Patriciann

Atlantic City sounds like a fun spot, not sure of the costs vs NYC.

I agree with Donna in ref to the busy airports, not to mention intimidating rush, rush, rush of things.

Maybe another East Coast location would be as accommodating, such as Virginia Beach. Virginia Beach offers a host of convention centers, as well as a huge variety of hotels. A more central, mid Atlantic area would also be more inviting to those further south,....just a suggestion.

Atlantic City would be a terrific location. March is off-season and the hotels will be less expensive. I live in NJ and would love to attend a bandster convention!!!!!

count me in if you get a group together in NJ. I'm "down the shore". Pat

I had Dr. Strom from Montclair out of Mountainside Hospital. LOVE HIM!

Hi, I had my third fill about 5 months ago and it is very very tight. I wanted it that way, but now I need to see the doctor about loosening it. Mine has not loosened up at all over the months. I have to take a Zantac every night at bedtime just so I don't have heartburn in the a.m. I had hip replacement surgery about six weeks ago and I am now able to walk and exercise again so I will go back to my doctor and ask him to release some of the fill.

I have thrown up many times. The other night I had some chicken stirfry, just chicken and broccoli actually. Two bites and wham! But boy oh boy, the ice cream goes down without a problem.

Good news is I am 15 pounds from goal. Had the surgery Oct 2007 and have lost 80 pounds. Is it worth it? YES! No more high cholesterol and no more Type II diabetes, and hey, I'm lookin' pretty good, lol.

All I can recommend for you is to do what I am planning to do; speak with your surgeon and ask him to take out some of the fill if it's too tight.

Good luck to you! Pat

I am replying again. I am experiencing more problems. I have the last week I have had heartburnt o the point that the prilosec and taking 2 extra tums does nto help and also the shoulder pain after I eat and that is when I am able. i am having a hard time with that now again.

Hi Jelinekh..........I know what you're talking about. When I take my medicine (not for lapband) my stomach burns like crazy........also, there are mornings I wake up with terrible heartburn, but I think I may have found a solution.

I take the meds only after I have eaten........and before going to sleep I take an over the counter Zantec 150...........I haven't had heartburn since. I have found tums do not help.......but Zantec does......The good news is I haven't thrown up in nearly 2 months AND I have only 20 pounds to goal.

Went to a wedding shower today and saw people I haven't seen since last year. Everyone commented on the weight loss and I felt great....so, would I do it again? YOU BET I WOULD...........

Good Luck to both Orea and Dianne! It is soooooo worth it. I needed to buy a special outfit for a work dinner in August. Prior to surgery I was a 22-24 so I was looking in the plus dept yesterday. Finally after everything I tried on was too big, I sort of tippy toed into the Normal Peoples' size dept. Oh my God, tried on a 16, thought it was okay, my sister said, "wait, that's too big".....got a SIZE 14 gorgeous suit.

Orea and Dianne it is a wonderful feeling.....No more cholesterol problems and good bye Type II diabetes......who can ask for more?

Your in my prayers and thoughts! The worst part of the procedure is the THIRST until the doc lets you drink Water. At least for me.

What kind of Protein are you guys using? What do you mix it with?

I use Designer whey. I like the vanilla, but it also comes in strawberry and chocolate. I shake it up with skim plus milk.

Maybe someone can help me with a problem I've been having: I need to take two pills in the a.m. One is the size of an aspirin and the other slightly larger. I cut both in half. About 30 min later I have burning pain in my center chest, between the breasts. It lasts about 45 min to 1 hour. It happens whether or not I have food in my stomach. These are not medications that can be made into liquid form or chewables. Does anyone else have the same problem and/or a suggestion??????

Did anyone else have to have an endoscopy prior to surgery? I'm so glad I did. It delayed surgery for 3 mos but I found out I had two ulcers, one was bleeding. I had no pain and no symptoms. I also had to go to a lung specialist for a complete pulmonary exam. I was a smoker for years and years. Gave it up 15 years ago but always worry that it may have hurt my lungs. I was so happy to hear that I am still a big blowhard.:tt2:

Hey Indio, I too am a fan of Patterson, Faye Kellerman and I LOVE Robert Parker. I even e mailed Faye Kellerman to tell her how much I enjoy her books AND SHE RESPONDED. I also am reading for pleasure these days. I've done enough "pondering" when I was a younger gal.

Libra and other Southern Jersey folk, my doctor is Dr. Strom in northern jersey. Last time I saw him he said he is opening an office down this way in August. I'll see what I can find out. Hey Libra, I too have 31 more pounds to goal. I've lost 60 since October and am sooooo happy I had the lap band.

Charlene, how exciting. Good luck. It's a "piece of cake", oops, sorry. And how lucky you are to have Dr. Garth. I'm so happy the show will be continued. Gotta know what happens w. Alan. Not only did I have a last supper, but I ate so much the month before surgery that I thought I never would look at food again. I did everything wrong, but thank the good Lord everything came out all right. Have lost 70 pounds since Oct, 25 more to goal. No more high cholesterol and no more type II diabetes........don't snore anymore and when I have to make wee wee I'm not having accidents before getting to the john (sorry.) Am having my other hip replaced in Sept but that was a pre existing condition. If my knees hold out I will be Queen of the World.......as we all are who have had successful banding!

Hi Molly, I'm from the Toms River area (Manchester). I had my surgery in Montclair and have not been to a support meeting. It's like 3 hours round trip. Maybe we should call Community Hospital in Toms River to see if there is a group we can sneak into.

I have been doing some strengthening exercises with weights. Nothing too much, but it does boost the metabolism.

Carole, If the surgeon's office is too much of a hassle, why not see about another doctor? Also, if you write a note directly to the doctor and put "personal" on the envelope, it might help. You say he's okay but his staff isn't cooperative...........maybe you need to work directly through him...........Good Luck..............Hang in, it will happen!

Right now I am in pain and burping away because I had to take 5 pills (regular meds/vitamins). I often forget to eat slowly and suffer for it. But yes, I WOULD DO IT ALL AGAIN IN A MINUTE!

I agree about restaurant portions being too large. I wonder if it's an "American" thing. Before being banded I had no complaints, but now one portion lasts me four days. Not that I'm complaining, I'm saving money on food bills.

Question: I live on the NJ shore and love to go to the boardwalk this time of year. One of the things I enjoyed in the past was eating raw oysters/clams. Has anyone tried them since being banded? I'm kind of afraid of an oyster sticking, lol.......

I do enjoy watching both Dr. Davis on that show. I love to see the success stories. And Allen, good to know he is doing well, he was struggling last time i saw him on the show.

Big MEdicine was one of the things that peaked my interest in the lapband when i was thinking about surgery. It is a very informative show and deals with the good and bad of the weight lose journey.

I go for fill #2 this aftenoon, i have 4cc in my 14 cc band right now. I struggle eating chicken, but most everything else goes down fairly easily. Looking forward to another step in finding my sweet spot.

I watch Big Medicine on the Discovery Health channel. I love that show and so happy Allen is doing well. I read a post yesterday by a gal who is having surgery this week by Dr. Garth Davis. I hope they don't cancel the show. Perhaps we should start a letter writing campaign to the station. That is what kept America's Most Wanted on the air when Fox wanted to discontinue it.

:thumbup:

Hi IndioGirl! I definitely need to S L O W D O W N....it's so easy to eat fast and take big bites when you get distracted! I know I don't need anymore restriction. I think I need to adjust my thinking....When I get hungry...the food looks so good and I want to eat ALL of it. I think this will probably be one of my biggest challenges. Just changing the self talk...grrrr

So happy to read your post Frisky. I've been experiencing the same thing with this last fill and was worried. I feel better now. I too take BIG bites and eat way too fast. And boy do I get punished for it, yuck! That's the hardest part of this journey for me, learning to eat slowly and not shovel it in. And Frisky, it's actually healthy to have several small meals per day, so I wouldn't worry about getting hungry often, just choose good things to eat when that happens. I keep Protein Bars around, oatmeal, fruit and Protein Shake mixes as well as "normal" foods. My doctor told me that sugar free Desserts actually make you desire real sugar more, so that you tend to want to eat more of them to get that unconscious satisfaction you are looking for from sugar. Good luck to you and to all of us! 55 pounds lost and 40 more to go to reach goal! :thumbup:

Montel is on our local NY Channel 5. He actually retired from the show because his MS symptoms have been troubling him.

I KNOW that when your health is back on track you will be very happy you did it. I pray for both of you and for all of us. What a struggle! The only complication I had since being banded (surgery 10/3/07 - 55 pounds lost) was last week. The doctor "overfilled me" and I'm having a hard time eating even small amounts. But I'll be darned if I'm telling him. I've lost 6 pounds already this week so I'll live with it for awhile, lol. Making the decision to have the surgery has been the best decision of my life. Cholesterol down 55 points with no meds and I am no longer Type II diabetic. Lookin' good too, woooohoooo. Good luck and let us know how you are progressing.

CHARLENE, I LOVE DR. DAVIS, BOTH FATHER AND SON........how lucky you are.....I watch them on Discovery Health channel and I saw them on Montel this week. They brought their psychologist with them and a couple of patients. I'm sure you're familiar with Allen, their patient who has been in bed due to obesity for 7 years. He's doing terrific. Good luck to you and give the old doc a kiss from me, lol. He's a cutie patootie!

Thanks Vic, your advice is good advice. I ate nearly 3/4 of a lean cuisine meal today, chewed it forever, took about 30 min to finish and NOT ONE PAIN....best of all it's still down there, lol. I should know better. I'm not a novice. Been banded since October, but old habits die hard............

Today it took me from noon until 4 pm to finish my Boston Market "kid's meatloaf." It was one piece of meatloaf, some spinach and of course the piece of corn bread. Tonight my dinner came up after a couple of bites, but it was because I eat too darned fast. I know this last fill was probably more than I needed, but I have lost six more pounds and really don't want an unfill. Can someone tell me if it loosens up on it's own after awhile?

Hi Bjane: I had the same worry before my surgery in October. But I worried for nothing. I had no problem taking my pills and I take four a day, so don't worry. If you feel you want to cut them just buy a pill cutter, but I didn't have to. Good Luck

I had the lap band done last July . I am just not losing very much not even 50 lbs. I am so discouraged my dr. says you must be eating to much but i am not . I throw up alot because food gets stuck. the band is tight and i can deal with the throwing up but want to lose more . I dont get alot of excersise because i need a total need replacement and cant walk much do to severe pain can anyone suggest something to help me

Hi Deb, Don't fret. There are lots of things you can do to accelerate the weight loss. I would begin by writing down every thing I put into my mouth for a couple of week. If your doctor has a nutritionist, show it to her/him or even to the doctor. Also, increase the Protein and decrease the carbs. Make sure your portions are what they should be. I hate to say this, but try cutting out Desserts (even though they go down easy) for a couple of weeks and see if it makes a difference. I have arthritis in my hip so I too can't do much in the way of exercising. I'm having surgery in September for a hip replacement (now I'll two matching). I know how it is to have pain and think you can't exercise, but remember you still have a body above the knees. You can do resistance exercise while sitting, you can do a whole bunch of things without walking around, dancing around, etc. You can get on the floor and do some leg raises, etc etc. Get all that creativity you have in your head and put that energy into seeing how you can speed up the process. If all fails, ask your doc to check your thyroid. Good Luck...........