gurlygirl

Lakerat2u - Yes, I have one very large gallstone. My surgeon said that because I keep having attacks, he has recommended my gallbladder be removed. I am waiting for a surgery date, which will hopefully be in the next few weeks. Keep us posted on you situation as well. Pain is always a scary thing.

Sue - good luck with your surgery on the 17th. So far I have only had the one big attack and some bloating in my abdomen with mild pain in my shoulder blade. I am hoping it does not come back before I see the surgeon.

Update on my condition....Not sure if this is at all related, but I had to go to emergency yesterday with severe pain in this time my upper abdomen (kind of in the banded area). I was freaking out thinking something was wrong with my band. The pain came in waves and lasted for 2-1/2 hours. They diagnosed me with gallstones. Now I have the fun of dealing with possibly another surgery to remove the gallbladder. Lucky me :cursing:

I am 6 months post op and I started getting the same pain to the left of my belly button similiar to a stitch in your side after running. It has been there now for a couple of days and I am starting to worry as well. When I push on my port area I can feel the pain move into the same area.

Allisarin…23 Amber...39 andrea71…28 Bekiboo26....58lb Bunny...62lbs Caresarn…16 Chocolate_Snaps....52lbs dsmit13…23 eastxnurse....30 lbs EL1…23 flipper64...30 georgia girl…75 Ginger_...30 Gurlygirl....38 lbs Hazeleyegrl1...45.9 lbs. itstime....23 lbs Jennie1976...63 lbs Juliacleone…32 kagoscuba...37 Kellymovingon...53 Kimmie…45 Lapband4me...32 Lapitup…22.5 Linda E......24.5 lbs Lindypie...38 Lucylu...15 Magooz07…11 mandi78…23 Mdicurn…30 Queenp....28lbs Redgirl....33 lbs ScareDcat…58 Sirusman…67 Stacy 73… 60 suzygayle...52 lbs Texrose 575 .....24.0 lbs Thinmom…23 time4me...65 Tishamarie…49 Tulipstar...61 wannabthin...42.5 lbs

Patty - First off I want to start off by saying WAY TO GO on your success!! I also want to say sorry for the loss of your friend. Very cool to get exposure on CNN. I don't think I could do an interview like yourself. I think you have impacted many people out there and possibly gave them another option to Gastric Bypass. Awesome, Awesome, Awesome! I am so glad I chose the band it has changed my life in so many ways. You Go Girl!

I think everyone is individual in this journey. I have read where people cannot swallow their own spit with 5cc's in a 10 cc band. While I want to feel the restriction, I never want to be so tight that I cannot function. On my first fill my Dr. asked me if I wanted 4 or 5 cc's in my 10cc band. I was going out of town right after my appointment, so I got a bit scared and opted for only 4cc's. I ended up going back 3 weeks later for another 1.5cc's. I do feel restriction now. I have never PB'd like many banders have talked about, however, I have had a few instances where I felt uncomfortable for 5 minutes while the food was passing the band (like a rock in there), I just have to be careful with chicken and I do not eat this when I am out dining and chew, chew, chew. Gotta love the band (aka. the shock collar) :biggrin:- it reminds you every now and then that it is in there and doing it's job! Jan_08 - Congrats on the your band! It will happen for you! :biggrin2:

I was banded in the US and I see Dr Woodhead in Delta for my fills. I think very highly of him. I am not sure if he takes on patients banded in Mexico. There is also Northwest Fills in Arlington, Washington (approx 45 min - 1 hour south of the border) their website is http://www.northwestfills.com/ and their price for fills seem reasonable. I was considering this option, if I was not able to find a fill Dr. in the Lower Mainland. Good luck with your search.

I weigh in daily at the least sometimes more. It makes me stay focused on eating the right foods. I find too that it shows the next day after I have eaten foods too high in sodium, because I will be up a bit the next day with water gain. I think weighing in once a week has it's positives as well, but in this battle of the bulge I take everyday at a time and find that it works for me when I see some progress even if it is .2 of a lb.

I am getting over the flu (day 3 now)....and I had a very hard time thowing up. I would heave and heave before only a little bit would come up. My family noticed that I sounded louder when I was heaving than before the band. I am thinking it is harder for your body to expel the liquids in the lower stomach past the band. I feel very exhausted and I am off work again today. I am going to pick up some "Emetrol" for the next time I am sick to help control the nausea. This was a horrible few days.:cool: Not the best way to lose weight (but I will take it anyway). I can't wait to get back to the gym and gain my energy back.

I am still able to eat more than a cup of food and have very little problems eating most foods. I am a bit tighter in the morning, but I can still get down most foods with no problems. I have had two fills so far...First one I received 4cc's and the second one they added another 1.5cc's for a total fill of 5.5 cc's. I need to book in for another one to start moving this scale. :cry

Here you go... Renewal Option: bodybugg Web Subscription Monthly Recurring ($14.95) bodybugg Web Subscription 1 Month Only ($29.95) bodybugg Web Subscription 3 Months ($39.95) bodybugg Web Subscription 12 Months ($99.95) I got this off of the Welcome to myApex! website.

Stacy 73… 43 TulipStar…22 Mdicurn…30 time4me…27.8 Magooz07…11 Caresarn…16 Klpdbl…47 Lapband4me...32 Sirusman…63 Allisarin…23 Tishamarie…49 EL1…23 Juliacleone…14 Kimmie…45 dsmit13…23 ScareDcat…32 Lapitup…22.5 mandi78…23 andrea71…28 Thinmom…23 Kellymovingon...35 flipper64...30 kagoscuba...37 Lucylu...15 Gurlygirl....27 Amber...39 suzygayle....31 Linda E......24.5 lbs Texrose 575 .....24.0 lbs Jennie1976...18 lbs itstime....23 lbs eastxnurse....30 lbs wannabthin...26 lbs Going for another fill on Wednesday the 19th and hoping for some restriction. I have lost 27 lbs by going to the gym and working my butt off.... LOL!

I use the unflavored unjury in 6-8 oz of skim milk and a tbsp of your favorite fat free/sugar free instant pudding. I love pistachio myself. I also add it to Happy Planet drinkable yogurts. Also very YUMMY! :hungry:

Thanks for the info Doddie. I won't be able to make it on the 21st. We are taking the kids to Disney on Ice that night, but maybe I can make the next one. Is it every third Wednesday of the month (19th December)? or every third Wednesday (12th December)?

Doddie - When is the next support group meeting at Lions Gate Hospital? Where in the hospital is the meeting held? Thanks for any information you can provide.

WooHoo...:whoo: Just came home from shopping with DH for some new leather boots. I used to be in a size 11 just a few months back, but came home with a pair of 9.5 Hush Puppies!!!! I am SO pumped about the NSV!! :clap2:

I am BC'er. I opted to go south to Dr Kirshenbaum in Colorado. Price persuaded me as well as no wait time, which coordinated with my time off. I am seeing Dr. Woodhead in Delta for my aftercare and fills. Most important thing to consider is making sure you have your aftercare set up prior to banding. Good luck to you!

I was banded Sept 18th. I will not be able to get into my fill Dr until November 29th. I must say that I was so concerned with gaining all the weight I lost pre and post banding that I joined a gym and I have been working out 3-5 days a week for an hour and eating low carb to curb the hunger. It is very frustrating when most people that were banded in September have already had their first fill maybe even second. However, I can't change how busy the local Dr. here is and he has been off for 2-3 weeks on vacation. My luck! I am going to hang in there and try and lose a few pounds on my own. Everytime I feel like I am getting nowhere I just think how far I have come....24lbs is nothing to laugh at and if I didn't get the band I would probably have gained.

I have a US shipping address in Blaine,Washington. It is the Canadian billing address that is the problem for me. I wonder if I provide them with a US shipping address if they would accept my order.

I am looking forward to sporting one of these babies soon. I would love to get the deal a lot of you got last week. I am from Canada and I don't know if I can place an online order from 24 hour fitness. I was going to call the 1-800 #, but a previous poster mentioned that they refer you back to the website. So I probably will not get anywhere with that one.

Remember to copy the full list of names and then add yours to the bottom or update your weight. It will help keep everyone's entry included. Thanks Stacy73 for starting the thread. Stacy 73… 40 TulipStar…22 Mdicurn…20 time4me…27.8 Magooz07…11 Caresarn…16 Klpdbl…31 Lapband4me...32 Sirusman…23 Allisarin…23 Tishamarie…49 EL1…23 Juliacleone…16 Kimmie…43 dsmit13…23 ScareDcat…22 Lapitup…22.5 mandi78…23 andrea71…28 Thinmom…23 Kellymovingon...35 flipper64...30 kagoscuba...37 Lucylu...15 Gurlygirl....23 Amber...39

vanthemanfan - I was banded on Sept 18th by Dr. Kirshenbaum in Denver. My experience with him was top notch all the way. My husband and I flew down, had the surgery and flew home 2 days later. I will be having my fills through a local surgeon here in Vancouver. If you read the thread "Considering Dr. Kirshenbaum", you will find many happy banders. Feel free to contact me if you have any other questions. Best of luck to you.

Stacy 73… 40 TulipStar…22 Mdicurn…20 time4me…27.8 Magooz07…11 Caresarn…16 Klpdbl…31 Lapband4me...32 Sirusman…23 Allisarin…23 Tishamarie…49 EL1…23 Juliacleone…14 Kimmie…43 dsmit13…23 ScareDcat…22 Lapitup…22.5 mandi78…23 andrea71…28 Thinmom…23 Kellymovingon...35 flipper64...30 kagoscuba...37 Lucylu...15 Gurlygirl....23

This is Gurlygirl's DH here. I fully support my wife’s decision to get the Lap Band and because I do most of the cooking, I have been reading a lot in this forum in order to understand her needs and requirements to make this journey a success for her. In my travels around the forum I found this thread and feel I have to chime in. *Please note: These are my opinions, not Gurlygirl's. If you don't like what I'm saying, address your replies to me. DO NOT take it out on her.* OK...My turn. I am Canadian and I own guns. Quite a few, in fact. Pistols, rifles and shotguns in all varieties and flavours. I've been doing it for over twenty years now. I'm more of a target shooter than a hunter, although I have hunted in the past. I make all my ammunition for most of my firearms, right from melting the lead to cast into bullets, to reloading the brass. I've learned a lot by doing this and I believe I've only scratched the surface of this field. On to the subject of gun control. I live in a country that has some very restrictive firearms laws. In order to possess or purchase firearms legally, one must be licensed to do so by the Federal Gov't. This involves testing for competence and safety by gov't certified instructors. After you've passed your test, you fill out the application form, which delves into your relationship, medical, and criminal histories, as well as providing two people for character references. Notice above, I said legally. If you're a crook, scumbag or gangbanger the above need not apply. You don't obey the law anyway. You’ll just pick one up from one of your blackmarket buddies. In Canada, a private citizen cannot get a permit to carry a handgun for protection. The permits are listed as available but good luck getting a gov't official to issue it. Permits to carry are issued to armoured car guards and people who have jobs in remote areas, where carrying a rifle is not practical. (Trappers, miners, geologists and in some rare cases, loggers.) Permits to carry are not required for our military, police and our just recently armed border guards. That being said, even though I am not a US resident, I have been able to obtain Concealed Carry Licenses for the states of Utah and New Hampshire. With reciprocal agreements with other states, I can legally carry concealed in 30 states. It's funny how a foreign gov't trusts me to carry a firearm for me and my family's protection but not my own gov't. Firearms are a personal choice. If you don't like them, fine. I can respect that. All I ask is that you respect my choices in owning and using them. I find that in most cases, some people’s dislike of firearms comes from not understanding them. What they know of them they learned from Hollywood and the evening news. They have simply never had the chance to be exposed to them. I have taken numerous people shooting in my time, many of them having never even touched a gun in their lives, including my wonderful wife, Gurlygirl (Who has become quite a crack shot. She’s better than I am…). I have yet to have anyone tell me they didn't like it. They maybe didn’t run out and buy a gun, but they definitely went away with a different viewpoint on the whole subject. At my job, I am constantly asked about firearms and the law, from women asking about home defence to young guys wanting to start hunting. The questions never stop and I have no problem answering them after making sure they understand that I am not a lawyer or firearms “expert”. But they keep asking. It’s funny how so many anti-gun people say having a gun in the house is an invitation to disaster, likely to be taken from you and used against you during a robbery or home invasion, or possibly found by a curious child. I don’t know about you, but I have a hard time believing home invaders and robbers are masters of unarmed combat, able to disarm anyone who points a gun at them. If they were that good they would probably have different careers. As for curious children, keep guns out of reach or locked up when not in use and educate them. We have two children under nine years old and they both know not to go near Daddy’s gun bench. I have no problem with them looking at my guns as long as I’m there with them. Satisfy their natural curiosity and the guns aren’t such a big mystery to them anymore. My oldest is already shooting and loves every minute of it. BTW…all our firearms are securely locked up when not in use. It would take crooks the better part of a day to get into where my guns are and they would be making a hell of a lot of noise in the process. To those who made references to stories of gun violence and mayhem….You very rarely see in your local paper or hear on your local news about the defensive use of firearms because in most defensive cases, a shot is never fired. Simply the showing of a firearm is enough to de-escalate the situation (as in secretstolen’s case). No shot, no story. In closing, I’ll say this. My family’s safety is important. I will do what I feel is needed to ensure that. How I do it is my choice. I choose a firearm as a part of that safety plan. You may choose differently. As I said before, that is your choice to make. If you have a first aid kit, are you planning on getting hurt??? If you have a spare tire, are you planning on having a flat??? If you have a fire extinguisher, are you planning on having a fire??? If you have a gun, are you planning on having a gunfight??? Some people want to be responsible for they and their family’s well being. Some people want the authorities to look after them. I do not have enough faith in our system to count on it to protect my family all the time. When seconds count, the police are only minutes away…… Flame guard on…..Fire away!!!