Kathy473

I have said it before about Dr. Spivak on this site...he is the most awesome doctor! I actually saw him today for my 2nd fill and he is so easy to talk to and he gets the jokes! Alot of doctors are dry and stuffy. That is a major plus, he has a sense of humor and his staff is great! You, in my opinion, have made the best choice in doctors. I have never heard of any complaints about him on this site. He is gentle, understanding and oh so sweet! I told him today that I saw his new commercial and he asked me what I thought about it and which one I saw...and I told him..."I don't know which one it was...All I knew was that it was you talking and I said to myself...'That's my guy! He's the bomb!'...and he giggled at that comment! It was funny...then he put the needle in for my fill.... ! That doesn't hurt either...no numbing meds needed for fills...he is so gentle. And he always has a smile on his face as if he is happy to see each and every patient. I could go on and on about how great he is but you will find out soon enough. If you have any questions his staff is great at getting any question answered. Congrats!!!!!

Congrats on your surgery date! Dr. Spivak and his staff are wonderful! I was there today to get a fill and there were a few men there getting their fills done. I talked to one man and he was very happy with his choice and I am sure you will be too. Welcome aboard! :clap2: If you have any questions about Dr. Spivak or his staff and how they do things feel free to ask!

:biggrin1: I went in for my 2nd fill today and asked my doctor the big question about sodas and tonic waters. Dr. Spivak said not to worry about carbonation, it DOES NOT hurt the band. If you drink it too fast you might have to contend with alot of bubbles or it coming back up. But, he told me to drink the diet soda, carbonated water or that gin & tonic with lime that I have been wanting so badly!!! :clap2: :dance: In moderation...sips not gulps. I have gotten use to not drinking sodas anyways but it's nice to know that I have the option!!

Yeah no kidding! I do have my back covered in tattoos but my mother in law is the one with her body covered!! Maybe I should offer her a free tattoo from my shop while I am there. Boy she thought it hurt to get her ears pierced! Get a tat!!! :thankyou:

:hungry: That place sounds cool! Thanks for the heads-up! My mom is already asking me what we are going to do while we are there. Tuesday is when we go to the show but we are getting there on Monday so I am going to check around on the net and see what's around and get some ideas but I will for sure drop an email to ya and get some advice! Thanks so much Mandy!!! :teeth:

I have no clue what the topic for the show is going to be. But it would be so cool to be there when they are giving stuff away or a celebrity is her guest. OMG! Could you imagine her guest being someone like Brad & Angelina or George Clooney, someone like that!? I would die. Ooh ooh! Or Nate Berkus....whata cutie! But with my luck it would be something kind of depressing and sad! BUT! It's the Oprah Winfrey Show....who cares! Right!!! :clap2: The show tapes on February 28th (my daddy's bday!) and I have to be there no later than 11:30 and it is an afternoon taping so I am happy with that because then maybe she will stay with the audience longer and maybe tape an After Show...that would be sweet! I am taking my mom, her best friend and my mother-in-law. And now all of 4 of us are starting to freak out about what to wear. Anyone know what the weather in Chicago is like around that time of year?? I know being in Texas down by Galveston it has been unusually warm and we have fire bans in effect statewide so I have no use for sweaters or coats! My mom said she is going to watch EVERY show until then so she can get an idea of what to wear...she's so funny! I have Oprah on my TiVo so I won't miss it either!!! Anyways, I am very excited and thanks to everyone for sharing my excitement with me!!!

:clap2: I am going to Oprah! :faint: I can't wait!! So now I am making a very big effort to lose some more before I go. I have to find the perfect outfit!! I am so excited! I have wanted to go for years! And I happened to check the website and the phonelines opened at 10am and by 11:30am I had reservations! I am going to chart my progress starting on Monday...going out tonight so the liquor will be flowing!! :omg: Therefore, Monday will be my starting day!

I found a great shop at Memorial City Mall....Torrid...It is a store for plus-sized women and they start out at size 12 and they have awesome clothes and very "in style" clothes. Check out their website too www.torrid.com. I went there and got some nice stuff. But fair warning, if you buy a pair of Paris Blues Jeans they have some stretch in them and I made the mistake of getting a 16 when I should have gotten the 14's, now after one wear and wash they are too big! So get the tighter with stretch and they will loosen up just fine! I just checked their sizes and it looks like they go up to a 26 in pants and their tops are sized from 0-4 and they have a size chart to help. I hope this helps you! And there is another web site called www.alight.com that carries very nice a stylish plus sizes and I think they go up to a 26-28.

Nike Shox are sooooo comfortable! Go to Lady Footlocker and try some on...they are really nice and come in all different colors!

I haven't had any problems with popcorn. Just chew it up and lay off the fatty butter, caramel, sugar and salt. You know all the bad stuff. :think That tastes....ooooh so good! :angry

Dr. Spivak is an awesome doctor and I highly recommend him. I have not heard anything negative about him or his staff. You can ask anybody on this message board about him. He is wonderful! :hail: 1-713-520-8900 www.lap-surgery.net

GGGRRRRRRR!!! My scale has been stuck since the holidays!!! :angry :funscale:But I know it's my fault! Too much of this... ....not enough of this... :) :cheer2: ....Getting back on track NOW!!!!!! :rockon:

:wow2: You both look great!

A couple of weeks after I had my surgery I was reading over my discharge papers again and it said no alcohol for at least 24 hours. And my doctor never said anything about alcohol affecting anything that I can remember but I see him next week for a fill and will ask him about it.

Oh yeah! I still party! I haven't let the band stop me. I don't drink mixed drinks with any type of soda or tonic. I do drink very spicy Bloody Mary's and Dirty Martini's. I might do a shot or two and I do drink water throughout the night. Afterwards we do go and get breakfast and that is usually scrambled eggs and grits, something soft, and good ol' coffee! I was determined not to let the band stop me from enjoying life and part of my life is being able to see my friends and party with them. No worries! :whoo: :banana

:omg: I need my fill NOW! Not on the 26th! I had Olive Garden for lunch and it is killing me!!! No breadsticks...but I did have the potato Soup and a grilled chicken caesar salad. I am still munching on the salad but this is killing me!!! And I am craving all the bad stuff:decision:....but I did get a new pair of Nike's and got on the elliptical machine last night so the guilt isn't that bad...but the cravings are!!! AAAAAGGGHH!!!:omg: Sorry...had to BF! (***bitch fit***)

The only water that I drink is Propel...it has vitamins in it and I drink it all the time with no problem. I also take the Viactiv calcium and multi-vitamin.

The only foods that get stuck with me are the ones that are dry. If they don't have enough wetness to them then they stick like salads, tuna turkey. So I try to make sure everything is moist and chewed up well before I swallow.......And remember...switch to breath mints.....no one wants to swallow gum!!! :omg:

When I had my first fill in 11-05 Dr. Spivak put in 1.5cc and it helped. I still have some restriction but I really don't want alot put in the next time. I want to be able to use it as a tool and not a quick-fix...so knowing that I try to watch what I eat and to cut down so I don't have a PB or get stuck and figure out when to stop on my own. I guess what I am trying to say is that I want some restriction but not so much that food gets stuck and I want to mentally get to where I "know" how much I should eat not how much I can eat. Make sense??

:clap2: Woohoo! Good for you!!! I am about to have the same problem with my rings. They are starting to spin on my fingers. I might take them in a few weeks to get sized. Way to go!!

As far as Oprah, I think she is determined to be healthy and does a damn good job at it...no surgery on her part. As far as Kirstie, I was on Jenny Craig before surgery and she IS the spokesperson for Jenny Craig, NOT Nutri-System and she looks as if she is losing with it and not with surgery. As for Star Jones.....you know that woman had surgery!! Just look at her. She has lost 150lbs in one year. I think she might have had the gastric bypass and won't own up to it. She is half of her weight and actually she looks like she might want to put maybe 5-10 back on so she doesn't look like a drug addict with the bags under her eyes and the really thin face. I really like Star Jones and I think she is a good person but I think she should own up to if she had it or not. I watched her interview and she skirted the issue of wls like the lawyer that she is and didn't give a straight answer. Anna Nicole Smith is just plain weird and needs to get off the drugs. But everyone has their opinion, that is just what I think.

I have my appointment set for 01-26-06 at the Surgicenter. As far as the weightloss...since around Christmas Eve...I have been bouncing around 2 pounds...they come off, they come back...back and forth. So we'll see how I am doing by the time I get my fill. I thought maybe if I lose the 2 pounds and then some by then that I might cancel my appointment. If I don't really need a fill then why get one. So, I am going to hit the bike and elliptical machine harder and get back on my Pilates machine and work on my core.

What got stuck??? If you don't mind saying...that way I don't eat it!!!

I am having a problem on deciding to get another fill. I had one 2 months ago and I got restriction from it but lately I have been able to eat a little more and I am just unsure about getting one again. It scares me to think that it is going to be too tight or I am going to start vomiting. I have not vomited since I have had the band...well....only that one night I had a little too much alcohol . And that scared the hell out of me because I had gone so long without one episode of vomiting that the thought of vomiting was terrifying. I thought something bad would happen to my band if I did. I cried so much that night and swore to not do that again! And I haven't **pat on back** !!! So...do I call and make the appointment and get it done or do I make the appointment and talk to him about it when I get there? Or just wait it out a little longer and see if I suddenly get some restriction back? Advice please! :Bunny And yes...I have put on about 2 pounds...not a big number but big enough for me to be really pissed!

Nope! No numbing here....but if you have Dr. Spivak as your doctor there's no need for it...he is SO gentle...just a little prick and your done. The only thing I didn't like was when he applied some pressure to my port to make sure of the location. Great experience with him as always.