Brigham and Women/Faulker Hospital

[singingintherain 1]

enter 45 Francis Ambulatory Parking(valet or underground)

take elevator to 3rd floor

get off and go right

at end of hallway go left to "SUITE B"

Those are the directions from my next follow up sheet at the Brig. My initial consult was at Faulkner, but I prefer the Brig.

Edited March 22, 2009 by singingintherain

[notateechanow 7]

Be sure to park underground! I made the mistake for my first 6 months of parking across the street--it's farther away AND more expensive. Just be sure to take your ticket with you and pay inside. It's not like the Faulkner with the manned booth to pay.

I thought you had to switch from the parking garage elevator to the one on the other side of the foyer!! If you take the elevator up to the 2nd floor (The PIKE) then there's an info booth directly on your right as you get off. They can direct you! :frown:

[thinkingaboutit77 1]

thanks ladies :frown:)

[thinkingaboutit77 1]

So I had my appt. today and all went well. Lugged both kiddos with me and was only 5 minutes late, but the pt at the desk made me 15 minutes late cuz she was too busy complaining about traffic and she was on her way out of her appt. not in.

Upper GI showed some issues but nothing major and he has to bring it up with his colleages to see if I am even a candidate now. He said it may complicate surgery but he doesn't think it should be a problem. Complicate and Surgery are not 2 words I like to hear in the same sentence. I go back in a month to confirm things and a tenative surgery date has been scheduled for June 10. He said I could have it as early as May but a few more weeks won't hurt.

One thing he didn't mention at all is my sleep study which I'm scheduled for this friday. I really have no desire to do this last thing, and since he didn't mention it I kind of want to just cancel it. I still have 2 more days.

That's my scoop, hope everyone is doing well. Board has been quiet.

Sandy

[heidib 15]

Hey everyone..sorry to have missed the mtg last night...my husband didn't get home until 7:00..Paige...I got your message, but my phone wasn't charged... I got it last night. Hope all is well with everyone. I FINALLY feel restriction...What a feeling! I now know what I have been missing! It took six months and five six fills to get there... I have been really discouraged in the past few weeks and had a "one on one" talk with Dr. R... he is SO HARD to talk to..he gave me a pretty aggressive fill and told me to stay positive. I am looking forrward to dropping some more weight now!

That's great!!!! :huh2: It was fill # five for me too!

[heidib 15]

Hey everyone! Not much going on here. We leave for Jamaica this Sat 28th!!! WOOOO! WHOOO! I'm soo done w/ the cold! Talk to you soon!

[notateechanow 7]

Heidi,

Have a fantastic trip! Enjoy every minute of it and have a fruity drink with an umbrella for each of us! :huh2:

[heidib 15]

Thank you!!! I will! I'll probably have a few drinks for each of you ha! ha!

Luv2-Your new pic is amazing!!!! You look great!!!!!! I can't believe you still need to lose more by the looks of your beautiful thin face. You look wonderful!!!

[notateechanow 7]

Thanks! Ok...so I haven't lost a single pound since January, but I know I've lost inches. To that Jillian chick on Biggest Loser who says muscle doesn't weigh more than fat....FU! I totally disagree. I can see the difference since my New Year's pics, but the scale doesn't reflect it.

You'll all be happy to hear I finally gave in and told my best friend, and my parents that I had surgery. I heard through the grapevine that my mom is worried about me and thinks I'm sick....so I didn't want her to worry any more. My mom was inquisitive, but my dad didn't say much of anything, except to tell my mother NOT to tell one of her really catty friends. He told her that this was a very personal decision and he though she should respect that. I figured I had both of my parents together with me at dinner---rare, because they've been divorced for nearly 10 years. SO, I just did it. My mom did exactly as I worried she would do---"Can you EAT THAT?" to just about everything on my plate. I have to remind myself that she's just curious, not being critical.

So....there you have it. My best friend's close friend from high school wrote to me and asked me all about my weight loss and I told her that I had surgery. (I still lie the thin people, but she's heavy) She's now thinking about it. That's another reason I wanted to tell my family. People who I know would benefit from my experience have been asking and I want to share my "secret" with them.....I have a few friends who I think would be good candidates. We'll see.

Heidi, I'm so jealous. It's sunny here and supposed to be close to 50 today, but I'm not buying it. Have a fantastic trip! :tt1:

[thinkingaboutit77 1]

Heidi, have a wonderful trip and PLEASE bring back some warm weather!! Enjoy!

Paige, great pic. You look amazing and are truly an inspiration to me. Congrats.

[surfergirlwannabe 0]

Thanks for the nice note Paige. I haven't been online since before the meeting.

I knew that I wanted to be at the meeting. I need the support especially at the beginning of the process.

I find all you extremely motivating and helpful!

Thanks!

[surfergirlwannabe 0]

Paige - It's totally possible to lose inches but not pounds. I think what happens is you build muscle and lose fat so there may be no difference in the pounds but you look much better when you trade a pound of fat for a pound of muscle :thumbup: Your new picture is amazing!

Tanya

[nomadem 1]

aww Paige I know it was hard for you and a huge step but at least now you dont have to stress about people finding out. yup I still get the "can you eat that?" question but I just brush it off.

[surfergirlwannabe 0]

where and when is the Faulkner meeting. I may be traveling to NY the week of the Brigham meeting?

Tanya

[singingintherain 1]

Hi surfergirl..I just posted the schedule in another post . Hope that helps.

Went for my upper GI this week as well as my psych eval(waste of time and parking money) and saw the Nutritionist .

The upper GI was not bad at all, and the barium liquids are not at all that bad as to make one gag. Test went smoothly and fast. The Dr and Technician knew how to make one feel relaxed.

The psych eval was a mess. There was only 1 psych there and they scheduled 3-4 patients for the same appointments. People were livid. There were no seats and many had to stand for 1/2 hr or more for their appointment. Some were elderly.

The anonymous questionnaire handed out (don't bother )was not reviewed, but only a general survey piled up with all the rest. The most pertinent questions asked in the exam itself were those related to harming oneself and others and tendency towards bulimia or anorexia. All the others were geared toward counting backwards, reciting the months of the year in reverse order, naming the last 3 Presidents, etc. Waited to be seen for an hour, whisked in to the office, shooed out within 10 minutes! Total waste of time. The questions could have been asked by the surgeon.

The nutritionist visit was well worth the trip...VERY INFORMATIVE and she took time to answer questions thoroughly. food lists and diet literature were handed out and ENCOURAGEMENT GIVEN. Kudos! to the Nutrition Dept.

Just saw on the tv that obesity is the topic for OPRA's show today..Thurs March 26...extremely obese people 900 lb mom and 800 lb high school student(not typos) and bariatric surgery/rehab. Could be a great encouragement to those of us pursuing the LapBand Procedure. I'll be watching.

Have a good day all!

singingintherain