Cadets71

Thanks! Yes, I got her email. We will have a nice group!! Anxious to meet everyone!

I buy nectar Protein shakes from bariatriceating.com. Also, Isopure makes a great clear Protein Drink that tastes good. There are several threads on the board about Protein Shakes. I started one of them when I was in your position. Look at support groups, the 2008 thread, then the June 2008 group - that's where I asked and I got good responses. You can also search in the nutrition forum. Good luck to you! You are smart to research ahead of time!

George, yes we would be the beautiful people group! Just got an RSVP from another couple that are both banded! Want to hear how you got by with no fills!!! Reservation will be for 1:00. I am sure we will be there a while, so just show up!!

I am so sorry I had one too many letters in the web site for Cafe Babareeba. Here it is: www.cafebabareeba.com George, hope you will join us!! We are an equal opportunity group - doesn't matter who put the band in!!:tt2: Just that we get together for support and encouragement!! So far I have: Felicia, GolfGirl, MominLV, Katie, myself, and hopefully you, George. I have another bandster buddy that was banded on June 27th and she is still waiiting to see how she feels. Can't wait to meet all of you!!

My heartfelt best wishes for Joan; I will pray that she heals quickly! My thoughts and prayers also to her family and her friends during this challenging time. May God hold her in the palm of his hand and comfort her!

Hi Everyone, This is my first post on this thread. Cathy, thank you for thinking about doing this! I am doing really well. Was banded on June 5th but don't have a fill appt until July 23rd. Most of the time I am not hungry, but when it is time to eat, I can really eat too much!! When I burp, I stop...but I can still eat too much. I am working on correcting that. Exercise has become my big goal. I am committed to 6 days a week. I have only been cleared for the treadmill right now. I hope I can get in the Water by next week, so I can do my water aerobics class. I am only up to 1.5 miles on the treadmill, 35 minutes and a pace of 2.5 mph. I will be pushing that up - but exercise is hard for me. However, I know I must do it to be successful. In Nevada our Walk from Obesity is on Sept 27th, so there are several of us on this board that will be participating in that. You can check out your own state at WalkFromObesity.com. Thanks everyone for posting. This is the first thread I read now. I think I will find lots of lessons learned here. Also, I appreciate hearing about the fill experiences. I am terrified to have one, but I also NEED one! Hope everyone had a very Happy 4th of July!

Katie, we would love to have you!! This is a support group for everyone - no matter what stage we are at. Do you know where Babareeba's is?

Go to www.tricare.mil. ONce there, you can go itno the benefits section and look up the policy manual for coverage. Basically, they require that you be 100 lb overweight OR have co-morbidities such as hypertension, sleep apnea, diabetes, etc. You can also call your regional tricare office. I am in the West so it is Triwest. I am not sure who has the Southern contract. Good luck...

Tricare requires that you be 100 lbs overweight and if not, then you must demonstrate that you have at least 1-2 co-mobidities, inlcuding hypertension, diabetes, sleep apnea, etc. This is from Tricare. The link won't work but I believe you can get to the manual via tricare.com. Details of the coverage are available in the TRICARE Policy Manual, which beneficiaries can view online. A search for "morbid obesity" goes directly to the correct section.

Hey, Kiddo! Steve and I are also doing the walk with Dr. Teng's group, so we will be there with you!!

I understand the frustration of waiting past an appointment time and I had to make a similar decision early on. At my initial appointment, I waited 90 minutes! I thought that I would leave but when I considered my alternatives, I knew I was with the right surgeon. I decided I would wait rather than go to a less qualified surgeon. The office staff is not wonderful; the office manager can be difficult; but, the surgeon has impeccable credentials and a very successful track record. So, now I wait an average of 1-2 hours and I live with it because he is the best in my area. Sometimes we have to make trade-offs, but these are very personal decisions. I will add that I am a nurse and I have a Masters in Health Care Administration. Do I think his office could be better managed - absolutely. Is he going to hire me to fix it...probably not; so I wait. He does do all of his own fills, so I will be seeing him every 6-8 weeks on a 5 year plan. I guess the quality of the care outweighed the waiting for me. Just a different perspective, but I also understand your frustration!

Grama Lisa, Lots of us have been required to have upper GI before our lapband surgery. It is not the most fun, but it also is not the worst thing I have ever been through. Basically, you will be nothing by mouth after midnight. The day of your test, you will be given a little bit of a carbonated-like fizzy drink. Following that, they will give you a cup of white barium-like liquid. You will be asked to swallow, and then do a continuous swallow. While this is going on, they will be tilting you on an xray table. You will also be asked to turn from side to side. If you aren't too distracted by trying to drink the liquid "chalk", it is very cool to watch the dye flow throughout your upper GI tract. Many of us have found out we have hiatal hernias when this test is done. I think most surgeons want to know ahead of time if that is what they will be finding when they do the lap band. It is a common repair that is done at the same time. Honestly, the hernia repair has done me as much good as the lap band in these early stages. I can actually breathe agian, my snoring is gone, and my apnea machine has been returned! Good luck to you...

Well, I was about three rows behind you (right side also). Remember your pony tail but don't think I saw your face. Darn, wish we had been on the board before the meeting!

GolfGirl.... SO happy you can make our Sunday get-together on the 13th. Where were you sitting at Dr. Teng's Support Group meeting?

GolfGirl and Dandy... Good to hear from you!! We are all getting together on July 13th at Cafe Babareeba in the Fashion Show Mall on the Strip. It is a Tapas restaurant (small/tiny portions of different things...very good); they also have Soup for those in the earlier stages. We will be meeting about 1:00. Are you interested in joining us? Let me know. Golf Girl, I was also banded by Dr. Teng...were you at the Support Group meeting on Monday night? Look forward to hearing back from you both. There is a note about our July 13th plans on the Support Group Forum...under Nevada.

MMARG, Wecome!!! I think you copied an earlier status list, so I am getting the latest one and adding you here! Glad you joined us! Name.............Current......Goal.........To Go Bunkey1965......212..........205...........7 dreamsize8.......216..........190...........26 FeliciaLevy75....263.5.......240...........23.5 laura bough......215..........190...........25 liz_hager..........168..........150...........18 NukeChik..........227..........197...........30 thininside28......271.5........245...........26.5 Cadets71.........234...........219...........15 Wannabthin......199...........179...........20 scrappy_friend...222..........200...........22 TexGirl..............202.........180...........22 Gayle21............190..........175............15 MMarg.............220...........199...........21

Oh my gosh...I lost another 4 lb! I really don't like weighing myself, but I have a Dr. appt this afternoon, so thought I would see where I am at. I may actually make my Labor Day goal!! Name.............Current......Goal.........To Go Bunkey1965......212..........205...........7 dreamsize8.......216..........190...........26 FeliciaLevy75....263.5.......240...........23.5 laura bough......215..........190...........25 liz_hager..........168..........150...........18 NukeChik..........227..........197...........30 thininside28......271.5........245...........26.5 Cadets71.........234...........219...........15 Wannabthin......199...........179...........20 scrappy_friend...222..........200...........22 TexGirl..............202.........180...........22 Gayle21............190..........175............15

Anne, you are so welcome. I really understand how important it is (and comforting) to know there are others with the same issues and they can get better. Do you have a surgery date yet?

You are in my thoughts and prayers. It is so terribly hard to lose a parent. I will pray that everything works out as God intends it to. Let us know how you are doing. Sending a big hug to you!

Check out the Nutrition forum. There are lists of what is included in the various food stages! Good Luck to you...

Hi TravelLady, I understand what you mean about getting healthier and losing the co-morbidities. I am a type 2 diabetic with sleep apnea and high blood pressure. I was banded June 5th (will be a month this Thursday). Since the surgery, my sleep apnea is gone. I had a hiatal hernia repair at the same time and apparently that took care of that problem. My insulin is at 1/3 of what I was on. I am already off one of my blood pressure medications. Still have one to go. I have lost 22 lbs since my pre-op diet. The National Institutes of Health actually has published statistics on reversal of co-morbidities for both lap band and bypass. For lap band, I believe the diabetes reversal rate is about 85%. They have found an almost 100% cure rate with gastric bypass because the duodenum is severed and for some reason that causes a total reversal. The research on that phenomenon is just now underway. I thought the stats for lap band were pretty darn good for a much less invasive procedure, but you might want to check out their website www.nih.gov I wish you lots of luck!

About the tongs....I just couldn't deal with that, so I got the toilet seat riser. Makes it so easy to sit down and you can reach more easily...:thumbup:

Here are some things I had ready: A small scale for weighing foods later on (ordered it online) Small cups (about 5 oz) to eat out of Small spoons (like mini coffee spoons) liquid Vitamin Liquid or chewable calcium citrate Chewable Zinc (required by surgeon) Pill crusher if you are on any meds that don't come in liquid form A heating pad - GREAT for the post-op shoulder and back pain:thumbup: Gas-X strips Liquid Tylenol A toilet seat riser - just for extra comfort the first week Filled other prescriptions my surgeon gave me (Liquid Vicodin, phenergan) Isopure Zero Carb Protein Drink (tastes good and goes with a clear liquid diet) A sampling of Protein shakes and whey protein that I tried before surgery sugar free Jello, Broths, Sugar Free pudding in the Fridge Lip Balm Comfortable lounge clothes Plan on sleeping on a couch or recliner. Last night (post op day 4) was the first night I could sleep in my bed comfortably. I only took me and my glasses to the hospital and the lip balm. Didn't need a thing while there. Had a pillow pre-positioned in the car for the ride home. With these supplies, I have had a very comfortable week. I did not have to go shopping for anything! Good Luck to you!

Add me to the list of people are READY for a fill. Unfortunately, my Dr. is very conservative. I was banded on 6/5 and won't have my first fill until 7/23! I am walking the treadmill everyday; have not been cleared for anything else yet. But trying to keep on a losing track so I don't get depressed. I really neeed the fill; it's all will power at this point. It's really good to hear from all of you and to know I am not alone. Everyone is in my thoughts - when it's tough going, I think about everyone who is going throught the same struggle!

Felicia...check your personal email.