Lap_dancer

Say hello to the one's (100s) when you meet them. They will be with you the rest of your life! Love this thought!

!!) So i'm going to go with the flow and take it as it comes.... God I sound really laid back! Not that I am at the moment... 3 weeks tomorrow and I'll be off to Gay Paris!!! Feeling anxious and excited that I'm finally taking the plunge and tackling my weight problem, permanently Thanks for your thoughts Yvonne Sounds like my kind of plan. I could do Paris for three days resting! Well done. Hats off to you for moving forward with your life changing choice. I think that is half the battle when it comes down to it. Keep posting on your progress.

This just reinforces my own decision. Thanks for sharing it.

:clap2: Excellent thoughts.

Hello Lapinater. How are you doing so far?

Good luck.

I've had this mentality for atleast 20 years; that each nice dinner, where I can have a little of this and that, is my "last good meal before I diet". It's no different for me right now as I prepare for being banded. Come to think of it, it's another reason why I'm getting banded.

Best of luck to you Cheryl. To add, I did a background search on Dr. K and learned he worked with The National Institutes of Health (NIH) and has done over 10,000 Laproscopic surgeries. He also has a few "firsts" that he can take credit for.

Hi Cheryl: I can take you to where I am at right now. I started researching the surgery last fall. I anticipated having it done in my hometown, had all the pre-surgical tests that the surgeon required, lab work, xray of stomach, stress test, sleep study. My insurance denied. While I worked the appeals process I started working on plan B. I checked out Dr. Ortiz as he was highly recommended here and price was right. I phoned and spoke to Lori. Lori sent an email with a tight bit of information. She was very friendly and put me at ease. I actually did consider going to him because of his reputation ( over 4000 Lap Bands done ). Had his Cancun office been open, I would probably have gone there but due to hurricanes it is presently not being utilized, his clinic in Tiajuana is. I'm sure the clinic is wonderful and have heard great things from people here. For ME, I was just not comfortable with crossing the border into Mexico via another driver and then going to this clinic. Tiajuana is not a safe town and my sister (a flight attendent) flies into San Diego alot. They advise the airline employees to "do not go to Tiajuana" period. My husband also was concerned that should I have problems, he is a Mexican doctor and I am an American. This didn't bother me as much as it did my husband. He was fearful that I had no recourse in the event something went wrong. Dr. Kirshenbaum is spoken so highly of on here and as you can read, many folks who are banded seem to love him and his office staff. I called his office, I spoke to Marilyn and she guided me through initial info. Brief phone intake of information, she offered the name of a financial company that they are not affiliated with but many patience have been happy with the results. I have a phone consulation with him and from there we decide surgical dates and so forth. She advised me I would probably need to get my BMI down. I am BMI 61 right now. (not good) I have started drinking protein drinks and eating a high protein dinner. His office is actually in Aurora, Colorado. The surgical center is about 20 minutes away in Parker, Colorado. The surgical center doesn't have a website but it seems like what it is...a surgical center. I found it referenced when I Googled it. So that is where I am at. Hope that helps.

Hi 3447. Congratulations on making that choice to go in a different direction. How exciting to have your date. ( I have my consulation with the surgeon March 19th). *I'm tired of the Yo Yo Syndrom too*

:clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: WOO!!!!!!!! Alright Tracy! This is fantastic news!

:attention:AWESOME AND AMAZING YOU! :clap2: :attention: :attention:

One day, ONE DAY, we should meet and dance like nobody's watching! We are probably only an hour's drive away from one another. I'm rooting for you.:clap2:

WOO! Yeah! I am looking forward to this day. In the meantime, liquid soaps that are soothing on the skin: Baby Magic Baby Bath, anything by Crabtree and Evelyn, anything by Bath and Body Works... all this for that extra special bit of freshness.

I've heard of Dr. Kim. If I am not mistaken Dr. Kim's facility is a Centers of Excellence in Bariatrics with Blue Cross Blue Shield. Good Luck. BTW: There are several options down in the Bay Area.

The week before "Myrtle" visits, I could eat my arm off. Good that you rebounded back. You did several positive things to get yourself back on track. Good job! It has never left me that like an alcoholic, I have a food addiction. Moreso what I need that band as a tool to help me overcome this. But I know that I know it won't make that addiction disappear but it will help me cope and navigate through those moments when food is calling.

A phase I am looking forward to! Congrats to you. I'm so happy for you. (smiling) and happier still you can go down a slide with your grandchildren.

Fellow coffee lovers thank you. I am a Gevalia coffee freak. Kona specifically.

Hello Dr. C. Could you talk about the pre-surgical diet or what some refer to as "detox diet"? Thanks.

WOOHOO!!! JB. I'm so happy for you!!!

Best of luck to you Dahlia. I can only wish you a happy journey. You have no idea where many of us have been and are currently walking. I choose not to share it because I feel like it may only bring down the countenance of others. So carrying mine onward, may you find your bliss.

I'm not banded yet but as I understand it, this is a tool to help me with my insatiable appetite. If I can get that bad boy under control, the weight will come off. If I get 60 or so pounds off, I know I can walk. If I can walk, I know I can cycle/treadmill/and otherwise excercise. If I do that and diet, the weight will come off.

It was part of the requirement that a sleep study be done. The theory is that obese individuals tend to have sleep apnea. Who knew? My first night was a bust. I can't sleep well in strange places. Of course she needed me out for five hours ( ha ha ha ha ha... laughing still ) Me? Five hours straight without moving all night? (kidding right?) The second study with CPAP showed she got so much wind down me with that CPAP that she got my breathing to a normal range. Of course I woke up after three hours and thought I was in a tornado. (how little we realize that what we live with is not "normal" ). In essence, sleep apnea is when you stop breathing. Pre-OP diet's purpose is to flush your liver of toxins (fatty stuff) and reduce it's size. Also your tummy. When they go in for the surgery, there isn't so much of that chicken fat to sift through. Less scoping and searching around makes it easier on us. ( less recovery time and I would imagine pain afterwards) Pass the Water please.

I use to be like a rabbit until I gained so much weight. I feel so very unsexy right now and like someone shot my crotch with novacane. When I lose weight (in the past) my sex drive skyrockets. I anticipate the weekend when me and my husband don't come up for air for three days.

Yes. But since I had done so much research already, I knew that the Lap Band was the best choice for me, it had less risks with it, and in the end, people must choose what they feel most comfortable with. Having said that, the same place had a nutritionist who bragged how she "invented" a diet to reduce liver size called "detox". (anyone mildly informed knows this diet of detoxing is common in gastric surgery and the chances of her "inventing" this diet (that can be found with any Google search) are between slim and none. Soap box moment: I'm so sick of people telling the fat people what WILL WORK FOR YOU that I could barf if I hear it one more time. (note to self: turn television off at 3 AM. Reason: Infomercials)