susidivah

I use three things... blender ball bottle (with the whisk ball thingy), regular blender, and magic bullet. I've had the blender and magic bullet for a few years now and my sister bought me the bb bottle. Honestly I like all three. It seems the magic bullet and regular blender give it more of a frothy shake texture, where the bottle is more of a drink mix. I use a variety of protein powders and usually mix them with skim milk or almond milk.

Welcome to all newbies to the November thread! :smile: BacktoBest- feel free to send me a private message if you'd like and we could buddy up :hurray: And congrats also on your little one! Wow, some of you are gonna be doing 3 wks pre op diet? I start my 2 wk pre op on the 25th and already trying to get all the "junk" and off limits stuff outta my place to avoid temptation! Mine is a full liquid diet and I think I'm more nervous about it than the actual surgery :w00t: For those of you wondering about medications... my surgeon told me that if it is the size of an M and M or smaller you shouldn't have to crush it or get liquid form. But I'd do what is comfortable for you. I'm gonna still talk to my pharmacist about some of my pills... Has anyone looked into any chewable vitamins to take post op? I even have Flintstones on my list :grouphug:

Hey fearless, welcome... my date is Nov 8th as well! :puke: And I feel much the same as you a lil scared but also to the point of being scared not to try something different to help with my obesity! Hello to everyone else also It's so exciting to see more and more add to this thread everyday! Our time is coming ladies and gents!!!!:crying:

My "to-go" date as of now is November 8th. I attended my first seminar around November 15th of last year. Because of my HMO and medical group I was required to do a 6 month medically supervised diet (December thru May) then there was some delay from my PCP office (surprise surprise) on referrals and such. Just finished all my pre tests about 2 weeks ago and see the PCP tomorrow for my medical clearance. The final surgeon appt (next week), final insurance approval and 2 week pre op diet will put me there! :thumbup: Finally...

Hi all! I just got my tentative surgery date today, November 8th! :smile2: It will be almost a week short of a year since beginning the journey with my first seminar... with my 6 mo medically supervised diet and all the hoops from my HMO, etc, it's finally hitting me that it is really almost HERE :mad: But I am thrilled and so glad to have this site and forums to learn and meet others going thru the same! Good luck to you all and hit me up if you want to be LB buddies! God bless, Susan

Hi Swiss et al! I too am from the Chicago area, southwest suburbs to be exact! :scared2: I too am pre-op now going thru all the tests and such before finalizing with the insurance and setting a date (HOPING for end of Sept/early Oct)... I too have to do a 14 day liquid diet and feel you there Swiss! My surgeon says it's a lot easier after the first 3-4 days. As for advice, well this site is AMAZING... I have probably learned more from here than from my 6 mo medically supervised diet, docs and handouts combined. It is a good place to get info and to bring anything to your bariatric team if you have questions about how they practice. Best of luck to you and I'm here for support if you need anything! :confused: Susan

Hey moonbeam, I've been browsing the forums tonight and saw your post. I'm sorry to hear you have to go through surgery and treatment again. I too have had thyca, found AFTER a total thyroidectomy two years ago, but fortunately did not affect the lymph nodes and every scan I've had since has been clear. I had met a couple of people in a support group I used to attend that had to have the neck dissection to remove lymph nodes after the cancer came back (I think in both cases it was like after 10 years or more?) Sorry I don't know too much about the side effects, etc, other than they both had RAI again afterwards. You will be in my prayers, moon, and please send me a message if you ever want to talk or anything Also, you have done something for me.... I am at the beginning of my journey- i.e. insurance "hoops" to get approved for surgery- and was concerned about the whole thyroid and Synthroid thing and how it affects the effectiveness of the band. Your success has encouraged me, and btw congrats on getting to your goal! God bless, Susan

Hello friends, Well, I've been around LBT for some time now, mostly as a lurker but have posted a couple times and messaged back and forth with a few peeps. But here's my "formal" intro now that the ball is moving a lil faster with my journey :ohmy: I began in December 2009 with the "mandatory" 6 month supervised diet (per my HMO). Once a month class with the dietitian and I'll tell you, it was probably one of the best things I could have done. Learned a whole lot about the stages of the LapBand diet, nutrition requirements, etc. So got a good start with 5% down in 5 months. Then there was a delay with the paperwork going in for approval for the surgeon consult cuz my PCP wanted to see me first but this wasn't communicated to me :mad: Long story short, I saw her 2 weeks ago, it was submitted to the medical group and approved and I see the surgeon for the consult on August 18th :present: I've been "up and down" with keeping up my diet and exercise I think partly due to losing some motivation due to that delay. So I shall be back here to encourage others, seek encouragement, and continue to learn! I truly feel this tool is what I need to get me and keep me healthy in the long run! God bless you all in your journeys and thanks for listening (((hugs))) Susan

Hi Kristin! I too am a lil older than you (40), but am also with BCBSIL... am in my 2nd month of 6 month required supervised diet, so still pretty new to all this! I am also in the South Suburbs, and if all is approved will be having my surgery performed at Rush. I mostly have been lurking here since joining but had to post to your thread since you are so close! Best of luck to you in your continued journey, and this is a great site for information and support :smile2: Holler too if you need anything... God bless! Susan