ellendeette

Rest in peace to the 31 U.S. Troops who were killed in a Helicopter crash in Afghanistan today. Very sad news. My thoughts and prayers are with those soldiers and their families.

A plea to my fellow FV farmers: HELP! I am in dire straits. My new pup, Lad, needs kibble every day otherwise (I am told by FV) that he will run away. Can you send some kibble my way today? This pup is insatiable.

Absolutely you can. There is a lapband support meeting on the 4th Wednesday of every month at St. Joe's Hospital. Its from 6:30-7:30 p.m. I cannot recall the name of the room its held in. You can go into the lobby and they will direct you to the room. Its lead by Sharon who is a nutritionist and works for Dr. Quilici. I apologize for not responding sooner. I did not see your message until today. Hope to see you there! What is your name by the way?

Hi Andrea, I am not that great on checking my messages on this website. I just read your message below today. Sorry about that. You lost 87 pounds!!! Congratulations. That is fantastic. I am so happy for you. Happy Birthday too! You have so much going on with your parents coming to visit too. I am so proud of you. You have come a long way. You are an inspiration to me.

I received your message about not making it last night. I really appreciate your e-mail letting me know. It felt so good to speak at the meeting. I think I was the first person with a lapband to speak at Dr. Perry's meeting. How are you?

Excellent news! I think this will be closer to your home. I am not sure where you live. I assume in the Burbank area. Please let me know when you get your surgery date.

I was wondering if you figured out what hospital you are going to for your procedure? I recall you posting about your going to Cedars. Does Dr. Q go there?

I am doing well. I wanted to wish you a very Merry Christmas and a healthy and happy New Year!

I looked at all your photos. You look absolutely fabulous!! I wish that I had taken my pictures along the way like you did. I am so happy for you. You must be so proud of yourself.

Congratulatons on your new job! That is great news. If you can't make it to the meetings, please talk here about what you are going through and feeling.

Hey I just saw your picture and wondered how you are doing? We had a lapband meeting tonight at St. Joe's and the speaker was someone who had lapband in 2006. He is a man in his 50's. Really felt good to have someone with lapband sharing tonight. I'm doing well. Seeing Dr. McVay this Friday. Going to Hawaii on June 28!! Life is good right now.

Marissa, I love your picture! Very cute. How are you doing so far with the liquid phase? Ellen

Hi Cheryl,

There are no more meetings at St. Joe's Hospital for the month of May. There will be a lapband meeting at Marissa's house next Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. If you would like more information, you can e-mail me at: e.tippit@yahoo.com

I can then give you her telephone number, address, etc. Her apartment is in the Burbank area. Do you live near Burbank?

Ellen

I agree. Being dehydrated is very serious. That is why I met with my bariatric surgeon in emergency to take some fluid out. Water was coming up!

I never thought I would EVER say that its difficult to get all the fluid in but its so true. Isn't that great? I never thought I would ever get full and not have cravings. Its all a blessing and I am so grateful for my new way of life. My eating doesn't rule my life any more. Have a good night. Ellen

Hi Cheryl,

Congratuations on your weight loss! Sounds like you are on track and doing very well. There is a meeting this Wednesday from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at St. Joseph's Hospital. It meets in a room on the second floor above the reception area. Every meeting is a bit different. If you can make it this Wednesday, come on over for a visit. We have a mix of bypass and lapbanders. Sometimes we will have a member talk and tell their experience, sometimes we will have a speaker like a nutritionist or plastic surgeon or exercise expert speak. The price is right - its free. Hope to see you there! Ellen

Hi Teal,

I have had several fills and unfills since I had the lapband procedure almost one year ago (5/20/08). As you lose weight, you need fills (fluid placed into your band) and sometimes when your band gets too tight, you have to have an unfill (fluid taken out of your band). Its difficult to explain in words. I had the stomach flu a few months ago and the stress from the stomach flu made my band tighter. I could not drink fluid without it coming up. Taking some of the fluid out of the band made it easier. I think I'm in the right spot right now with having just enough fluid in my band to restrict my eating too much food but getting in enough food to have enough nutrition. I saw my doctor last Friday and she decidd not to put any more fluid into my band because I am having a slow but sure weight loss. I don't know if that answered your question.

Ellen

I love the idea of taking a group picture of our support group. It would be great if we could take pictures individually each time and as a group. We could post some of the pictures on Lapbandtalk.

I really enjoyed meeting you last night. I thought the meeting was a great success! It would be fun if we can get all our members in our lapband group to meet here.

I'm fading fast. This is way too late for me to be up.

Ellen

1. I had Anthem Blue Cross PPO for my lapband surgery. It covered most of the cost of my band. I still had to pay for my hospital and the doctor. My portion was much more than I anticipated. I was able to deduct the out-of-pocket expenses and received a tax refund for the first time. I chose Dr. Q from a list of doctors that I showed to my internist. I would do it again in a heartbeat. Blue Cross assigned a nurse to my case and called me prior to my surgery & on a monthy basis to answer questions. I have heard that Dr. Q is very highly rated as a bariatic surgeon. He is an excellent surgeon & has a great staff. Best reason to choose Dr. Quilici is that he has a support group that meets three times a month. I've meet other people who have become friends and are sharing the journey with me of living a life with the band. I am completely off high blood pressure medication and have lost 74 pounds. I feel and look MUCH better. Good luck to you!
   

I don't know if I did it correctly or not. Thank you so much for your help. I'll have to check my response to see if it looks right or not. Stay cool!