Baby Boomer

Mindful, Sorry I didn't get on over the weekend, but I was out of commission. I had some chest pains on Saturday that I've never had before (had a double bypass 3 years ago.) so I thought I'd better get it checked out. I went to ER at the local heart hospital here and they ended up keeping me over the weekend. I needed some testing (that they don't do on weekends) so I had to stay. The testing went just fine. There was no evidence of a heart attack and everything checked out okay so they let me come home. I'm feeling okay now though. I have an appointment with Dr Schumacher on the 22nd also. Mine is at 3:00 pm. So we can meet anytime before that. Just let me know what time you will be getting into the area and we can set up a place and time to meet. (soft food of course.) Hope you're feeling a little better by now. Keep in touch. Barbara

Mindful, I know you probably didn't remember much, but I did want you to know that I was thinking about you. I can't wait to meet you again and talk to you when you are a little more coherent. I can't believe you drove yourself home from the hospital. I know that had to be rough. If I'd known that you were by yourself, I would have offered to drive you home. I hope you are resting and feeling better by now. Keep me posted on the meeting time and place. I'm anxious to meet everyone. Hang in there and hope you're feeling better soon. Barbara

Hello All, Guess I missed posting my introduction here. So here goes..... My name is Barbara and I've been overweight most of my life. Not always alot but none the less overweight. My most recent and biggest weight gain came after my open heart surgery three years ago. Since then, I gained over 40 pounds all during a time I was supposed to be losing weight. My blood pressure was up, I developed diabetes, I couldn't walk without huffing and puffing. I was a mess. I decided I needed to do something and I'd better do it quick or I'd be dead before I turned 65. (I was 60 this past September.) I live in the Dayton area and worked in Cincinnati, so in May of this year I decided it was time to retire and take care of my health. I was working with a personal trainer, trying to diet...all to no avail. Then I saw an ad for lapband surgery. I had to check it out! It sounded pretty good. I had never considered WLS before because I thought it was too invasive. I didn't want my insides rerouted. Also, some of the people I worked with had a pretty rough time with it. And with my heart problems, I didn't think I could get my cardiologist to approve me for it. I attended an informational meeting for the Cincinnati Weight Loss Center, made my appointment and got the ball rolling. Well, my insurance would not approve them because they were out of my network. So it was back to square one. So I looked around somemore and found Dr. Shumacher at Kettering Bariatric. I made my appointment, attended one of his informational meetings and started the process all over again. It didn't take long and before I knew it, I had a date! October 11 is my new birthday! That's when I entered Lapband Land and became a Bandster! For me surgery was a breeze. I can't complain one bit. My stomach was a little sore but the pain was minimal. I was up and walking within a couple of hours of getting back to my room. And I walked and walked and walked. I walked for 30 minutes everyday for the first month. (Not real fast, but I moved.) How have I done??? Well, I've dropped nearly 35 pounds. I've had two fills and am scheduled for another one on Monday. I'm ready for another one. I feel restriction, but it's getting looser every day. So it's time. Do I regret having this done? No. My only regret is that I didn't do it sooner. My blood pressure is normal, my blood tests are normal, my diabetes is almost non-existent. I also have more stamina than I've had in years. And, I have ankles!!!! (I had trouble with endema before the surgery and it looked like my legs just sat on top of my feet....no ankles.) I would love to get together with other bandsters in the area. I attend the support group at Dr. Schumacher's but I would like to have a support group just for bandsters. We are not RNYers and have different issues. So let's get one started. I'd love to talk to anyone out there that's contemplating or has had the lapband. You can email me direct at bforman911@yahoo.com. Talk to you all soon. BabyBoomer Barbara

Paige, I'll come visit you either before or after the meeting. You can email me at bforman911@yahoo.com and give me your full name. You'll do fine. Good Luck and I'll say a prayer for you for a quick recovery. Barbara:)

You can count me in on wanting to get together for support. The group through Dr. Schumacher's office meets the second Wednesday of the month at 7:00 pm. They meet in the same building that his office is in. Right now they only have one group meeting (RNY and LapBand) but I heard that last month they had enough lapbanders to split into separate groups. I haven't had a chance to attend there yet but I plan to go to January's meeting. I'm also open to meeting during the day somewhere convenient for everyone. I live in Englewood, (NW of Dayton) close to I70 and I75, so it would be fairly easy for me to get most anywhere. I'm retired from the US Postal Service. I started working part time at a local bank here, so I may have a scheduling problem, but if I know the meeting time far enough ahead, I can schedule for it. (Or just call in sick!!:sick) Just let me know when. Meeting every month would be fine with me. I need the support. I'm on 4 different medications for my heart (I had open heart surgery 3 years ago.) and I didn't have any problems taking them after surgery. I did have to split them after my second fill but only for a few days. I'm back to taking them whole. Can't wait to meet all of you! Barbara:clap2:

Lisa, I live in the Dayton area too! The only thing I wish I knew ahead of time is that I had heard about the band sooner. I would have had this done years ago if I had known about it. It's been the best thing for me and my health. It's always been hard for me to lose weight and with the band I haven't done too bad. My surgery was on October 11 of this year and I've lost 30 pounds. About half of it came off in the first two weeks and the last 15 pounds has been slow. But it is coming off. And, I'm not suffering from it. (No feelings of deprivation.) I eat pretty much whatever I want, I just can't eat very much. And that's okay. Sometimes you just need a taste. Anyway. It's been great for me. Love my band. Barbara

Mindful, I have been very satisfied with the care that I have gotten from Dr. Schumacher and his team. Also, the care at Sycamore was wonderful. Of course, my surgery went just fine. I had very little pain and I was up walking around in no time. I did my laps very faithfully. The pre-admission classes are very informative and thourough (sp). You should be able to get all your questions answered then. I didn't have a pre-op diet and the post op diet was fairly easy to follow. Clear liquids, i think for one or two weeks, then full liquids for two weeks, and on to mushies then regular foods. (I don't remember the exact time on each). He does do your first fill at 4 weeks and the second on 4 weeks later. You meet with a nutritionist after your first fill to go over what you should be eating after your fill. I'll be glad to answer any other questions you might have. Good luck. Barbara

:clap2: Hello All, It's great to hear from other bandsters in Southwest Ohio! I was beginning to think that there wasn't anyone out there that got on the message boards. I was banded October 11th of this year and have lost 30 lbs. My surgeon was Dr. Schumacher. I've had two fills, the last one kicking my a$$. The first week after the fill, I could still eat just about anything without any problems, then WHAM, the little #$%@& just tightened right up! I've pb'd more the last few days than I care to. So, I've put myself on liquids for a couple of days so my stomach will settle. I know now to chew, chew, chew and pay attention to what I'm eating. I no longer can eat eggs or ham (as well as bread or anything doughy). The good news is I haven't gained one pound over the holidays! In fact, I've lost. This is the first time in a long, long, long, time that I haven't gained over the holidays. The nice thing is, I still ate what I wanted. Just couldn't eat as much. Does anyone go to Dr. Schumacher's support group meetings? Maybe we could meet up before or after one of them. What do you think? By the way, I also have Anthem and was approved without any problems. Love my band!! Barbara

Hello All, I new to this site and also newly banded. I was banded 10/11/06 by Dr. David Schumacher. (He's great!!) I had my first fill last Friday (11/10). So far I have lost 23 pounds. (I didn't have a pre-op diet) Just checking to see how other people are doing.