beanie80

I am paying for my banding 100% our of pocket. My first bachelors degree was paid for by my parents 100%. I paid for my second bachelors degree and my masters 100% by myself. I really think it depends on the person. My parent's raised me to know how lucky I was to have everything I had and I would be a da*n fool to waste the opportunities I had been given. I worked just as hard for the degree my parents paid for as I did for the 2 subsequent degrees. There are people who pay for their own degrees and p*ss away their time, money and opportunities also. That being said, I think it is about how bad you want it, who you are as a person, and not who writes the check at the end of the day.

Xanax. I'm being banded tomorrow and I've already had one today. My biggest tip for you would be to spend as much time as possible looking over these boards. There are a lot of very helpful, inspiring, and knowledgeable people on here. I have learned more from these boards and the people on here than I did in any of the required group visits of pre-op people at my surgeon's office. Look through the photos section and see how successful people can be with the band. Read the blogs and see how people are doing day to day. Get a buddy or two who are going to be banded on the same day as you, it helps so much to have a friend to talk to about your journey who really understands. Best of luck

Downysoft, those lean cuisines have a ton of sodium and preservatives in them! try making your favorite lean cuisine at home with healthier ingredients, portion it out into Tupperware, and you will have something easy to grab at the end of the day but with one heck of a lot less sodium. Also, what kind of chicken are you buying? if you are buying it in a bag in the frozen foods section, check the sodium intake on the bag. A lot of those frozen bag chickens have a lot of sodium in them too

People with BMI's over 35 are more likely to have fatty liver. If your liver is fatty and larger than 'normal' then it obscures the surgeon's vision and is more difficult to pull out of the way for the surgery. I think I am in detox more than anything. My body just doesn't feel right.

Hey Terry. It is self imposed because my BMI is 34.8, so my surgeon said I didn't have to do a pre-op diet. I decided to do one anyways to help the transition. I am following the pre-op diet set up by the nutritionist in the bariatric clinic I go to. It is 3-5 protein shakes a day and SF popsicles. They want us between 750 to 1000 calories a day. The SF popsicles are awesome, but don't quite hit the spot

I loved my protein shakes before they became the only thing I could eat all day long. 4 protein shakes a day and nothing else makes me cranky and sick of the protein shakes.

Lori don't they usually do at least an in and out cath during the surgery? since it is under general anesthesia? the PA at my bariatric office mentioned it. I do hope I'm wrong about having to have a cath!!

Erica I totally thought that about 'personal grooming'! hahaha you better believe everything is going to look nice and neat down there. 180lb 8 year old!? I love my little 90lb grandmas even more now.... So for those of you already banded, how do you get enough time to eat meals at work?? I'm also tempted to be one of those patients who puts a blanket over their head while being wheeled around...I don't want to be stopped and asked what is going on!

On that note, how soon after lap band were you able to go back to work at a hospital taking care of patients? Our new schedule has been posted and I'm looking to pick up shifts in July, but I'm not sure when I will feel well enough to work and move heavy ICU patients around. I'm having surgery June 26th and my doctor has said I can start exercising 2 weeks after surgery

This is why we are a super power!!! (buzzfeed post the above article refers to) http://www.buzzfeed....other-countries

4 more days! I'm going to share 4 things I have done in the past week.... 4. Had my pre-op appointment with the anesthesiologist. She said I would do fine and that I have a big mouth for easy intubation haha 3. I went to two spin classes, walked 3 miles every day I wasn't at the gym and even started running a bit 2. Took my dog to the vet because he has e.coli. If you know what that is then you will know that my week also consisted of cleaning up gross dog poop accidents in the house. 1. Practiced living the lap band lifestyle since my surgery is 4 days away!!

Apparently I missed a day yesterday....oops! Today is 5 for 5 day. So here are 5 things I'm not looking forward to about surgery 5. Someone cutting me open! 4. A foreign object being placed in my abdomen 3. My co-workers working on me..... 2. Being intubated 1. Can we say Foley catheter!?

Let me know what he says! I would love to be wrong about it......the office PA said she would place mine since I work in the hospital and know a lot of the nurses who work in the OR. would hate to have a male co-worker place my foley. yuck

mrsinto, most docs at least do an in and out cath during surgery. The anesthesiologist needs to know your output during the surgery and make sure your kidneys are continuing to make urine. So even if you didn't wake up with a foley catheter still attached, they probably in and out cathed you during the procedure....

How do you all know how many miles you went in spin class? any way to track this? Glad I found this thread, I love biking! Spin: 50 minutes

So imagine my surprise when scrolling through my fb feed I see this post..... "Seriously?! To the lobbyists at the House of Rep. trying to get it passed that "Obesity is a Disease"...hear me say that Hell will freeze over before my tax dollars go towards yet one more idiotic Obama Care mission. Let's just provide one more incentive for Americans to stop working, eat more, and give them free electronics to satisfy them while they sit on the couch contributing nothing to humanity. Um, no. Where are the incentives for MY healthy body, good work ethic and willingness to give more than I receive in hopes of making the world a better place?! Let's all take a reality check here!!! Please." Personally, I was offended. I know this woman and she has never struggled with weight. Apparently, since I am obese, the two jobs I work and the fact that I'm in grad school full time mean I'm not contributing to society, am getting free electronics, and just sit on the couch all day. I'm also slightly confused how she is making the world a better place while working retail..... So what do you all think about obesity being a disease?

Debbie, no need to shout. Not everyone on this site thinks obesity is a disease. As Quahog stated above, she believes, for her, obesity is a disorder. In my situation, for me personally, part of my disease is mental health related (i.e. addiction). Not everyone has the same opinions and just because we are on this site doesn't mean we all think the same way. When I asked the question 'What do you think about obesity being a disease' it was out of curiosity what other bandsters thought, to spark dialogue, and to discuss/help me understand the mean spirited Facebook post.

7 more days to go! Today I am going to list 7 things I like about myself currently, pre-banding: 7. I have great hair 6. I am loyal 5. I am kind 4. I always assume the best of others 3. I am helpful 2. I am smart 1. I love to learn

It took a lot of restraint for me to not say something like "You better pray that I'm not doing your pap smear next year. This fat girl won't be so nice with that speculum and you better believe you are going to get a rectal" (Just a joke, I would never do anything mean like that! even on the really rude/mean patients)

i'd call first thing in the morning. sorry you are sick!

weird. Do your surgical sites look ok? keep an eye on your temp and if it gets up to 102 I'd head to the ED just to be safe. You just had major surgery, no point in taking any chances.

Yes. Are you having diarrhea?

I've had 1 person 'like' the comment and nothing else. No response from original poster so far. I hope she feels ashamed of herself.

9 more days! In honor of this milestone I thought I would give y'all a list of 9 things I'm excited about post banded weight loss life. I'm excited about... 9. Not feeling squished on the airplane 8. Not being embarrassed of my big arse when squeezing between rows of chairs 7. Not avoiding going to the beach with my friends 6. Not being embarrassed when out shopping with friends 5. Not being scared to ride my bike in public! (see last blog post for explanation) 4. Not deleting any and all pictures of me 3. Not feeling like people are judging/watching me when I eat 2. Not having to cover my arms because they are as big as some girl's thighs 1. Not having men yell "I like your jiggle" when I run!

I might majorly regret this, but this is what I posted on her fb page: "I agree about not giving people a free ride, but according to my BMI I am obese. I work two jobs, go to grad school full time and I contribute a lot to society by taking care of sick people every day. I also work out at least 3+ days a week. I can't even tell you how many diets I have been on and how hard I have worked to lose weight. Obesity is generally a result of food addiction, lack of access to quality food due to poverty or just lack of knowledge. I have several patients who struggle with their weight, have tried to diet and can't afford going to a nutritionist, go to therapy, join weight watchers or are working 3 jobs to keep a roof over their heads. If obesity was categorized as a disease these people might get help, lose weight, decrease their chances of getting type II diabetes, CHF, depression, and multiple other obesity related co-morbid diseases. Decreasing their chances of all of the above reduces future medical bills, reduces unemployment, and reduces their burden on society. It's about the big picture, not the short term costs."