Zoe

A word of advice, Pam: Don't inhale Hershey's kisses, "foil, flags, and all," before flying; airport security will go batshit when they discover all that metal in your system.

"My head hurts, my feet stink, and I don't love Jesus" -- Jimmy Buffett, of Margaritaville fame. What's with the chocolate thing, everyone? I've had a major jones for days. Silhouettes low-fat chocolate ice cream bars & the Weight Watchers versions help; so do Atkins chocolate-mint candy . . . better for me than Ben & Jerry, I suppose, but I wish I were craving carrot sticks instead!

Mine's a couple inches above my left hipbone (or where my hipbone supposedly is under all this padding). The doc didn't ask -- just gave me the standard placement. Since I'm not wearing low-slung hip-hop pants anytime soon, I don't think I'll have any trouble.

Melissa, it's great to have another Chicago-area bandster around -- we are way outnumbered by Texans! I have the same question as Katie: What did your doctor tell you to eat after surgery? Liquids/2 Mushies/2 is pretty common, but varies between doctors (and their patients); there may be reasons for you to be on another schedule. Don't worry, the gas goes away for most of us within a week. I had similar bathroom trouble, and someone here reminded me: liquids in, liquids out. Good luck, and welcome!

My dog is black and white and would look fabulous in that boa! Guess I'll have to go shopping with her. I'm nowhere near buying new clothes for myself yet, so I might as well indulge the dog.

This is wonderful news! Less than four weeks to go. . . you'll be sipping turkey broth by Thanksgiving, and loving it.

I love it! But I have to confess that the boa looked even better on that picture of DeLarla's dog.

I agree -- my idea of roughing it is spending a month at a luxurious Paris hotel without drinking wine! Still, I've always wanted to raft the Colorado. I spent two days in the Grand Canyon this June (pre-band) and was incredibly winded after a one-mile hike on the flat rim -- one of the reasons I opted for the surgery. I'll check a couple of outfitters, and will start a new thread on the GC for anyone who's interested. I'm thinking mid-September 2005. (I'm in graduate school, and classes start around the 22nd.)

Good answer, Greg! Margie, it makes me nervous to think that your doctor didn't explain exactly how the band works. Did he/she at least give you some literature on it?

Kathy, you'll do fine with the fill. It's hard not to be nervous with any medical procedure -- but the fill itself takes just a few seconds. Most of my time was spent filling out forms, putting on the gown, and waiting. Good luck, and let us know how everything goes.

Becky and Kim (and anyone else), I was thinking of going with OARS. Pretty expensive, as I recall from last year's catalog, but then I was thinking of making it a short trip (not one of the $3000 ones) in case my inner princess comes along and demands air conditioning and fluffy pillows after the first night in a tent!

Nora (and Blossom too), stick around and let us know if you have any questions. As you've already figured out, this board is a great place to get information and share stories. Don't forget to look at some of the older posts (beyond 45 days), where a lot of bandsters tell all about their experiences. Blossom, if your husband is nervous, maybe you should get some details about your surgeon's track record (number of operations, success rate, complications) so he'll have a concrete reference on the surgery.

OK, I'll bite -- what's MAS?

Hi Jodie -- Congrats on both your weight loss and your upcoming move to civilization! All those fresh vegies and fruit sure will taste good after the tinned stuff. I have the same problem that you have with rice, unless it's in a sauce, then it goes down easy. I've only been banded for eight weeks, but I have the same hold-then-drop pattern with my weight, and from what I've read here, a lot of people go through the same thing. My clothes keep getting baggier, though, no matter what the scale says, so I'm not complaining!

Oh, Kim, don't give up on getting the band. We've all goofed up at some point. (I write this just after eating half a caramel apple with chocolate and peanuts, and I keep repeating to myself that it's OK.) It IS hard to find decent-tasting stuff. I liked EAS's Myoplex shakes in the orange and berry flavors; the chocolate flavor was nasty, though. Just do the best you can. "One meal at a time" is a good suggestion, just like AA's "One day at a time." Hang in there. You're going through what's probably the worst part of the process; you're being asked to strictly limit your food intake before you've been given the tool of the band to help. Not fun. If you have serious misgivings about getting banded, that's one thing -- but if you're just having a hard time dealing with the pre-op diet, don't despair; that's perfectly normal. It gets easier. Let us know how you're doing. Good luck!

Congratulations, Rica! And you're down 40 lbs. in just four months. You'll be at your goal in no time. One question: Is "throwing hammers" exactly what it sounds like? Claw or ball peen models?

Whippledaddy/Ryan, I think every bandster -- new, experienced, or wannabe -- should read your wonderful post. The band has allowed so many to turn our lives around: not only our bodies, but our hearts and souls as well. Even before we get the band, just knowing that we're beginning a journey toward a better life, and just knowing that there is hope, can make such a difference. Denise, hang in there. You're just a little over a week away, and while the time might seem to drag (especially while you're waiting for all those tests), before you know it, you'll be banded. I agree that it's a good thing your surgeon is so thorough. Among other things, he's probably keeping a close watch on your heart to make sure you won't have an adverse reaction to the anesthesia. Let us know your test results -- we're all rooting for you!

Sounds like you're doing fine, Betty. By this time next week you'll have a lot more energy and the pain will have faded. Things get better fast!

I vegged out yesterday and felt kinda blah, so this morning I took a brisk half-hour walk without the dog and felt great. I could have gone another hour, but it would have been hard explaining that one to my boss. Those weights I bought last week? They're decorating my hallway floor; I haven't picked 'em up since I took them out of the car! Tomorrow I begin, promise! I can't quite remember that stuff you call sex. Is it more fun than walking the dog?

Welcome, Nora. I was about your size when I decided to get banded -- and I haven't even had my band for two months yet, so I'm a relative newcomer. What made me decide? The fact that I kept piling on weight and felt totally defeated about losing it. Every time I started a new diet -- and I've tried most of 'em -- a little voice would whisper, "Just remember, 95% of people who diet, fail. And gain back even more." I felt there was no point in trying, and that I might as well resign myself to being fat. I'd remind myself that lots of people were fatter than I, and would love to wear my size 24 jeans. A couple of years ago I looked into gastric bypass surgery. I had a BMI (body mass index) of 39.5 then, and was told I wasn't fat enough! When I jokingly asked the doctor what would happen if I just gained enough weight to qualify, he just sighed and said, "You wouldn't be the first one." But in the end I lost my nerve; in my gut (no pun intended) I knew there had to be a better way. My motto in life is "Change it or accept it" -- in other words, deal with what you're dealt and don't whine. I wasn't following my own advice regarding this huge life-long problem, though. As much as I tried to convince myself that I could accept myself as fat forever, in my heart I wanted to change. And in my 40s I started to have weight-related health issues that really got to me. When I was younger, no matter how heavy I was, my blood pressure was always textbook-perfect. The day I had a reading of 170/95 I knew I'd better do something, and pronto. Funny, I'd always been self-conscious about the way I looked, but it took something as scary as being told I was a heart attack waiting to happen to finally prod me into action. I had read about the band three years ago when I first started researching bypass. At that time, the band had not yet been approved by the FDA. So, even though it sounded almost too good to be true, I didn't do anything back then, thinking I might be signing myself up for some quack remedy! Little did I know. This summer I was feeling pretty desperate. I visited the same web site where I had learned about the band years ago, and went on a research spree. Finally I joined this wonderful board to learn first-hand what banding was all about. I got excited. I got hopeful. I got a home-equity loan. So far, the best thing about my band is that it has given me hope again, and faith in myself. I KNOW I can lose the weight and keep it off this time. I can't fully express what a difference that makes, from the first moment I get up each morning. Well, Nora, that's more than I really intended to write, and maybe too much information. Whatever you decide, I wish you the best of luck.

Congratulations, Betty. Welcome to Bandland! Give yourself a break over the next few weeks (especially these first days) and let yourself heal. You'll feel better every day.

Way to go, Donali! Hey, if you can get those jeans on, and get them zipped and buttoned, it counts, never mind if it's a little hard to breathe. Now go put a shirt on before you catch cold. Whip, if you think you can say "One costume was pink tights, pink leotard, pink tutu, and a blonde ringlet wig" without posting a picture, think again, Frilly!

Congratulations, Joanne, both on your new band and your wonderful husband! The gas will go away soon. Are you on liquids for another week or so?

Grand Canyon bash in September 2005, anyone? Rafting, hiking, sipping margaritas (or lemonade) under the stars. . .

I think you should have a word with your surgeon about his office staff. Remind him that he might lose patients if his front office representatives don't treat callers with courtesy and respect. As for the woman who treated you so rudely, maybe she's forgotten that it's thanks to people like you that she has a job and is not living in a cardboard box.