jnbwilds

Well - looks like you got good "saggy skin" answers. I'll try and tackle the others. The amount of time between initial consult and surgery depends largely on your payment method. If you self-pay, it can take as little as 30 days. If you have insurance red-tape to get through, or a requirement for a 6 month supervised diet as some insurance demands - it can take, well....up to 6 months. I do a lot of business lunches too - and have 2 strategies for dealing with them. First, I almost always carry a protein shake meal replacement in my purse just in case I hit a meal I just can't eat. Second, I can usually eat parts of what is served. Since the band is primarily helpful in portion size control - you can often just eat half of what you are served. If sandwiches are provided - I usually eat just the insides, to avoid both the carb-factor in the bread and the fact that bread can get stuck in the band. Hope that is helpful. Good luck on your journey.

You sound just like me! I started with a BMI of 40, had the same health problems and was also self-pay. Congratulations on a brave and wise decision! I noticed many of my health problems start to resolve within weeks of my surgery. Welcome to the forum!

Seriously?!? 2002?? Wow - please tell us how you are doing? How much have you lost? Any complications? We are suckers for information from long term bandsters!

Ha! You're funny! I'm sure any stick-poking or hair-braiding would only have made my initial appointments more exciting! You should find the consult to be pretty routine and informational. (Although who knows what they might do with your hair while you are unconscious during surgery) Good luck with your appointment and congratulations on making the decision to pursue the band!

I think it's a guy thing! LOL! My husband will feel it, but is a little weirded out by it. He was that way when I was pregnant with our boys too - especially with the first pregnancy! I would say, "oh honey, look here's an elbow sticking out, come feel it!" and he would kind of touch it really carefully. But here's the funny thing - I was speaking at one of my doctor's informational seminars and a participant asked me if the port was visible. I said no, but pulled up my shirt and offered that she could touch it if she wanted. Several people at the seminar said, "ewwww", but after the first woman walked up and felt it, they actually made a line behind her to come feel it!! LOL! I think some people might be afraid that they will hurt you, or they are just grossed out by foreign bodies.

My family was driving home (from walking the 5K Race for the Cure - which was a victory itself). My mother in law was in the car sitting in the backseat. I'd eaten a few bites of my son's apple once we got back to the car. We're stuck in traffic trying to get out of downtown, and the apple skin got stuck. I was hoping it would go down, but then I started sliming - and I knew it was coming back up. I grab a plastic bag and tell my hubby (who is driving) to get ready to explain the whole story to his mother in a hurry. Luckily she was talking with the kids and I did it quickly - so I don't think she saw it. I did have a rough week after my second fill - but once I got used to chewing better and what things I should avoid - it got much better. I haven't PB'd for a long time. If newbies are reading, don't be scared - you can easily avoid PB'ing if you follow your doctor's rules. The chewing thing - they really, really mean that.

What an awesome NSV!! I'm so close! I can buy XL tops at normal stores now, but my bottom half (really just my bottom) still won't squeeze into anything smaller than an 18. It does so much to one's self esteem to get out of the plus sized stores! Nothing against Lane Bryant - they've been good to me over the years....but it is time for me to move on!

There are a lot of ways to sneek in vitamins! When I make my morning coffee (decaf or half caf of course!) I toss in 1 tbsp of Carnation Instant Breakfast, 1 tbsp of Benefiber w/ Vitamin B, and 1tbsp of Ovaltine, which has lots of Vitamins in it. This brew tastes like a mocha, and has a good chunk of my daily vitamins in it. The Viactive chews are also pretty decent, and of course, if you work in high nutritional value fruits and veggies you can get a lot of vitamins without taking the supplement! I try to eat spinach, blueberries and apples regularly (not together of course).

Wendy, I have one. My surgeon had asked me to do just one video, but after my husband and I did the one (and hubby got to play with our video editing software) we got hooked and decided to turn it into a blog. The link to my blog is in my signature. I just posted one where we filmed my second fill. There's another one that is pretty good - from "bandinme" - she does a good job. I agree - avoid the ones that are whiners, or aren't informational! Enjoy!

I am staying on plan today because 1) It is Friday and I usually start screwing up on the weekends, and 2) I am speaking at my surgeon's informational seminar in 2 weeks and I'd like there to be a nice difference between my "before" picture and what I look like now!

Hi Karen!! Thank you SO MUCH! You guys are so kind. It's actually so comforting to see that we are all going into that same stage of plateaus and the mid-point hump that we have to get over! I'm glad you are finally breaking through. After a few weeks of messing with the same 1 or 2 lbs, I finally broke the plateau early this week and about 4 lbs dropped off. Hopefully I can stay on a roll! The exercise is a struggle for me too. I'll never be a gym rat - never. So I'm trying to just add activity like gardening and bike riding with my hubby and boys. Let us know how that 3rd fill goes!! Be careful girl! I think my second fill will correlate to your third because my surgeon put in 3 cc's at the time of surgery. I was SO much more restricted after that second. In fact - I can't do scrambled eggs anymore unless I have them at dinner (things are tight in the morning). Chew until your jaw hurts!!! Can't wait to hear how you're doing!

You are brave and I am jealous. Any sort of organized sport event causes me to flashback to junior high and the horror of 1) my chubby white thighs sticking out of mustard yellow gym shorts, and 2) always being the last person picked for a team due to my tendancy to run AWAY from balls instead of toward them. You rock - and I'm sure the exercise will be great. Let us know how it goes!

Things that have stuck: 1. Hot Dog / Bratwurst (what was I doing eating those in the first place?) 2. Canned spinach - made a stringy spinach ball that came right back up. 3. meat (pork, chicken, steak) - although if it isn't too dry and I chew well, I have better luck. 4. Apple - I think it was the skin Things I thought might get stuck, but haven't 1. Pasta, rice, mashed potatoes - although to be fair, I only eat these things rarely and in small portions due to the carb factor. 2. Lettuce - yay for salads! It's interesting that we're all in the same stage of being pretty restricted and having to learn what works and doesn't for each of us individually!

Most pills go down just fine. Really large vitamins can be difficult, but I haven't had any prescribed meds get stuck.

I was self pay and it has been worth every penny. You can't put a price tag on your good health, self esteem and energy.

Congratulations on taking the first step! I will actually be speaking at my surgeon's information seminar on that same date! There is tons of information on this forum, just read through the Beginner forums and you'll learn more than you probably want to know! Good luck on your journey.

Congratulations on your surgery and welcome to the forum! Hopefully the shoulder pain will ease up soon. The best part of the liquid diet is the quick weight loss - but it does get boring!

Welcome to the forum! It sounds like you are doing a great job of preparing yourself and learning new habits! Most of us were yo-yo dieters also, and the band is a great tool to keep you on track. Good luck!

Kim, Congratulations on taking these first steps! Welcome to the forum - you will certainly learn a lot. The best thing about the forum though is just having a support group of people who know EXACTLY what you're going through. Good luck with your pre-op diet!

Most surgeons will ask patients to do an all liquid pre-op diet for a few weeks, and almost all surgeons will require a graduated diet post op which includes Clear liquids, full liquids, puree and then soft foods. If your surgeon and dietician allow (some make you buy their own brand) it is a great idea to try out different shakes and see what you like best. You'll definately be drinking a LOT of them. Even now - months out, my lunch is a Protein shake most days. I personally like all the Muscle Milk shakes, as well as the chocolate Royal Atkins Advantage shakes (stay away from their other flavors - nasty)

Good luck with the insurance process! It can be a pain in the rear! Welcome to the forum!

Aww! Thank you! Yes, I'm tall - 5'11'' actually - so I've always been able to pull off a few more pounds. Unfortunately I used that as an excuse to get all the way into the 280's. Eek! I definately feel like I'm fighting harder for the weight loss now that I'm 3 months out. But I guess that's ok - I knew the band would just be a tool and I would still have to work it. I don't know of any great face exercises, but if anyone hears of some - let me know! I feel the same way! I'm not sure why I still have more than one chin even though I've lost 50 lbs! Perhaps its that I was still in my 20's last time I weighed this much and now my flesh is just more wobbly! LOL! And...Jack watched my video?!! Yay!! - Jack I love your posts. Thanks for peeking at my blog!

Hey all. I've been documenting my journey via video blog and I just posted my 3rd episode, where we filmed the actual adjustment. Follow the link below if you would like to watch a fill and won't be grossed out. :blushing:

Sue, HeeHee! The funny thing is that he is usually spot on! I think maybe the camera hanging over his hands was a little nerve - wracking. Yes - I'm glad he numbs the area. I was all brave and told them to skip the anesthetic - but now that I've seen that it takes a little work from time to time, I'm glad they do it!!