SuzanneG

Don't worry too much, it's not bad at all. I have a friend who tried to go to work on her way home from the hospital! LOL It took me about a week to feel OK, but it was oh so worth it!!!!!!!!! Good luck to you and congratulations on making this change for your health!

Brenda, Congratulations. This is just the beginning of many celebrations! Well done!

Just since my last fill I can NOT eat white potatoes. Sweet potatoes, however, go down like butter.... yum!

I also really enjoy Jacqui's posts, she's my LBT idol. :-D However, I'm ashamed to admit that I haven't started exercising yet. I would love to know what that workout buzz is like, because I have never experienced it. I cannot get psyched about exercise, never have been able to. I never got to that point where I looked forward to it or freaked out if I missed. I have a sedentary job and I travel 82 miles each way to work. I get up at 4am to get ready for work and get home at almot 7pm. Not a lot of time to play with. I've had good luck so far with the band. I've lost 64 pounds and am currently a size 10 (as of yesterday!). I do plan to start exercising though. My first goal is to get going on my Wii. I just got the fit and as soon as I get my daugther moved into her own house, next weekend, I'm going to try to get on a routine with that and work my way up to where Jacqui can be proud of me!

I find I really can't eat it either. I'm with Jack on the why bother with ground beef. Having to spit those bits out is too gross for me. I use ground turkey in place of hamburger and it works perfect for me. I tend to like Hamburger Helper once in a while and I haven't found a one that wasn't good with either ground turkey or chicken. I too can eat steak if DH makes it on the grill and I tried the microwave warm up once too, YUCK. I tried filet mignon in a restaurant and it wouldn't go down. I can eat slow roasted, home cooked, roast beef when it's tender enough to melt in my mouth. Overall, I don't bother with red meat. The good news is that I'm off my cholesterol meds and still lowering my cholesterol with diet alone!

I weighed 105 when I married my high school sweetheart at 18. By 21 I had my first daughter and gained 60 pounds. I yo-yoed up and down over the years, with my ups and downs both getting higher with every diet. By the time I was banded I was 225, I'm 5' 4 1/2". I'm just a couple pounds above my sister right now. She's happy with her current size, but I want to go lower. I think I look my best at 125, but I set my goal at 135, trying to be more realistic and factor in my age. However, if I can get to 125, I surely will! Mindy, how are you doing with a complete unfill? Did you have a complication?

Hey Karen, Congrats! You looked amazing in the doctor's office a few weeks ago and your pics speak for themselves. Way to go!!!!!!!!!!!!

Did you receive a fill during surgery? Sounds like you are too tight. I'd call your doc and discuss it with him/her.

PennyLane, I am so sorry this happened to you. I can't imagine what I would do in your shoes. You have every right to be upset and it does sound fishy. It's a crying shame that insurance is such a darn racket, especially car and health insurance. I don't know what you can do at this point, but wanted to at least offer you some moral support. {{{{{{{{{Hugs}}}}}}}}}}}}

I hope I don't get flamed for saying this, but my mom had gastric by-pass 10 years ago and although she weighs in at a trim 110, her quality of life is next to zero. She is either throwing up, constipated, or diahrea every day of her life. It's the saddest thing in the world. She also developed scar tissue in her intestines and gets blocked and ends up in the hospital 2-6 times a year. They told her that one of these days, they'll have to operate and the survival for that surgery is low. I would give anything if we could turn back the clock and undo her surgery, but it is 100% NOT reversable. Too risky for me, especially after watching her suffer. Having said that, I do know people who didn't get sick like her, but out of the 3 that I know, 2 gained at least 1/2 their weight back. Just food for thought.

My favorite was ordering wonton soup without the wonton from my fav chinese place.

I signed up for a Wii Alerts and got mine within 24 hours! Here's the current instock alert if anyone else is intersted http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Wii-Fit-with-Wii-Balance-Board-RVLRRFNE/sem/rpsm/oid/211097/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do?linkid=j13459594k137826&affiliateid=k137826&mid= You have to call the toll free number though because they make you buy two accessories with this order. If it's too late for this one, sign up at http://wiialerts.com/

Thanks Megan! :thumbup: I signed up for the Wii Alerts like you suggested and already got one. Here's the current instock alert if anyone else is intersted Buy the Wii Fit with Wii Balance Board and other Miscellaneous at circuitcity.com= You have to call the toll free number though because they make you buy two accessories with this order. If it's too late for this one, sign up at Wii Alerts - The only site you need to find a Wii or Any Product. And it's free! I got one within 24 hours of signing up!

I LOVE Dr. Brengman in Richmond. I had my surgery at St. Mary's hospital. I have nothing but good things to say about him. He is in with 2 other doctors. Dr. Shroeder is also wonderful, and I don't know much about Elliott as he's the newest addition to the practice. I have read a lot of comments about Richmond Surgical and have never heard anyone say they didn't love Brengman. His number is 804-285-4133. Good luck and let me know what you decide!

I craved salad like crazy and finally tried it at about 4 months out. Turns out it goes down fine. I'm at a pretty good fill level now, as I can no longer eat bread, but the salad still goes down good. My doc says he doesn't like for us to eat salads, but I don't know why and I love it so much. I mostly skip the lettuce because its so bulky and I can't get a feel for how much I'm eating. I just put all the goodies on my plate and put dressing on that. Yum!

Shortgal, is the surgeon going to do it at no cost or do you have to pay again? Were you insurance or self pay?

Have you done anything that may cause swelling like PB or hurt your stomach? I know if I PB, I have to be very careful the next day because it's sort of like biting your lip, once you do it, it swells and causes you to do it again and again. Let us know what the doctor tells you.

Megan, Thanks for the tip! I'm going to give it a try.

kfgates, I'm happy to share my letters to you and to anyone who needs them! Just PM me your email address and I'll shoot them right out to you! I figured it would be harder for them to deny me if I had 5 doctors telling them that they thought it would benefit me. Best of luck!

kaninag, I have tenderness if I lay on my right side and if I eat too much, it makes my port feel tender, not my stomach. I have no idea why, but I'm fine any other time. I'm very short waisted, so I think sometimes that I just don't have enough distance between my port and my waistline.

I'm still looking for one, so if anyone comes up with one, I would be very happy to send you the money!

I wrote 2 letters myself, one about the medical need and another about the emotional need. Then I asked every doctor who treats me for anything weight related to write me a letter of support. i.e. Gastrointerologist - GERD, GYN - incontenance (almost always weight related and mine went away quickly after), Podiatrist - ankles, feet, arthritis, GP - High BP and Chol. You get the picture. I then went back to the bariatric surgeon and had him write his own endorsement and they sent the entire package in. BC/BS called me directly and said she had never read such a letter and approved me and wanted to tell me directly. I'll share with anyone who wants it, just give me your email address and I'll send them your way! Good luck!

I don't hear/feel grinding, but I do feel tenderness in my port area if I try to lay on my right side. I imagine that maybe the port is hanging from my muscle (its on my left side) and that causes it to be tender. I do OK on my left side, but my back is best. Also if I wear pants that strike me in the just the right place, it feels like my port kind of gets hooked on them, ouch.

Sounds like you may be swollen which caused you to be too tight. I'd try liquids for a 2 days and then step back up to solid food. Hope things go well with the doc. Let us know what he/she tells you.

APPEAL. BC/BS denied me the first time through too. Get a letter of support from any doctor that treats you for anything that would improve with weight loss, pediatrist, GP, Gastrointerologist, etc. If you need sample letters, I'd be happy to share mine, just PM me.