KathySoxFan

I drink the Isopure fruit punch and grape flavored drinks about 4 times a week. The plus is that they taste kind of like Kool-Aid, and they are not thick like a shake. They have 40 grams of protein and zero carbs. The bad part is they are extremely expensive, and I don't know if this is true with all protein drinks, but somehow it doesn't quench your thirst.

Congratulations to everyone on their 6 month anniversary. Other than not knowing what I can physically eat before every meal (band seems to have a mind of its own), this has been a great process. I have absolutely no regrets about having the surgery--only that I didn't do this years ago. I should be able to start exercising in a couple of weeks. I had surgeries on both knees and have not been able to exercise at all. I go for a follow-up appointment next week, and hopefully I'll get the clearance to exercise or at least get signed up for physical therapy.

Thanks. I hope I can figure this out. Yay--it worked!

I'm happy that things are looking up for you and that hopefully by the end of the week, your problem will be resolved. I had a similar situation happen, but in the other direction. All of a sudden, I was able to eat everything in sight, including Pasta, bread, etc. Nothing seemed to fill me up. I panicked and thought all the Fluid had leaked out of my band, so I scheduled a fill for this past Tuesday. Well, the weekend before this, I had trouble eating and threw up a couple of times. I thought I'd never say that I was happy to throw up. It made me realize that I wasn't leaking and that my level was okay for now. The hunger has dissipated, and I'm still able to eat most things, just at smaller amounts. I have my next fill scheduled for June 17th, so we'll see what that brings. They tried to do a fill at the end of March, but even though it was only 0.5 cc's, it was too much and I could barely get the Water down. I think I have about 5.25 cc's in a 10 cc band. The thing that drives me crazy is that the band seems to have a mind of its own--why can I eat huge quantities (relatively speaking, of course) one day, while the next day, I feel very restricted. It makes no sense to me. The good news is that I got banded in December 2010 and I've lost 64 pounds total (lost some pre-op). And this is without any exercise becuse I had both knees operated on during separate times. I'm actually looking forward to physical therapy and moving to jump start my weight loss again as I've hit a plateau. Good luck this week!

The 180's! That's fantastic! As for me, I'm almost out of the 240's. Down 61 pounds including pre-op diet. Congratulations to all of us!

Number of fills: 4 Number of ccs: 5.5 Band type/size: Lap Band, 10 ccs Sweet spot: Not sure. I have vomited quite a few times, but other times, I seem to be able to eat too much. I'm trying to slow down my eating and chew, chew, chew. The good news is that when I first met the surgeon on August 1st, I weighed in at 302 with a BMI of 49. Today, I weighed in at 244 with a BMI of 39. So, down 58 pounds and no longer morbidly obese! The problem has been that I've basically not been able to exercise. I tore cartilage in my left knee and had surgery in March, then tore cartilage in my right knee and am scheduled for surgery in a few weeks. I did go for a mile walk to try to get some exercise today, which will help strengthen the left knee. Unfortunately, the right knee seized up on me three times, which is very painful. Guess I'll have to ignore the pain for a while. Glad to hear everyone is doing well. I haven't done a very good job of keeping up with this website--I have a habit of retreating into myself and not sharing my thoughts. I do go to a support group once a month and to a therapist once a month, so that helps. I also have a good support system from my family and friends.

I used to be a total pizza addict--3-4 times a week. Now, I eat one piece of pizza once per week. I find I have to eat the thin crust, which is my favorite anyway. There are some things I'm just not willing to give up. When I was having problems with donuts, I gave them up willingly. But not pizza. Now, I have 5.5 ccs in a 10 cc band, so if there comes a time when it's tightened more and I can't get the pizza down, I'll deal with it then. I had my band done on 12/7/10, and between the pre-op diet to now, I've lost 45 pounds, so I don't think the pizza has been killing me. I also haven't been able to exercise much because of torn cartilage in both knees--got the left one fixed in February and will get the right knee fixed in a few weeks. So it's possible to lose weight while still eating the occasional piece of pizza.

It's been a long time since I've posted on here, but I had to share some good news. I just hit the 50 pound mark! I was banded on 12/7 and had lost 28 pounds before the surgery and now 22 pounds since. I am down from a size 28 to a size 24 and am looking forward to doing a little shopping in a couple of weeks. So far the items I have ordered have fit me, when I thought they would be too small. I just had my third fill on Friday, and am up to 5 cc's in a 10cc band. The third fill has been interesting--really not able to eat much, although I'm expecting that to change as my stomach swelling goes down. I have had a number of vomiting episodes, but nothing too major yet. Overall, I'm excited to be losing weight and am loving the band. The only thing with me is that I can't exercise yet. I tore a cartilage in my left knee if February which required surgery in March, and now I've torn the cartilage in my right knee, which means I'll have to have surgery coming up shortly. Those have been the only setbacks. But, I haven't let it interfere with my weight loss, although it would have been interesting to see how much I could have lost by now if I was able to exercise during this time. I hope everyone is doing well and is happy with their band.

Joan and Shawna-what a great idea. Here's my info. Name: Kathy Age: 47 Band Date: December 7th Start weight: 302 Current weight: 284 Goal weight: 170 Favorite exercise: elliptical Occupation: philanthropy coordinator Hobbies: reading, movies, card making, travel, playing with my cats Good luck, everyone. :blushing:

Is anyone else freaking out as their surgery date approaches? I realized this morning that my liquid diet starts in three weeks and my surgery is in four weeks. All I want to do is cry and eat right now. It hasn't helped that I had foot surgery and had to stop my exercise program. I should be able to get back on it next week, which might help with my emotions. Last night, I started crying on my way home from work. I guess I keep thinking about losing my best friend and worst enemy (food) and not enough about what I'll gain (better health, etc.). I'm not worried about the surgery per se, as I have had a fair number of them, but I'm worried about the recovery and especiallly some of the problems that others have had (getting stuck, etc.). I'm also worried that I'll somehow fail in this effort to lose weight and keep it off. I'm guessing that this is all normal, but I'd like to hear if others are experiencing the same thing. Up until this point, I've acted like this surgery isn't that big a deal, but I'm realizing that it will truly be life-changing.

I, too, am going to be a December "bandster". Just got my date of December 7th. I'm so excited and also consider this to be an early Christmas present. My doctor usually requires a 10-14 day pre-op liquid diet, but I only have to do it for 7 days because I've lost 25 pounds already. I'm glad to be having a "normal" Thanksgiving and hopefully be well enough to participate in my usual Christmas activities (well, except for the overeating. ha ha ha). I feel like a little kid waiting for Santa!

Got the letter from Aetna on Saturday. Yesterday I called the surgeon's office and scheduled my pre-op appointment for November 3rd. At that time, they'll schedule my surgery date. I'm hoping it will be at the beginning of December. I can't wait. Of course, I'll have to do the lovely 10 day liquid diet. He sometimes has people do 14 days, but since I've lost 25 pounds so far (weigh 277, down from 302), I think I'll just be on the 10 day diet. I'm feeing so many different emotions--unbelievable joy and hope, fear, worry that I won't succeed, worry about my emotional state once I give up my best friend/worst enemy (food), worry about how my relationships might change, etc. One thing I know is I'm very ready to have this done and begin my new life! I don't often post on these boards, but I love reading about people's hopes, desires, successes, challenges, etc. Thanks, everyone!:thumbup:

Hi, I'm from Connecticut, too--the Hartford area. I'm pre-band and going to have it done by Dr. Papasavas at Hartford Hospital. I have Aetna insurance, which requires jumping through some hoops. I have finally finished all of the requirements (process stared on July 27th) and have an appointment with the surgeon's office on Wednesday the 6th to go over everything. After that, they will submit everything for insurance approval, and once they get that, I'll schedule a pre-op appointment with the surgeon. At that appointment, the surgery date will be scheduled. I'm hoping to be banded before the end of the year. Welcome!

This is wonderful information--thank you all. I haven't been banded yet--still going through all of the pre-approval appointments. Three weeks ago I started going to the gym to do the eliptical machine twice a week--can only go for 30 minutes with no resistance at about 3-3.5 miles per hour. I also try to do 2 30 minute walks during my lunch hour--sometimes 3. Unfortunately, I have a cyst on my foot that is pressing on a nerve--cyst will have to come out, probably in September--that causes a lot of pain. But since I can't do any damage to the foot, I'm trying to keep up my exercising so I can get into better shape for the surgery. I have lost 10 pounds so far and have a second appointment with the nutritionist next week. I find your stories to be truly inspiring and motivating. I am worried about loose skin because no way will I ever be able to afford surgery (unless I hit Powerball), but I'll cross that bridge when I get there. Got a long way to go (5'6", 292 lbs), but with help from people like you, I know I can do it!

HipHop and JerseyDiva, I almost laughed out loud reading your posts. I can't believe you're meeting each other in the hallway--what a great way to get support from each other! As for me, I'll likely be banded in November--still going through the pre-op insurance part and am trying to be patient. I'm glad to hear your surgeries went well. Good luck on your journeys!

Well, I'm a bit (okay, more than a bit) older than you--46 soon to be 47, but am about the same height--5'6" and weight--295:scared2:. I admire your tenacity to get the lapband as well as making sure your children are healthy. The wait can be frustrating (I'm in a three month process, after which the paperwork will be submitted to insurance for approval). Even though my wait won't be as long, I still want it done yesterday. Hang in there--it will happen before you know it. And congratulations on having such a wonderful family!

Greetings, Revolver. Hartford area resident here--great to see others from CT here. I'm currently in the three month process of nutritionist, psychologist, cardiologist appointments, along with bloodwork, upper GI, and support group meetings. I have my second appointment with the surgeon on October 6th, after which my info will be submitted for insurance and hopefully a surgical date will be set for sometime in November. I feel the three month + program is taxing, but helpful. I hope you have a good experience with your six month program. I know it's hard to wait--I'm the type of person who wants everything done yesterday. Hopefully our patience and persistance will pay off after we have the band, when we will be really challenged. Good luck, and welcome!

Even though you didn't drink anything, the fluids they pump you up with the iv will make you gain water weight. I was in the hospital for 6 days with pancreatitis, and I couldn't drink or eat anything for the first 5 days, and then only had a little juice or broth the 6 days. When I got home, I had gained 8 pounds. The next week, those 8 pounds were gone, plus another 7. Hope you're doing okay!

What a great story and so inspirational. I'm doing the three month diet/exercise/seeing multiple doctors before submitting to insurance. I especially appreciated your stories about dancing. I took dance lessons from 1st grade through 5th, but after my 5th grade recital, my parents heard some remarks about "the fat girl" on stage, so they pulled me out of dancing--one of the things I felt good about. Years later, I took Irish step dancing in my 30's and even participated and won medals in some competitions, despite being 220 pounds! And I would perform at Irish festivals. If people didn't like my weight, well too friggin bad! Thanks for your story.:thumbup:

I have had previous surgeries where they used gas, and it usually goes away in a couple of days. The rib area is probably sore because of the cutting/moving things around/port. If it doesn't go away soon, I'd call the doctor. By the way, I love your screen name, even though I'm KathySoxFan (red sox fan). So tell me, are you a Mariano fan or are you 42 years old? Hope you feel better soon. Us bandsters (I haven't been banded yet, am hoping for November) have to stick together despite our sports alliances!

I was so nervous seeing the nutritionist because I don't eat a lot of veggies because I don't like them. She was so understanding and said over the next three months my goal should be to gradually change my eating habits to reflect what I'll need to do after being banded. She also said to gradually increase my exercising. Gave me no specific weight loss goals, just try to eat healthier. I have to write everything I eat down, what times I ate, what I ate, etc. My next appointment with her is Sept. 1st, right before I go on a week-long cruise--that should be interesting. My next appointment with the surgeon is October 6th, after which they'll submit my papers to insurance. I really hope I can be banded sometime in November. Have so many appointments to go to, but they'll all be done by the October 6th appointment with the surgeon.:thumbup:

Met with the surgeon yesterday. There's quite the long process involved and a lot of appointments to make--psych consult, at least 3 months under a nutritionist for diet and exercise program, cardiologist, upper GI, bloodwork, 2 support group meetings, etc. Have a follow-up appointment on October 2nd, at which they'll go over all of my results. Assuming everything is okay, they'll submit everything to the insurance company and once approved, will set a surgery date. I'm hoping for November, but who knows? Will make the holidays a little rough, but I'm anxious to begin my new life. Stay sane, everyone!:cursing:

Hi, my name is Kathy, and I'm fairly new to the LAP-BAND® process, although I have been contemplating it for a few years now. I'm 46, 5'6" and 300 pounds and have been overweight or obese since 7 years old. I have tried numerous times to lose weight and was successful in the short term, only to gain it all back and more. I'm still in the early stages, but am attending an informational session tonight and have my first appointment with the surgeon tomorrow. I have Aetna insurance, which pays 100% of the cost (except if I have to stay overnight, for which I have a $4,200 deductible. My surgeon I think generally likes to keep people overnight, so I'm hoping that he will make an exception since I only live 5 miles from the hospital and have had numerous surgeries before without complications). I believe Aetna requires a minimum of 3 months of dieting, exercising, meeting with nutritionists, going to support group meetings, getting a psychological approval, etc. before setting a surgery date. I will know more after tomorrow's appointment. I am so anxious to be banded and can't wait to find out more about how long the process will take for me. I have been looking at this website for a couple of weeks and have already found it very valuable. Thank you all!