baltimore area?

[travelinsnorkel 0]

Hi...I'm in Ellicott City. Would love to meet up with fellow bandsters.

[pchefmel 0]

Hi all - I posted previously that I live in Bmore county - I was supposed to be banded 11/3 by Dr. manguson at Hopkins, but his assistant messed up big time, so got frustrated - now I am being banded tomorrow - first on the surgery routation - by Dr. Kim Steele at Hopkins, I'd love to meet some other B-more banders

[lindas0809 0]

Good luck tomorrow!! I am really interested in hearing how it went. I am in the program at JHU with Dr. Steele, but have been dragging my feet now that it’s time to submit to insurance. I would love to talk to sometime as our weight is really similar and I’d like to hear what type of feedback you got from Dr. Steele. She was definitely pushing me toward RYN, but I told her it was the band or no surgery at all. She definitely has a tough love approach when it comes to the band.

I hope all goes well.

Linda

[lilith 6]

Hi all - I posted previously that I live in Bmore county - I was supposed to be banded 11/3 by Dr. manguson at Hopkins, but his assistant messed up big time, so got frustrated - now I am being banded tomorrow - first on the surgery routation - by Dr. Kim Steele at Hopkins, I'd love to meet some other B-more banders

Good luck tomorrow! I'm on my fourth month of the six month supervised diet... I'm so jealous!

[sharons 0]

Hello just a day and 1/2 since entering "bandland." Someone mentioned the word committment and it is just dawning on me how much of a committment I've made. Right now I'm on Clear Liquids and who would have thought how thrilled one could be to anticipate being able to eat full liquids who hoo - a little yogurt or Protein Drink. I'm doing the best I can, but the stomach growling is definitely there. I also hate sugar free products and this makes it a bit more difficult. Need a mentor to help me through and keep me focused. Oh yea - I'm in Bowie and had surgery at St Agnes with Dr. von Rueden. His team has been excellent and give you all the tools needed to succeed. You just have to follow them.

[Sleeved12/29 2]

Hello just a day and 1/2 since entering "bandland." Someone mentioned the word committment and it is just dawning on me how much of a committment I've made. Right now I'm on clear liquids and who would have thought how thrilled one could be to anticipate being able to eat full liquids who hoo - a little yogurt or Protein drink. I'm doing the best I can, but the stomach growling is definitely there. I also hate sugar free products and this makes it a bit more difficult. Need a mentor to help me through and keep me focused. Oh yea - I'm in Bowie and had surgery at St Agnes with Dr. von Rueden. His team has been excellent and give you all the tools needed to succeed. You just have to follow them.

Welcome, fellow bander! I was banded 11/18 at St Agnes by Dr Singh. As of this morning, I'm down 31 lbs. I'm very happy with my weight loss thus far.

I had a horrible time with the Protein Shakes after banding. Just the smell would make me ill. I even purchased the sugar free DiVinci syrups to add a little flavor to my shakes.

I purchased a few of the protein bullets at the Vitamin Shoppe and mixed them with Water. They have 42 grams of protein. I'd then sip on them all day. That helped a lot.

My stomach was always talking to me the first few weeks. A cup of hot tea really helped.

How long are you on liquids? I was on liquids for two weeks then two weeks of mushies.

During the liquid stage I drank a lot of chicken broth. I purchased quarts of broth at Panera.

I know there are several people who were banded by Dr von Reuden on this site.

I love my band. I had my first fill 1/16. I tried every diet on the market. I'm even a life time member of Weight Watchers (since 1980) but just couldn't lose the weight. The final straw was this past June when my A1C showed I was a diabetic and I had to go on meds.

Since banding, my A1C is in the normal range and the only meds I'm on are Zocor for chelostrol.

I exercise at least 30 mintues 4-6 times a week.

E-mail me here if you're interested and we can work together.

[lilith 6]

Hello just a day and 1/2 since entering "bandland." Someone mentioned the word committment and it is just dawning on me how much of a committment I've made. Right now I'm on clear liquids and who would have thought how thrilled one could be to anticipate being able to eat full liquids who hoo - a little yogurt or Protein drink. I'm doing the best I can, but the stomach growling is definitely there. I also hate sugar free products and this makes it a bit more difficult. Need a mentor to help me through and keep me focused. Oh yea - I'm in Bowie and had surgery at St Agnes with Dr. von Rueden. His team has been excellent and give you all the tools needed to succeed. You just have to follow them.

Congrats! I'm hoping to submit for approval the first week of March, my doctor is Dr. Averbach @ St. Agnes. (btw the way, my actual name is Sharon S. - it threw me when I saw your username, I think I need to go back to sleep! lol)

Edited January 26, 2009 by lilith

[travelinsnorkel 0]

Good luck! Dr. Averbach did a great job! Since I am self pay, I didn't have to do the pre-op diet, wishing you all the best!

[lilith 6]

Good luck! Dr. Averbach did a great job! Since I am self pay, I didn't have to do the pre-op diet, wishing you all the best!

Thanks! It's a hard six months for me... but not as hard as trying to come up with the money, lol.

[travelinsnorkel 0]

This is true...but, my insurance wouldn't pay for it either way, so it was my only option. Well worth it!

[lilith 6]

This is true...but, my insurance wouldn't pay for it either way, so it was my only option. Well worth it!

Ugh, that stinks! Our old insurance denied it but so far it looks like I'll get approved this time, if not I'll be out of luck. I hope I didn't come across the wrong way in my last post!

[pchefmel 0]

Hey Sharon,

don't know that I can be a mentor, but I'll be a support. I've been in bandland for two weeks on friday. The first week was the hardest to get through. I was so tired of chicken broth. I was allowed Tomato Soup if it did not bother me, so I did that a little bit as well, I did half tomato, half beef broth, to put some protien in it, and then added 1 tbsp of unflavored protien - just be careful with the temp or it will clump up. I also added unflavored protien to my crystal light. I got my unflavored protien at GNC it was by one get one free for a pouch. I use it every day in some capacity and I still have about 1/4 of the pouch left, so it has gone far. I was only on liquids for one week, then pureed for 3. So I am a little over a week into pureed. I was never so happy to get something with a little "weight to it" and now, I'm feeling quite fine. I've actually been able to build a little variety into my diet as well. Hubby made a WW beef stew last sat. I took some it, put it in the blender - whala, pureed beef stew. Next night, he made creole chicken - which was a poached sortof method, so again, took some of the chicken, the tomato and broth, and I had creole chicken puree. On monday, I thought about it, I was making babyfood, so i did a search, found some homemade babyfood sites and got some ideas there. Tomorrow will be a cooking day for me, as I am low on frozen meals. I have also taken some canned chili (campbells steak and beans) and thrown that into the blender. Great thing is. I love chili, but not chili Beans, but pureed, they were fine. Good luck, keep moving forward and post here if you need some help, cheering up, to complain or you want to cheer about something. Which by the way - I am down 12 lbs since surgery!!

[sharons 0]

Hey there Hockeymom~ I'm on the liquid to mushie stage for the next 3 weeks or so. One week on full liquids and then another week or so on the mushies. I'll have to try the Protein pills. I purchased a large can of Protein powder, but in just the couple of off-the-shelf Protein drinks I've tried, they taste like chalk - still I am grateful for them, because I was so hungry before them. I bought some "organic free range chicken broth" but I think that chicken had a little to much "free range" if you know what I mean. Stuff was awful - another waste of money. I'll try Panera since one is right around corner from home. I didn't know you could just buy their broth.

I have also tried WW and though I think it is an excellent diet plan (lost 50lbs once), I still needed more help so here I am in bandland. I still plan to stay with WW as an added tool. The final straw with me was health related too - I had not yet been diagnosed with diabetes but it runs rampant in my family. My problem was mostly with my feet. I get out of the bed like an old woman - too much weight on my feet and I don't have little feet either. sleep apnea, so I have to use a CPAP machine and the snoring was embarrassing. All of these problems are directly related to my growing weight. Besides that I could no longer stand looking at myself in a picture. I literally starting looking and feeling like a beached whale. No energy - need I go on.

Anyway, this has got to work for me. I'm near feeling hopeless, but I'm not a quitter. Enough out of me, I look forward to talking with you (and others soon).

pcfmel ~ how were you able to progress to the mushie's so soon? Never mind - don't tell me, the trickster side of me will use it against the good girl side of mine. LOL

Edited January 26, 2009 by sharons

[sharons 0]

Not at all lillith. Amazing how many Sharon S out there.

[Sleeved12/29 2]

Hello Baltimore Banders! Haven't seen a post from anyone lately so was wondering how everyone was doing. I've been plugging along losing 1-2 lbs a week...slow but steady,

Is anyone going to the support group meeting at St Agnes Monday evening?