Zoe

OK, I'm a new kid on the block, but I live in Oprahville, a/k/a Chicago, so I can't resist adding my very few pounds. Let's hope enough of us keep adding so we can hit the 2000 mark! Penni: 4/6/04 -- 47 lbs Lisa: 5/5/04 -- 51 lbs Becky 6/03/04 - 53 lbs Denice: 8/12/04 -- 20 lbs Leatha 05/29/03 - 67 lbs Michelle 4/6/04 -- 49.75 lbs Marie 5/26/04 -- 39 lbs Donali 1/23/03 -- 102 lbs Kathy 5/21/04 -- 41 lbs Cindy 7/22/04 -- 40 lbs Teresa 5/8/04 -- 63 lbs Kelly 8/20/03 -- 65 lbs Kyleigh 9/23/03 -- 60 lbs Bright 10/28/03 -- 70 lbs Michelle 6/14/04 - 20 lbs Babs 6/23/03 -- 136 lbs Nancy 8/27/03 -- 55 lbs michelle - shellyj 8-18-03 - 130 pounds Vera 8/14/03 -- 64 lbs Jacky 4/5/04 - 40 lbs Chris S. 9/02/03 - 54 lbs Debra 7/19/04 -- 17 lbs. Janie 5/6/04 -- 41 lbs Denise 5/28/04--33 lbs. Kim 8/23/04 -- 28 lbs. Andrea 9/8/04-- 12lbs. Carol 12/2/9/03 -- 102 lbs. Maureen 3/17/04--49 lbs. Carolyn 2/27/04 -- 61lbs (-81 since 1-8-04) Greta 3/12/04---37 lbs. Anne 8/13/04 -- 20 lbs. Zoe 8/26/04 -- 16 lbs. Total = 1692.75 __________________ If a miracle occurs and Oprah actually does a segment on the band, I promise to be your local hostess! (Unless Oprah herself volunteers.)

I didn't have much appetite. The hospital staff brought me a variety of liquids and Jello, but I didn't want anything; my abdomen was pretty inflated from the operation. I drank a little just to keep my mouth from getting dry. I was pretty sore at first, but managed to get out of bed and walk a little the same day of surgery. As DeLarla says, everyone is different. You can read other people's posts in the Introductions section and General Discussion for more stories. October 6 is not far away -- congratulations! Please feel free to start a thread of your own if you have particular concerns.

Congratulations, Nancy! Let us know how your surgery went, and how you're feeling afterward. :banana

Nancy (and anyone else who isn't yet banded), there are some good recent threads with helpful info. PamRN got banded this week (and Pam, if you read this, let us know how you're doing); lots of people gave suggestions on what to pack, what to wear, and what to have on hand back home after the surgery. See http://lapbandtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=3098. You might want to check a thread I started, where people gave me some good post-surgical suggestions and support: http://lapbandtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=2959; also see Andrea's thread, http://lapbandtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=3012. Go back and read the older posts too. There's lots of wonderful information here that you can get only from someone else who has been through the experience. It sure helped me a lot. I continue to be floored by the depth of support here for anyone at any step in the Lap-Band journey. You're joining a great group of people. Good luck and keep us posted on how you're doing. Wish I could be in Vegas -- hope to go next year!

Congratulations, Tall Guy, and welcome. That man you know who lost 200 lbs. is a real inspiration -- as are a lot of the other people who write here. If you're feeling this good less than two weeks after the band, just wait till this time next year!

Hey Kimberlilly, don't beat yourself up. Almost everyone falters occasionally on the journey. (Hope that doesn't sound too pretentious and pseudo-Buddha.) If you're craving potatoes during the mushy stage, try whipped or mashed. A lot of the instant varieties are pretty good, and you can buy single servings in disposable cups that you just fill with boiling water. I haven't tried to dip 'em in ketchup yet. . .

Yeah, I can't handle scrambled eggs either, even though I mixed them with quite a lot of milk & they were still shiny. I'm still in the mushy phase (four more days to go) & am hoping I can eat runny poached eggs, as Sue suggested. Mexican food option for those who have trouble with tortilla dishes: tamales. In mushland we can have only the masa (cornmeal) part, but it soaks up the juice from the yummy stuff inside & takes the edge off that spicy jones. (Someone in our restaurant party on Atkins was happy to clean up my leftover meat!) Post-mush, the sliced beef filling might still be too stringy for most bandsters, but I'm looking forward to giving it a try.

Way to go, Pam! I'm happy for you. And since you've researched the band so thoroughly, I'm confident you will do well. Just don't try to roll out of bed too fast the first time!

Belgium, eh? I read your great blog, Wiz, and I too was astonished at the low price of the surgery. We yanks could fly first class, stay at a posh hotel, & still save a bundle over the costs here. . . plus there's that Belgian chocolate before the big day. From what you have written, your doc's before- and aftercare sounds pretty perfunctory, but the surgery went smoothly & that's what matters. Good luck, and welcome!

Vicki, if you haven't already checked out the "insurance" section of this board, please do so; it's a subheading under "general discussion." You'll find some helpful comments there. Good luck to you!

More great pictures! You look fabulous. "Too bad when I take my bra off they are down to my knees": My friend Marcia lists her bra size as 42 long.

Hi Nancy -- I've been banded just over three weeks, and I can second what Leatha wrote. I was lucky; I didn't have to change my diet before the surgery, and if anything I was eating worse than usual. I had BBQ ribs the night before the operation! (Maybe not the smartest move.) I didn't have much appetite for the first two and a half weeks, so getting by on Soup, smoothies, and Jello was relatively easy for me. Then the old appetite kicked in. Still, it's not that bad. You WILL get through this. I think the hardest part might be the liquid diet your doctor is requesting for two weeks before the band. But you'll discover you have more choices than you may think. There are a lot of (smooth, not chunky) Soups out there that taste pretty good, and assuming your doc isn't too much of a hard-*** you can even have things like popsicles, horchatas and virgin margaritas. Just remember, you are not going through this alone. People will support you when things get rough. And we are proof that you will come out OK on the other side. Whippledaddy, good luck to you. I'm glad you got some answers. Just think, less than two months to go!

Hey, I'm just .75 inch shorter than you -- and if I looked the same as you at 262 lbs. I might not have had the surgery! The side-by-side pictures really help show the change. Wow!

Thanks, Wiz & DeLarla. I love the repair analogy! Right now someone's hanging new cabinets in my kitchen; I haven't had a kitchen sink in weeks, and it won't be reinstalled until October. Meanwhile, there's a little bit of progress every day, but it's frustrating because I want the final result NOW. Kind of like this dopey nagging thought I have: I've been banded for three whole weeks; how come I'm not thin yet?! (You can see one reason I repeatedly failed on diets.) Patience is a virtue I lack, but I'm learning. By the way, any prospective bandsters who are also remodeling, consider having your kitchen torn up while you're on liquids and mushies -- just make sure there's a clear path to the refrigerator, and that you have some way to heat up soup.

Great story, Sue! DeLarla, if you want to contact Rumbaut, try e-mail, so you won't have to pay long-distance tolls: rrumbaut@gastricband.com. Count me as a big Rumbaut fan. (This is not a paid announcement!)

Slenderella's description is right on. Believe me, you will know it when you have it. Feels like a tennis ball lodged under your sternum. I had read about PBs and thought I would be able to avoid them. Ha. My first one hit a couple of days ago while I was walking the dog, after eating some oily tuna. The urge to spit up came suddenly and uncontrollably. Luckily I always carry extra plastic bags!

I agree, and that's why I made my choice: $11,000 for one of the most experienced surgeons anywhere vs. $15,000 for one of his local students (considered one of the better guys here in town). Even so, the cost difference between my two "finalists" is half the difference between the Chicago surgeon and DeLarla's local doc -- but maybe you get tickets to Cirque de Soleil at the Vegas hospital, and a chance to meet Wayne Newton. All this makes me wonder if there are a lot of bandsters who have travelled not across the border but to a different part of the US for their surgery based on cost and/or the doctor's expertise. That's another thread waiting to be started.

Another fabulous set of pictures! DeLarla, I've read some of your posts about your difficulties with your port and your doctor, and now I can really see why you would say it's worth it. You look great. And your black-and-white dog looks like he could be the uncle to my Sophie (b/w Lab mix). These pictures are inspiring me to stay away from Ben & Jerry (my favorite guys) during mushy week. Thanks!

Wow, 42 pounds in three months! What an inspiration. Considering that your weight loss slowed in recent weeks, that's especially impressive. I hope I do as well as you. Thanks for sending your pictures.

Hey Sue and DeLarla, your points are well taken. I initially wrote in response to what I saw as ill-informed prejudice against anything south of the border. But you're both right -- all facilities, not to mention all doctors, are not equal. DeLarla, I've watched too many M*A*S*H reruns and I loved your comment about battlefield surgery. Prospective bandsters, listen to the ladies and do your homework. Remember that even though the surgery fee may be lower than in the US, you'll have to add transportation, lodging, and meals to the cost of your operation in Mexico. I might as well mention that most Mexican citizens can't afford access to the high-quality private facilities like Monterrey's Hospital San José. Teresa, thank you for your helpful comments. Anyone else have a story about your family or friends' reaction to your Mexican surgery?

Sounds like you have a good plan with your cover story, Gail. People who are wondering if or how they can keep their LapBands secret can learn a lot from your posts, and from others here. The esophagus story is totally credible -- and for some bandsters it will even be true. I hope that the fill adjustment does the trick for you. I haven't had a fill yet, but I'm learning through the often difficult experiences of others that getting the right restriction can be tricky. Good luck to you, and thanks for sharing your story.

Sounds good! And here's a non-dairy alternative: about 1 c orange juice 1 banana handful of frozen strawberries or raspberries (plain, not in syrup) Optional: Protein powder Throw everything in blender & crank until the berries are ground up. Not exactly low cal, but very filling & good for liquid/mushy phase.

Good for you, Teresa! I've started a new thread on Mexico, beginning with a copy of my comments above. Please go to http://lapbandtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=3111 to join in. (Teresa and Pam, I think lots of people would enjoy your posts, so feel free to copy or edit what you've already written here.) Figured this way we can keep on track with "My Secret Lapband."

OK, since this thread has veered off anyway... Pam, I loved your post about the sharpened rocks! I know just what you mean. A lot of my Anglo friends hear "Mexico surgery" and picture a Pancho Villa imitator swigging a bottle of tequila, strapping patients to the back of a donkey, and wielding a rusty machete -- before taking a siesta in the shade of a giant cactus while a rogue Chihuahua lifts his leg. And if I happen to mention that the operation was less expensive than at a US hospital . . . well, let's just say it doesn't help. I have nothing but praise for my Mexican surgeon, his staff, and the hospital where I received my band. Most people who make derogatory comments about Mexico haven't been there, and certainly haven't experienced the health-care system. They're probably well-meaning, just worried -- and uninformed. If Mexican president Vicente Fox discovers that US bandsters could become public relations spokespeople for Mexican health care, we'll probably see charter planes flying to surgical centers. Meanwhile, Gail, how are you doing? Any news on the secrecy front?

Wear clogs or other slip-on shoes, and don't bother with socks; you may have a hard time bending to adjust anything. I suggest super-baggy clothes. If you don't mind being totally unfashionable, something like a muu-muu or dashiki would be perfect -- no front seams, no waistband to rub against your incisions. Take earplugs in case you are in a noisy hotel. If you don't mind being a wee bit floppy, this might be the time to leave the bras at home. Good luck! You'll do fine!