Hello from VA!

[Mammie1 0]

I was banded on the friday the 15th of Febraury and I am so excited. So far I have had no real pain. I want to attend support groups I need to get dates and time.

[Lumpy 18]

congrats! St Mary's has good support every month on the 2nd monday and each 3 thursday. I have only been to two of them, but need to go more often. Mondays are just not a good day for me.

good luck with your band. I got the band Dec. 10 and have lost 25 lbs. I wish I could loose more each week. I want to hurry up and loose 50 more lbs. I have to be patient. I have really been doing good except the exercise. I just started twice a week for about 30 minutes. I have to work my way up.

take care and enjoy,

Jeannette

[luvmy2dogs 2]

HI! I too live in Virginia, and Dr. Terracina is doing my surgery.

illdeal, I live in Chesapeake, so I'm really close to you! :-) How have things gone since your surgery? Were you happy with their office? How long from seminar to surgery did you have to wait?

I have just started my process. I did seminar two weeks ago, am doing my psych eval today, and have gotten all my insurance paperwork together. I already got pre approval. Waiting on final. I'm excited, but scared! I guess that's normal. I'm afraid I wont wake up. :-(

[ja9va 0]

Hello all Virginians!

Mammie How are you doing? Are you on mushie foods now? Are you walking around and getting back to your routine? I felt after surgery it was very easy to get to that step! Keep us posted.

luvmy2dogs I love your screen name! I love mine too!!!! What kind of dogs do you have? I have a golden retreiver and a mutt we adopted.

How is your process coming? did you get a date yet? The process is not that difficult at all. I have bcbs fed, it went well with the approval process.

suzanne how are you doing after your fill? Are you having problems with any foods? Let me know if you ever want to get together or talk on the phone. Do you work outside the home? In Spotys? I met a person on here that realized she new me from our line of work. I was a bit worried because I did not tell many people. Only a few people at work know and a few friends. maybe someday I will get brave and spill the Beans. I just did not want everyone watching every bite or my weight loss. It is not Gastric Bypass and the weight loss is slow, like many other "diets".

chica what day of the month is the support group at Potomac Hospital? Maybe I will try to go there since it is closer to me. Let me know if you plan to go.

playball how are you feeling? I know you must be nervous, but all will be GREAT. On Saturday you won't beleive it is over and you have arived in bandland! It is like when you have a baby and all that planning and bamb, it is over! Keep us posted.

Well, I have been struggling. I can't recall who posted about the data on gaining weight back. I think the only way to do that is to stop getting fills and totally eating the old way. if you have a fill, you can't really eat. However, after saying that, it is like any other diet and you can eat around the band, eating bad stuff, even a little can hurt. this is where I am now. I am in that 7 mth slump! I need to get back on the wagon and exercise...keep saying it, not sure why I can't just do it! I don 't want to discourage all you newbies, because I am happy with the band, but the docs are all right that it is a tool you must follow a program too!!

sorry for the Lonnnnnnnnng post, haven't posted in a while.

[chica 2]

Hi Janine,

I know that they now have 2 groups per month -- I think the first and third Thursday. I believe it's on the website for Potomac Hospital. I don't know if I'll be going back there because I've switched bariatric doctors now that I found out the my insurance has an exclusion for any WLS surgery. I'm going to have to self-pay and am going to Dr. Pinnar in Reston. They're farther away, but give a little discount if you're self-paying and can qualify for the surgical center rather than the hospital (no overnight stay required). So I imagine I'll go to his support groups from here on in...

[slim-one-day 0]

Hi everybody! I'm new to LBT and I live in RICHMOND, VA! I am scheduled to be banded April 2 at St Marys. Can someone please tell me what the cardiologist will do? Can he tell the last time you smoked?

[lam61157 0]

I am new here & live in Caroline Cnty near Kings Dominion (really !) I am interested in any information i can get . I went to my primary Dr today & he agreed i am a "good candidate". I was floored he agreed. I can either go to MW Hosp or Richmond.

[NEWME10 1]

Welcome to Lapband Talk. This is the most informative site for this procedure that you could ever possibly imagine. Just look around through it and will find out just about anything you ever needed or wanted to know. I am going to Commonwealth Surgeons Group and so far things are going well. I was just approved by insurance and have received my surgeru date of May 14th. It took me 9 months to get here. Insurance is a real bite. But the finally came around after I filed an appeal. If I can awswer any questions from this far just let me know.

Susie

[ja9va 0]

Hello all you Virginians. I have been MIA for a while, just busy.

Iam61157 Welcome! I live north of you in Stafford. I had my band surgery in June 07 at St. Mary's. My doctor is Dr. Batista at Commonwealth Surgeons. I really had a great experience. I know others who went to the Richmond group, at St. Mary's too. I think they are both good. I did not choose Mary Washington because they had been out of the weight loss surgery for some time. From what I understand they stopped their program which then only included gastric bypass due to some bad experiences. I am not sure if the program is yet Certified or considered a special center, I can't recall the correct title that St. Mary's is. I knew several woman who went to Commonwealth surgeons and felt their experience was all postive. Dr. Batista is a surgeon, so his pesonality isn't always warm and fuzzy. but at the hospital I think he was excellent. I am happy with all the office staff. the only thing I can see now for new patients is that they need another surgeon! they are busy.

Susie...great you got a date. What is your insurance? I have BC BS federal and had no problems. but I know some can be difficult. Good luck with your journey. May 14, wow, a month. you will be so happy.

Hello to the rest of you guys out there if u all have been sleeping like me!!

[lam61157 0]

MWH has a new program in 2008 the Dr's came from MIchigan. I will go with whoever takes me that i feel comfy with . It's all about TRUST... how long where you off of wk. Can the port be put on the right side ? I HAVE TO sleep on my left . Thanks for the feedback

[ja9va 0]

Iam61157 I agree that you need to go where it feels good. I started the journey in late 2006, December or January 07. So, Mary Wash was really not up and going full force or I did not know anyone to give me a referral. I like to talk to others who dealt with it first hand.

my port is in the middle of my stomach, below my breast area. I dont have problems sleeping any way. I never was a stomach sleeper so I dont know if that causes any discomfort.

I will be happy to answer any questions. Good luck

[lam61157 0]

Welcome to Lapband Talk. This is the most informative site for this procedure that you could ever possibly imagine. Just look around through it and will find out just about anything you ever needed or wanted to know. I am going to Commonwealth Surgeons Group and so far things are going well. I was just approved by insurance and have received my surgeru date of May 14th. It took me 9 months to get here. Insurance is a real bite. But the finally came around after I filed an appeal. If I can awswer any questions from this far just let me know.

Susie

for the warm welcome :thumbup: i am still a fence sitter but i am going to the meeting anyway . In what area is your surgeon ? I have Aetna insurance ...anyone else ?

[ja9va 0]

HOW IS EVERYONE DOING??? I have not been on the thread for while and see no one else has either! hopefully you are all on other threads that are supporting you.

I have been struggling with exercise, which in my past I enjoyed. Not sure what is going on in my head! I finally reached below 190 which is exciting for I had been stuck for several months. I hope I can keep going down!

hope to hear from you soon!

[Mammie1 0]

Hello,

I have been trying to get connected but still have alittle trouble find the group thread.

I was banded on 2.15 and my husband on 3/14

he is doing so good at alomost 70 lbs since I got the new of my schedule surgery. I am down 38 since the liver shrinking a surgery. I am have had 3 fill and haven't felt the sweet spot yet. I don't have any trouble eating anything. My husband does have some. He had his first fill friday and is eating very little. I am walking each day for the last week try to boost my weight lose. Any suggestion1.

Hope everyone is doing great. I have my son wedding approach in Sept hope that will motivate me more. Need to find the sweet spot with my fills.

Take Care

[Fernando 0]

Wow so many Va. people...

Im just a few minutes from Virginia Tech...

going through Carilion in Radford Va