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finishing up all my pre-op testing this week then off to the insurance. hopefully i get a surgery date by the end of this year begining of next year.

Squeezed into my size smaller jeans today...boy, were they tight. New rule...I am not going to wear clothes that hurt me anymore. Return to the baggy pants and try again in a couple of weeks!

1 week post surgery and down 20 pounds!!! Feeling pretty good and my clothes are getting baggy.

1 Week until surgery!

Surgery date: December 8th!!! Not exactly when I wanted it.. was hoping for sometime before Thanksgiving.. but that is fine!! I'll take it! Hope you all are off to a fantastic week start!! =D

NSV: I bought and rocked 3-inch heels... a year and 100lbs ago that would've lasted less than 5mins before ankle swelling, knee and back pain and several days of charlie horses and regret and quite possibly a broken heel.lol No more boring flats & Im loving the mall again! That is all!

Hey there,

How are you doing? Its been about a week I guess since I talked to you. I am doing great. I weighed in this evening and have lost another 6 1/2 pounds which is wonderful. I am feeling really good. I hope you are doing well too. Talk to you soon.

I Had Lap Band In Aug 2007. I Have Losst About 73 Pounds. Just Recently Last Week I Went In For A Fill About 2--3 Days Later I Noticed I Had No Restriction And Could Eat Like I Did Before Procedure. I Went Back To The Fill Center Today I Had Gained Two Pounds And When She Aspirated The Band She Said The Amount Of Fluid That Was Suppoed To Be In THerE Was Not. She Then Took Me To X-ray And She Put In .65 Ccs And Said I Needed To Come Back Next Week. After Eating Lunch Today I Can Tell I Am Not Restricted At ALLl. What I Am Trying To Figure Out Is If Anyone Else Has Had These Problems. I Feel Like I May Have A Leak In The Band

I had Lap Bnd 4/4/208 @ 237 lbs goal is to be 140lbs I had one fill on 5/15/07 so far I have only lost 13 lbs total ! what is wrong. Some one please help. I am not getting full after the first fill. I have 4 more weeks for my next one.

Hi Jac. Our stats seem similar.. I am in st louis, I had my band on 4/15/08. I don't get my first fill until this coming Tues (5/27/08) I lost in the first two weeks and not much since then. I am trying to not gain but i feel as though I can pretty much eat what ever I want, although admittedly maybe not quite as much. I would love to keep in touch at least with out fills and all. what has happened since yours? good luck!!!

Wow! You look amazing!! I just read your post about your doctor wanting you to be in advertisements for the band. You are absolutely stunning and inspiration, I would go for it. I read a few of your blogs and saw that you struggled as well. Would you mind sharing with me how you got yourself on track....do you stick to a specific diet? do you allow yourself treats? I was banded on 3/26/08 and the weight isn't coming off as fast as I thought it would and I'm trying not to get discouraged....thank you for giving me hope to push forward. Carol

mine is VERY strict! Its liquids only!!! I can have sugar free jello and popsicles, I bought popsicles and they are only LOW sugar So I'll have to save them and eat them later or something, I can have 3 cups of yogurt a day, and can only drink crystal light/water. No real foods pretty much... Its really hard!! I go for my pre-op testing at the hospital tomorrow, I'm not even sure what they are gonna do... hmm, should be fun, keep me posted !!!

Hey there! I am still in Bandster hell as well. Until you reach your perfect fill level, it is really hard to fill full. I am going in for another fill next week. I make sure to count calories so I can keep things under control, I can't wait till I get some real restriction!

I have Tricare Prime and I had my date 4 days after my nutrition class. My doctor was booking 10 weeks out, so I had to wait on top of how long everything already took. This whole process has taken me 6 months plus. I am to be banded on the 29th of May. I had my last four things done last week. 4 hour classes, pre-op testing, health physical and meet the surgeon. Oh what fun all of that was. What have you done so far?

Deb - I travelled from out of state (I'm in Nome, Alaska) last year for the surgery. The experience was great...I also recovered quite well (WAY better than my gallbladder removal and about the same as my 3 c-sections-which I thought were great).

Now...fills. Everyone is different. Some people think it's cheaper to just fly to Denver and see Dr. K for fills...since that's not feasable to me I found a doctor in Anchorage (still have to fly there). I think you should at LEAST find some aftercare in your area...someone you could go to in an emergency at least. There might even be a support group locally that would really be beneficial (although we've all found that most support groups are for the bypass folks). Fills are very individual. Some people find that "sweet spot" very quickly (within a couple of fills). I've had 5 fills (I'm at 3.4cc in a 4cc band) and could actually use more, but it's one of those things where you kind of get used to the fill then need more. Needle size vary...mine uses a teeny tiny needle, most use something bigger. No one really complains of the stick so if you're needle-shy this should be the LEAST of your worries!

Fluro - some fills docs use fluro and some don't. Dr. K doesnt...he just has you drink some water and fills you 'till that gets stuck then takes just a wee bit out...to make a kinda funnel-affect. (This is what I've heard, I haven't been to him for a fill.) My doc fills me at a level I want, he's very cautious and requires me to stay in town for a few days to make sure that everything is good to go. He has some fluro people available if there seems to be a problem. Fluro, I've heard, makes it so you ge to the sweet spot earlier because they can actually observe the liquid funnelling...but then, like I said earlier, you get used to the fill and need more so....I would say don't pay extra for it unless you are pretty darn sure there's a problem.

Unfills - done the same as a fill. Someimes your stomach will swell when you get a fill (from the irritation). This has not happened to me, and I think rarely happens anyway. This can cause you to not even be able to swallow spit...then an unfill is needed. Now, my doc in Anchorage lets me "tweak" my fill for a week without an extra charge so if I feel too tight (which has never been the case) he'd take some out or if I feel like I could use a bit more (which HAS happened) then he adds more. My doc also doesn't require me to drink liquids the day of and day after a fill - some do. I think it's better not to so you can really see how the fill did for you.

I was on the fill thread for a bit, but it didn't give as much information as I'm giving you here.

The hardest part of aftercare is really that it's all up to you and how YOU feel. I, like LapDancer, am a food adict and am working on that - working on even accepting that. The band hasn't cured me of everything, but on bad days it does stop me from being super gluttonous! I'm at a state now that if I lose weight I now I won't gain it back.

Also...a friend of mine had the Band put in a few years ago. She reached goal in about 1 1/2 years and then got a complete unfill...she lost 10 more lbs. and has maintained that without filling up...just letting the band "sit there". Now, there's some hope for us!

Hi Judy,

I will be banded on June 11 by Dr. Gazayerli. I just wanted to say hi and see how you're doing. I really like him - and it helps that he, too, and his daughter are banded. He really understands.

Have you attended any of the support group meetings? I showed up there last week but noone turned up. I was disappointed because I think the support is very important. Have you gone to any other groups?

Thanks.

I'd love to hear back from you.

Marie

Oh, of course! I knew I was being hard headed and it would be an obvious answer! No, I didn't have time for preop diets....approved on Monday but not confirmed until Wednesday...had surgery on Friday...all in the same week! (Long story...) Flouro is like xray...is xray? Dunno, but its cool. You swallow this stuff called barium and you can look on the monitor and watch it go through your stomach/band. I usually have them print pics from the machine, too! I definitely will this time so I can compare to last time when we discovered the slip/stretch. My doc does all fill/adjustments under flouro.

Hi Stef,

My progress is slow but steady, I guess. My biggest losses have occurred the 2-3 weeks after each fill. I am on my 3rd fill now and have lost 30 pounds. Yeah, Woodman is a bear when you go in and aren't doing well. Honestly, I haven't figured out what his idea of well is, but obviously it isn;t what I am doing! LOL! I had my last fill last Thursday and haven't been able to eat anything solid since. I am feeling weak. Today I am going to get some protein to put in my shakes.

I know all the girls in the office. Laura, the office manager and head nurse, is my niece. Debra is a doll. She gives me more support than anybody else really does. Kelly is short and to the point. She doesn't have much of a friendly personality actually.....kinda like HIM!

Hang in there. You can email me at hale.cynthia@gmail.com. We can keep in touch if you like! When was your surgery done?

Hey...I noticed that you and I have the same fill/band and also close in age AND about 4 weeks difference in pregnancy. Congrats!! I am 19 weeks now. I posted on one board about not feeling the baby move. Have you felt yours yet? Also, I am thinking that I will not get my band unfilled. My doc said to just come back whenever I felt like I needed it, but I have not had any trouble eating..in fact, I have sorta ditched the rules on eating/drinking together, and have been able to eat quite a lot. I have only gained about 5 lbs. since getting pregnant, though, but I am scared if I get my band unfilled that I will just eat way too much. Anyway, sometimes I get cramps/pains that I am not sure what it is...drinking/eating....the baby...who knows. Nothing has been considerable or lasted too long, though. I hope your pain has subsided or at least you found out what it was!

Melissa

Hey I am still waiting for my approval. The coordinator hasnt sent out my packet yet! Although she said she was 3 weeks ago, she says it will go out friday. I am in constant prayer hoping so! Thank you for thinking of me! And i will definitely keep you updated! You are going to the seminar this weekend right? Good luck! Let me know how you like it!

Hello! How was Michigan? Did you have a great Mother's Day? I have an appointment on Wednesday to see the doc for the first time. I'm so excited! Plus I leave to El Paso for 10 days for work. I'll be climbing up tanks and so I'm afraid I'll end up losing some weight. Crazy! I hope I don't! Ha! Anyhooo! Have a great week! Ciao!

Abby...Where are you girl. Where is your myspace page? Did we do something to hurt your feelings? I certainly hope not! I miss seeing you in the chat room. I see you have not been on here in two weeks. Hope all is well.

Hi! I just wanted to wish you luck! I just started the process. I have to make an appt with Dr. Schwartz for next week. Who is doing your surgery? I'm super nervous about it and I haven't even gotten approval as of yet. Again, Best of Luck! :thumbup:

Hi again! I keep forgetting to check my visitor messages so sorry about that...because you must be wondering where I've been? Anyway...my heel is acting a little better...my podiatrist said he thinks the physical therapy helped and that if it's not completely gone to go back for round 2 of pt - after checking with Dr Nepomnayshy/Pam. I don't take aleve due to diabetes type 2 - my dr says tylenol only...so I'm going to check in with Pam and inquire about pt...I'm now 4 weeks post op so should be ok. Well - I'm experiencing lapband hell - first fill on May 19 and do not believe this will cause restriction..I've read several threads on this forum but since we're all different, I don't know what to expect or how to prepare for my first fill? Thanks for listening and hope all is well with you ~ lizb88

Yay! Your band date is just 3 days before mine!!! You have to keep me posted on how everything is going!! Good luck and you are already beautiful!!