients, he needs to buy an ad. People come here for advice, and it's not "nice" for you to blatantly advertise for your employer.

Hey Julie! My husband and I co-applied through surgeryloans.com and were approved. We borrowed $12,000, to cover the costs of surgery as well as flight/car/hotel/prescriptions. Our payments are $345/mo for 4 years. What I wasn't aware of (until they sent us the paperwork) is that they charge a fee above and beyond what you borrow. We borrowed $12,000, but we financed $13,636 ~ which equates to nearly a $1,700 fee we are paying just to borrow the money. I wasn't too happy about that, but it's way better than using a 15.9% interest rate VISA card! I will tell you this, you need to go ahead and get your loan paperwork now if you're going to go with them. The things you have to fill out are extensive, including an Employment Verification, and you have to get something notarized. And if you co-apply with someone, you have to get the documents filled out for each of you. I'd be happy to share more personal information with you through PM, to give you an idea of our financial situation. Of course, the interest rates you get are determined largely by your income and credit rating.

I was told that Fill Centers USA in NC does fills for about $165/fill, but there's a $400 "start-up fee" before anything. Of course, I haven't verified this. ShelbiCallie told me that's what she pays.

This is why I opted to self-pay. No weight requirements! No psych eval! No nutritionist appointments! No begging and pleading with insurance only to be denied! Gosh, I don't envy you at all. Good luck, and let us know how it goes!

eat a huge meal of pasta, potatoes and bread for dinner, as well as an early breakfast - i suggest getting up at 6am to eat a huge breakfast. the rolled coin trick will add about a pound, and drinking a lot of water in the 12hrs before the weigh-in will also add about a pound or two. good luck!

OH! I forgot to mention. I have my phone consult with Dr. K today - in about an hour. YAY!!

Well, that's what I was thinking. Now I can't remember where I read that 3-4 months thing - so I'm kinda scared, LOL. If I need a fill every month for several months, that is going to be expensive! It'll mean a 3hr car ride for a $200 fill, or an all-day trip back to Dr. K's office for a free fill - with a $200 roundtrip airline ticket. Gosh, now I'm bummed. I don't have that kinda time (or cash) on my hands, ya know? I was thinking I could afford $200/fill every 4 months, but every month? Bah...humbug.

Ladies, a quick question. Is it really necessary to get fills so soon after being banded? In my research, I have read that you would need a fill ideally every 3 to 4 months until you hit your sweet spot, but some people's signatures show them getting a fill every month after surgery for at least 3 months. That's just crazy expensive for me, and I'm hoping that's not normal???

Hey, lots of great responses!! You all made me realize that attempting to cook a huge meal when I'm 3 weeks post-op is probably asking too much. However, like someone else pointed out, this is a family tradition type of thing that I really can't say 'No' to. So, Mom to the rescue! My mom knows about my surgery (and is fully supportive), and when I told her what was going on, she said she'd be over bright and early on Turkey Day to help me get everything going. Also, we have a maid service that comes every other week, so cleaning the house won't be a problem. I really appreciate the suggestions about food though, and those suggestions will totally come in handy. I'm thinking creamy mashed potatoes with low-fat turkey gravy, applesauce, and....uh, any more suggestions for the main course? :tt1:

YAY CONGRATS!! You're having surgery one week before me! Be sure to update us on how you feel post-op!

YAY!! Way to go! :embaressed_smile: I have a dress that I'm hoping to get my big butt into by Spring, so I know how you feel!

Thanks for being so rude! No really, thanks! I came here for support but what I really wanted was someone to be rude and to criticize my personal choices. First, you don't know my in-laws, or else you would understand why I can't politely decline the suggestion to have Thanksgiving at my house. Second, my parents know I'm getting banded, but my husband's parents and grandmother don't know - and I plan to keep it that way, at least until they see the results. It's nothing they need to be worried or concerned about, so I don't want to stress them. Of course everyone knows I'm overweight, but that doesn't mean they'll understand or approve of my decision to have surgery. So my husband and I decided that we wouldn't tell them yet. Lastly, and this is the important one - GET OFF YOUR HIGH HORSE. Your post reeked of superiority and downright rudeness. How dare you criticize me in those ways? I came here for suggestions on what kind of foods I could cook that I'd actually be able to eat, and all you managed to do was belittle me and make me feel like everything is my fault. :embaressed_smile:

I think his support groups meet the first Tuesday of each month at 6:30p. I know for a fact there's one on Tuesday November 4th. By that "1st Tuesday" philosophy, it would make his October support group meeting on Tuesday October 7th. But I've not even been banded yet, so what do I know? :embaressed_smile:

Thanks everyone for the kind words about my DH's grandpa. He was much more talkative this weekend than he was at Christmas time (the last time we saw him). He suffered a stroke a few years ago and has been bed-ridden and on around-the-clock nurses' care ever since. Well, in my unprofessional opinion, he was doing better this time than he was at Christmas time! My DH thinks his mother overstated a few things, guilt-tripping us to come out for the weekend since we don't make it out there very often. It certainly seems as though that was the case, because Pops was very chatty and didn't seem at all in pain. I really hope his mother didn't blow things out of proportion to guilt-trip us. :cursing: Also, thanks for trying to plan a get-together around my surgery! I'd love to meet everyone Tuesday night November 4th. You can calm me down! And I can see all the wonderful results of Dr. K's work - that's sure to do the trick. Just tell me when/where and I'll be there. My pre-op with Dr. K is at 3:30p on Tuesday November 4th and then I'm free. Brandy ~ Congrats on the Bandiversary!!! Wow, 100lbs in a year! You're such an inspiration!!!! Can't wait for November!!! Now I have even more to look forward to!!!

Good luck!! I read on here that the Realize Band doesn't cost more than $100-$500 more. It was posted somewhere in the last two pages of this thread I think. Personally, of course the cost is important. Also, like someone else said, I think I'd like to get the band that Dr. K is most comfortable placing, and since he's done so many of the Lap Bands I plan to go with that. Let us know what you find out about pricing!

I'm getting my surgery done at Parker Adventist on Weds 11/5 so I better see you! You can be the first bandster I meet! Unless of course, you ladies want to get together on Tues night 11/4. I'll have my mom with me, but she's even more awesome than I am. Besides, the night before surgery, I'm going to need some MAJOR calming-down and I think a few fellow bandsters would be just what I need to help me chill out! Well ladies, I'm headed to Nags Head for the rest of the weekend. DH's grandpa isn't doing well, and our trip scheduled for next weekend apparently wasn't soon enough. :thumbup: Pray for us!