Shiki

It is nice to connect to your contemporaries. And who doesn't love talking about the 60's? Well ... me, for one ... now that I'm 66. But this group is pretty inactive. If you want feedback, you'll have to post elsewhere. I'd comment, but I still haven't had surgery. Good luck, and get an answer!

Just want to add my .01 cents to this discussion. Unless there is a financial or otherwise compelling reason to stick with your original doctor, SWITCH. You may have to travel a bit to find someone you like, but this is too important to be with anything other than a great doc.

That is nearly unbelievable. All that happening to you. Yikes. Your body must fell wretched. I am horrified this happened, and so glad you're OK. I've heard of bands slipping but never like this. And I've never heard it's 50%. I will certainly have to look into that, especially because I'm not banded yet. I recently canceled an appointment with a Dr. because he wouldn't do the band. Hmmm. Do you have someone to take care of you while you recover? Biggest, gentle hugs and sweet Shiki smooches to you.

Cheryldee - Congrats on your weight loss. That's quite an accomplishment. I am hooked on Cherry Pomegranate. But I discovered WalMart has same thing at a much cheaper price. What are your flavors? TexasSusie - I am very happy for you. Wish I could be your roommate, but I haven't yet managed to jump through all the hoops. Best of luck, soon-to-be-skinny lady!

BONILUU - Thank you for your excellent suggestions. I will call Dr. B and check with him. Losethemess - I went to UT Southwestern & saw a female Dr. Islam. She said she couldn't handle me and referred me to Dr. Provost, who is the doc I have in Denton. Do you go to the monthly support meeting?

I'm starting from scratch again. Just found out the new surgeon, Dr. Harry Meyers, does not do lap band - only bypass and the sleeve. I'm very bummed. I really thought I finally had the right surgeon. I'm having problems getting the right doc for several reasons. 1. My only insurance is Medicare. A lot of places don't take it. 2. It can only be lap band. Medicare only covers lap band, bypass or DS. I won't do bypass and DS would not be compatible with current health problems, so it's out. 3. I have a doc, but cannot get to his office. Only way I have to travel is with public transportation in a wheelchair, which does not go to his city -- it's too far away. At 400 lbs. I'm too big to fit in most cars. I don't know anyone who has a car big enough for me. I'm going to focus on trying to get mobility back. Believe me, it isn't easy when you can't move without extreme pain. I'm going to back off from searching for a doc right now. I just spent an entire year searching and got nowhere.

I would keep it short and be creative. Keeping it short means less to explain, less to remember what you said. Being creative means you "spin" your story in such a way it leaves no room for questions. So ... being creative ... 'xcuse me while I brainstorm ... "It was a female issue I had taken care of." If pressed, say "sorry, don't want to talk about it ... it's really personal." If still pressed, say "on the order of a hernia. I'm all better now." The main thing is to say little, discourage discourse and change the topic. If any continue to press simply repeat what you just said until you sound like a broken record. People will give up because they have no other choice. Change the topic and move on. For mom: "It was a quick outpatient procedure on the order of a hernia. I'm all better now."

There are a lot of success stories with the band. If you read them, though, one thing stands out loud and clear. The band works to the extent that you work the band. In other words, it's one method with rules, kind of like being a member of a committee that wrote its bylaws before you joined. From what I've read, to be successful, one must learn the rules, read the bylaws and follow them. After 3 years, you gotta know that you can't eat a chunk of beef unless you can blast it into smithereens. The band doesn't work that way. If we want to do what we've always done, we'll always get what we've always gotten. In this case, no weight loss. I know adjusting to the band's rules will be hard, but that is what I prefer to the danger of the other surgeries. The sleeve is the latest hot topic. But for me, removing a large portion of my stomach, with no reversal ever, seems a huge risk that I really prefer not to take. However, not losing weight is dangerous as well. So I guess you do whatever will work for you. Best of luck to you, in any case.

Judy - Ausssies Rock! Love the way you Dr. thinks. What's the post-surgery protocol? To Everyone -- I've been researching this for 10 years. My plan is to do what I like most, and what I've read about. Pre surgery diet will be whatever I can live with. So far I've lost 30lbs. since last July. Post-surgery diet: Clear liquids for a couple of days, full liquids for another couple of days and then mushies for a week or more. WLS works to the extent that you work it. If you're real serious, you can drop 200 lbs. in 1 year or less. Read about several that did that. I'll be happy to drop 100 the first year. Hope I do. Never quit. It's a looonng journey. You didn't get obese overnight, so don't expect to get slim the same way. It's slow and steady. There are/will be bumps in the road. You gotta be able to hang on. Best way to do that is with a support system both online and off. Go to support meetings in your town. My first appt. with my 4th Dr. is Apr 2. Hope this one's a winner. Good luck to all!

Congrats! At least you're on the right road ... and further down the road than you expected. I'll be curious to know how it works for you. My pcp is wretched and not at all helpful, but I'm keeping her temporarily because she has approved a motorized wheelchair for me.

Check out MyFitnessPal.com - it will calculate calories for whatever you eat. You'll soon discover what amount is OK. For example, I eat this really healthy butter -- Land 'O Lakes Spreadable Butter With Olive Oil. I was shocked to discover that 2 tsp. had 200 calories.

Karen, Just wanted to let you know that you are the first person to wish me Happy Birthday this year! I will be 66. Double sixes -- that's the best number in many games. So, you say, 62. Your profile says 63. Which is it?

I'm in Dallas near downtown. No, never been. Good luck with the clinic. Let us know what happens. Another site that's helpful is MyFitnessPal. Check it out. It calculates what you eat, among other things. I'm ShikiP there.

Violet, I didn't do it on purpose. Must have nicked my leg on something.

Ashley -- I wish more people on this site would step up and offer to mentor. There's clearly a need. I'm still a pre-op, so I'm in a holding state. Did the medically supervised diet, but I'm changing docs so things are on hold till April 2. Keep up the good work!