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I'm so glad to hear you are feeling good. It's probably more difficult to keep hydrated, and you need extra fluids in the heat. I'm glad you are listening to your body's needs. :-) Orea

Mackie, I'm praying for you and your husband. The puffy part just above your port incision is probably your port. It's not always directly underneath the scar. Joiful, I'm going in next Wednesday. My preop appointment yesterday went well, so all is in place for B-Day. :-) Thanks for asking! Orea

Good luck and safe journey! Orea

Congrats! How much will you lose? That's up to you! :seeya: Orea

Pop back a page and you'll see our July list. :-) Orea

Glad to hear you did it and you are okay! Onward and downward! Orea

Generally speaking, they require a Body mass Index (BMI) of 35 or over if you have comorbidities like the ones you mention. Or if your BMI is 40 or greater you only need the weight and not the comorbidities. They may require you to show that you have been at that weight ballpark for 2-5 years. Good luck! Orea

Some of the bands are installed with some fluid in them. Call your surgeon. It sounds like you are way too tight. Dehydration, etc. is nothing to mess around with. Orea

It's worth doing what you have to do, to get it. Yes, you may have to develop more patience and fortitude than ever before! I've been working on this so long I can't quite believe I'm almost there. But I learned so much while I waded through it all, I think the wait was a good thing. I am very well prepared. I know most of the ns and outs of banded life from being a long term member of smartbandsters at Yahoo groups. And I used that time to start the weight loss process instead of waiting for the band to do it all. I've been practicing bandster eating habits to the point where a baby spoon feels more normal to me now than a normal spoon does! If you find that it takes time, make the most of it. You know, lemons out of lemonade! Orea

April, you sound too tight for me. If you find after a couple days you still can't eat, call your surgeon and go in for a slight unfill. Too tight will slow your weight loss and possibly endanger your band. Good luck! Orea

Congratulations! :crying: Orea

LisaB, I'm so sorry! That really stinks, to put it nicely. I'm thinking that if you can't get in be the end of the month, you are going to need to find a new surgeon. But check with your insurance company about this. All of your paperwork should transfer, I would think, with the possible exception of lab work that expires in 30 days and that kind of thing. Good luck! Hope you can get a cancellation or something. Don't let this make you dive into the refrigerator! Food won't make this better, but it will make you feel worse about yourself. Orea

What kind of shake is it? I don't get to try mine until Wednesday. Orea

Tad,I have had nothing but loving support from all of my friends and family. My husband has come to every meeting and appointment I've been to. I know I am very lucky! (But then again, I am VERY choosy about my friends!) Orea

Josh, congratulations! Being younger, I'll bet you heal really fast! Orea

An excellent suggestion! I brought my pillows both times. No one minded a bit. Orea

I didn't call at all. My doctor's office said Aetna would take 2-3 weeks usually, and it did. I was just about to call when I got the news. I might add that I know that the staff here knows their stuff, so I didn't think nagging would be useful or necessary. Orea

I recommend the Breeze nasal pillow mask from Puritan Bennett. I bought one with my own $$ and it was the best investment ever. It doesn't bind, it never leaked from the first moment I slipped it on. And it doesn't have an assortment of buckles and latches to fumble with every time you need to take it off or put it on. There are cheaper places to get it than the site below, but you might like to see the reviews. --Orea Breeze SleepGear CPAP Interface System with TWO sets of Nasal Pillows

I don't sleep well there, either. I probably would if I didn't have to be on my back. It took me about a week of real effort to get used to my CPAP machine. I was cranky for a while there! But now I don't want to be without it. I have a battery backup for my machine in case the power goes out, that's how important it is to me. You will get used to the greater effort of the exhale, but I want you to know that there are machines with a "flex" feature that sense when you are exhaling and soften the pressure just enough to make it feel more natural. I invested in one of these (there are some good deals on the Internet) and it is my machine of choice. Mine also has an "automatic" feature which senses how I am breathing and supplies just enough pressure to keep those passages open. I have been able to watch my pressure decrease as I lost weight this year. It's well worth the effort to get used to your machine--should you need one. Hope this helps. Orea

Because of your high BMI (and mine!) you may find your surgeon recommends a bypass instead. Just a heads up on this. When I told my surgeon that I wasn't comfortable doing a bypass and it was band or nothing, and asked if he was willing to band me, he was fine with it. He said the reason he has that recommendation is that it takes longer and people get impatient when they have more to lose. I told him I was fine with taking 2 or 3 years to get there. This said, my surgeon never said I had to lose X amount of weight to qualify. (When I was with Kaiser Permanente, they did. I was told 3% which was like 11 pounds, west coast KP members have reported they have to lose 10%.) I lost weight anyhow because it'll make my goal that much closer and I badly needed to get some of the pounds off because I was physically miserable. Besides you BMI and possible comorbidities (have you been tested for sleep apnea yet?), they may want to know that you have tried dieting repeatedly, that you are of sound mind and able to follow directions (psych evaluation), things like that. Take your time, do your research and make sure you are comfortable with your choice. I highly recommend SmartBandsters at Yahoogroups. I have learned a bundle from them and it has been most valuable to see others doing what I hoped to do, their ups and downs, triumphs and mistakes. They know their stuff and are great about answering questions. Good luck! Orea

Meeting with the surgeon will not obligate you. So why not? Look at it this way: There is nothing that is so dangerous that you shouldn't talk about it. (Paraphrasing one of my favorite movies. Extra points if you know which one!) Yes, this is a time for you to ask any and all questions. Your surgeon may well explain the band and what it can do, and tell you what the surgery involves. Here is a list of questions I got from someone else: Some of the questions I asked the first time I met my surgeon was: 1) How many have you done? 2) Complication rate? How many fatalities? And you can ask for details. I asked mine and he was upfront with me. 3) If there are any complications, is anything covered in the cost of the first operation? 4) What is your aftercare program like? 5) Are there support group meetings? 6) Do you have a list of referals from previous patients that you can call and talk with? Alot of surgeons do. 7) What is your fill policy 8) Do you charge for an unfill if the fill is too much? If a fill is too much is there a grace period where it is free to unfill? If so how long is that? 9) How much are fills? I asked mine at the seminar how aggressive he was about fills in terms of reaching the "sweet spot." This is kind of a trick question, because more aggressive is not necessarily better. You don't want to be overfilled (and possibly risk a prolapse) -- but at the same time you don't want to take two years to get to where you are losing well! Let us know how it goes. :-) Orea

Thanks! The only thing I want to eat before I can't, is a nice batch of sushi. We have a local restaurant where the quality is superb. As a last fling, I don't think it's too bad. I'm utterly terrified of the Optifast, too. I don't know the details yet, I guess I'll find out tomorrow when I see the dietician, but I'm willing to grovel just to be allowed a plate of steamed broccoli or green beans! I just hate feeling hungry. Hopefully it won't be as bad as I fear. By all means, if a psychologist will help, use one! Anything to make it as easy and comfortable as possible. I was glad to make contact with my psych via the screening so I know I have her there should I need her. Another tool in our arsenal! Orea

Thanks, Kimaly! :-) Orea

Congratulations, Amy and Banditmel! :-)

Wow, doing it voluntarily! Good for you. I wouldn't, but I have to anyhow. Orea