phyllser

Hi, Chloe, How's it going??

sORRY TO HEAR OF YOUR BAND PROBLEMS juDY AND cLARA. Hope things start looking up for both of you. I had my first fill yesterday and restriction seems to be a little better.

Well, he did say my port was deep, but I thought I could feel it not too far under my skin. They told me on the phone they'd been "having some problems", I assume finding the port. So the fluoroscopy is a precautionary measure, I guess. I was on that hard table 15-20 minutesand much of that was the doc trying to find the right spot. I seem to be doing better today. Supposed to be on liquids, but no milk in the house to mix a protein drink so I had 1/2 cup of cottage cheese for breakfast. Was starting to feel hungry about mid-morning but ignored it. Around noon I went out for a ride on my scooter and got a latte. I took 1/2 scoop of protein powder in a little cup in my pocket and asked the gal to put it in my latte. That was an hour ago and I still don't feel hungry, so that should hold me for a while. It didn't dissolve very good, though. CRUISE :update: I also talked to the local travel agent while I was out. Because of the hurricane danger she recommended Alaska or the Mexico. She agreed that Mexico would be very hot and humid in August. I asked her about Hawaii. She said at that time of the year you have two options... round trip flight to Honolulu and cruise the islands for 7 days or board in San Diego and go over and back. She said either of those is pricey and the San Diego round trip cruise would be 14-15 days. Turn around cruises in April or September are a good bargain, but everyone seemed to want to go in August. She will have prices for me tomorrow. She highly recommended Holland America out of Seattle to Alaska.

I was attending a seminar once when the speaker brought up the topic of disapproval and people making derogarotry comments about us or to us. She said, "See that sign at the back of the room... big RED lit-up letters that say EXIT?? Well, when you experience something like that EX-IT out!" I always remembered that though it was probably 20 years ago. EX IT OUT!! Irrelevant!! Does NOT apply to you!! Don't let it get you down. You have lots of reasons to feel good about yourself!! You're doing GREAT!! PERFECT, as my 5 yr old granddaughter described her first day of kindergarten!! :music: I CAN'T hear you!!

Well, nice to see you drop in again! We're missing a lot of our "old timers"! Don't know of a lot of news except I re-introduced the cruise idea and think I will go talk to a local travel agent today about our options. We're thinking Alaska or I thought I might see about Hawaii. Anyways, wondering who might be interested for next year... August, probably. I had my first fill yesterday. Liquids today and I'm hungry! I hope this fill is going to do something! But, regardless, I have another appointment for Oct. 8th and I'm SURE I will need another "hit"! 3cc in yesterday in a 10cc band.

HI, Everything went very well today. I was surprised at how long it took, though, because most of you have said you were in and out in just a few minutes. The doctor took me to x-ray to do it under fluoroscopy. He seemed to have a lot of difficulty placing the needle. I think he rolled that x-ray thing back over my stomach 4-5 times checking the placement before he got it right. Jackie, I have a 10cc band, also, and he put in 3cc. He wants me to come back in four weeks, so I have another appointment for Oct. 8th. I weighed exactly the same as I did when I was there on August 7th, so I was definitely READY for this fill!! I hope this jump starts my weight loss again!! I have to be on liquids the rest of today and tomorrow. Wed. I can have mushy and then slowly progress back to normal.

Wow!! Its so quiet around here lately. Where is everyone?? :eek: I'm getting ready to leave for my FILL appoinment!! I am a little apprehensive, but so curious as to how I will feel afterwards, and how my body responds to food! This will be a new experience. Tomorrow I am hoping to go talk to a travel agent about our cruise next summer. I've only heard from a few. Wish Dini would chime in again with her count. I agree with what Indiogirl said about the heat and humidity in Mexico at that time of year. We've gone on an Alaska cruise twice...in the May/June time frame, and we'd go again in a heartbeat. The first one there were some days when it was a little drizzly, but the second one we had an absolutely gorgeous week and people were in the pools every day. How do others feel about Alaska?? I know there are quite a few that leave out of Seattle now. In the past you had to leave out of Vacouver BC. We flew to Seattle and had to take a charter bus to Vancouver. It was miserable! Hope everyone is having a great day!! I will report back on my big adventure of the day this evening when we get home.

Ah, you sparked my interest on two fronts! I was banded in July under Medicare and found the process to be so simple it was scarey! My doctor's office took care of any approval I needed. I didn't have to have a psych consult, produce records of weight loss attempts or anything. I was told I'd have to pay the initial dietary consult... I think about $200, but I have yet to get a bill and that took place in early July. My DH is retired military so Tricare is my secondary. One EOB that came from them indicated that I may have to pay about $200 of the surgeon's fee, but, so far I think that's all I'll have to pay and it was, as I said, effortless. We spend the winter in Desert Hot Springs CA and have, for the past three winters, spent at least one whole day in Quartzsite, so I'm sure we'll be going again this winter. It would be great for some of us to get together there. Sounds like fun.

I'm so sorry to hear of these problems you're having. I hope this regimen your doc has you on will fix the problem. Clear liquids for that long would be a real challenge. I think your fish chowder sounds great! I love seafood! I had some really good chowder on the WA coast a few weeks ago. It was tomato based, kind of Italian seasoning, with all sorts of seafood in it. It was just a little tiny cup, but it came with my dinner, so I couldn't eat more than a couple of bites before passing it on to my DH because my dinner was coming, too! I had just moved from the mushy stage to soft food so I wasn't pushing anything and was being very cautious about how much I was eating. But I keep thinking of that chowder and wondering about trying to make some. It had to be low cal being tomato based and all seafood. If I find the right combination of seafood at the grocery store I'm going to give it a try. I have a VG band and I'm finally getting my first fill tomorrow. I'm a little apprehensive and hope everything goes smoothly! It'll be under fluroscopy, so should go okay. I know Oklahoma well.... just moved back to WA after 15 yrs in OK. Yeah, not much in the way of seafood there, but they sure know how to do BBQ!! Another favorite of mine.

Speaking of expensive, it dawned on me the other day that I was never told how many fill or what period of time is included in my surgery "package". I'm Medicare, so I'm not expecting great things. But I've been thinking that if this is the best "service" I get from this clinic, I may switch to a local fill center when I get to where I'm paying out of pocket.

Its been a while since anyone has mentioned our July 07 Bandster cruise for next summer. I know Dini hasn't been around too much lately and she was keeping a list. Also, there have been newbies join us here since last we spoke of this. So I've been thinking about it and hope to get a chance to go talk to a travel agent who is in the neighborhood and get some suggestions from her about next summer... August time frame, right?? And we don't want to go to any hurricane vulnerable areas. I need to have an idea of how many might be interested.

Hi, Don't think I posted an update on this thread about my fill. When I called back yesterday I shed a few tears and got all emotional about how badly I need a fill before my trip to NY later this month. I was called back a little later and told they managed to fit me in for this Monday afternoon!! I am very happy about that!!

Janet, Tears did the trick!! They fit me in to their schedule for Monday!! They are only doing fills every other Monday.... TWICE a monthh!! I think I will be making my next appointment on Monday!!

Mmmmmmmmmm, yeah!! Starbucks!!

Yuma.. we spent a couple of days there two winters ago. Love going to Mexico. We both got new glasses. Will you be going to Quatzsite?? Always have to spend a day there!!

[quote name='nicnaknut;559400 :hungry:I will be about one and a half months post surgery at Thanksgiving and am worried about what I will be able to eat... Is anyone else stressing out about this or is it just me?? :help: Yes' date=' I've thought about it and decided I will be happy with a taste of everything! We will be spending that weekend with friends in SO CA and I am looking forward to that![/b'] Phyllser.... That's awful that you are having such a hard time getting your first fill... I agree with Foxygramma that I would check with my Dr to see if you can get on the cancellation list or try another Dr... Also you might want to check out Fill Centers USA to see if they have a place close to you to get a fill.... When I called back this morning, after shedding a few tears, the gal said she would make one more attempt and call me back.. She was able to get me in on MONDAY!! :whoo: Where do you and DH go in the winter? My DH and I live full time and travel in our motorhome. We have spent the summer here in northern California and will leave the 1st of October for Colorado for surgery and then travel to Arizona for the winter... We go to Desert Hot Springs, near Palm Springs, to a place called Sky Valley. We LOVE it there!! Where in Arizona do you go??

Kathy, Thanks for all you shared regarding your first fill. Very good information. Many of the things you wrote about were new to me. Its interesting how different each doctor, dietician, etc. can be regarding pre-oop and post-op guidelines. The "First Bite Syndrome" was interesting, and I REALLY liked that once a week TREAT suggestion! I had to smile when you mentioned TIM HORTON'S. I'm in the Seattle area, the supposed "Coffee Capital"!! I laughingly "don't get" the Tim Horton frenzy because I'm hooked on lattes! But, I'm a native Buffalonian and every time we go back for a visit I watch my sisters and nieces make runs to Tim Horton's coming back with trays full of coffee! They're all crazy about Tim Horton's. We're going to be in Buffalo later this month, in fact. I am very glad to be getting my fill before we go because it'll be easier for me to survive if I have some more restriction!! I love the Friday night fish fry tradition and I'm sure we'll be going with the family the first day we are there!! I'll be getting a child's portion, hopefully, and taking home leftovers! And then there's Ted's Hot Dogs!! No foot long for me this trip!! Maybe a few bites of someone else's!! That reminds me... every Wednesday we go to "Primetimers" at our church. There are various activities going on in the morning and then "free lunch" at noon. Its always a very nice home cooked hot meal, always good, and always desert is served! I am very careful about what I eat... everyone I normally sit with knows about my surgery and they're very supportive. But this one special friend always gives me the first bite of her desert! So each week I get a nibble of cake, or maybe ice cream, etc. It is a nice treat and usually the only time I have sweets every week! And now I better be quiet for a while!! Sorry!! :blabla:

Thanks, Chris. So I AM going to beat you, but not by too many days!

:update: First, thank you all for your concern, for sharing my frustration and anger over the postponement of my fill appointment. You are all such great Band Buddies! I appreciate each and every one of you!! I called this morning to speak with the person who schedules the fills. She was very sympathetic with my plight and when I reminded her that my surgery date was July 20th she said, "I know! I talked to the doctor about that." She went on to tell me that the first opening was Oct. 8th if I couldn't make the 9/24 appt. I guess at that point I lost it and started crying! I don't control my emotions very well and this is a very emotional issue, as you all know! She was feeling my pain and said she'd try again to see if she could get me in sooner and would call me back. Well, she did call me back, like in 10 minutes or less, and said she persuaded them to fit me in on Monday afternoon!! I think I will have to take her something Monday to show my appreciation.. a rose, or something! I am so grateful!! Breadlady, we are SO GLAD to have you back! Ruby, your thoughts were very sweet and I know touched all of us. I agree whole heartedly! Being on the west coast, I very often get "lonely" late at night when most of you have already gone to bed! My last resort is always the Chat Room! My motivating factors... I think I got to a point of desparation. I was so tired of being so fat! When we started going to RV parks for the winter I saw so many folks 10-20-even 30 years older than me who were in much better shape and I realized how badly I wanted to be more active, and how much I want to enjoy as many more retirement years as I possibly can!

Did you go to CPUser and try to edit your signature? I did a copy/paste of the bbc code and it worked.

C'mon over to this thread: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f15/place-bandsters-their-60s-40106/

Chris45: I don't think you OR Chim will be the last July Bandsters to get a fill!! My dr's office left me a message today that they rescheduled my fill for Sept 24!! I as so mad I didn't even write down the time. It doesn't matter because I will be in New York state visiting my mother and sisters from the 20th-29th. The message went on to say that if that date didn't work for me their next available is OCT 8!! :faint: I CRIED AGAIN!! My surgery date was July 20.... Oct 8 is like 11 1/2 weeks past that!! Give me a break!! :help: So, I've been freaking out mad all evening! I got the message like ONE MINUTE too late to call them back. Their phones shut down at 5 pm! So I have to wait until morning to call back and throw my fit! And I WILL!! :mad: Turns out this research study nurse left a message, too, and wants me to call back and let her know how I'm doing! Boy! Is she going to get an earful!!?? I'm going to call her first before I call back the fill scheduling ladies! Maybe she can persuade them Oct 8 is WRONG!! And, that gives me less than a month for any more tweaking before we leave for the winter! I agree that under fluroscopy is a GOOD thing and maybe they'll get it right the first time, but I think its unreasonable for them to expect me to wait 2 1/2 months for my first fill!! Another bitch of mine... sorry... I am sooo angry!! I have had four appointments at that clinic... three with the doctor and one with his physicians assistant. ALL THREE appointments with the doctor were cancelled BY THEM and rescheduled!! And I had to call and call and call and BEG for my surgery date!! So my DH thinks we should fly up for Christmas and schedule an appointment for another fill. Yeah, right!! So they can call me and cancel it after we spent $$$$ to fly up here!! Anyway, Janet, you are doing GREAT!! I'm so proud of you for all that walking you're doing! I am so hoping I can start to do some walking before too long. I am trying very hard to walk more, but my left knee hurts pretty bad. I am thinking maybe a recumbent bike would be a good way to exercise. But I am so ready to be at Sky Valley and doing my water aerobics every day!! I can't wait!!l I could go for some pizza!! if they don't treat me right tomorrow I might need another TREAT!! :hungry: I'm so bad!! Marcy, I LOVED your proposed dialogue!! That was a kick! My DH probably couldn't pull it off, but it was sure funny. Oh.. and you know what.. that Mongolian Grill.. their lunch time spread did NOT include the prawns and crab... that's only for dinner! So I got to have their puny little strips of meat that cook away to nothing! I am a seafood NUT! I could live in Alaska just for the seafood!

I had this uncontrollable desire to put something over on them! I figured out who it was that sent me those emails just by looking at them! One was older and bitchy looking... it had to be her. and it was SO FUN to wait until she was in the back room and the other girl was occupied somewhere else... i think she ducked in to the rest room!! Then I looked at my DH & said, okay... NOW!! And he pulled out the container and I dumped my food in to it!! It was really GREAT FUN!! I probably wont' go back, though, for the reasons you stated. I just had this compulsion to do it to them ONCE!!

I don't know Denise. I did a search quite a few times over several days before I finally found the right thread today. Hello, all! I am enjoying reading all of your posts. I will be 64 in Nov and was banded July 20. I was supposed to have my first fill today, but much to my disappointment, my dr's office cancelled my appointment stating they are changing their procedures and doing fills only on Mondays and only under fluoroscopy. When they called me back today it was to give me an appointment date of Sept. 24!! I will be out of state visiting family then. The message stated that if that date didn't work for me the next available was Oct. 8!! I am really upset because that will be 2 1/2 mos after my surgery with no fill!! Also, we leave for the winter around Nov. 1st so that leaves very little window for additional fills if necessary. Sorry!! I need to stop whining and complaining. I just want to get on with this! I have very little restriction with no fill. I'm hungry, i can't lose any weight. I can so much relate to all of you.. the joint problems, high blood pressure, etc. No diabetes.... yet. I can't walk long distances. I use a handicap scooter around the neighborhood and when we go shopping, etc. And, yes, my DH does EVERYTHING... cooking, cleaning, etc. I sometimes do the laundry and he helps with the lifting. But I'm ready to get back to living! I got the nickname, Auntie Phyl, from some gals on one of the other threads.... they're all younger!

Okay, so I "deserved" a treat because my fill appointment got cancelled, so it seemed an appropriate day to go to the Mongolian grill for lunch.. the "no doggie bags, no sharing" place. We took a Tupperware container inside a grocery bag and put it in my scooter basket under my purse. My DH filled his bowl to overflowing, mine was about 3/4 full... we saw a big guy almost 7 ft tall fill TWO bowls to overflowing!! The meat is frozen, shaved so thin you can see through it and those rolls look like a lot more meat than they cook down to so I didn't take enough meat but I had a lot of great veggies... cabbage, broccoli, onions, carrots, celery, etc. and a few noodles... which swell up a LOT when they cook them. My DH took our bowls over to the grill to be stir fried. When its done, they servie it on plastic trays. I ate until I could tell it was time to stop.... maybe 1/2 of what I had.. probably about a cup or cup and a half. Then when both of the waitresses were otherwise occupied with their backs to us, we whipped out the Tupperware and slid the rest of my lunch into the container,snapped the lid shut and put it back in the basket under my purse!! SUCCESS!! I successfully ripped off MY food which I paid for but which I was specifically told I COULD NOT TAKE HOME!! TA DA!! :whoo::whoo::whoo::whoo::whoo::whoo::whoo: I called my surgeon's office to reschedule my fill appointment this morning. Yesterday it was "the girls" who do the scheduling were gone for the day. Today I was told that Steve, the Dr's right hand man, RN who manages his patients, had to make the appointment and he was "BUSY" working on that. He's supposed to call me back later today. Every time they tell me Steve will call me later in the day its more like three days later before he calls me!! Hope everyone is having a GREAT day!!