ava

My MinPin's name is Caesar. For your little fluff-bunny, I like Coco (like Coco Chanel). I think little dogs should have BIG names. :bananajump:

Big Dog, you rock! I'm so happy for you and your family.

Interesting question and one I've struggled with myself. When I chose to be banded, I only told 5 people. I had to explain to each of them what the surgery was (reversable, laproscopic, etc) before they would be supportive. Each thought that I was going to have RnY and they were worried about me having my insides rearranged. Okay...that's nice. My friends were worried about my overall health. Since having the surgery, I've told many more people because I want to scream from the rooftops about how great it is. I have yet to find anyone who has blatently said "you took the easy way out" but I have one friend who won't discuss it with me at all. She was about 400lbs and has lost over 100lbs through diet and exercise. I KNOW that she's jealous and angry because she thinks I did it the easy way. However, I also know that, if she'd had the money, she would have chosen surgery too. It's a conundrum.

Prior to surgery, I never weighed myself - didn't even own a scale. Post-surgery, I was going in to either the doctor or the nutritionist every week for 4 weeks so I got weighed there. I don't see the nutritionist again for a couple of months so I was forced to buy a scale - I'm supposed to weigh myself once a week and keep a diary of my weight loss. This helps me ensure that I'm losing 1-2 lbs a week. Now I tend to weigh myself every morning (my nutritionist said it's better to weigh yourself in the early evening because most people are dehydrated in the morning) but I try to only take the weekly weight to heart.

I'm a hard-stop girl. I can eat just about anything (except super-spicey food) including breads, rice, etc. so I have to be very careful about eating my proteins first, veggies second, starches dead-last. By the time I get to starches, one bite makes me want to puke. That's when I know I'm full - usually 1.5 to 2 cups of food.

I had the option of going home the same day or staying overnight. Since I was self-pay and had already paid for overnight, I opted to stay. I was too tired and it was too cold to try to go home. My surgery was Monday at noon and I was giving the okay to go home at 6pm. I went home Tuesday morning at about 11.

This idea of looking older after weight loss has been a concern of mine for years - even before surgery. I'm 44 but consistently get mistaken for being in my late 20's or early 30's. I'd hate to actually start looking my age.... So, when I started this journey I looked into lotions that would help restore the elasticity of my skin. Cocoa butter seems to be the best but then you go around smelling like chocolate all the time. I don't know what the answer is - I'm just keeping my fingers crossed.

I've found, post-op, that I can eat just about anything in moderation. The simple act of eating about 1/3 of my pre-op intake is enough to have me losing an average of 1.5 lbs per week. Today I officially hit the 20lbs loss mark! - I guess I should update my ticker....

Since I was just banded a few weeks ago, I feel a little silly filling out this poll. But I love my surgeon and, so far, my experience has been very, very positive. Run this poll again in 6 months and let's see how I'm doing then!

Wow! Brad got the deal of the century there. It would be worth a trip to UT for that price and that value. I self-paid in WI and it was $18K for all hospital and clinic fees plus lots of pre- and post-op visits/support/fills included. I get a year of nutritionist visits (actually, she's watching me like a hawk!), my fills for a year, my surgeon visits 90 days, and a free monthly support group. Regardless of the price, I feel like I got a great deal. I love my "team" and feel like they're always available for me. My experience has been very positive. (Plus, the clinic is walking distance from my office! Perk!!)

Prior to banding I was a carbonation junkie. I drank carbonated mineral water primarily and was addicted to the fizziest one I could find. I only ever drank diet cola at lunch-time (and I miss it badly) but my doc said no carbonation AND no caffeine. I think I'm better off without it. I switched to Propel and that seems to satisfy my thirsties.

Yeah...I've been doing it. I made myself sick last night because I ate too fast, too much, and something that wasn't "technically" mushie. The thing is, I'm not a puker or a slimer or a productive burper so I end up just feeling incredibly uncomfortable. I keep thinking that, if I could just have a little diet cola, I'd feel so much better. Anyway... I guess I'm just looking for some words of encouragement (or a slap on the wrist?) from my peers. Oh...and a question. Does everyone weigh themselves? I've been waiting to go to the doctor's office because I don't want to get obsessive about it but I guess I need to know if I'm actually losing the whole 1-2 lbs a week. Thoughts?

I haven't had much head-hunger since being banded and, when I do, I find it easier than BB (before the band) to walk away from the craving. I've also given in a little - I figure, better to have a tiny nosh than to drive myself mad by denying the craving. Then, I usually end up regretting the "cheat". I'm actually finding it incredibly easy to eat well.

Mine was $7,500 for the Bariatric Clinic costs (including all pre- and post-op testing and fills for 1 year) and $12,000 for the hospital. So...just under $20,000 total.