Sherrie

Never heard this. Hmmm....surely would like to know!

Sorry to hear that Angie - my prayers are with you!

I was told empty stomach. I had my first fill yesterday. He poked me with a little needed and numbed me up. Then I felt nothing at the fill. Good luck!

Decrease your carbohydrate intake. Good luck!

Speaking of DS.. I got my first fill yesterday and as I was waiting for the doc - this gorgeous blonde woman - MAYBE a size 2 if not a 0 came frolicking in the office. She signed in and I turned to my friend and said, "Hmmm... he must do other stuff besides bariatrics!" She laughed. This woman had a flat tummy and no skin issues - Long story short - the doc ended up telling me that she was underweight and it can be very hard to convince his DS patients to eat more :-) I said... wow - that woman used to be fat??? He said he could not discuss her - you know HIPPA... but he only does DS on people with BMIs over 60. He also did admit to doing her tummy tuck. No kidding.

My first mushie was a soft banana and it was the most joyous fruit ever consumed :-) Today they make a variety of different applesauces... pineapple, strawberry, grape, granny smith etc. Enjoy!

Nerves are normal. If your faith is strong, then you probably believe that if your surgery day is your time to go home with the Lord - then there you will go. Put your mind on a good recovery. I went to Mexico and made it with only 1 good freak out moment :-) (when the non-English speaking student nurse couldn't find a vein....) Good luck.

Hi! I got my first fill yesterday. I went to see Dr. Gonzales in Winston-Salem. $250.00 FYI I really liked him a lot. He said I was an "easy stick." Got me on the first shot and put in 2cc. I am not sure I have restriction - because I am on liquids & mushies - but here's hoping. He said it was unrealistic to try and achieve my goal weight. He says that banders lose 50% of their excess weight. There are overachievers at 80% and under acheivers at 30%. I told him I was gonna be an overacheiver. This was too darn expensive for anything else! BTW - I asked him why a clearly asian person had a mexican name. He told me that it was NOT a mexican name, it was a SPANISH name. And it was because he is from the Phillipines who were invaded and conquered by the Spanish 300 years ago. They left their names behind. Hence, Eduardo Gonzalez. :-)

welcome!!!

Amen. I did the same thing with a hot dog. Holy smoke. Thought I was having a heart attack.

Our meeting was great!!!!! I had a fun lunch and spent HOURS at Concord Mills... and the money to match it :-( but I got tons of Christmas shopping done. I am buying clothes for the kids, because I refuse to buy them for me! Dianne - YES!! YES!! YES!! I am totally serious about the painting!!!

Just hang in there!!!!

Be careful. I ate cream of potato soup .. on day 7 (after the first of only real liquids) and thought I was going to die. Someone started stabbing me with an ice pick in the shoulder... it was my only truly bad experience - so I am a bit gunshy. Everyone is different... but EAT SLOWLY!!!!!!!

Hey - just wanted to let you know I decided to go with Dr. Gonzales for my first fill. I actually ended up talking to him on the phone. I called the office and his staff was in Texas at a training seminar - he was in catching up on some paperwork and answered the phone. He took the time to talk to me about the surgery, Mexico, his diet and excersise plan for me... it was pretty funny. I even told him that I met a girl in Mexico who was there for a revision lap band because her port tube got punctured during a fill. He called her by name and admitted he caused the leak. He said it was because she refused flouroscopy. He says he likes to do them in the office and will if possible - but will not do it if he cannot feel your port. Heck - I can feel my port now. That shouldn't be an issue. I go in on November 16th. LOOKING FORWARD TO RESTRICTION!!!!!!! BTW - Halloween candy is small and evil.

I would call around - are there other offices in your network? Find out the requirements from your ins. company and see if you qualify up front. I did not qualify b/c my BMI was too low... but I also found out that they required a 6 month physician supervised diet plan with exercise profile prior to surgery. If you have a crazy requirement like that - it won't matter.

Count me in girl - I lost 17 pounds in 2 weeks... now I have gone a week and a half without losing anything. In fact I have gained a pound or two depending on the day. I think your body freaks out from lack of food. I am just eating whatever feels good right now. I think healing is more important than weight loss until your first fill. Don't worry about it. We are in this FOREVER. I will pick up the obession on November 17th......... :0)

Hmmmm... I was told not to worry about not drinking during meals until I get my first fill. I still drink when I eat. Helps a lot. I just worry about healing. Sometimes it is confusing when everyone hears something different.

I am planning to make the drive :-) Someone offered to go shopping after.......

Just remember that kids are so much different when it comes to operations. Their little bodies heal so much faster than ours. The younger the better when it comes to quick recoveries. Don't let his strength break your heart - let it inspire you. He is strong because he trusts you. When a child truly trusts his caregivers, they are stronger and less afraid. The best thing you can do is be strong, happy and positive for him. Look at the surgery as a good thing. Yay Curtis is going to have his tummy fixed! We are so happy the doctors know how to help Curtis!! We will all be thinking of you!!!!

I loved diet coke before I was banded. Now, I tried an itsy bitsy little sip and my band hates it. My band hates iced tea too. So far, it only likes Water, coffee and juice (but I don't really like juice). Everyone is different. Do what feels right. Why take chances? No one needs soda.

I went to Dr. Sanchez in Monterrey. Ready4Achange.com. I qualified for their "fast track" program. I paid $7999 plus my plane ticket which was $438.00. No other costs - they take care of everything. Have you tried carolina surgical center in Greensboro? They accept medicare - as far as I remember. My BMI was too low, so my insurance wouldn't pay - so I went to Mexico.

I did not have a pre-op diet... but I know a lot of docs require it. I had to do liquids after ... Clear Liquids. If your liquids do not have to be clear... I would recommend butter pecan Ensure with about a cup of ice blended into a milkshake. It saved me. And they taste good. I am now on the mushies (thank goodness). Refried Beans mashed potatoes applesauce oatmeal scrambled eggs grits cream of wheat Good luck!!!

I had surgery on Thursday. Flew home for 3 1/2 hours on Saturday (not fun!). I did four loads of laundry on Sunday. Cleaned the playroom on Monday and went back to the job that pays on Tuesday. I would just be careful of lifting. Everyone is different - plan for the worst and hope for the best!

This was a great thread. I was very interested in the responses my self... as newly banded!!

My BMI was 36 when I started this process. My insurance would pay for it - no questions at 40; or they would pay at 35+ with 2 comorbidities. They are VERY strict about the co-morbidities. They have to be documented and diagnosed by a physician. For example... hyperlipidemia is a comorbidity - so I had my cholesterol checked. It was 236, which is not normal, but my doc said I did not need meds - so that didn't count. I am not on ANY other meds... no HBP, no diabetes. sleep Apnea is a comorbidity (which I don't have) but you need a sleep study to document it. Osteoarthritis is one, but you have to prove it. I went to an orthopedist and he says my knee pain was not OA= that my XRAYS looked great. The moral of my story ... self pay. Good luck!!!