crazy4jags

Hello All,

I'm sorry :smile2: that I haven't posted in a while but things have been rather hairy at work. In a nutshell, had my appointment today with Dr. Cywes (tomorrow is my one-year 'bandiversary') and cannot get over the 100# lost mark...got to 98 lbs. Dr. C says he's fine with where I am (I'm on the low side of the weight goal range he gave me) but I'd still like to hit the mark and get to this plateau.

Kelly and Kerrie - I know we were going to get together and would still like to meet up if you still want to. Let me know what would work for you.

Let me know how everyone else is doing.

Sue

I was banded on 10/11/07 and my husband was banded on 10/15/07. I have a recheck tomorrow and hoping my doctor tells me I have reached my goal! I am told I am a walking billboard for the LapBand so I'd be happy to share my successes.

Sue

Hey Sue got your message about time problems, Sat. mornings would be great for me. Do you have kids? If so we could also go to the playground on Kingsley if its not raining. I'll meet you there, just tell me what day and time and we should be all set. I can give you directions if you need them, basically over the Buckman Northbound on 295 then take 17 south, turn right onto Kingsley and just over the railroad tracks is a neat wooden playground. Let me know what you'd like to do. I love Starbuck and Panera too, as do my kids. Go figure!

Talk with you soon......................Kerrie

I'm actually in the next stage of parenthood :thumbup: My son is 19 and daughter is 15 but I wouldn't mind a "walk in the park" to chat. I know exactly the park you're talking about. Let's see how the weather pans out with Hanna, Ike, Josephine (man, they just keep coming don't they?). Earlier is better for me so if the weather's okay, do you want to try for Saturday at 10 a.m.?

Sue

Wow! Sue you have come so far! I'd love to get together; you know I'm going to pick you brain for hours!!!! LOL, really it would just be nice to meet somebody in person who has been so successfull!

Well, my schedule is pretty easy; I actually turn the big 40 on the 6th and have doctors appointments and my seminar of the 4th, my DH leaves to go overseas for 2 months on the 5th early am. So who's ready to meet on the 5th mid day?? I have another pre-banded friend who will be attending as well. I'm pretty sure this group will just be me my friend and may be one of you guys here, ie Kelly/Sue/perons who started this tread, can't remember her name....sorry........anyway, I was thinking Starbucks, (or may be even Panera Bread) but really are these not so good choices for those of you who have lost so much it makes my head spin??? Let me know what you want to do....kay?

Kerrie

Kerrie - midday during the week is no good for me since I work 8-5, Mon thru Fri. Saturdays are good for me or maybe an early evening any night but Tuesday (I go to school):thumbup:.

I'd love to share my experiences with you since Dr. Cywes tells me (and my DH who had surgery 4 days after me) that we're walking billboards for LapBand. I love tallking about my surgery and what a lifesaver it's been for us!

Let me know if there is another day that works.

Sue

I'd love to be counted in to a get-together. I live in Mandarin (off SanJose) so a meeting in OP would be easy for me to get to. I'm almost a year into this thing and as of this morning, about 6 lbs from Dr. Cywes' goal for me to be at 25 BMI! :smile:

Although I know I've done well in terms of the weight loss, I continue to battle the Carb Demon. As Kelly said, the band certainly makes it easier to stay away from some of the obvious foods (rice, bread) I have to admit I continue to try to get them down. Birthday parties at work and weekends are still the hardest and I sometimes wonder if I'll ever be totally broken from hold that carbs have over me.

Anyway, just another vote for a get together. I wonder if the group meetings at Dr. C's office will be easier since the new office is supposed to be open this week. I have a follow up on Friday morning, 9/5 at 8:30.

TTFN, Sue

93 pounds in less than a year! That's fantastic!!!! I would love to see the before and after pics. They keep me so motivated.

This is the first time I've tried to upload pictures so please bear with me.

In the before picture, I'm about a size 22 and now between 8 and 10. What a feeling!!!

Hi All,

I haven't posted in a while so I thought I'd check in and say hello. Since my last post I saw Dr. Cywes and had lost 15.5 more lbs so my total loss is now 93 lbs since my surgery on 10/11/07. Teetering between a size 8 and 10 and now actually becoming frustrated over the lack of any clothes that fit any more (I know...oh, the horror!) My husband keeps accusing me of being "too thin" (imagine that!) and threatens to tell Dr. C to give me an unfill. I told him to mind his business! I feel great although I do realize I need to do some exercise, which I am lacking.

Hope everyone else is doing well! I look forward to your posts!

Sue

Well, my 2 lb gain from my last appointment with Dr. Cywes was a wake up call for me (not to mention my fill gave me really good restriction).

I've made up for my gain and lost another 8 on top of that...can't wait to get back and show him how well I've done. I'm still working on getting in some activity like taking the stairs at work, walking to the grocery store.

My big NSV...got into a size 10 yesterday! Whoo Hoo! I don't think I've worn a 10 since...um...uh...since I was 10?

Thanks to all of you for your words of support; hope I can pass it along!

Sue :wink2:

Hello All,

Just wanted to give an update from last I posted. I went to Las Vegas for a 50th wedding anniversary and while I tried the best I could during meals, Desserts were hard to pass up (for example, I ate the insides of the lobster ravioli but ate the cheesecake). From Vegas, I had to go on business travel and meals were provided. There again, I had cheeseburgers with no bun but had the chocolate mousse.

Had my follow up with Dr. C yesterday and I gained 2 lbs from my last visit 6 weeks ago. My BMI went back to over 30, putting me back to the "obese" range . He was really great about it (I was harder on myself than he was). Of course, he reminded me that my next appointment would be a telltale sign of how serious I am about this. He and Jodi agreed that this is the stage that it is very normal to become complacent because you're feeling really good about yourself and everyone is telling you how good you look.

He asked me if I wanted a fill and I told him to give me a "double" :tt2: so he made me pretty tight this time so I'm hopeful I can make up for some lost ground.

Thanks for all the support from everyone! Sue

Karen & Kelly - thanks to both of you for your comments; it reminds me that we're human and we're not perfect. Kelly - when you said Dr. C told you to take it one bite at a time it reminded me of when I did Weight Watchers and I got to the point when I fell off the wagon and would start the program over at every meal.

I really worked today at not snacking and did much better. I don't know if this is why but I noticed at dinner tonight I felt full much quicker than I had been. I don't see Dr. C again until June 27 and between now and then I will be in Vegas for 5 days and then an out of town business trip so staying on the "straight and narrow" is scaring me. If I can strive to just not gain instead of worrying about losing may help me.

Thanks, girls for the support! Sue

I have been mentally beating myself up for the last week or so and feeling really pretty sh*Tty about me. I had been doing so well (80 lbs in less than 7 mths) but at my last follow up, Dr. C insisted I have a slight unfill. I'm not sure how much of this has been physical and how much has been mental but I notice myself slipping right back into bad habits and now the scale is telling me. I've been staying up and down within a couple of pounds since then.

I am finding myself snacking quite a bit (I have become a 'nut-aholic') and will munch on either handfuls of nuts or a nice big spoonful of Peanut Butter. I can't wait until my next appointment on June 16 so I can get a fill again but I am concerned that I seem to have lost my momentum to lose.

As Karen said, as much as people tell me how good I look and that I don't need to lose any more weight, that can almost be a curse too because it makes me feel a bit lax about what my goal really is.

Any words of advice?

Sue

Hey Sue!

Did you get to ask Dr. C about your son?

Hi Karen,

Actually, Dr. C said he preferred to see my son separately and felt that it is important that he be responsible and accountable for his own weight issues. He said it's okay that my husband and I are competitive (my husband was banded 4 days after me) but that my son needs to be on his own and I understand and agree completely.

I told Jody I was worried that my son may not realize the band is not a "quick fix" to his weight and she said many of her adolescent/young adult patients seem that way when they first start out but that after a short while they get it.

Anyway, Dana called us Thursday and said everything's good with insurance so he just needs to get the ball started with his first appointment with the office to get his medical history. ...and away we go!!!

From a personal standpoint, I'm down a total of 78 lbs at my 7 month mark and am finally < 30 BMI...I'M NO LONGER OBESE!!! . I lost 8.5 lbs this month and getting ready to go do some consignment shopping this morning to Celebrate. I told Dr. C that I actually have had people describe me as "small" and cannot even remember the last time I heard that adjective used in a sentence with me! He laughed that when he first started to see me I could barely cross my legs and now when I cross them the top one almost wraps around the other one

I don't remember if I mentioned this in one of my earlier posts but since my last fill I was gurgling a lot...and LOUD! It's pretty embarrassing and my husband made me ask Dr. C about it. Well, Dr. C said that's really important because it means I was too tight and made me get a 1/2 cc unfill. He said if I didn't I would run the risk of the band slipping and having to remove the band :woot:. Since then, I notice the gurgling has stopped so I guess I really needed it...just hope I still keep my eating in check.

FYI, I noticed that the July 10 group meeting at the office is doing a clothing exchange for anyone interested. The meeting is at 6 p.m.

Stay well, everyone! Sue

Wow, I'm glad I'm not alone with my son's weight issues. Karen, you're probably right...having Dr. C talk to him would probably be a real eye-opener; I know it was for me. I was pretty taken back the first time he spoke to me :frown: but I realized that it was EXACTLY what I needed to hear because thinking of him helps keep me on the straight and narrow. Whenever I think of falling off the wagon, I hear his voice calling me a food addict.

At 19, my son also has never really had a girlfriend although I never really thought it was his weight because he has lots of friends and doesn't seem to have any self-esteem problems. I guess he could be harboring some of these feelings without my realizing it.

I have an appointment with Dr. C on the 16th and maybe I'll see if I can bring my son with me. Thanks for the support, ladies!

Sue

I'd like to get some thoughts from some of my fellow band-friends. My husband and I have both been banded by Dr. Cywes and my 19-year old son is gaining, gaining, gaining (college kid...lots of fast food, late night Steak & shake, IHOP, etc.) I had hoped our weight loss would motivate him but he never said anything so we asked him if he would be interested in Lap Band and he said yes.

I took him in for a consultation yesterday and Dana agrees that he will most likely meet the insurance requirements since he is pretty much at the 40+ BMI range. I've discussed with him that he should not consider this a "quick fix" and this is a lifestyle change and he says he gets it but I just don't get much feedback from him.

I feel like I need some assurance this is the right road for him. Our insurance covers the procedure and he's only covered for another 2 years and not knowing what type of insurance he'll end up with is another factor in this equation to get the procedure done now.

Any thoughts, feedback, encouragement?

Sue:confused::confused:

Sue,

What time is your appt on Friday morning? Mine's at 9:45. I'm going to try to remember to bring a book this time! LOL

Karen-my appt is at 8:00 so we'll probably run into each other :blushing: I see KatieBelle is there at 8:45 so we might have our own mini-meeting.

Katie-thanks for sharing the meeting time; I didn't realize it changed to 6:00.

Sue

Where did all our Jax people go??? Probably like me and always forget to check this thread when on site. Oh well, hope everyone is doing great. I'm having some ups and downs this month...not losing very much; only 6 lbs. down since last month and feeling very much like I need another fill. Scheduled for two weeks from now. Peace and love to all. Would love to hear from some of my fellow Jax Bandsters!!! KKG

I'm here, too...got a fill last month because I thought I was starting to eat and I go back to see Dr. Cywes this Friday. Wondering if a need a smidge of an unfill because with every bite or sip I take I have this awfully LOUD gurgling...it drives my family absolutely nuts. My husband seems to think this is a sign that I'm too tight but I don't really think so. Like Dr. Cywes tells us, I've lost 76 lbs but I'm greedy for more.

Are any of the Dr. Cywes patients going to the Bandster meeting this Thursday night? I'd love to have a chance to meet some of you!

Sue

Well I went to my appt. last Tuesday w/Cywes and ended up having to wait 1 1/2 hours to see him.... arrrrgggg!!! Anyway, it turned out to be well worth it cos' I had lost 19 lbs. in the 3 weeks since seeing him last and he was THRILLED with my progress... his actual words were "PFG, do you know what that means" me: "NO" cywes: "PFG, think about it" me: "Oh, pretty f&*king good, I got it, thanks".... now for those of you who know Cywes then you will see how weird that was cos' I totally did NOT expect that reaction from him cos' he seems so straight laced! Anyway, it was great to get so many compliments from him and from Jodi as well (his assistant that weighed me in). I left there on cloud nine! He asked me if I needed a fill and I said No, which he was fine with, but now I'm starting to regret it cos' I'm noticing that I'm hungrier faster and am eating more and more (of the right foods but still). I have so much more to go (120 lbs) but am thrilled with the success I've had so far. Hope you all are doing great as well. Keep on trucking. KKG

Congratulations, Kelly! :thumbs_down: Fabulous results. I'm curious to hear what you are eating on a regular basis since you are also probably doing the low carbs with Dr. Cywes. I was banded on 10/11 and was there last Friday; only lost 6 lbs this month but brings me to a total of 70 lbs lost. I had gone for 4 months without a fill but got one this time because I felt that I've been able to start eating more. Restriction is so wonderful...breakfast was an egg, lunch was a meatball from Sbarro, dinner was a small handful of fried clams :huh2: (I know I shouldn't do fried but, oh well...). My husband and I have discovered Breyers makes a low carb ice cream bar when we get a sweet tooth; they are 9 carbs (5 net carbs) and delicious (almost TOO delicious).

Keep up the great work! Sue

Sue, how did you know you were overfilled? What were the symptoms? Just curious. I'm doing better today, I'm back on track with the eating (no carbs) but I had a horrible experience this morning. Hubby made me scrambled eggs for breakfast, even though I haven't been eating bf for the most part, I took like two bites and it got horribly stuck... so I waited like 25 minutes for it to move and then thought it was safe to take a sip of DC but as soon as I did I start gagging and vomited alot!!! all the egg and alot of slime...very gross...this is the first time I've actually vomited. I've spit up before and had food stick alot, but this was scary cos' my whole body was convulsing and shaking afterwards. Has this happened to anyone before. Very weird that it happened after such a small amount of food. Anyway, I didn't eat for rest of day until dinner and then I tried to eat some very soft ahi-tuna and it all went down really well till the last bite and then it got stuck. I started to gag and thought I would vomit again but after a few deep breaths and walking around it finally moved down and I was able to swallow again. Very strange day and I wasn't sure if maybe it had anything to do with the way I've been eating these past 5 days??? Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks. KKG

Kelly- much of this journey is going to be trial and error. My hubby has always been a HUGE meat eater and not much for chicken or fish; however, since being banded about the only beef he can eat is ground beef. Steaks just come right back up and then after he vomits he can't even keep Water down for about an hour. I haven't had experiences this severe but I do get the "sliming" where I have to keep spitting after I eat something kind of dry (like chicken) or if I drink too soon after eating.

Believe me, you'll learn which foods you can and can't do.

Sue

Dr C is my Dr too. And my name is Katie & I am a carb addict! So, I will have to be limited on my carbs for sure! 60 lbs in 3 months?! That is awesome! Congrats!

I can't wait! I am going out to get a bunch of Protein shakes & start getting used to that too.. lol Can anyone make some recommendations? I like the pre mixed adkins shakes but I assume the powders would be better after surgery, due to the small quantites that you drink at a time. right?

Maybe I will name my band Lapina Bandita...LOL:lol:

I think I solicit my friend Cindy for some suggestions, she names everything.. she bought an RV & calls him Campy McCamperton.. LOL her truck is Big Ruby (guess what color it is..LOL) Oh boy, I am slappppp happy today

I am 6 months out from surgery and still enjoy the Atkins shakes. My hubby doesn't care for them and some people think they smell too mediciney but I think they are the closest thing to a chocolate milkshake I'm willing to do.

Best of luck!

Mark, not sure if my doctor does fills for Mexico bandsters, but his name is Dr. Cywes' and the number is: 904-399-2480 see if they can help you. Also, look back a few pages in this thread cos' I think someone already asked this question and someone else recommended their doctor. Good luck and congrats on the weight loss. When was your surgery??? KKG

Dr. Cywes does not do fills for Mexico surgery patients.

Hey Karen, good to hear back from you. I, too, prefer Dr. Cywes' personality as well, but I just have NEVER heard him "joke" which is why I thought you were talking about Baptista cos' he's always cracking jokes (but he's so hard to understand sometimes with his accent that I don't always get what he's saying). Anyway, I'm glad everything went well for you with your 1st fill and even though mine wasn't as smooth as the first two w/Baptista I would still choose Cywes for my appts. because he sits you down and talks to you about more than what is going on with the scale, he wants you to understand the journey is more about the scale results which is what I need to hear. He's also very thourough and even though he knows he has people waiting for him he still takes his time with you when you are in front of him which I really appreciate (even when I'm the one in the waiting room for 2 hours I try and remember that When is your next appt? Mine is April 8th at 3:30 pm. Maybe I'll see ya there sometime. I'm going to post on your poll as well, thanks for setting that up. Also, can you tell me what I need to do to get a profile picture up on this site cos' I tried it before and was not able to get it. Thanks. TTYS. KKG

When I first met Dr. Cywes I thought he was a bit harsh but then I realized that's exactly what I needed. Now that I've been with him for awhile, I adore him. My husband and I were banded 4 days apart and go to our appointments together. Dr. Cywes is so in tune with exactly what we need to hear and educate us about our lifestyle. (I think he was fat in a past life!)

I haven't had a fill since December and have been to 3 appointments since then and I just enjoy talking with him and learning more and more about how much healthier we are and understanding the changes that our bodies are going through.

Sue

Hey there Sue, I'm out in Oakleaf Plantation in OP and would also LOVE to get together with some fellow Jax bandsters, lmk what days/times work best for you and we'll try to coordinate something soon. Take care and be well. KKG

Any night but Monday or Tuesday (7 or 8 p.m.) is good for me or most any Saturday morning.

Sue

Hey all you patients of Dr. Cywes/Dr. Baptista's just thought I'd let you know in case you hadn't heard yet that their offices' will be moving in July to a new building somewhere over by St. John's town center/Westside. He mentioned it to me during my fill yesterday and I didn't know so thought I'd spread the word. I'm not sure if it'll be closer for me or not, right now it takes me about 45 mins. from my house to their current location. Just fyi. Peace! KKG

I understand the office is moving to Perimeter Park, which is over by Tinseltown on Southside Blvd. The last time I asked at a Bandster meeting, it would be at least May before they move.

Sue

Hi YA everyone! I just stumbled upon this site & low n behold there is a Jax Group! woohoooo I am a patient of Dr Cywes & I will be going for my final visit on Wed & then we will submit the request to Aetna.... This seems like a really friendly little group! I am excited to get the surgery & also full of questions :0)~

Congratulations on your upcoming surgery, Katie. I absolutely LOVE Dr. Cywes. My surgery was 10/11 and have lost 67 lbs. and this is the best thing I have ever done for myself. You'll be so happy with this surgery!

I live in Mandarin and would love to get together with some other bandsters! lunch or dinner sounds great!

Sue:thumbup: