steph_co

Yes, I did, but it's a very small amount and was really easy. Until you mentioned it, I had forgotten that I did it! Oh, this is too funny. I just realized upon reading back on this that I had a dream about this yesterday. Except for some reason in my dream, the barium swallow was before the surgery so they could have the Fluid sitting in my esophagus while they put the band on. Yeah - no sense. But anyway - I did the swallow and then was supposed to go to this other building immediately after to have the surgery done, but I got waylaid. I didn't get back in time for my surgery, so they pushed me off. :think LOL - Obsessing much about this whole thing?!? Ugh. I'm dreaming about it, now. I think as this thing gets closer, I just read more and more and more on this board preparing myself and it's saturated my brain. LOL

DH and I have a goal this winter to learn to snowboard. I think it should provide good entertainment to anybody watching - that's for sure. I also plan to get into the Couch to 5k program. Oh! And biking! I bought a really nice bike this past summer and only rode it a couple of times. I want to get into that, too!

OMG, I LOVE running. This looks like a great program. I could easily get into this. I'll even consider starting this before I get banded in 2 weeks...but then I'll be stuck for awhile after I get banded...wouldn't the jarring motion hurt the incisions (I don't mean damage them - I mean OUCH!).

I'll take them off if explicitly asked, or if I notice they have shoes sitting around in the entryway, or they are shoe-less. We don't wear shoes at our house - if we do, it's a rush in, rush out thing because we are renting. I would want my carpets respected if I was renting out my abode. When we left our last rental, the landlady said the carpets were so clean, it looked like nobody had lived there. I like that. When we get a house of our own, I plan on having a mud room so that shoes come OFF. If I have to wrestle you to the ground, it's going to happen. I walk around my house barefoot - I don't like stepping in goodness-knows-what and I stepped on a sticker (those sharp poky things from plants outside) once.

My siblings seem to think that they need input on every area of my life whether I ask for their opinion, or not. My sister has this way of asking questions that just DRIPS with judgment - I've never seen anybody ask a question the way she does. I don't want to be subjected to her questions. My brother struggles with his weight, but I doubt his BMI has ever been as high as mine is - not to mention that it's more "acceptable" as a male to be overweight, so it wouldn't matter, anyway. But he would probably comment that I should just not take the easy way out and I should diet and exercise. *sigh* As for my mother - she has entered into my confidence on a few things that none of my other siblings know about her. There is NO WAY she'd tell anybody if I asked her not to. I have no idea how she'll react, but I imagine it would be favorable since she told me I have to do whatever I can to be happy with myself and if that means altering my body, then so be it - we only get one shot at this life. I think upon initially hearing about it, she'd probably flip thinking I had gastric bypass, but once I explain it, I think she'll be on board.

1st PattyPoo Nessa3678 brandymom1234 Mom_of_Chuy sanderro Holiwood Longhorn Forestcat Rhea 2nd lizzie_07 lindata KristinaDawnB lindseyann2u sconie pam726 4th QatarPhil 5th DLW Hungryforchange wnt2lose jelbel 6th Wishes4444(Ann) Diva Inside ndmom kandiceb jetti vanessav 7th Goldie1109 susieq125 shadst83 Cota129 Imonmyway7368 MyLady 8th anw5102 dawndannae stranger138 needto ebrow39 Bandstertobe zippykat QUEENMOTHEROF1 9th Banded4Life neen7171 maccy mariaxoxo4u Kristin1031 Carsons mommy 10th Selisejohnson omlagirl jen6740 12th jrsyshoregrl684 suebob Shalee04 13th CCFRA Princessannod1 Tralynn222 sschude 14th lightenup! dream'n2bthin 15th steph_cn RxTracy Hopping to It- Danna sunshiny Tete2 16th Laurieu 19th Mrs Smartypants 20th Skinny_Jill blondecz (Crissy) 22nd luvmy4boys 26th kuchiegrl1 Tishbite2 27th 731Shawty Cherlita Julie-Ann plump_princess 28th lukin puppy 29th Sassafras

LOL!! I think it was being raised with a brother only 2 years older than me, but for some reason this kind of humor gets me. I could so see him saying this to one of his friends. Heehee...now that's classic. I so dare you. LOL

I dread that face. Hence the reason I have not told anybody except my DH. LOL I can't stand when people who have not themselves BTDT pass judgment on some choice I make. I'd rather let the results speak for themselves and let people wonder.

Yeah, like I said - I don't have to worry about it. Thank goodness for that. I just wondered if anybody else is going to have to deal with this. By the time I see my family (next summer some time), I'll have dropped plenty of weight and should be able to eat relatively normally. I'll be able to decide by then if I want to tell them. But most likely I won't tell anybody but my mother.

Well, I guess what I'm really talking about is the fact that with my surgery only being a week before Thanksgiving, I'd still be on liquids. If I had to be with a big group of people and nothing on my plate but a bowl of soup, I would get tired of the questions (I'm keeping mine mostly a secret for now). And I can tell you that if I was with my family and only eating a bowl of soup and drinking something in a cup, there would be all kinds of comments about unhealthy or anorexia, or whatever. Maybe it wouldn't affect you guys...will you be on mushies by then?

Ann - 43 lbs!! That's fantastic! Good job. I can tell you're going to absolutely rock-it on the band! 43 lbs is no easy feat on your own. Jill - Welcome to the group! I'm just curious if anyone is nervous about being newly banded for Thanksgiving. I didn't even think much about it since DH and I do Thanksgiving together alone. We had guests over in 2005, but none last year and none this year. Is anyone having to go to a family or large group get-together right after getting banded? I would be so self conscious if everybody didn't know...or it would be a hello, goodbye thing.

You guys are doing so well. I'm proud. I'm so nervous! I start up on liquids on the 6th or 7th. DH and I are having our big Thanksgiving dinner this Sunday since I'll be on liquids when the date rolls around. We don't have Thanksgiving with any other family, so it works out well. I've been living it up with food. I didn't realize how much I TRULY did restrain myself before. Now that I've given myself permission to eat all the things I'd like to stay away from after the band (or at least in VERY limited quantities), I'm kind of scared of myself. LOL But the thing is, I'm kind of looking forward to kicking all of this stuff to the curb! DH and I are going to have a cleaning the cupboards party (he wants to lose weight, too - about 30 lbs). So...on a liquids diet, did your doctor TELL you what to drink (ie, Protein shakes, broth, etc), or did he just say as long as it was a low-carb liquid (obviously not sodas or the like) and you were getting in enough protein, it was up to you?

the western slope of Colorado

LOL...I guess I just keep looking. Understanding the Different Types of Adjustable Gastric Bands Kind of seems to me that with the Lap-Band, you'd have less chance of erosion because of the "cushion" they mentioned. This is PURELY speculation - please don't take this as gospel to make your decision. You could look around for success rates vs complications for these two bands. Just have to google around for it.

You can also go to Midband : gastroplastie, anneau gastrique, obésité morbide, coelioscopie and click "english" and do your own research about that particular band.

I don't know details, but found this while I happened to be browsing on wikipedia: Don't know if that helps, or not.

1st PattyPoo Nessa3678 brandymom1234 Mom_of_Chuy sanderro Holiwood Longhorn Forestcat Rhea 2nd lizzie_07 lindata KristinaDawnB lindseyann2u sconie pam726 5th DLW Hungryforchange wnt2lose jelbel 6th Wishes4444(Ann) Diva Inside ndmom kandiceb jetti vanessav 7th Goldie1109 susieq125 shadst83 Cota129 Imonmyway7368 MyLady 8th anw5102 dawndannae stranger138 needto ebrow39 Bandstertobe zippykat QUEENMOTHEROF1 9th Banded4Life neen7171 maccy mariaxoxo4u Kristin1031 Carsons mommy 10th Selisejohnson omlagirl jen6740 12th jrsyshoregrl684 suebob Shalee04 13th CCFRA Princessannod1 Tralynn222 14th lightenup! dream'n2bthin 15th steph_cn RxTracy Hopping to It- Danna sunshiny Tete2 16th Laurieu 19th Mrs Smartypants 22nd luvmy4boys 26th kuchiegrl1 Tishbite2 27th 731Shawty Cherlita Julie-Ann plump_princess 28th lukin puppy 29th Sassafras

1st PattyPoo Nessa3678 brandymom1234 Mom_of_Chuy sanderro Holiwood Longhorn Forestcat Rhea 2nd lizzie_07 lindata KristinaDawnB lindseyann2u sconie pam726 5th DLW Hungryforchange wnt2lose jelbel 6th Wishes4444(Ann) Diva Inside ndmom kandiceb jetti vanessav 7th Goldie1109 susieq125 shadst83 Cota129 Imonmyway7368 MyLady 8th anw5102 dawndannae stranger138 needto ebrow39 Bandstertobe zippykat 9th Banded4Life neen7171 maccy mariaxoxo4u Kristin1031 Carsons mommy 10th Selisejohnson omlagirl jen6740 12th jrsyshoregrl684 suebob Shalee04 13th CCFRA Princessannod1 Tralynn222 14th lightenup! dream'n2bthin 15th steph_cn RxTracy Hopping to It- Danna sunshiny Tete2 16th Laurieu 19th Mrs Smartypants 22nd luvmy4boys 26th kuchiegrl1 27th 731Shawty Cherlita Julie-Ann plump_princess 28th lukin puppy 29th Sassafras

Happy Birthday! Oh, boy, do I look forward to the day when I don't hate my driver's license photo - I dread it everytime somebody asks for my I.D. And it'll be nice one of these days to not be lying about my weight on there. Ugh.

You're doing so great! Cute pic!

Whatnow - I think what did it for me was when I went to a patient seminar and heard the statistic that there is a 95% chance of regaining all of your lost weight if you just use diet and exercise alone. It sure feels true to me with all the diets and exercising that I have tried to no avail. I honestly feel that I need something to KEEP me accountable to myself and I feel that the band is it. Quoting the following from Journal of the American College of Surgeons, Volume 196, Issue 3, March 2003, Pages 379-384 :

Whichever Dr you go for should be able to tell you which financing they accept (Care Credit, Capital One, surgeryloans.com, etc). I had to go through surgeryloans.com to get half of my surgery financed. I'm not pleased with the terms, but I'll just deal with it because the band is worth it to me. I went to a patient seminar on the first Wednesday of October, called their office around the 12th and got an initial consultation on the 18th and got my surgery scheduled that day for less than a month later (11-15). So it goes pretty fast for self-payers. I like that!

I'm really anal - I cleaned it up a bit and put Cherlita as being only on the 27th (that was her stated date). Good luck to everybody! It's getting so close! I'm excited! 1st PattyPoo Nessa3678 brandymom1234 Mom_of_Chuy sanderro Holiwood Longhorn Forestcat Rhea 2nd lizzie_07 lindata KristinaDawnB lindseyann2u sconie pam726 5th DLW Hungryforchange wnt2lose jelbel 6th Wishes4444(Ann) Diva Inside ndmom kandiceb jetti vanessav 7th Goldie1109 susieq125 shadst83 Cota129 Imonmyway7368 8th anw5102 dawndannae stranger138 needto ebrow39 Bandstertobe zippykat 9th Banded4Life neen7171 maccy mariaxoxo4u Kristin1031 Carsons mommy 10th Selisejohnson omlagirl jen6740 12th jrsyshoregrl684 suebob Shalee04 13th CCFRAPrincessannod1 Tralynn222 14th lightenup! dream'n2bthin 15th steph_cn RxTracy Hopping to It- Danna sunshiny 16th Laurieu 19th Mrs Smartypants 22nd luvmy4boys 26th kuchiegrl1 27th 731Shawty Cherlita Julie-Ann plump_princess 28th lukin puppy 29th Sassafras

Try Target. I know it's not glamorous. But I had resigned myself to wearing a bra that was too tight for me on the band until I really started LOOKING for something bigger. I found my size - 42AA - at Target. They are cute bras - I like them. I look forward to when I can get a smaller band size.

For the first 2 weeks of my month, I only did the Basic Workout (15-min workout) once per day. You can still get great results from just that. I will add, though, that I did two of the exercises from their website: Try before you buy - Articles & Exercises . I did the stomach one and the legs. The stomach one is awesome - I love that one. That's one that I'll most likely get back into before the band.