Di4AU

They ask you bring it with you in case you have to spend the night. You can leave it in the car.

I used Dr. Schmitt. Love him! Love Dr. Miles too. You can't go wrong with either one. Great staff as well. All those visits and tests will make the time fly by!

You'll be surprised how willing you are to pull your shirt up for perfect strangers:omg_smile:

1. Low fat, low carb 2. Port goes on the left, won't interfere with sleeping after a couple of days.

And walking helps, a lot! The more you move, the more the gas moves.

I don't know what you're stomach issue is, but it sounds like a hernia, which they will repair during the surgery. I had what Dr. Schmitt described as a "pretty big hernia". Didn't even know I had one! But, I can tell now, swallowing is different, and no more heartburn or reflux. None. And I eat some pretty spicy stuff.

We're still here! The most active seems to be the Miles/Schmitt thread, and you don't have to be a patient of theirs to hang around! It seems there were a group of us that were all banded at the same time and a new group is coming up in the next month or so, so it should get livlier:biggrin2:

We have more energy! That's why we're not camped out in front of the computer anymore! May 22 (my surgery date) used to have a bunch of posters several times a day. After the 22nd, it all stopped. Sometimes I wonder if I'm the only one that survived the surgery...............:wub:

I honestly don't think there will be a lot of people that are having problems hanging around the forums (there is one group here, lap-band problems or complications, though). I remember you saying you had been to a support group meeting. Maybe you should come back and ask specific questions of those who have been banded. Or even try a different support group where you might find people that have been banded for varying lengths of time. I take it you're looking for people that have had their bands for more than a year or so.

Well, so far so good with me, but it's only been about 7 weeks! I haven't noticed a lot of "old timers" around the Alabama board. So, you might have a problem coming up with some data. You may want to ask the question on the general boards, even though your answers wouldn't be specific to Alabama. I would think any percentage of problems would be the same everywhere.

Right click on it and paste it in your signature.

Hey, I only have to lose the World's largest ball of tape, a chihuahua and a guinea pig. Sounds doable!

Clear liquids are not that bad, it's really kind of hard to get anything down anyway. Then full liquids is pretty satisfying. But, those last two or three days, all I could think of was what I was going to eat first. Those were the best grits I ever ate in my entire life. And it's mostly just craving something that's not sweet. I don't think I can ever eat Jello again. :wink_smile:

They most definitely WILL NOT do your surgery if you haven't been to a support group meeting or a nutritional class.

You should be fine, as long as 3 years prior you have documentation that your BMI was greater than 35 and you had a co-morbitity. BCBSALs website actually has the stipulations for bariatric surgery, which spells everything out. https://www.bcbsal.org/health/important/bariatric.cfm#top

Support group is in the same room, 2nd floor. Hope to see you there!

Well, my goodness! I'm in Alabama, too, and have been around here for some time. We have our own Alabama group, you know Alabama Local Lap-Band Support - Lap Band Surgery and Lap Band Discussion Forum and we have quite a few active folks there. I'm newly banded and doing great. Stick around this 50's group and you will learn so much from all these experienced bandsters. They are truly inspirational. Good luck to all of you!

The whole schedule is off, must have been looking at the wrong month or year! But, it is this Saturday, June 21. They are always the third Saturday of the month at 10:30 (10:00 for post-op patients). I don't know if it's in Bldg 46 this week or not. There will be signs.

Well, you know there is a risk with any surgery, whether it's lap-band or a hangnail. But, this "table" has to be safer than being on the table for a heart attack or stroke in an emergency situation, where nobody knows you or your history. And we know that's where we're headed, with just about 100% certainty. I look at my lap-band as insurance against that happening. I can tell you this, you have chosen the best group to oversee this process for you and they will make you feel comfortable and take wonderful care of you. I, too, had to go through the six month ordeal and by the time I had my surgery date, I was so excited. I was never nervous the day of surgery and here I am three weeks later and I feel wonderful and so happy I'm on my way to being healthier. As far as the liver, I didn't have to lose any weight beforehand, but in nutrition class we were asked to follow a low carb, low fat diet for a couple of weeks leading up to surgery to help shrink the liver. I lost some weight in those two weeks, so I would try and follow that diet. Or call and ask, they don't mind at all.

Congratulations! I know how excited you are and you will be so surprised how fast the time flies. I was banded two weeks ago today and it seems like only yesterday I went to my first seminar. Good luck!

Crystal, the booklet the doctor gave me shows it as a complete circle. Who knows really. Anyway, my doctor does both and he discussed it with me and gave me the option (went with Realize). His opinion was there wasn't much difference. He said: the band is wider, designed to prevent slippage, jury's still out, he's had very low instances (two, I think) of slippage with the Lap-Band anyway. Realize claims the round tubing is softer, less chance of food getting stuck, he says no actual evidence of that. The port is lower profile (I keep poking around and can't find mine), although it is bigger around and attaches differently. He did say he had much fewer complaints about port site pain. I never had any, other than when I bent over or turning over in bed the first few days. I only took Tylenol once I got home (same day). But, who knows, I may not have had any pain either way. Seems everyone is affected differently and some people are just big old babies :confused:.

When was the last time you saw your surgeon and did you tell him you're unable to eat? Sounds like you're overfilled. I would see him immediately. The vomiting could be contributing to the tooth problems as well as malnutrition. Everyone loses at a different pace, and true some people are kidding themselves by eating around the band, not exercising and aren't losing that well. Losing so fast you're malnurished isn't healthy either. PLEASE call your doctor.

When they take the staples out, it feels wonderful because it scratches that itch!!! And watch out for those steri-strips, they ate holes in my skin.

I love the chocolate. Blend it with skim milk and some ice and it's great. Doesn't at all tast like a "diet" drink.

Don't know about you guys, but you might be running a slight fever from the surgery and drinking protein shakes made with milk. The two did not agree with me!