susan0978

You only need to crush the pills if you are not able to swallow the bigger ones without them sticking. I crushed my metaformin the first couple of weeks, I don't have a problem swallowing them now. I hope to get off of mine the next time I go for my physical!!

My doctor is a hottie...but I could be his...mmmm...older sister! He is fun to look at though and he has a great sense of humor, so that makes him even cuter!!

Santa is bringing me one...can't wait to use it! (I didn't peek...Santa told me because I was going to buy it for myself.)

You go girl.....that is a nice christmas present itself!!

Don't beat yourself up too bad. We all have our weaknesses! I am surprised that we were able to get 9 pretzels down after 1 week, I was still swollen and it was like being filled. Just take a deep breath and get back on track. Good luck!

You go girl!!!! You deserve it!:thumbup:

Got it at 54...wish I had done it sooner!

You should let your doctor know about getting stuck so much. I have to take very small bites and chew, chew, chew or I get stuck. I have complained to my doc about the hunger and he tells me that the band does not curb the hunger it is there to reduce the intake. I just had my 3rd fill yesterday and I am hoping that I get to my "sweet" spot soon!

You're welcome...and btw you are normal to have these feelings. Good luck!

I think we all went through that "what the h*ll am I doing" phase right before surgery. It is a scary thing but I am sure that you have given this a lot of thought and have done a lot of research as we all did. You have to go into it with a positive "can do" attitude. The band is a tool and it is a good tool if you do what the doctor tells you and do your part...this isn't the easy way out it is still a lot of work. I am almost 2 months post op and can eat just about anything I did before surgery just a whole lot less....Good kuck to you!!! BTW - I cheated more than once during the pre-op diet and the day before had a big old cheeseburger!!

Congrats! I can't believe you are still awake this late on the day of your surgery...but you are on the west coast so you are 2 hrs earlier than me. That vicodin will kick in soon and then you will be in la-la land for sure! Take it easy the next few days.

Well I am almost 2 months post op and I am still... that part comes from the Protein. I still have the burping problem too. I have heard people say that it is from eating too fast but even when I eat slow I burp. OH NO...the band has turned us into redneck men!

I feel my hunger at night also. The burping OMG...does it ever go away??? My grandson thinks it's funny though...boys...

Great job on the weight loss. I don't have any problem swallowing pills. I hope that is not a bad thing..I hated the time when I was having to crush my pills but now I don't have any problems.:thumbup:

Congrats and welcome fellow bandster. I am still pretty new to this myself. The banana pudding idea sounds pretty good I will have to give that a try. Glad that everything went well for you, you will be sore for the next few days but keep the faith!

Yes, yes, yes! It is worth it, like the others said it is not an easy fix, you still have to do your part but the band makes the dieting so much easier!! Good luck!

Good luck on your follow up today. I had a good weight loss during the liquid diet period. When you start on mushies and then regular food the weight loss slows...thats when you need to start the work outs (yuck). My loss has slowed a lot and I have had 2 fills but am only at 2.5 cc's. I'm getting a little discouraged but my Doc says that I am doing good. My next appt. is 12/4, hopefully I will get another fill. Don't get me wrong...I am still very happy with my choice and I am just being impatient....it is one of those days!

That Protein causes a lot of gas...so it will be around for a while...but the painful gas is only in the beginning.

I also have UHC and was approved very fast. From start to band date was about 5 weeks! So now it is the time where I am starting to get my EOB's and seeing how much all of this is costing them...yikes...I will end up paying out of pocket a little over $1,000...that I know of so far (I had already met my deductible) with my 90/10 policy! Good luck with your journey!!

Electrawoman - I also chose not to tell a lot of people. Just a few family members and 2 close friends.

From my first doctors appt. to surgery was 1 1/2 months, I think 2 1/2 wks of that was waiting on insurance approval and getting all my tests done. I have UHC and was very pleased with their quick response.

I was on a 2 week liquid diet after my surgery, the first week was clear liquids. That was a long 2 weeks. A friend of mine had to start her liquid diet 2 weeks pre-op and then 2 weeks post op, she is just now going to the mushie stage.

It is really not bandster hell...only the liquid diet! I am on regular foods now and can pretty much eat anything I did before. I haven't even tried bread, but I wasn't a big bread person to begin with. You just have to make the choice to eat smart. I like the Atkins drinks the best, it is more like chocolate milk and is easy to drink. My doctor told me not to just do the Protein drink in the morning but to try to eat something for that meal to get your metabolism going in the morning. I usually eat oatmeal and a banana or a scammbled egg and a piece of lean ham in the morning....mostly oatmeal. For lunch and dinner I have pretty much stuck to a lean cuisine or a healthy choice meal. But when I actually cook I do a lot of broiled chicken, tender roast beef or meat loaf.. a lot of green veggies or mashed potatoes (just a little now). I haven't done anything fried, which I miss! With the band you just get full faster...you have to eat a lot slower and chew, chew, chew..so you don't eat as much, it is best to do about 4 or 5 small meals so you won't feel like you are starving ...I am just learning this. I do miss a good ole cold A&W every once in a while. I did have a cocktail (or 2) at my high school reunion a couple of weeks ago and had no problems. I would also like to have a support group...it would be fun and I think we could all learn from each other experiences! Susan

Ooooo that is a hard question...I don't regret getting the band at all. Of course I am still in the learning process. I HATE exercising...wish there was a magic pill or something for that. I would rather get all my exercise walking but I know that is not possible. I was very lucky with my surgery and healing process, I was sore for the 1st couple of weeks but I didn't have the gas pains in the shoulder area that some people talk about. I slept in my recliner for the first week because I could not get comfortable in my bed. Getting the daily Protein all in everyday is probably the hardest for me...I am not a big fan of the Protein drinks so I kinda have to suck that one up and put on my big girl panties and just get er done! You really need to start trying out different drinks now so you will be ready once you have your surgery, it will be easier to do it now. I was only on a liquid diet for 2 weeks and that got old pretty fast...again needed to get those big girl panties out. Just stick to the diet that your doctor gives you and you will be ok. All the doctors are a little different some people are on the liquid diet pre-op and post-op. yikes.... I had my surgery in just a little over a month after I started my process...from my first visit to the doctor to the time of my surgery so I feel for those of you that have to wait so long. I get impatient about things like that! I like your little weight loss ticker snake, I need to take the time and figure out how to add that to my account. Susan

Rene...heck yea girl you can join the group, I say the more the merrier! We need all the support we can get. I know some people say that getting the band is cheating or taking the easy way...but they need to whacked on the side of their heads. This is not easy..we are still having to diet and exercise, we just have a tool to help keep us on track. What insurance do you have? I have United Healthcare and I was approved pretty quick on my policy. Welcome and good luck with the insurance...hope they pay! Susan