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I also have UHC through Methodist. My husband works for The Methodist Hospital, so my surgery was covered 100%. I love my doc - Robert Marvin. He was the first surgeon at Methodist to do the lap band procedure. He has a wonderful bedside manner & he has a wonderful staff. Good luck & best wishes!

Hi Miz Judie! I was raised in Katy & hopefully will be moving back within the next couple of years. I currently live in far north east Richmond - so I'm not too far away. I hope there is a support group in Katy - I would come!

Absolutely no regrets. It is the best thing that I have ever done for myself! Over all, it has not been as difficult as I had anticipated. The worse part prior to this whole experience was the fear of the unknown. I wish you the best of luck with your new life!

Over the past 7 months - there have been many wonderful WOW moments. Here are my top 5: #5 - Crossing my legs for the first time in several years #4 - Pulling a size 20 off of a clothing rack only to discover that I was down to a size 14 #3 - I was running errands and I ran into an old friend of mine & I said "Hello" - she just starred at me - didn't say anything. I asked her if she was OK. She finally smiled & said... "I didn't recognize you... you look fantastic!" #2 - When a male co-worker asked if my husband was a jealous man - then said that he should be because I was looking good! And finally..... #1 - I have a friend that I haven't seen in several months since I was banded. Her 18 yr old son recently started working for my company. At our last get-together, my friend pulled me aside & said that when her son got home after his first day at work he said, "Mom - Have you you seen Tanya lately? She's HOT!" OMG - I haven't been called HOT in several years - much less by an 18 yr old! I look forward to many many more WOW moments!

Jamie, CONGRATULATIONS!!!! :clap2: What an accomplishment - truly inspiring.

:clap2: Congratulations to all of my fellow November 2005 bandsters!! Can you believe that it is already our 6 mo bandiversary?! I've lost 65 lbs so far & I am feeling great! My weight loss has stalled over these past 2 weeks, so I will be going in soon for another fill. Best wishes everyone :gluck:

You have done amazingly well! Thanks for sharing & giving the rest of us inspiration!

I thought of one more... If you no longer get PIS*ED OFF :uwelcome: because someone took food from your plate without asking (you even welcome it now!), you might be a bandster.

I needed the laughs - thanks everyone! If you prefer to eat your meals with your 1 yr old baby because it helps slow you down, you might be a bandster. If you can make 5 meals out of one resturant entree, you might be a bandster.

Oh Crystal, I am so sorry to hear about Astro. I can truly sympathize - I had to put my 14yr old cat, Reese, to sleep 1-1/2yrs ago. I had him since he was a kitten. He was my baby boy. Totally broke my heart. It didn't help that I was 3 month pregnant at time - my emotions were all over the place! The old saying true: "time heals all wounds". Just know that it does get better with time. Take care.

I had my first fill on 12/15/06 - 2cc. At the end of my appointment, my doc said - "don't forget, 2 days liquids, then 2 days soft foods..." What?! I didn't know that I would have to go back to liquids & soft foods after every fill :mad: . Is this the routine protocol for everyone or is it just my doc's policy? I'd like to hear from some of you out there... (PS: Happy New Year!)

I love the Atkins Advantage Shakes. Chocolate Delight is may favorite! Just make sure that you drink them when they are really cold.

Hi Heather! I recently had my first fill 2 cc. Didn't do the fluoroscope . This is really bad, but I don't even know my band size. I'm going to have to ask when I go back in a few weeks. Since my fill, I have experienced "stuck" food- twice. OMG, I wanted to die! It hurt so bad . I wasn't chewing well enough & I wasn't drinking enough Water through out the day. I've learned my lesson. After my fill, I was told to go back to 2 days of liquids, then 2 days of soft foods. Did any of you have to do that? I HATE the liquid stage!

OMG - sounds so yummy. I'm going to try one when I get home from work today. I love, love, LOVE anything with peanut butter & chocolate. Thanks Theresa for the recipe!

What you're going through is very normal. Everyone has experienced the pre-op jitters. I can't tell you how many times I thought about not doing it. The day of my surgery, I came very close to walking out of the hospital - my surgery was delayed by 5 hours! Deep in my heart, I knew that this surgery was the best thing for me. Even though I am newly banded (11/17/05) I have absolutely no regrets. Recovery was a breeze. The whole process has gone a lot smoother than I anticipated. Best of luck to you in whatever you may decide to do.