jewels41

I had my abdominal hysterectomy on may 11th 2009 and Im still in quite a bit of pain yet but I know that it will be a long healing process 6-8 weeks. Once I heal I can then finally be filled and Im excited about that. I have only had 1 fill and that was in january. I have lost 45 lbs now and Im happy with that. I started out at 215 lbs and I cannot complain. I have bought new clothes and I am totally pumped that my pants are no longer in the plus sizes. My tops are an xl still but once im healed from this surgery will be able to exercise again and continue on my journey to reaching my goal. If anyone else has to have a hysterectomy give me a yell because I understand what your going thru. there is a web site called www.hystersisters.com but nobody there seems to have the lap band but thats ok, I can post it here and share that journey with everyone here. they took my cervix and my uterus but left my ovaries because my ovaries are healthy and Im young yet and they want me to go thru the normal menopause stage, which is an excellent idea. It will be odd not to have my period though but at the same time a blessing as well. I would have my period for a month at a time and it would wear me down. goodluck all in your lap band journey I have no regrets at all, it was the best decision I could have ever made for myself...

Hi I had dr. pitt and I really liked him. If you are looking for a great surgeon to do your lap band in duluth I suggest to go and see him. He is very informative and he did an excellent job with my band. I was banded december 19th 2008. drop me a line if you have any questions on how to proceed or any other questions that you may have . julie

Hi I was banded december 19th but since then alot has been going on. I had a biopsy on my cervix in feb, and on monday May 11th I had to have an abdominal hysterectomy. i have only had 1 fill as they wanted me to maintain my weight for these procedures. I am currently at 173 lbs but as soon as this surgery is healed in six weeks I can finally have a fill. Im sore from this latest surgery but doing well. sure hope all other bandsters are doing well. take care and I will try to keep posting as I can. Julie

congrats to you!! keep us posted on your progress...

Your dietician sounds like mine.. Right ON The MONEY...

First rule really is this: Do not Drink 30 minutes before or 30 minutes after a meal... How many people still find themselves wanting to drink something... 2nd rule is Protein First 3rd Rule is Chew Chew chew chew ( till mushy) we all know what getting stuck is like. 4th rule : 20 minutes per meal Just some of the rules that I follow very carefully as Im sure most of us bandsters do. By the way Did you have the lap band Doctor V?

Hi , there is a pocket bookat Walmart that tells you how much protein is in foods. we eat venison due to the low fat but its high in protein. We grew up on a farm and I have spoken to many of them about Soy, and this is what they will tell people about eating soy..... Your body cannot break down Soy it just loads up in your body. Now for me I pay attention to what the farmers tell me. So soy will never be an option. So I find my protein in the everyday foods that I eat. And I do manage to get all my protein in. sorry but just my opinion..

I had an abnormal pap smear and I needed to have a coloposcopy and they found that I have severe dysplasia so they told me they would have to do a cone biopsy and I had that done last friday and IM still a little sore. I found out yesterday that I dont have cervical cancer but I do need to have a hysterectomy and I go back to the doctor on march 16th and we will discuss it all. My gynecologist knows that I had my tubes tied years ago now but he still had to ask me if I wanted children, I chuckled and said NO. I am 41 so no i dont want anymore children. I am so happy that I dont have cancer but I have to see how they need to do this surgery and Im sure they are going to have to talk to my lap band doctor especially if they cant do a vaginal hysterectomy. That makes me nervous, they are not going to take out my band.. no way no how.. Im wondering if anyone else has had to have any abdominal surgeries since there band placement. thanks for listenting Julie

I had an abnormal pap smear and I needed to have a coloposcopy and they found that I have severe dysplasia so they told me they would have to do a cone biopsy and I had that done last friday and IM still a little sore. I found out yesterday that I dont have cervical cancer but I do need to have a hysterectomy and I go back to the doctor on march 16th and we will discuss it all. My gynecologist knows that I had my tubes tied years ago now but he still had to ask me if I wanted children, I chuckled and said NO. I am 41 so no i dont want anymore children. I am so happy that I dont have cancer but I have to see how they need to do this surgery and Im sure they are going to have to talk to my lap band doctor especially if they cant do a vaginal hysterectomy. That makes me nervous, they are not going to take out my band.. no way no how.. Im wondering if anyone else has had to have any abdominal surgeries since there band placement. thanks for listenting Julie

For me it took 8 months from start to finish. I was banded december 19th. I had my seminar april 08, then I went to my first appt with the rn of weight loss surgery who explained it all to me, then to my 1st dietician visit. I had 6 in all with the dietician. I had my psyche eval in june 08 and a week later I had the results of that. Then I received a letter that said I was excepted into the program. I always keep up with my medical so the only thing I needed to have was a blood test called hpylori ( to make sure you dont have stomach ulcers) . I had to have an ekg, a pre-op physical , a pap smear. And that was it for me. But every state and every doctor has different requirements. I have no regrets and I am now down from 215 lbs to 178 lbs and very happy with my weight loss. I would do this again in a heart beat.. goodluck and keep me posted

Hi all I had my first fill yesterday and all went very well. I do although have a question. Do your doctors use flouroscope to find your port? or do they just feel for it and then fill you? My doctor has been giving fills for five years now and over 500 patients. Just curious to see what everyone says .. thanks

the gas x strips worked really well for me and Only 1 time did i have that horrible gas pain in my chest thought i was having a heart attack and I was in walmart.... so i bought more gas x strips and it helped alot. I didnt have much pain but everyone is different. I know things will get better give it a few more days. If its still bad than you had better go back to your doctors office. But have faith you made the right choice... I know I sure did. I was banded on december 19th and I dont regret it one bit.. goodluck keep us posted Julie

b 1 english muffin s none l chicken stir fry no rice s weight watchers yogurt d chili s sugar free pears I get my fill on december 20th cant wait... need some restriction thats for sure.

Hi all my friend called me and told me that her insurance which is Medica has denied her. I told her to call and find out why so she did and they told her that they do not cover lap band surgery. She had called ahead of time to see if they did and she was informed that they do. I told her to appeal and the lady is sending her that paperwork , but the lady told her not that its going to do her any good. Anyone else have a problem like this? Can anyone offer any advice on what she should do other than appeal... thank you Julie

sorry forgot my goal weight. I am going to say 15 lbs.

starting weight 215 surgery weight was 197 current weight is : 194 goal weight 128 lbs can you add me to this.. And can I get the new logo can u post the link for me thanks Julie

That is so awesome congrats!! Keep it up!!

i was banded on december 19th and I had my 2 week post op yesterday, I will have my first fill in two weeks yeah... I sure need it. I am now able to eat soft foods and I will work up to regular meals by the time I have my first fill. I too am hungry but I am resisting that temptation to eat more. So I make sure I have the right proportions ... Just taking it one day at a time. Oh and I joined snap fitness today so start working out on Monday... Im excited I think once I start working out and I keep busy then I wont think of food as much.. lol I started at 215 lbs and Now weigh 195 my goal weight is 130 lbs.

everyone is different, I took my pain meds for only the first day and then the second day. after that I was fine. I slept in my recliner much easier for me. It was hard to lay on either side the first few nights. then i used a pilow on my left side and that went great. I now can sleep on my sides with no pain. I was banded december 19th. Trust me there is honestly nothing to worry about. I had gas pains in my chest that felt horrible but only for 1 day. I just used a gas x strip worked better for me than chewables. I got myself more worked up about the gas pains than what was necessary. But we are all different. My incisions are looking beautiful... almost all healed on the outside... goodluck to you let me know how things are going anytime julie

Get your Pain Meds ahead of time ask the nurse from your clinic to get these ready for you the day before..... unless a friend can get them at the hospital for you. gas x didnt need till 2 days after myself pillow for the ride home tylenol liquid My meds that I needed to have just in case they keep you longer than expected. sweat pants and no bra what for !! tshirt and a zippered sweatshirt . If you have your period bring tampons or pads. the hospital made me wear a tampon for surgery glad I brought my own... they had those icky cardboard ones.. they gave me my own slipper socks to wear so I just kept those on. I wore my easiest footwear. I live in wisconsin so wore my winter boots. goodluck Julie in wisconsin

remnant very well said. Im sure some of us newly banded people needed to here that.. thanks for reminding me especially that once I am filled things will surely change. I am almost 2 weeks post op. thanks for hte encouragement it helped me as well.. julie

hi luckyjyn, I was banded a day after you. I started to get a little hungry already but the carnation instant breakfasts sure help. I go to my doctor next friday so I should be able to start my puree'd foods then. I can also have cream soups strained and broth of course and other thick liquids. Im down 22 lbs now and very excited about that. I start the gym on monday for the treadmill ... glad you joined us .. julie

My URL:<SCRIPT type=text/javascript> var uUrl = "myspace.com/simplyjewels"; var uHref = "http://www.myspace.com/simplyjewels"; document.write(""); if(uUrl.length>24){ document.write(""); document.write(uUrl.substring(0,24) + "..."); document.write(""); document.write("" + uUrl + ""); }else{ document.write(""); document.write(uUrl); document.write(""); } document.write(""); </SCRIPT> myspace.com/simplyjewels add me everyone to your myspace. would love to chat with everyone!! julie

hi and welcome jersey shore. all of us here would be happy to answer any questions you can wing at us.. lol It is a long process it took me 8 months from the first seminar to being banded a week ago. so dont hesitate to ask questions everyone here is very helpful.. but keep reading the posts and find a mentor. there is a spot here for that as well, my mentor is carrie and she is awesome

I have now lost 22 lbs since december 5th and being banded on december 19th. I have well surpassed my goal but I believe in setting goals that are obtainable. goodluck everyone