Dr. John Bagnato - Bagnato Bandits

[nip50 2]

I'm so happy today that I could jump for joy! I hit the 100# mark today! I never even imagined that I could loose this much in such a short amount of time (sorry, I don't want to sound like I'm bragging, but I'm just so pleased with the band). For me, the band has been a dream come true.

Oneder - good luck on Monday. I had to be there by 6:30 and I live almost 2 hours away. I was the 2nd surgery of the day and was back home by 6:30pm. I took a little longer because he also repaired 3 hernias.

[georgia girl 35]

I'm so happy today that I could jump for joy! I hit the 100# mark today! I never even imagined that I could loose this much in such a short amount of time (sorry, I don't want to sound like I'm bragging, but I'm just so pleased with the band). For me, the band has been a dream come true.

Whooooo Hoooooo Nip!! That is so wonderful. You must be so proud, it really is an amazing accomplishment. At this rate, you'll be at goal in no time. Congratulations!!

[mia31771 0]

Congrats Nip! You will be at goal in NO TIME!!!

[Hollybelles 0]

Oneder_woman,

I had to be there at 6:00 am, but didn't get wheeled into surgery until around 8:00 am. Since the anesthesiologist I chose is a neighbor of mine, I talked to him awhile, and talked to a couple of nurses and orderlies while I was relaxing. For me, the worst part (both before AND after surgery) was inserting the IV in my hand. I got home around 2:30 (I live about 10 minutes from the hospital). Good luck tomorrow!

Nip50, I am right on your heels...I hope to see the "onederful 100's" in the next couple of weeks. Congratulations!

Mia, I know you are excited about getting your wedding dress altered! Are your ceremony details falling into place?

Pam, you probably did hear me talking to Malik. Sorry I missed you!

Holly

[oneder_woman 0]

My biggest concern is the IV. I am a very difficult stick, and when I was small I had two major surgeries for which they had such a hard time with the IV my parents had to leave the room because they couldn't watch them stick me any more. I have tiny, tiny veins.

My dad advised me to request a valium or whatever drug they give you to relax before IV - has anybody done that, and did they allow that?

Nip - wow, that is amazing! You must share your secrets!

[nip50 2]

Hollybelles - Now that you say it I see your bmi is 34.0 and mine is 34.1. How tall are you? I'm 5'5.5" and have 9 pounds to go to onderland. I hope to see onderland by Memorial Day. Let me know when you reach it.

Onder-woman you asked about my secrets. I don't have any. All I can say is that I've followed plan at least 98% of the time. They say Protein first, than carbs and lots of Water. I only drink Water with the exception of an occasional low carb slim fast (Maybe one every week or two when I find I haven't hit my Protein level that I want). Dr. B told me that it was important to eat your calories, if possible, and not drink them.

Another piece of advice is to log your food, I use fitday.com and it helps. I don't do it everyday, but it helps. Sometimes I find that I'm not eating enough calories (I never thought that would happen in a million years).

[Bagweaver 0]

Got banded by Dr Bagnato on April 22. It's been a long struggle getting to that date. Had to fight a long battle with my insurance company. So far so good except that sometimes I get a little hungry but I try to sip more Water and that usually helps.

I see from reading previous posts that there's been trouble getting people together for a meeting. Since I work 40 miles from Albany, any meeting during the week would have to be after 6:00 pm. I'm out of town a lot during the spring, fall, and winter.

I haven't hesitated telling anyone about being banded. I figure there may be someone out there that has hesitated about having it done that may ask questions (even though I'm a newbie). At least I could send them to this site.

Maybe when any of us go to Wal-Mart we should have a code announced and anyone there could meet at Subway. After all, we all have band cards that we could whip out and be identified by. :laugh::laugh:

I'm glad that this support group is here. I do know a couple of peopled who have been banded, but I look forward to visiting this site often. Sorry to have been so long-winded.

[georgia girl 35]

Welcome Bagweaver! I'm glad you found us. Congrats on your surgery! How have you been doing since surgery? Are you healing well?

This site has been a Godsend for me. I don't know what I would do without it. I have a very supportive family, but nobody understands what you are going through like other people who face the same struggles.

It is nice to meet you and I hope you have a speedy recovery!

[Hollybelles 0]

Nip50,

I'm 5'4 (and a half ") and last week I was at 201.5. But I've been a baaaaad girl--ate a couple of pieces of pizza in the last few days, and a handful of M&M's. I think I was "rewarding" myself for all the hard work I've done in my yard for the last month. Baaaaad idea. I've got to come up with a new reward system. Anybody have any ideas?

Bagweaver, I thought I'd spit out my coffee when I read your post about pulling out our ID cards. (Will they take those as proof of citizenship to cash a check? LOL) Maybe the first person at our (soon-to-be-I-hope) Subway meeting at Wal-Mart can place his or her ID card on the edge of a table. That way we wouldn't have to walk up to strangers and ask, "Bagnato?" or "Bandit?"

Holly

[allykat 1]

Nice to meet you Bagweaver! Glad you found us!

Nip, again, congrats on your huge accomplishment. That is just amazing what you have accomplished in 6 months. I feel like a slacker!

[Guest Leslie2Lose]

Welcome to the group Bagweaver. We really have a great group here. They have been my GodSend through all of this. Glad to have you!

Holly - you do need to reward yourself for your work! but not with food - silly girl. LOL...I've done the same in the past, with other diets, and just ended up sabotaging myself. I know a great reward! CLOTHES! Start putting back 5 or 10 dollars for every pound you lose and then go shopping.:wink2:

[georgia girl 35]

Well, I think this fill is working wonders. I finally got over my plateau! I lost the 4 pounds I gained, plus 4 more......since Thursday! Whoooo Hooooo!

[Brinabrina77 24]

Hello everyone:

So there is no question about it. i am truly banded. You can laugh if you want to, but it is finally sinking in. Before last week, all i really thought that Dr. B had done was put in another bladder. (this deduction was made becasue i pee like a racehorse now)

I had my surgery on 2/25/08. My first fill was on April 9, 2008. I felt no differnce after surgery and not that much differnce after my first fill. I was changing my eating habits because i wanted to..not because I my band was making me. I deliberately tried to eat helathy and avoid certain foods.

Then, dear friends, I had my first episode of PBing about 2 weeks after getting my first fill. Oh the joy. And the funny thing is all I could do was laugh. I was like, "Are you kidding me?!! I ate pulled pork two days ago and that went down like Water and you wanna make me spit up green peas?!"

Have ya'll ever seen Shrek when Puss in Boots pukes up that hairball? Well that is how I normally am when i puke. It is a dramatic scene and I generally think that I am dying and/or about to puke up my spleen. But this whole PBing thing was just comical. After TWO weeks, my band decided to let me know that it was there. However, this was not the Puss in Boots vomitng thing. It was more like a mama bird bringing back up food for her young. Is this how bulemics feel? Good Lord. I mean i pretty much did that pre vomit saliva-centers-in-full-force thing then "baaaaaarf. hello peas. How nice to see you again. I got to taste you twice. " Then i jsut went about my day. At my freinds baby shower, I had to excuse myself to the bathroom. I went and PB'd there. When I came from the bathroom she asked me if i was ok. I said, "Yeah. i just had to go puke." and in the same breath.. Oooh! you cut the cake while i was gone. can i have a teensy slice?!" She looked at me like I was a frickin' weirdo and laughed.

So now. I know I have a band. I think I was teling Leslie that now, my eating habits have changed again. It is almost shameful to say that some foods I now avoid because i simply do not want to chew them. lol. Before this band thing, i would eat food even if I had to chew through the box to get to them. Now I am like :: insert whine here :: "Dammit. You know how looooong that is gonna take for me to chew?" At least I won't ever have to worry about getting plastic surgery on my face. From all this chewing, I truly feel that my jaw muscles are strong enough to chew my way out of a steel cage.

Other than that, i am fine. I will find out how well i have been doing on may 19th...the day of my second fill.

How is everyone else doing?

[nip50 2]

Georgiagirl - isn't it nice to finally see that scale move again? Congratulations!

[georgia girl 35]

Nip

It is nice. I was beginning to think I wasn't going to lose any more. It's funny those thought creep into our minds. I started thinking, "OMGosh, what if I am one of those people in the statistics that only lose like half of their excess weight?" It's a scary thought.

Brina

Your posts always amaze me. I don't know how in the world you make a story about PB'ing entertaining, but you do. To this day I haven't PB'ed yet and I hope I don't.

I do have a question though. Since my last fill, when I wake up in the morning (still laying in the bed), I feel like acidy stuff is coming up my throat a little. It doesn't completely come up, just a little. Has anyone else experienced this?