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Hi P51. You really don't need to do anything to prepare for a fill. You will drink some water to "prime the pump", and then Dr. K. will give you a bit of a fill and have you take another drink of water. You will know when you start to get some restriction. He will back off from there, have you take another drink and then add if needed. By the way, the needle is scary looking BUT it truly doesn't hurt. I think a flu shot hurts more. Good luck! Mary

Dee, Have you ever been at a function or place where you are meeting several people for the first time? Do you recall meeting a person who just kind of lit up the room? A person who had a special kind of presence and that just kind of drew people in? Well, recently, I met a person like that. That person is YOU. I was saddened to hear about your recent travel experience. You deserve respect. Your story really resonated with me because this time last summer, I traveled to the East Coast and had to ask for an extender. The flight attendant was rude and treated me like an "untouchable". That was when I decided to get the surgery. If you go to Mexico, I hope you know that you have many friends when you get home. Please do not hesitate to call upon us for help. You will need help with shopping, laundry, cooking, etc. for awhile. Will you let some of us help you with that? Thinking of you, Mary:cool:

Hi Dee, Please put me down for -0 again this week. I am definitely on a plateau. Time for low carbs, I guess. Will there be a Red Robin meeting this month? Mary

I LOVE the "Fatnsassy" moniker! You need to keep that sassy in mind. Unfortunately, I have had several surgeries before this, and I was nervous too. I can assure you that you will be very well taken care of from the moment you walk through the door. Dr. K. is an accomplished surgeon who has done this procedure a 1,000 times. Literally. He will give you a prescription for pain meds. The trick is to stay AHEAD of the pain. That means that for the first couple of days, take the pills as prescribed. If you wait until you feel uncomfortable and take one, you will let the pain get ahead of you. From my experience with this operation - I only really hurt the first day after surgery. Then it was discomfort to; I wonder why I feel so tired? Oh yeah; I just had surgery! You can do this, and you will have the power to take control of your eating. It is an awesome tool. Keep us posted, and we will be thinking of you on the 8th! Mary:thumbup:

Dee - Please put me down for zero this week. Mary

Hi Jill, What Dr. K. told me is that when he puts the band into place, he partially fills it to make sure there are no leaks in it. He then takes the saline out. But, he said there are usually a few drops that get left behind. He does not want to leave significant fluid in it because of the normal swelling and healing that needs to take place. I remember starting to feel hungry during the second- third week following surgery. Try to be patient and drink lots of fluids (except for one hour after you eat). Dr. K. will usually do your first fill about 4 - 6 weeks after surgery. But he goes slowly so your body can adapt. Don't feel weak or lame - you took the initiative to have this surgery so you can have an ally. What you are experiencing is normal, and is probably the hardest part of the lapband process. Hang in there! Mary

Hi Dee, Please put me down for another 1 pound loss. I'm happy with that because my b-day was this weekend. We spent the night at Fortune Valley and I ate a surprising amount of crab legs and oysters! Oh well, it was low carb anyway! Mary

Julie, I am so happy to hear that they are considering doing both procedures at the same time. I wonder if it has occured to your Doc that doing the Pannis surgery might well bring you into the 35 BMI he wants you to be under? I have my fingers crossed for you - you have lived with that &*#$(&*(@ hernia FAR too long! Mary

Hi Dee, Sorry I'm late in adding my weight loss for the week. I am down 1.5 pounds this week. :wink: I like my Wii fit. I actually had some sore muscles! Mary

About 4 weeks after my lapband, I stopped taking the Aciphex I had been on for nearly five years. What a miracle - my GERD is GONE! One problem I have had with an extremely low carb diet is kidney stones. So be sure to drink plenty of water! Good luck! Mary

I plan to come to RR on June 10. Dee, I plan to bring $$$ for the Wii Fit. Mary

Oops - sorry about that. Put me down for 8 pounds by July 4. Mary

I'm at 224 right now, which is 42 pounds down. So I need to lose 8 pounds by June 20. At the rate I'm going, that's not likely to happen. But I could do it by July 4. What do you have in mind by your birthday? Mary

Hi Dee, I would like to join in on the July 4 challenge. My B-day is June 20, and if I mind my p's and q's, I can hit 50 pounds as a present to ME! Weighing in weekly helps me out a lot. Mary

Please put me down for -1 pound this week. Slow, but steady. That's me. Mary

I have it on my calendar for June 10 as well. I don't mind the camera being there - but am curious as to where this film will be shown? Mary

Hello Bella- Much to my shame...put me down for zero pounds this week. I had a good loss early in the week and went to a wedding on Saturday and well, you know how it goes. Ugh! Mary

My experience has also been 1 or 2 pounds a week since restriction. I am happy with that. I still find myself wanting to have a bite of this and a bite of that and the band doesn't stop every habit. So be prepared for that and have some strategies to combat Snacks. I have a dumb question. How do you get the weight loss ticker to show on this site? I set one up on the ticker factory, but couldn't get it over onto my page. Mary

It was so good to meet everyone last night. It really is something to talk to other like-minded people who are at various stages in this journey. Thanks for the photo Dee! Mary

Hello Bella, Please put me down for -2 pounds this week. Thanks, Mary

I'm planning to come as well. This will be my first time meeting all of you. I'm looking forward to it. Mary

Hi Marcy, I had my surgery with Dr. K. on Nov 24, 2008. I am down 42 pounds since then. My experience with him and his physician's assistant has been extremely positive. Dr. K. genuinely cares about us and our success. I was also self-pay, and there were no hidden charges. Since then, I have visited his office monthly, and have paid one $15 fee (for my third fill). One thing Dr. K. told me is that the lap-band isn't a magic pill, but rather is a tool to help control your appetite. So I have found that I still must battle some of my old demons (ok, late night snacking), but the lap-band really is a strong ally. One of my worst habits was tasting a full meal's worth of food while cooking a meal. Now if I take more than one or two tastes; I'm too full to eat! I wish you the best, and let us know how you do! Mary

I can come any evening this week that works for others. On THursday, I'm in a meeting all day in the DTC area, so that would be a bit better for me. I work in Denver, live north of Brighton. Mary

May 11 works for me. Hopefully, we won't get another blizzard! is it at 7 PM? I'm only down .5 pounds this week :thumbdown: and could use some fellowship and support. Mary