BethFromVA

That's right! i almost forgot you spent some time out this way! Have you been to Chincoteague? I've been in VA for three years now and have never been out there yet. Thanks!!! I am more excited than nervous. It's almost unreal...

Thanks, Susan! Just an hour and a half to go before I leave the house!

FANTASTIC!! Congratulations!

We have Chincoteague Island out here which has wild ponies all over the place. It's a national park, I believe, and one day I WILL go there to camp or just go for the day.

Australia is DEFINITELY one of the places I would die to see. I don't need riches or big homes, but I would love to be able to travel. *sigh* A previous co-worker of mine went with a girlfriend to Australia and spent a month there, just bumming around and staying at hostels. She was enamored and totally fell in love with the place.

YAY TONICE! I know you're already mid-procedure, but I'm with ya! I go in at 2:30 today!!!!

I believe for most insurance companies, a BMI of 35 with a comorbidity (like sleep apnea, asthma, etc.) is all it takes. I have BCBS/Anthem, and though I don't recall what they require, the 35 plus comorbidity seems to be somewhat standard.

The problem is, nobody can tell you what you should do. You have to research it all for yourself. What I like about a site like this is that it's full of real people at various stages with the band. It's not a doctor trying to sell it to me or somebody trying to dissuade me or redirect me towards a more expensive (and, for the doctor, more profitable) surgery. These are real people, most who have had success, some who have not, but I expect that. Some things don't work for all people, and frankly, some people just don't do what they need to with the band. One lady actually walked out of the seminar I was at because the doctor said one of the things we may have trouble with is Pasta. She said to her girlfriend, "NO PASTA??" Omg, if that's the worst thing you hear that you have to give up... but some people want the band to do all the work while they eat whatever they want. That's why I'm so glad I found this site. And the best thing anybody could do for you is NOT answer that question about what you should do. All we can tell you is what WE would do.

There was a guy at my seminar in the same situation -- and our seminar wasn't all that big. And the problem is, it's very unlikely he will be able to get the band due to all his staples and what is left of his stomach. The stomach can grow back out again. Cutting it back like that doesn't mean it will STAY that size if one isn't careful. Somebody could end up re-routing their insides and STILL end up fat in time -- and internally mutilated, imo.

You build a fire for 59 degrees? :laugh: Heck, I don't even put on a coat until it dips below 40.

I'm going tomorrow too, hefer! I'll be in op by about 2:30, or so they say. WOO HOO!! Godspeed to you too, and I'll be there with you in spirit.

Well, it's been fun. Scratch that. Actually it hasn't. I may as well be real. I'm saying goodbye to the me I see in the mirror. I'm saying goodbye to fat clothes, stretch pants, sweats, red face, panting while walking, aching joints, and feeling out of place at most functions, or simply feeling invisible. I'm saying goodbye to hating myself and being uncomfortable in my own skin. I'm saying goodbye to feelings of inadequacy due to my weight (the other stuff will be dealt with, however), and, let's face it, a difficult sex life. :eek: I'm saying hello to the person I was meant to be, hello to regular clothes, walking without discomfort, tying my shoes with ease (!), and dancing! I'm saying hello to a healthier me, one that loves and forgives herself for not having been perfect and never going to be perfect. I'm saying hello to swinging from the chandeliers with my husband and maybe even buying that naughty nurse outfit I never had the nerve to try before. :thumbup: Tomorrow is the beginning of the rest of my life. Goodbye, old me. A newer model is coming down the pike. :frown:

So? WW is her aid, the lap band is yours. The fact is, you STILL have to do the same type of work she does. You can still eat wrong and not lose. And just so you know, the "So?" up above was not at you but towards her. :cursing: She ought to keep her yap shut and pay attention to what SHE'S doing.

Ew, add 14 to the number I gave you: 76! :thumbup:

It's apparently working now. I just got 62 messages in my inbox! :eek::thumbup:

I know I read another thread somewhere recently where somebody was having strange dreams, but I think they were happening after surgery. Last night I had a weird series of dreams -- almost like bizarre flashes with no coherence whatsoever. But one part I remember is being on a gurney waiting for my surgery, they IV me with the knockout stuff, and I start to fade into sleep, but not all the way. I try to tell them I'm still partially awake but can't. Mind you, surgery doesn't scare me. I'm not stressing about that in the least. But I found it bizarre that these "flash dreams" would go on last night so close to my surgery. The other night I dreamed I was eating something, but I can understand that. Haven't chewed so much as an ice cube since last Thursday... So... is this weird dream thing normal-ish for others?

How well do you do on your protein intake? I have read in many places where low protein (along with the banding) can cause hair loss.

I am too, but not about the surgery. I'm nervous about me. I guess when you try and fail so many times, you lose faith in yourself. :thumbup:

We've got a chance of flurries here tomorrow, but I don't think it's supposed to be anything big.

They just booked me based on the day I picked and, dumb me, I guess I just thought I was the first or only one for the day! lol It wasn't until my pre-op last week that I was told what time to be at the hospital. I think I got rug burn on my chin.

I'm doin' a happy dance for ya over here! It's wheezy and not all that pretty, but hey, by this time next year, I'll give you the dance you deserve.

I love the way you put things, Jack. Oh, and of course now I remember more: The doctor was cutting a long horizontal line across my abdomen while I was aware... and I'm trying to cry out, NO, it's supposed to be five SMALL cuts, not one big one! Omg... lol

You ARE losing the weight "on your own" -- just with a bit of an aid. To me it's no different than taking a diet pill, diuretic, or some other aid. You STILL have to make the right choices, and you STILL have to do the work! You ought to ask her if she has EVER taken a diet pill or gone to Weight Watchers. If she says yes, ask HER why SHE couldn't do it on her own.

Omg, LOVE THAT ONE! It's almost as good as the vagina/clown car comment made by somebody else the other day!