SpecialK

Heather -- I wore the pretty salmon-pink colored coat you gave me and it buttons up the front beautiful and is really cozy! Thanks so much. I can't wait until I too can show where it has room to spare or can wrap around me extra inches! Congratulations on how far you've come since last winter.

Hi. My hospital bariatric program has a bariatric support group on the first Monday of each month. It is for RNY and lapband patients combined. The bariatric nurse coordinator schedules the meeting and chairs it and has guest speakers. Different patients get up and share informally their scale or non-scale victories. We open it up for questions for pre-surgery candidates. They actually require all pre-surgery candidates to get a certificate that they attended at least one support group meeting. Some of our topics have included: Dealing with the Holidays Vacation planning Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Overeaters Anonymous New Years Resolutions Relationships and Sex Therapy food as a Nutrition Tool Self Esteem Ask the Expert Patient Panel - open Q&A forum Patient Style Show at a local mall - its a big event in April I'm actually helping plan a January scrapbooking our weight loss journey meeting so that those of us who are taking pictures along the way can put them into a book or organize them and Celebrate our journey. I'd be interested in what topics other groups have had so I can pass along suggestions for the 2009 meetings for us. We also have a separate Bariatric Nutrition Support Group meeting separate from what I described above. Its only for post-op patients and you can come and get help on any areas you are struggling with,get ideas on food planning, etc. Finally, a group of us that met on Lapbandtalk decided to meet in person at a local food court at a mall (a public place so its non-threatening to anyone the first time to come and check us out). It is a combined group of four different hospital/bariatric centers in our town of patients pre-op and post op and we usually have anywhere from 5-10 people a month. We sit and have coffee/drinks or whatever from 2-4 pm on the 2nd Saturday of the month and its been a great way to diversify and see what different programs are like. Now, I have to tell you, my hospital's bariatric coordinator isn't thrilled with the idea because I'm finding it is a competitive thing to get patients for cost reasons, but for those of us who want support, its been fabulous. We have even started swapping clothes with each other and giving help and advice/our experiences only, no medical advice, to self-pays who went out of town but live her locally. I mark the spot where we meet with a Helium Balloon so new folks can find us in the food court. It works like a charm. The mall staff has never bothered us because we are sitting there eating or drinking some of their food but many of us bring our own Water bottles and things along.

MsCathy-- don't feel selfish at all. I had some of the same feelings of being liberated when my mother's husband that had Alzheimers and needed 24 hours a day care finally passed away that gave both her some rest and freedom as well as for me too. It is a natural release and its God's blessing to you to now rest content in that you did all you could. :thumbup:

SailorChristy - yes I had to go be evaluated in a sleep study and now have had a CPAP machine for about 2 years and I'm glad I did it. The actual testing process at the sleep center was very hard on me too. I couldn't get past the idea of being wired up and watched while I tried to sleep. I was exhausted when I went home after both nights there, took a shower and got the gunk out of my hair, and went to bed and slept for real at home for the morning. Hang in there on the personal relationship front too. I am still single at this point but the more relationships I went through where I thought this guy or that one respected me for who I was and not just for size, and when things didn't work out I was always down. So, here I am now doing this lapband program just for myself, not for catching or keeping a man by getting thinner or prettier. I forget, are you in the pre-op stages, doing all the pre-surgery approvals and clearances? That part did take alot out of me jumping through those hoops but I would tell you to just keep going and it will be so worth it.

I'm glad to hear that the first thing you did was absolutely the right thing -- checking with your own surgeon. I'm glad to hear he tried to reassure you that its okay. Trust him and if its still painful, call him again. On the gaining before 1st fill, I have heard of folks doing that because your band is wide open and you can eat just about anything so just keep trying the best you can to stick to maybe 1200 calories or so, get exercise, and hang in there. With each fill things will be better.

No fill for me today at my check up - I told him I didn't think I needed one for now and he said, Okay, from what you are describing I'd have to say I agree with you. I had lost 8 lbs in the 6 weeks since my last fill and I didn't think that was so great but he was pleased and said to keep up the exercise and he'd see me again in 6 weeks - I have a post Thanksgiving appt so I guess I better watch my P's & Q's (turkey, dressing, etc. too!) on the holiday dinner so I don't gain. P.S. I took a -62 lbs picture with Dr. Miller today -- what a nice doc!

Yes, I'd say I'm definitely at my sweet spot - I'm at 1/2 to 3/4 cup maximum at a time right now and I'm doing all I can to make that 1/2 cup be as good as I can make it. I need to get better at doing 6x a day with 1/2 cup instead of trying to eat 3/4 to 1 cup 3-4 times. Every day is a new learning experience but with tomorrow Oct 17 being 7 months out for me, I wouldn't trade it for anything. Keep on Shrinking Shamrocks! You inspire me and this is one of my favorite threads to follow because I know we are all at the same place in journey post op.

Tomorrow will be 7 months out from my surgery. Are you out there GregW and Suecasb? How are you doing? The time if flying by incredibly fast. I'm stuck around 63 lbs right now but just working the program every day. Feeling like I am at my sweet spot with only being about to eat about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of food at a time. Okay, so I tried experimenting with getting a hotdog and french fries at lunch today for something different to eat that I hadn't tried in forever. I ate maybe 8 total fries and was so stuffed I threw the rest away. Can't stand cold french fries so that was a big waste of money I won't try again. I tossed aside the bun on the hotdog and with slow steady small bites, was able to eat the hotdog. Wow -- 1 year ago I would have been able to eat at least 2 or 3 hot dogs with the buns, probably potato chips as a side and of course wash it all down with a big Diet Pepsi...as if diet pop would save calories. Duh! Life sure is different -- Good different!

I'll be bringing some of my larger 3x size Christmas shirts, sweaters, adn things that no longer fit if anyone needs those sizes for the holidays! I could use a couple 2x Christmas things if anyone is past that stage by that mid-November point.

I live alone so I'll be thankful that I don't have anyone to blame except for myself if tempting things find their way inside my house...but I can believe how hard it is when someone you love puts temptation in your path. I tripped up in the candy aisle at the store with a Reese's cup packet that called my name with all the aisles of Halloween candy everywhere and such a bargain on sale (2 for $1) but not a bargain if it takes time to lose those pounds again. Keep on shrinking Shamrocks... step away from the candy and donuts!

Carol and Niki - we did miss you yesterday but each month we seem to add new faces so this little informal group is such a blessing to me. We had a lady named Kenna join us yesterday from Barix and she is having her surgery on Tuesday a.m. so say a prayer and keep good thoughts for her. We answered lots of questions for her and I hope didn't scare her too much with our stories of being stuck or restricted, etc. but at least she knows what real banded people really do day to day. She asked each of us, would you do this again or do you regret it and we all resoundingly said we'd get banded again in a heartbeat. Take care. Carol- Loved getting home in time to watch the 2nd half of the game on TV --so jealous you got to go to the game in person at the horseshoe!

Hi Shawn, You've found the USA Local Support Group - Ohio subforum of Lapbandtalk and yes, there is a Columbus thread on it. We chat up a storm from different perspectives with those of us from Riverside's Fresh Start, Mt. Carmel's, OSU, Barix, or even self pay bandsters in the area. Welcome! We also get together once a month at Polaris Mall. Keep an eye out under the Ohio Subforum for info about the November meeting. HeatherA is from Fresh Start's program and she keeps us organized. Bookmark this as a Favorite if you'd like to take you right to the Ohio subforum. http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f56/

Susan -- aka Seebs -- Happy October Bandiversary-- I think you said -84 lbs and that is wonderful! Congratulations.

Good to hear from you Sarah. Hang in there! Dr. Miller does a great job on my fills - hits my port within seconds and painless. So nice!

Look for us between Chik-Fil-A and Great Indoors at the Polaris Mall food court. There will be a yellow Smiley Face helium baloon marking our spot.

At our Pre-op appointment, they sent us home with 2 packets of pre-surgery scrub that looked like it had iodine or betadine in it and clearly anti-bacterial too. One to use the night before and one to use the morning before I left and headed off to the hospital.

This is an image off the Realize Band web site of what the Realize band looks like and it reminds me of the original Allergan bands with the smooth inside area or continuous area where the saline goes. See what you think.

Yes, look at the Pg 2 file image and you can see the VG style of the Lapband that Allergan had in use just before they got FDA approval in 2007 to start offering the AP bands that do have pockets 360 degrees around the inside of the band including by the buckle area.

Sugarbear - I think if you just click on the Attached file area for each pg, you'll have a window open up to view it.

Allergan and Inamed are the company names of the parent company and the subsidiary company - its all the same.

Continued a 2nd post so I could attach the last 2 files of Pg. 6 and Pg 7. Allergan AP Lapband Pg6.bmp Allergan AP Lapband Pg7.bmp

Sorry folks it will only let me post 5 attachments on one post. I'll create the continuation. Allergan AP Lapband Pg1.bmp Allergan AP Lapband Pg2.bmp Allergan AP Lapband Pg3.bmp Allergan AP Lapband Pg4.bmp Allergan AP Lapband Pg5.bmp

At our local Walk from Obesity last weekend, Allergan had a representative there who was handing out information and he had actual samples of the AP bands and the ports we could see and touch and he was really interested to talk with us about our experiences. Couple interesting facts for the attached scanned pages of the brochure I thought were most interesting to me: 1. Comparison of the AP-S band to the AP-L band in side by side in one photo so you can see the relative difference of the two band sizes. 2. Comparison of the regular size port and the mini-port in one photo. 3. Comparison of Allergan's previous band versions to the AP band version. 4. Good close up photo of what the pillows of the band inside the band where the saline goes. 5. Good close up photo of what the buckle looks like. 6. Good picture of a band around a stomach forming the pouch. 7. Charts I've seen before comparing statistics on AGLB (Adjustable Gastric Lap Band) to RNY Gastric Bypass and also now to the VSG- cal Sleeve Gastrectomy. 8. I asked the Allergan directly about the potential for a bad fill episode where they miss your port if they are hitting the tubing and potentially causing a leak for the saline. He said no, look at picture of the port's plastic area that is a semi-hard plastic or silicone and see where there is a piece about 6" long that projects from the port and then after about 6" the flexible tubing begins that goes up to where the band itself is at. He said this was an improvement in design made by Allergan after they learned of some leak issues in early model ports if the tubing was nicked during a fill because the flexible tubing went right up to the port itself. So for some of the newbies and longer term bandsters who may have tried hunting on the internet or this forum for good pictures of the band and ports, enjoy! :smile2: P.S. Hold on, the site is warning me to make the file attachments smaller so I'll repost the attachments.

Shawna, yes we all had some 'challenges' getting the paperwork from our clearances into Charlene's hands. :confused: I did the same as Angie (ThinnerMe) and actually hand walked one of mine there to the office when she kept saying she didn't have it. I also asked for the various clearance docs to FAX it so that they had a date and time-stamped thing that showed it was sent and then to let me know what date/time it was sent so I could call Charlene and say that the office of so and so sent it at xx date and xx time and has the confirmation it was faxed okay. I also had to follow up with David the office manager at MOSA when some delays happened where things were sent and Charlene said I don't have it. She even had the 50+ fax in her hand on my 5 year weight history info from my PCP and kept saying she didn't have enough info on my weight and PCP documentation so I had to have my PCP office manager circle the exact places on the pages, refax just the 10 pages with circled info out of the original package. I was so thankful they would do that. Within a couple days after that, bingo! I had my insurance approval. So hang in there Shawna -- it is so worth it! Welcome to our little thread. Also, if you can consider coming sometime, a group of us meet at the Polaris Mall once a month to chat and share lapband experiences, both pre-aproved, pre-op and post op from all the different lapband docs in town and its fun. You can find us 2-4 pm at the Food Court tucked in between Chik-Fil-A and Great Indoors. The meeting for October is tomorrow October 11.

Juli - that is so exciting. Keep us posted on how it goes with Dr. Shah. I was very impressed with his results. Here is his website link for anyone who wants to check it out. Very impressive Before/Afters. Columbus Institute of Plastic Surgery - Serving Columbus and Dayton, Ohio