wynn

Hi to all Arizona Bandsters. I'm in Yuma and I'm looking for other bandsters in my area. :scared2: I would love to meet, and talk to others here, maybe even get together for some exercise or just coffee if you prefer. I have been banded for 10 months, I'm 16 pounds from my first goal. I will reassess at that goal and decide if I need to lose more or stay at that weight. I'm in my 50s so I'm just not sure how I will look. I haven't been this weight since 1984. :wink2: I would love to meet my fellow bandsters to mentor if you need, or just chat if you do not. I've had a great success with my band. I'm so glad I had the surgery, my life has changed so much for the better. My surgery date was my new beginning, and it has been a wonderful and successful journey. I'd love to share my story with others, and hear theirs as well. Wynn

Did you have your sleeve surgery done in Yuma? I love my band but I have had people ask me if I know of a local surgeon who does the sleeve.

There is a surgeon here in Yuma, and I understand that in order to use her for fills you have to attend the seminar as if you are a new patient getting ready to have the band. And to the person that is trying to decide on the band versus the bypass, I have a friend that chats here on lapbandtalk sometimes, her daughter had the bypass. her name is Corliss, and that's her sign in name also, I would suggest that you drop her a message sometime and talk to her. Her daughter had an absolute nightmare of a time with the bypass and as a result is on permanent disability. That story scared me out of ever considering the bypass. Also my doctor tells me that regain is much easier to control with the band, and that has always been my problem, I can always lose the weight but I've never ever been able to keep it off. I'm at goal now, and have been able to stay there for a long time. I'm just loving knowing what size I wear all the time. I still go down in weight but very slowly, my band keeps me from ever really having any hunger. I think if you have any real hunger you probably need a bit of a fill, at least that's what my doctor tells me. I use Dr. Bhoyrul in San Diego, it is a bit of a drive but I totally don't mind it at all he's worth the drive. When I called the Yuma surgeons office (I don't remember her name) I wasn't impressed with the receptionist's impolite nature. That's something I don't deal with very well especially since I have to pay cash now for my fills. When I'm laying out money I expect the person on the other side of the counter to be polite at least, you know what I mean? :thumbup: If anyone would like to meet for coffee or take a walk for exercise let me know.

Hi janine. When i first went to the surgeons office I went for the RNY. It is his policy to introduce both options to every patient. He told me about the two surgeries, the pros and cons of both and told me to come back in 1 month with my decision. The reasons I decided to go with the lapband are these: First, with the bypass you can never eat sugar again, and though I could've benefited from that restriction I did not want to never be able to even have a bite of my own birthday cake. Also, the band is reversible and for me that was the selling point. I was just too afraid that the bypass would not go well, or there would be some side effect that I would not be able to tolerate and I'd be stuck forever. I was banded on September 8, 2008 and I'm 5 pounds from goal today. My weight loss has been slow and steady through the entire year with no real complications about which I could complain. Getting just the right restriction took a few fills, but that's the worse thing I can say about the band. If you would like to talk to success stories first hand, I'd suggest you log into the chat room. Just click chat at the top of the home page on this site. There will be people in there that can share with you how much they've lost in how long. And believe me, there are plenty of people that had a bmi or higher than yours and have done really well. I think that this is an amazing tool for weight loss, and I wish you well whatever you decide.

I mix the protein powder in with the cold milk, put in the blender so there are no clumps and then heat the milk. I've never had a problem with the powder separating that way. It does tend to get pretty thick as it cools, so i use a bit less powder to milk. But after a fill, when my everything is so inflamed and swollen I often don't do well with cold drinks. This is sometimes the only way I have to get protein during those first days after.

Well I'm so sorry that happened to you. I can't imagine the disappointment of being totally ready to go and then being told you have to wait a little longer. However, it is my understanding that the white count elevates when you have an infection and for that reason I think in the long run you'll be better off waiting. Post op recovery for most people is very easy and quick, but one can have complications. I got an infection after surgery and was readmitted to the hospital. After waiting and waiting for my surgery date, and my "new beginning" I found myself very sick afterwards. If you can avoid this in any way shape or form then I say do it! Your day will come, just try and stay patient and count your blessings. This way, after surgery, your journey can begin immediately instead of trying to overcome another illness caused by having surgery when you were sick. Good luck, this is a great move you're making, you're going to just love the way you feel when you start losing with the band. Its really quite amazing. Wynn

I eat sushi all the time, and I love it. The rice can be challenging on tight band days. I would suggest, once you have restriction, that you take it very slowly with the rice. Tiny tiny bites and chew well. Also, it always helps me on tight band days to start my meals with a hot beverage. I like hot tea, and that just seems to relax things and loosen the band. Go luck.

I'm very sorry to hear that your weight loss journey has not been a complete success. It does seem to me that consistent after care and a good support system are key to long term success. I am currently mentoring another lapband member that is in almost the exact same situation as you. She lost 80 pounds in the beginning. Her aftercare was pretty much hit and miss. She had some difficulty with food getting stuck and vomiting for a bit, so they did a slight unfill which left her a bit looser than optimum restriction. Right after that she moved, and her new doctor was someone she saw when she felt like she needed a fill. He was not counseling her on her nutrition or even suggesting when to return for her next fill. As a consequence she gained all of the weight back. When we started talking she had pretty much given up. I met her in the chat room and explained to her that in my opinion she could succeed at this. I think that getting the band and not getting proper aftercare is like buying an electric drill and then trying to use it without power. You have the tool, but you have to know how to use it correctly or it just simply will not work. She has lost 15 pounds and is on her way to getting down again. She understands that the band is not a magic cure for weight loss, though it may seem like that at first. It is a tool to help us succeed only. We still have to make a commitment to this journey and we still have to work very hard in order to succeed at the loss and sustain that loss. We email every day, and text all day long, and the support and constant reminders seem to be helping her a lot. I think the 5 day pouch renewal test is a great option for you as a start. After that, when you start solid food again I strongly suggest that you follow the lapband rules of eating. Lean solid protein first, then veggies after. Try to stay away from the carbs as much as possible, at least at first. This is a rule my doctor gives me to identify when I need a fill, and I think its a good one: If you cannot eat 3 ounces of solid protein in one meal, then you are too tight,. If you eat the 3 ounces and you are still hungry or become hungry soon thereafter, you are probably too loose. I would suggest by all means that you keep trying for that "sweet spot". Not only will that help you with the amount of food you're eating, but I'm sure you remember how seldom you feel hungry when restriction is optimal. Good luck with your restart, I have complete confidence that you will succeed again. If I can help you in any way, please let me know. I'm a firm believer that the band can be a permanent "solution" to our obesity problems if we know how to use it, and follow band rules. It's not easy by any means, but it can be done and the rewards, as you know, are worth it. Oh, and by the way, congratulations on your huge success with quitting smoking. That is HUGE!!!!! You have prolonged your life by giving them up, now you just need to get back on band track. Again, good luck. Let me know if I can help in any way. xoxo w

Congratulations to you for having chosen to improve your life. I had surgery last september and I've never looked back, not even for one second. I'm 15 pounds to goal. Well, actually, to my first goal. I'm 5'10 and 3/4 and I started at 256, originally I had set my goal to 155. This morning I weighed 190 and I'm thinking that 155 will be too thin. So I reset my goal to 175 and I'll reassess. I do believe that I've encountered just about every little learning process there is with the band. It is a huge lifestyle change but so totally worth it. Every now and then I do see a person eating a big plate of food, say in a restaurant and for one split second I'll miss my old relationship with food. I'll just want to be able to dig in and enjoy. But then reality slaps me back to the present and I remember how much I don't hate my body, how much I don't cringe when I look in the mirror and how much I don't hide from the camera. Those are all huge gifts I gave to myself when I had this surgery and committed myself to making it a successful permanent solution to my obesity problems. For a start, here are four eating rules that you should follow religiously once you get put back on solid foods. If you follow these you will avoid some of the problems with which I have struggled. 1. take tiny bites. No bite should be bigger than the size of a pencil eraser. That, of course, means the eraser that's attached to the pencil not one of those great big ones you can buy separately. :thumbup: 2. Chew chew chew. Each bite should be chewed to the consistency of applesauce before swallowing. 3. Eat very slowly, several moments between bites. One extra bite can be the difference between full and having overeaten which is very uncomfortable. It takes a few seconds for the food to get there, and if you're taking fast bites one after another, it will be too late by the time you realize it. 4. Never combine liquids and solids in the pouch. You can drink first and then eat just a few minutes later. But after eating you need to wait at least 30 minutes before eating. 60 minutes is better. Fluids tend to force food through the pouch and can cause food to get stuck in the stoma. This is a very uncomfortable situation and usually results in vomiting which can be bad for the band. Hope this helps your beginning. I'd be glad to answer any other questions you may have. My journey has been a successful one and I would like to help others have the same wonderful successful experience. Congratulations, again, on the wonderful gift you're giving yourself. xoxo w

This is a challenge for all of those who have been in the chat room. And for anyone else wishing to participate. It is a challenge that will help everyone and in particular those of us who have lost a little momentum. If you are a new bandster, then you can modify the challenge to fit in with your present circumstances. And if you cannot find a way to modify it, (if you are on Clear liquids and the challenge is food related, for example) then I urge you to challenge yourself in a different way. If you do this, please share your challenge on this thread so that others who cannot include themselves in the original challenge will have the opportunity to use the alternative. I will post each challenge here in the morning, and I will also post it in the chat room first thing in the morning. You can read it here, or I'm hoping with word of mouth you can find it in the chat room. Some challenges will be daily and some will be weekly challenges. I will start slow and easy, with challenges in which we can all succeed. I find that success breeds success so hopefully these will help us with more than our weight loss journey. Success builds self esteem and a sense of accomplishment. Please post on this thread your thoughts about the challenges, and any ideas you have for the future. If you've found a challenge particularly boring or interesting, helpful or not, please let me know on this thread. The first challenge starts tomorrow. Sunday: No snacking for one whole day. Meals only. You may eat as many meals as you need throughout the day, but each one must be a complete meal, eaten at the table (or where ever you normally take your meals) with silverware and dishes. I look forward to everyone's participation. Please let me know what you think.

I also live in Yuma. Here is a link that may help you: Lap-band surgery now available in Yuma | jensen, shephard, surgery - Life - YumaSun I found a thread by Alex regarding lapband surgery in Yuma, AZ. I'm hoping that this doctor will be willing to provide you with aftercare I was banded 9/8/08 and I'm 16 pounds to goal. This has been an amazing journey for me, I'm loving every single step. I have been looking for other Yuma bandsters, if you're interested in getting together for a chat, or maybe a walk, please let me know. wynn

Hi Lizzie. Sounds to me like you're doing amazing!! And all this with no restriction yet. WOW! I am a slow loser. I was banded 10 months ago, and I've lost 65 lbs so far. I know others that were banded at the same time that have lost twice that. I DO NOT CARE. As long as I'm moving in the right direction, I'm happy. I'm in my 50s so I think that can contribute to a slower loss. In any case I think that if you concentrate on your journey, and not so much on the scale number you'll feel better about the process. Exercise, making good food choices, collecting healthy recipes, support groups, etc. Those are all things that you can concentrate on that will make this more fun. And if we're going to do it, it may as well be fun, right? As far as the "sweet spot" I believe that mine was on the 3rd or 4th fill, I don't remember exactly. Be patient, its better to go slower than faster with regard to the fills. Too tight can be very uncomfortable. My doctor worked up to restriction and I'm very happy he did. Keep up the good work, you are doing excellently. The only thing I can offer is, as I said, relax and have a good time. This is your new beginning, make it fun! Wynn

Hi steph, if you want to go to my profile and send me a private message with your phone number, I'll call you and walk you through it. There are a lot of people in there today, not as much as usual, but several, so its working for most. W

Steph, try it again. Log out of the main site, then log into the chat area. After you log back in, you still won't be in a chatroom, just at the chat site where you still have to click on lapband support. That's what I meant when I said choose the chatroom you want. They have lapband support, chit chat, singles, the sleeve room, and now a new testing room. We always chat in lapband support. Try again, its working for other people. Good luck, See you there. W

There is a glitch in the chat room, I have written to alex already regarding this. I did find a post from Evie explaining a trick to get in and it works. Go to the top right hand page and log out. Do not log back in at this area. Then click on chat, and log in there, on the chat page. Put in your name, password, click log-in. Then click the room in which you'd like to chat. This should work. Good luck hope to see you there. Wynn