TLC Edge Dr's...

[Road King 0]

ok. Have not heard from anyone. How are we all doing. Lets now loose each other. I'm still fighting hunger. Will be so glad to start the fill process.

Dianne

[tweenwaters 0]

completely agree.....I can't wait to start the fills and feel restriction. It's sooooo hard right now. My weight is holding steady but I'm starving and it is pure will power to not over-eat right now. My first fill is the 28th and I'm READY!!!

Hang in there everyone!! We can do this....but will have to stay strong!!

[Road King 0]

Make sure you let us know how the fill process goes. My date for a fill is March 6th. Just one week after you. Does you port area still get tender sometime. Mine every once in a while gets tender??????? Wonder why.

Dianne

[TexasT 0]

Hi Y'all,

I haven't posted but a time or two, but I've been keeping up with you all because I thought I might be going with TLC. I had my first consult and I am scheduled for surgery March 20th. I have to do the diganostics and psych eval, but they told me to be ready to start my liquid diet on March 6th.

I brought home a vanillia one to try out I know its a lot about personal choice, but which flavor seemed the best and can someone tell me how much the stuff costs. I think they told me and it may be in some of the paperwork they gave, I just haven't had a chance to read through it yet.

Thank you all for posting and keeping it going so those of us coming behind can be assured.

By the way, I am using Dr. Kim also so it's been really nice to hear from you Cowboy.

T:thumbup:

[Cowboy 0]

Hey T,

Good to hear from you. I was totally impressed with Dr. Kim and the whole TLC/Prestonwood program. Hope you will be as well. They told me I should drink 6 or 7 Optifast a day. They told me I needed 4 cases of Optifast, and I got 1 box of chicken Soup just to try, and the price was $345. It was kind of sticker shock when they told me the price. Mainly because I was not aware that I was to buy any product from them. BUT the upside is I am 2 weeks post op and I still have 8 or 10 drinks left. The soup was surprisingly good and my wife has had a few of the drinks. She bought some of the other drinks that are on the approved list and I liked the Optifast drinks better than any of the stuff she bought at the store. Now let me bragg, I am 2 weeks post op and since starting liquid diet I am down 31 lbs.

[nadian 0]

I am being banded with dr. kim on march 13!!! so nervous....how are the incisiions by this doctor are they nice and neat?? Were there any extra fees outside the 10k??? Are you not starving on that liquid diet? ???

[Cowboy 0]

Nadian,

Good for you. I was a little nervous before surgery, but on the way home I realized there was nothing to be concerned about. Fear of the unknown is a lot worse than the actual procedure and post-op. I have 1 incision less than 2 inches long and 5 real small ones, and they are healing up nicely. He used some kind of super glue instead of stiches or staples, I'm not sure how it works BUT it sure does.Only extra money I paid was for Optifast, and If I had it to do over again I would still buy drinks from TLC because it was convenient and their product tasted better to me than stuff wife bought at store. First week of liquid diet was tough, I even called to beg Dr. Kim to let me have something else and he wouldn't budge. I got by on Optifast, creamy Soups and popsicles. Never had so much no sugar, no fat food in all my life. I get to start mushie stage tomorrow and I am looking forward to anything other than a milk box and a creamy Soup. The first week is hard, but you WILL get through it and then it is not so bad.

Good Luck

IT WILL BE WORTH IT

Keep in touch, seeing what others went through before me really helped.

[tweenwaters 0]

I'm home and thank you for your thoughts and prayers for me!! They worked....my first fill went smoothly, no problems. The man who did my fill works with Dr. Venniga (sp?).....his name is George. He did not have my surgery file in front of him, but assumed that I had a 10cc band. He said the 4cc bands are "old" and MOST surgeons have gone to the 10cc band and/or the 14cc band. My fill was done while using a sonogram to see everything, which made me feel better. I was worried thinking they were just gone to "guess" and find it by trial and error. He first wanted to see if my surgeon had put anything in my band at surgery....which surprisingly, he did! (2.4cc put at during surgery) George said he wanted to put in 4-5 cc total for my first fill and see how I do with that. Since I already had the 2.4, he gave me another 2.6 to make it an even 5cc. I had to sit up on the table and drink Water (gurgling and burping!!)....how embarrassing! He put in more saline to show me how it would feel if the water wouldn't go down ..... it felt like it was stuck right at the back of my throat. He withdrew the saline back to 5cc and said that looked good. What a strange feeling! I have been sipping my water bottle, and it really feels weird....have to be aware and sip slowly. This should be interesting ... I'll let you know how it goes this weekend. He did tell me to be on full liquids for 24 hours. and then ease back to mushies and so on.

[Road King 0]

Tweenwaters: Sounds like you did great. I hope my fill goes the same next Thursday. Thanks so much for sharing your experience with us. The only this you forgot was DID it hurt????.

Please keep us posted.

Dianne TX

[tweenwaters 0]

Hi Dianne,

no, it didn't hurt at all. I've had amnios with pregnancies, so I was thinking it would be a HUGE needle and it wasn't at all. They sprayed "cold spray" on the area and I didn't even feel the needle going into the port at all.

good luck on your fill next week!!!! I ended up going to the Euless location instead of Grapevine. Is George doing your fill as well? What location are you going to?

[Road King 0]

No I am going to a doctor over by Charlton Methodist in Duncanville. I live in Duncanville so it is real close. His name is Fears. I never heard of him, but I am going to try him out and see. I looked him up and shows he is in his ealy 60's. I wish they would let you go back to Dr Kim. But I guess that is out of question, unless you want to pay for it.

Question, is your port area still tender. I was doing really good. But the last couple of weeks mine has been really tender and hurts from time to time. I call Cynthia and she said it might be I have been doing to much. Hope she is right and I do not have anything going upside down.

Dianne TX

[tweenwaters 0]

Dr. Kim did tell me that I was welcome to come back to him at any time.....fills, whatever....and he would just charge me my insurance co-pay. I thought that was really nice of him....

My port area is not sore anymore at all. Are you working out? If you are, then I would have to say that it is most likely your stomach muscles pulling around the port area. If not, then i would call Dr. Kim to find out.

Keep us posted!!

[TexasT 0]

Thanks Cowboy, and congratulations. I am set up to have my psych eval on Saturday and they told me to call Monday to order the product. I'm glad to hear about the taste, I wasn't sure if I should go try out a few other high Protein shake things to see if they were better. I guess 350 dollars isn't that much for a month worth of "meals", but that initial price keeps getting higher and higher when you start adding in the psych, product, etc. Are there any other costs I haven't been told about yet?

I must say it is very good being able to hear from folks who have walked the road ahead of me. I really appreciate it.

Nadian, I guess this means you start today on the liquid diet. Hang in there. Just keep reading the posts in here and you'll be able to stay motivated. Now remind me of this next week when I start my liquids. LOL

Did all of you have to do the psych eval too? You don't hear a lot about that. Do they try to find something in your past to make you be this way? Or is it more just to know you aren't insane and going to sue them right off the bat?

I'm so excited I'm having trouble sleeping and it's about all I can think about.

T

[tweenwaters 0]

OK...sorry to post for something like this but I'm so excited I just had to do it!!

I'm finally in onederland!!!!!! Of course this is according to my home scale....starting weight 229 (pre-op diet)....today, 6 weeks plus one day post-op 199.2 !!!!!! YAY!! I think I might cry! It has been soooooo long since I've been under 200. Next goal is in two months when I turn 40....

thanks for this thread and group support for all of us using the TLC group of doctors!!

[Cowboy 0]

Tween; that is ONEDERFUL keep on losin' on.

T; I guess everyone has to do the psych eval. I was told they want to assure that you have reasonable expectations and that you are ready, willing and able to do your part to make the band successful. You will not wake up skinny and you will have to make a life change to follow diet and exercise.