Mrs.Doxie

Yep!

Mine does say "No Blind NG" and has my surgeon's name and contact number. I've heard of others that state "No NSAIDS", but I didn't get that put on mine. It concerns me to hear that they do not check ankles because the site I purchased it from specifically sold it for the ankle. You would think it would either be common practice for paramedics to check there, or NOT common practice to sell medical alert jewelry specifically designed to be worn there.

Dr. Reilly did my surgery on 12/16. I have seen him only once since then and that was at my 2 week follow-up appointment. Since then, I have only seen the nurse practitioner. With that being said, I have been very pleased with my experience. Dr. Reilly did an awesome job with the surgery and I haven't needed a fill. I know this is unusual and I can't say that it is because of him, but I can't help but feel like he must have gotten the band in exactly the perfect place for me. I haven't been concerned about not seeing him since then because I used him for his SURGICAL experience and he did his part. There has been a long wait each time I go in, but it has been that way at every doctor's office I have been to in the last several years, so I can't say that is specific to True Results. They have looked at the band each time while I drink "the stuff" (barium, maybe?) to make sure there are no problems and that makes me feel confident that there are no issues. The last time I felt I needed further confirmation that I truly had restriction and it wasn't just all in my head, so the NP walked over to the monitor to point out the band, the liquid, the pouch, etc. and answered all my questions. I really depended on my patient advocate a lot before surgery and e-mailed her almost daily. I typically received a response within a couple of hours. However, when I attempted to contact the office by phone for something else, I became very frustrated and felt that I was getting nowhere fast. Again, I relied on my patient advocate for help and we got it settled. Since my surgery, I have only contacted her a couple of times with questions and she still replied pretty quickly. Beyond that, I haunt these boards for information. Good luck with your surgery and everything that goes with it!

I'll go next... My name is Renee. I am a 41 year old mother of three teenaged daughters and have been married to my best friend for close to 21 years. My oldest daughter is 18, will be graduating this year and will be moving on to college. My other two will be a freshman and a senior in high school. My hobbies seem to revolve around them. I watch a lot of softball right now, but have done my fair share of cheering on volleyball, the junior high cheerleaders, and our high school musical over the last school year. I also teach math at our high school and my husband teaches science there as well. When I am NOT totally centered on school, kids, and hubby, I like to camp, hike, and letterbox. I enjoy reading trashy romance (Nora Roberts, Jude Devereaux, Iris Johanson, Sandra Brown), but haven't done much of it recently. Recently, I have begun working out and try to hit the gym 3-4 times a week. I am also a Facebook/Farmville (the Facebook game for old people per my 17yo dd) junkie. I, too, was a skinny mini kid who could eat whatever I wanted whenever I wanted. Unfortunately, my body changed, but my habits didn't. My weight became a pretty constant battle for the last 15 years. I was working toward getting banded about 4 years ago and ran into too many roadblocks, so it didn't happen and I gave up. This time around things just seemed to fall into place and I was banded in December. I am down a total of 65 pounds since August and 56 since starting my pre-op diet in November. I have about 25 left to go to reach a "healthy" BMI. I am extremely pleased with my decision to get banded. I think I was mentally ready for it and the fact that everything went so fast this time really helped me fly past the 2nd thoughts. My initial consult was the day before Thanksgiving and my surgery was 12/16. Fortunately, I didn't have to jump through all the hoops because I had done it previously and was already being treated for sleep apnea, cholesterol, plantar fasciitis, asthma, etc. My insurance did not pay for the band, but they did pay for the hiatal hernia repair, so I was only partially self-pay and was able to do it in the states (chickened out of going to Mexico the first time around). Well, that's me in a nutshell. Happy to meet all of you! **oops, can't believe I forgot to mention our SEVEN dachshunds! Yes, I love the breed, but only one of them is mine. Each member of the family has at least one and my husband and one daughter each have two. They are definitely our spoiled babies**

I honestly never thought to ask my surgeon, but I do wear one around my ankle. However, if I am honest with myself, I probably got it for me mentally more than for the medical ID part. It is somewhat of a security blanket, or maybe a reminder of my goals. Whatever it is, it makes me feel better to wear it.

It is difficult to say whether or not what you are experiencing is hunger because it seems like everyone experiences it differently, just as everyone experiences full/satisfied differently. I hear of people hiccuping or burping when "full", but I just stop eating when I start feeling pressure under my sternum. I often have what I think is hunger, but is more often a craving. I have discovered that if I drink a cup of hot cocoa made with skim milk and sweetener, I am no longer "hungry". When I am truly hungry, my stomach growls. If it is not time to eat, I drink more Water to put it off eating until the next meal. I know this is more of a non-answer, but it's the best one I have.