grateful1

Every third Saturday. Of every month. So the third Saturday of April. same time and place. 10:30-12:30 at 2800 L Street, Classroom 1.

every third Saturday, which is day after tomorrow! hope to see you there!

The BAND-ONLY support group in Sacramento meets next Saturday, Nov. 20, 2010! Sacramento Valley Bandsters Support Group third Saturday of every month from 10:30-12:30. Sutter Cancer Center Classroom 1, First Floor 2800 L Street, Sacramento Easy parking is available one short block away in covered lot on 29th Street, between K and L streets. Costs $1 per hour. This group was purposely set up so as NOT to conflict with the other support groups in the area. Any band patient from any doctor or hospital is welcome to attend. Please join us!

The BAND-ONLY support group in Sacramento meets next Saturday, Nov. 20, 2010! Sacramento Valley Bandsters Support Group third Saturday of every month from 10:30-12:30. Sutter Cancer Center Classroom 1, First Floor 2800 L Street, Sacramento Easy parking is available one short block away in covered lot on 29th Street, between K and L streets. Costs $1 per hour. This group was purposely set up so as NOT to conflict with the other support groups in the area. Any band patient from any doctor or hospital is welcome to attend. Please join us!

I'm doing okay. I'm in the 30-35 BMI study so I started out smaller, but could see the writing on the wall that I was going to get bigger if I didn't get a handle on it, and I had lost all motivation to do it (again) on my own, only to gain it back (again). I had a slow leak in my port during my first year and ended up gaining back what I lost, had my port replaced, and started all over again near my year anniversary. So in the last year I lost 45 and have 20 to go. Actually, I lost most of that 45 in the first 6-8 months and have barely lost anything in the last few months, but at least I'm not gaining. My band was too tight and I was getting enough liquid calories to maintain my weight (a major no-no, I know). I also started having bad reflux and night and wasn't able to keep any solid food down. Now that I had an unfill (a few unfills actually) I am able to eat better and cut out the mushies. I just need to go on a diet now to get this last 20 lbs. off. I have a breast lift/reduction and tummy tuck scheduled for the end of December. Can't wait to get rid of this muffin top!

There's a new BAND-ONLY support group in Sacramento! Sacramento Valley Bandsters Support Group third Saturday of every month from 10:30-12:30. Sutter Cancer Center Classroom 1, First Floor 2800 L Street, Sacramento Easy parking is available one short block away in covered lot on 29th Street, between K and L streets. Costs $1 per hour. This group was purposely set up so as NOT to conflict with the other support groups in the area. Any band patient from any doctor or hospital is welcome to attend. Please join us! By the way, I'm Tammy, a patient of Dr. Waldrep, banded in Roseville in October 2008. I'm co-moderating this new support group with April, a Kaiser band patient.

There's a new BAND-ONLY support group in Sacramento! Sacramento Valley Bandsters Support Group third Saturday of every month from 10:30-12:30. Sutter Cancer Center Classroom 1, First Floor 2800 L Street, Sacramento Easy parking is available one short block away in covered lot on 29th Street, between K and L streets. Costs $1 per hour. This group was purposely set up so as NOT to conflict with the other support groups in the area. Any band patient from any doctor or hospital is welcome to attend. Please join us! By the way, I'm Tammy, a patient of Dr. Waldrep, banded in Roseville in October 2008. I'm co-moderating this new support group with April, a Kaiser band patient.

Sacramento Valley Bandsters Support Group third Saturday of every month from 10:30-12:30. Sutter Cancer Center Classroom 1, First Floor 2800 L Street, Sacramento Easy parking is available one short block away in covered lot on 29th Street, between K and L streets. Costs $1 per hour. This group was purposely set up so as NOT to conflict with the Kaiser and SALSA support groups in the area. Any band patient from any doctor or hospital is welcome to attend. Please join us! By the way, I'm Tammy, a patient of Dr. Waldrep, banded in Roseville in October 2008. I'm co-moderating this new support group with April, a Kaiser band patient.

okay, I couldn't wait until the end of the month to get an unfill so I went in today and had .25 cc's taken out. I'll know better in the next few days if this unfill will take care of my pooling issue! I certainly hope so... and I hope my band isn't too loose now so I won't gain weight!

I'm 2 years banded and have the same problem! Although I don't use a CPAP and sometimes my pooling is acidic. When it is, I have to get up, force myself to throw it up, then take a chewable antacid and go back to sleep propped up until the antacid goes down. I also can only sleep on my left side unless I'm propped up. I'm thinking my band is just a tad too tight and I have an appointment to get a little taken out at the end of the month. I also think I'm too tight because I haven't been able to eat fruits or veggies for quite a while now and I'm starting to feel unhealthy. I also haven't lost weight in several months because I've been eating more mushy and smooth foods and getting enough calories to sustain my current weight. Thankfully I'm not gaining, but still! I only have 20 lbs. to go and I think it might be best to get a slight unfill and just go on a diet and eat more veggies! I can always get another fill if I start gaining. In all this time I still haven't found the "sweet spot" some people talk about. I'm just either too tight or not tight enough... never just right. It's a constant struggle for me.

Hi! I've been cruising this site and doing lots of research on banding and am very hopeful to get into the 30-35 BMI Study with Dr. Waldrep. I'm going to the "open house" talk at Sutter Medical Center tomorrow with my husband to get the particulars. I just turned 40 last August and have two small boys, aged 1 and 4, and I'm greatly feeling the negative effects of 70 extra pounds! My current BMI is 34.1 and I'm in good general health (low blood pressure, low cholesterol, no hypertension, diabetes, sleep apnea, etc.) so I think my only chance at banding is through the study. I've been overweight all my life and have been a yo-yo dieter most of it. I get obsessive when I start a diet and usually succeed, but then I sabotage it all and go back to old habits. I generally eat healthy but it takes a lot for me to feel full. I think the band will be a great tool to help me keep the volume down! Are there any bansters in this study? Any who got banded with Dr. Waldrep? Any nearby in east Roseville, California?

Well, apparently there are more test requirements that the FDA needs for the study, so it ends up costing more than if I was just self-pay and not in the study, except that I wouldn't qualify without being in the study since I don't have any health issues and I don't want to gain 45 lbs. Summarily, the approximate cost if you're in the study is $19,000. This includes the dietician eval., the PCP eval., the psych eval., blood work up, chest x-ray, upper GI, pre and post op visits, the procedure, the operating room fee, the device, and all follow up visits and fills for one year (which are every month for 9 months, then at 12 mos.). The study is for 5 years so you still go in every 3 mos. until you reach the 2-year mark, then every 6 mos. until the 3-year mark, then annually until the 5-year mark. The visits after the 12-month mark are out of pocket at approx. $200 each visit. You actually pay each doctor directly (dietician, psych, labs, etc.) but it adds up to about $19,000. It could cost less if you have connections. Waldrep's office charges approx. $9200 for their part (pre/post op visits, procedure, support group and year of visits). The surgery center charges $7000 for the facility and device. They have a financing program if you need it. I borrowed the money from my mom. The surgery was fast and simple. I checked in at 7:30 am, surgery was at 8:45, it took 20 mins. to do the procedure and I was at home by 11:30. My abdomen hurt like I was kicked in the ribs but they give you some pretty good meds. I ended up resting for a couple of days. They do a new procedure when they put in the port part of the band to make it more stable so it won't flip (they actually dig a pocket in your tissue with their fingers!), so that part ends up taking a little longer to heal (very sore at that sight, with some sharp pains if you move wrong due to muscles mending). I would say that I was fully recovered (no swelling or soreness, just some faded bruises) by day 5. Overall, I would say the surgery was very successful. I don't have a fill yet and I can still eat everything without having to chew real well. I can't eat as much as I normally did, but I can eat more than I think I should be able to. I get my first fill a few days before Thanksgiving and Dr. Waldrep's office is pretty aggressive with their fills (usually 4.5 cc's at first fill). I hope that makes me cut back more! Thankfully I'm not a big sweets eater or grazer/snacker. I just like big meals

Yeah, I heard that about not losing weight if you're low BMI. Thankfully I'm not a grazer or sweets eater. I'm more of a volume eater. I generally eat good stuff, but it takes a lot to satisfy me at a meal. I'm hoping to stick to just 3 meals a day but eat less at each meal. So far, so good. Lost 8 lbs. since surgery 2.5 weeks ago without really trying and without a fill. I can tell I need a fill though because I can still eat more than I think I should be able to... although not as much as I used to. I go in for a fill 3 days before Thanksgiving, which should make the holiday interesting! I'm hoping to work hard to lose the weight, but then have the band to help me keep it off. We'll see how it goes!

got banded Oct. 29! Yeah!

Hi! I've been cruising this site and doing lots of research on banding and am very hopeful to get into the 30-35 BMI Study with Dr. Waldrep. I'm going to the "open house" talk at Sutter Medical Center tomorrow with my husband to get the particulars. I just turned 40 last August and have two small boys, aged 1 and 4, and I'm greatly feeling the negative effects of 70 extra pounds! My current BMI is 34.1 and I'm in good general health (low blood pressure, low cholesterol, no hypertension, diabetes, sleep apnea, etc.) so I think my only chance at banding is through the study. I've been overweight all my life and have been a yo-yo dieter most of it. I get obsessive when I start a diet and usually succeed, but then I sabotage it all and go back to old habits. I generally eat healthy but it takes a lot for me to feel full. I think the band will be a great tool to help me keep the volume down! Are there any bansters in this study? Any who got banded with Dr. Waldrep? Any nearby in east Roseville, California?

Okay, I had the most horrific BM this morning! I swear I gave BIRTH to a huge hard poo. It took me hours to recouperate. I HIGHLY SUGGEST stool softeners for anyone who hasn't had a BM yet. The rest of my BMs today have been fine. I think those who are waiting longer for nature to take it's course are in for the bigger surprises. I had a major log jam. I wished I would have started taking stool softeners!!!

This thread is PRECISELY why I am part of the BAND3035 study! I am 5'5" with a BMI of 34.5. I have no co-morbidities or health problems. I have been overweight all of my life and have lost hundreds of pounds on many diets. Now I'm 40 years old with 2 small boys and the extra 70 lbs. is weighing heavy on my frame and making it difficult to keep up. I know that I could go on another healthy eating and exercising routine and lose some weight, but my past predicts that I will not be able to keep it off and I'm TIRED of the restriction. I can either wait until I put on 45 more lbs. and start having co-mordibidty problems, or I can deal with it BEFORE that happens! I'm part of a study that is trying to get FDA and insurance approval for gastric band surgery for those with lower BMI's and the propensity to be morbidly obese, whether they have co-morbidities now or not. I really wish insurance would approve my case BEFORE I end up needing their coverage for co-morbidity issues. I am going to show that even low BMIers can be successful with the band and that offering the band to the low BMIers may lower the morbidly obese death stats.

I got the Lap Band because I'm in the BAND3035 study and had no choice. At least I got the most current one with the low profile port!

Just got banded today (29th)! I'm in the BAND3035 study and don't have any co-morbidities so I'm doing pretty well so far post-op. No nausea or gas. Just abdominal tenderness (especially when I cough), a mild sore throat, and serious dry mouth (which is easily remedied). As far as food goes, I've had Gatorade, Propel (vitamin water), Crystal Light, and soup broths... and I've been pretty satisfied with that! I'm really looking forward to the future with this wonderful tool! I'm aiming to lose 75 lbs... hopefully by this time next year. I'm currently 206 at 5'5". Say, how long did the rest of you have to stay on clear liquids post-op? I THINK I was told only for the first day, then I could move on to full liquids, then to mushies for the rest of the week. I just don't remember how long on clear and how long on full liquids.

I checked into the surgery center at 7:30 this morning and was discharged at 11:30. I've got soreness in my abdomen, especially at the port insert hole (it's even bruised) but I feel fine generally. They gave me a nausea med in my IV so I don't have that problem. Just serious dry mouth, although that is an easy resolution. I've been taking the pain meds every 4 hours on the dot and sleeping alot. I found it difficult to lay flat for the first 8 hours or so, but now I can sleep on my side. My voice is raspy and a little sore from the thing they put down your throat when you're under anesthesia. I've only had Crystal Light, Gatorade, Propel, and soup broth today. I'm a little hungry, but not like yesterday! Amazingly, the clear liquids actually fill me up today. I'm back on regular stay-at-home mommy duty tomorrow with my 1 and 4 year old boys. Hopefully all goes well! When were you all told you could have mushies (like mashed potatoes)?

I don't feel too bad. I wasn't told to only drink "clear" liquids, but just regular liquids... which is anything you can drink through a straw. I was told that I was only restricted to "clear" liquids on the day of surgery (after surgery, of course), but that I could move on to regular liquids for the next couple of days, then move on to mushies for the rest of the first week until my post-op appointment where we will discuss how I feel and whether I ready to add solids. Since I'm not limited to "clear" liquids, I've been "drinking" soup. I had a fabulous cream of potato soup at the mall today and just strained out all the goodies. The soup was pretty thin but the flavor rocked! It was also a creamy soup so it was loaded with fat and very satisfying. I actually felt good for several hours after that. I know fattening liquids aren't ideal, but I'm going to deal with that transition AFTER the band when it's easier to feel satisfied! I've got 2 young boys to run after and I can't afford to feel dizzy while driving home from preschool. I also found the "drinkable" soups from Campbells very good and satisfying as well. The calories aren't that high and when you add up all the liquids for the day, you still come in under 1500, which is healthy. I figure that as long as I'm not drinking milkshakes and melted ice cream, I'm doing good. I also drank a Myoplex protein drink and a high protein Ensure (very tasty, better than Myoplex). I bought a bunch of flavored vitamin waters (like Propel and Gatorade Ice) for after surgery. I also got some miso soup I plan to strain. I have a huge aversion to the texture of Jello, so that's definitely NOT an option for me. I'm just hoping that I won't even feel very hungry the day of surgery, and hopefully not much the next day either. I've got a lot of "mushies" lined up at home too... I plan to puree a bunch of soups, make mashed potatoes and gravy, and make refried beans with cheese. I know they're not low fat, but again, I know I will eat a LOT less than I used to and will still be able to lose a little weight. As soon as I can move on to solids, I will start cutting back on the fat (and avoid anything fried... goodbye In-N-Out fries!). I plan to take the beginning very slow. I've put myself through a lot of diet suffering in the past, over and over, and I want to enjoy the journey this time... FOR GOOD! Best of luck to all you 29ers! My procedure is at 8:30 am California time.

I just found this thread tonight... I'm scheduled for the 29th at 8:45 am in California. I'm on the super-fast track and my head is still spinning! I'm very excited and a little nervous. I found out about the BAND3035 study (for those with BMI's between 30 and 35) about a month ago (my BMI is 34.7 - I'm 5'5", 208 lbs.), I attended the "open house" info seminar on Oct. 13, met with a bariatrician who did both my PCP and Dietician evaluations on Oct. 16 (stopped by the lab on my way for the blood work-up), had the upper GI and chest x-ray on Oct. 17, and had my psych evaluation on Oct. 20. So, basically, I managed to get all my paperwork, tests and evaluations done in just 2 weeks from the info seminar and 3 weeks from my initial inquiry about the strudy! I'm self-pay (because insurance won't pay for study participants and I don't have any co-morbitities to qualify otherwise) but at least the cost is at a slight discount. I knew very little about the lap band before a month ago, and now I'm getting one of my very own in just a week from now! I have group and pre-op tomorrow and I wonder if I will be put on a pre-op diet... and for how long. I'm hoping that if I have to do a liquid diet that it is only for 2-3 days before surgery because my cousin is coming to town tomorrow afternoon and she'll want to go out to eat! What kind of pre-op diet is everyone else being put on? Does anyone else have a lower BMI? I still need to lose 78 lbs. I wonder how long that will take? Oooh... I'm getting more excited!

Are there still low BMIers checking this thread? I see there weren't any posts for the last 3 weeks. Well, I'm new to the forum and on the "fast track" to lap-banding! I have a BMI of 34.7 and found out about the BAND3035 study about 2 weeks ago. I attended an informational "open house" last Monday, the 13th, and now have surgery scheduled for the 29th! I managed to get all the tests and evaluations scheduled right away (only have psych, group and pre-op to go!) and all my paperwork is turned in (and what a mass of paperwork it was!) Needless to say, I'm really excited but nervous at the same time. I didn't think it could happen so fast! I don't have any medical problems (no reflux, hypertension, diabetes or anything)... just been a chubby yo-yo dieter all my life with a big appetite. I would get anxiety every time I dieted and obsessed with when I would eat next. I succeeded at losing 20-30 lbs a few times, but always gained it back, plus a little more. Now I'm the heaviest I've ever been at 208. I'm 40, happily married and have 2 small boys (aged 1 and 4). I'm hopeful that this tool will help keep my appetite in check as I start yet another diet/exercise regimen... and will help me actually reach my goal of 130 lbs. and keep it off! Thankfully I have a helpful, naturally skinny husband who doesn't eat a whole lot. My boys don't eat much either. My environment is definitely set up for weight loss. I don't even have any big-eating friends to resent me! I'm looking forward to being able to buy regular-sized clothes off the rack at the discount places like TJ Maxx, Marhsalls and Nordstrom Rack since they never have anything decent in the plus section! Say, do you really have to go on a liquid diet post-op? For how long?

Actually, the study doesn't pay for anything... but I would never even be approved for surgery anywhere else since my BMI is under 35 and I have no adverse medical conditions. I will be self-pay but there are some extra tests that the FDA requires for the study and those will be included in the price I have to pay. The self-pay price at this office for those with a BMI over 35 is $14,101 (the insurance price is $30,000) which only covers the pre and post op appt. and the surgery. It doesn't cover the pre-op tests and the fill visits after surgery. The study is $19,000 and includes all pre-op testing (including the extra tests the FDA requires), surgery, all pre and post op appts., and the entire first year of follow-up visits and fills (once a month). From what I've researched, that seems pretty standard for the US. Besides, I wouldn't even be able to get banded by a US surgeon with a BMI of 34 anyway. I really hope I get approved for the study! Wish me luck!