Banded in KS

Oh, I almost forgot. A banded Hoehn-ite friend of mine was having some difficulty over the weekend. She paged Dr. Hoehn Sat. night and he called and they decided that she needed to do liquids for a bit because she was having some problems. He called her Sunday THREE times (without being paged) to check on her and make sure she was ok. This is another reason why I think a lot of Dr. Hoehn!

I don't care what other people think--- Dr. Hottie Rocks!

Just FYI everyone.

I have been pursuing LBS with Dr. Hoehn and have completed (I hope) all of the pre-testing. After reading the posts on this thread I am seriously re-considering my choice of physician. What do you really think? Katt

Katt,

Dr. Hoehn had only done 30-some lap bands before my surgery...and still, to this day, I would not change a thing!

Him and Dr. Hitchcock got a great endorsement from the nurses at St. Luke's South. I think that says a lot when medical professionals will go to you with their personal and family needs.

Either way, give it some thought and go with your gut. You have to make the right decision for you.

Good luck.

Hi ladies! It looks like it has been really quiet on here this weekend. I thought I would give you all the play by play of my Friday.

I went in about 6:45 am to St Luke's South for my procedure. I have to say that I am very impressed with the nurses there. They were awesome!

Anyway, in pre-op I told everyone again about my lap-band and the fact that I always throw up from anesthesia and narcotic pain killers...and to please, please not let that happen. Unfortunately, whatever they gave me was not enough because the first thing I remember after coming out was throwing up. Then I was wretching (dry heaving) for quite a while. I was also having trouble with my oxygen level and they had me in the recovery area until after 1:00 pm. I was pretty much in and out of it but remember everyone always telling me to take deep breaths.

The nurse came in and told me that they called my insurance because if I was there too much longer they were thinking about admitting me for observation. They decided to move me back to the pre-op area for a little while to see if things improved and so my husband and daughter could come see me. They were getting pretty worried especially since they expected to see me to come out of recovery around 11. I remember seeing them about 1:30. After that, they tried sitting me up little by little and I kept drifting off. At around 3:30, I was starting to come out of it and decided that I REALLY wanted to go home and not spend the night in the hospital. I convinced the new nurse on duty that I was more coherent. So, finally a little after 4 I got to go home.

The info that I got out of my husband was that my dr. said I had a moderate amount of endometriosis (which she apparently has pics of). She took care of it. I think she burned it off. I go back in to see her in two weeks and will probably get more information from her. Right now, I am pretty swollen. I have a little pain in my shoulder from the gas. Other than that, I am doing good.

So... what did everyone else do this weekend?? Cate, do any shopping?

Anyone have big plans for the 4th?

Cynthia, I need to really get back on the wagon too! I have been babying myself lately and indulging way too much. So, let's do it together! We can take it one day at a time. Hang in there and email me if you need anything.

Hi all!

I wanted to let you all know that I am home and fine. I am a little tired and woozy but I will give you all the details tomoorrow. Thanks for all the well wishes!

Holli

You were a hottie Angela! ...and I love your hair!

Btw, Cate and Angela...do you want to go through my old clothes? Robyn and my mom have already taken a lot but I still have more. I will be laying around all weekend doing pretty much NOTHING, so let me know.

Holli/Angela-what do you think about maybe getting together on Saturday the 15th I think it is at the Quivira S/S location? Plm is, I'm not too keen on their July menu (mostly chicken which I can't do very well.....but some other stuff on there looks good). Let me know what ya think.....

I think the 15th sounds good. If you don't like the July menu, do you want to wait until August? I would be happy to split one of the options with someone because there is only 3 in my family. Anyone interested?

yeah I'm glad you got the directions!

It is funny - I oculd only eat 1/2 my Breakfast, but now I'm hungry again 2 hours later! Grr... I'm just going to drink a lot of Water and see if I can hold off until noon or so. Plus I like to drink at least 32 oz. before lunch.< /p>

I am leaving for NOLA on July 14. I'm so excited! And nervous/scared. Lots of emotions.

BTW, who else has PCOS? Just curious.

Cate,

The physical sign of tummy-growling-driving you crazy-hunger pain was a sign for me that I was not at my sweet spot. It was strange, because once I hit it, those feelings went away. I could skip a meal and not even notice. Just a thought...

Good job on the water...32 oz before lunch is impressive. :clap2:

Okay, another stupid question... what is PCOS?

Hi All!! I was so ecited to find this group. I am back on obesityhelp.com and someone posted this site there.

My name is Chantay Im 35 live near Indep. I have been to Dr Hoehns seminar in March and was all up for lapband but then my insurance Co kept telling me its covered its not bla bla...(First Health direct) plus I have a few concers and scares etc but Im back to wanting to do it again. I have my appt with Dr sabapathy june 10th and need to rescehdule my appts with the dietician and the cardiac and pulmanary dr since I canceled them already

anyhow I weigh 315 and my BMI is 52. My main concers are seeing so many post of people having to get there ports redone once or twice. and having this thing inside you forever....im not trying to be made to feel better necisarrily i just want the truths as to what to expect. Nice to meet you all, cant wait to hear form you and meet you soon!~Chantay

Hi Chantay! Welcome. :biggrin1:

I agree with Robyn about coming to the support group. It is a good way to get all those pre-op questions answered. It is smart to ask questions and feel good about this before you do it. The support group is the fourth Thursday of the month at 6:00 pm. You can get more specific info at kcbariatric.com. Best of luck and hope to meet you soon!

Sorry I didn't call you back until later tonight Holli-I had a jewelry party to go to. I just tried calling you and the phone just rang and rang. I'll try you tomorrow, as I have to go get my pre-op blood drawn at 0800.

I've had a crappy night.....felt good after working out, then while I was at this party I had this weird nausea sweep over me. At first I thought if I would just PB it would be better...but it was different than that. I finally ended up leaving and puked in my in-laws drive way.....not PB, violent wretching.....that's what scares me. NOT PB's, but the violent type of puking.....I'm assuming it has to be this whole gallbladder thing since I hadn't eaten anything before that. Did I mention I can't wait to get this stupid thing out.

I'm glad you guys are up for the social suppers. I think it sounds soooo fun. Holli...let's get our surgeries over with this Friday...then maybe arrange a chat after 4th of July to figure it out. I'm thinking maybe not next week, but the week after??

Angela, I feel like sh..t right now... but the mention of crab stuffed orange roughy still makes me hungry, nausea and all:sick !!!!

No problem, Robyn. I was actually trying to head to bed early last night when my brother called. I heard the call waiting beep, but I was in the middle of explaining Friday to my SIL. That is why I didn't answer. Sorry.

I agree! Crab stuffed orange roughy sounds yummmy. :hungry:

First PB today! Ate some edamame too fast... not that much, but way too fast. Got the golfball, put away edamame, went to bathroom, and YAK! it was over pretty quickly though.

So that band is in there, doin its job. And now I'm not horribly afraid of the PB.

What should I do food-wise? Can I eat later? Refried Beans?

Cate,

Well, congrats on joining the club. I have to say that I am a little peeved that some of you have it so easy. It is interesting to see how PB's and "getting stuck" differs for people. For me, it is just pure pain and the food almost never comes back up. My body seems to naturally opposed to throwing up.

Either way, it is good that you have restriction and know your band is working. :clap2:

Btw, what is edamame?

Robyn, the social suppers thing sounds fun. Did you have a date in mind? Do you want to set up a chat to work out the details?

Angela, I sooooo want to eat at your house. :hungry:

I can't do asparagus. I tried it once and it was painful. Just like my dinner tonight. The shrimp did not go down easily. It hurt like HELL for over 20 min! Stopped me quick! I thought it was going to come back up, but just when I couldn't take it anymore...it went through to my stomach but not without a very sharp pain! I am not sure what that was about. :think

I do that too! I thought I was the only one. I am constantly comparing myself to people I see. I ask my hubby, "Am I bigger or smaller than her...or her?"

Btw, I thought my sweater sets were almost too tight. You know I wear them to cover up my arms. Maybe we all need to get together to do some shopping. If it is hard for us to evaluate how we look in clothes...it might help to get other opinions.

I definitely want to get together again. I had a ton of fun, too!

I have to tell you... on Friday night we went out to dinner with some neighbors to The Yard House. I, of course, could not finish an entree if I tried! These particular friends don't know I have the band and I think they thought that I did not like the food. I ate until I was full and then got a to go box. I was the only one at the table not to clear their plate. How strange...

You dinner sounds awesome. I love baked apples! I have only made them once or twice because my husband and daughter don't like them as much as I do. Tomorrow, I am making some grilled shrimp. Any ideas on what to make with it?

Angela, those pictures are amazing! You will be happy to have the pictures of your journey.

When I hit one year, I had a hard time finding a before picture because I did not want any pictures taken of me when I was so heavy. I still sometimes feel funny about people taking my picture. I guess I still feel like the "fat girl" most of the time. I wonder how long it takes for your head to catch up with your body?

This is kinda freaky. I had some turkey pepperoni and cheese and some cashews.

Cate, how can you eat ff cheese? I can only do the real thing.

So Robin, Holli - anyone else out there... do you guys tell Dr. Hoehn when you need a fill and let him "guesstimate" how much is needed? Billy told me once that he can "feel" how much fill to give you, but I don't think he's ever done it that way with me. First time was 1cc, automatic. Second time I told him I couldn't feel anything so he gave me another 1cc and said, "There, you'll feel that!" I have a fill appt scheduled for Fri and am debating whether or not to cancel. I'm still losing, and still get the occasional stick (not since Saturday) that takes care of itself without PB. I only PB when I make stupid mistakes.

I'm tempted to sound completely stupid and go in there saying, "Stick me and figure out if I need more or not."

I have a VG band and it took quite a while for me to get restriction. In the beginning, I just kept coming back to the office for fills until I started feeling it. Dr. H was pretty consistent with asking me questions when I went in there. He asked if I could eat chicken or bread. So, I think I decided when I needed a fill. However, when it came to the amount, he would just do it and tell me about it after... I gave you 2cc, 1cc, 1/2cc...etc. I think he was gauging my answers to his questions with the "bounce" in the syringe to decide how much to give me.

You may try it and see what happens. The great thing about the lap-band is the flexibility. If you have problems with the fill being too much, they can always take some out. I have found that out a couple of times. :biggrin1: BTW, I will be there Friday for a 1:40 appt.

Angela,

I am pretty sure you are talking about Diane. She usually comes to sg, so we can get her screen name from her tomorrow.

I am bad with names also. Wanna hear a funny? Me and my husband rented this cute little house in Lawrence for a year and a half (about six years ago). There was a very sweet retired couple that lived next door. When we were moving in, they came over and introduced themselves. For almost a YEAR (no joke) neither of us could remember their names. We talked to them frequently too. We always talked to them when were coming and going and Emily loved to play with their dogs. They invited us to Thanksgiving dinner since both our families are so far away. We went!!!! All the while not remembering their names!!!!! Finally, my husband overheard the husband say something to his wife while she was gardening...she bent over in front of him and he said..."looking good Mrs. Bell". So, we looked them up in the phone book. How nuts is that? They were super nice people and after a while it just became too embarassing to say that we did not remember their names!!!!

If it was a Friday evening, I would definitely join you. Unfortunately, I work very early in the morning.

I love frozen margaritas!

Oh.... shivers. Be careful with the "dirty" talk. I could get used to it.

ha!

Ok... that was smooth.

I meant: Laughter is the best medicine...right????

Okay....that was just not right!! I am sitting here laughing my butt off, and you just made my herniated tubing (aka Stanley...yes I named it) herniate even more I think. OUCH!!!! That hurts so freakin bad.....but you are cracking me up. Yes I'm sure that no one has ever talked about it before. I am a very open and in your face kind of person, but not even I have the cahunas (sp?) to bring it up to him or Billie. Do you guys think it will still be okay to tell everyone at support group on Thursday that we have started our own thread here. What if Dr Hoehn or Billie come here and read this????

Holli-

Guess what girlfriend......YOU ALREADY ARE SKINNY! Yes I said it...the 's' word that we all have trouble hearing and accepting. Guess you better be looking into another surgery for that low profile one. :clap2: :clap2: SKINNY....SKINNY....SKINNY!!!!!

Okay, I feel like we are starting to get into a very familiar conversation like my husband and I so often have when we are trying to figure out where to go for a date. It goes something like this....."Where do you want to go?.....I don't care....Where do you want to go?.....I don't know....you decide....No, you decide.....No really........BLAHBLAHBLAH". Holli...this whole thing was your idea, so I think you should make the final executive decision this time and we will just all meet you there?!?!?!?! :biggrin1: Whatcha think girls?

Robyn, I am sorry for your pain...but isn't laughter is the best medicine...right????

Thanks for the skinny comment, but I don't feel it yet. But say it again... please??? :pound:

I agree with the whole "where do we go" conversation. If you are dying for a drink... Chili's does have margaritas and we could probably split something there. Oh, and technically...this was Angela's idea. I just concurred with her fabulous plan!!! :biggrin1:

No, I don't. I saw a post from her somewhere on here one time... that helps a lot, doesn't it??????????????????

Angela,

Did you mean Diane?

There is another girl who has mentioned posts here, but I don't know her name. She's shorter, reddish hair, likes to make ice cream from Protein powder. That probably doesn't help much!

I don't know much about the low-profile port, but if I ever get really skinny... that may be a good idea.

THANK YOU ROBYN!!! I even asked Billie about the port/sex thing quite a while ago and she said that no one has ever mentioned it. I figured I was the only one or maybe me and my cute hubby were just having olympic level sex-a-thons or something. ha! Anywho...I just wanted to see if anyone else noticed it. The other day it totally ruined the moment!!! But how do you walk in to the office and say "my port ruined my orgasm!"???? I think I will have to chalk this one into the "gonna have to live with it" category.:phanvan

I did call Panera but I forgot to mention that they are only open until 8pm. Sorry. There are a lot of options on Metcalf which you guys have mentioned. There is a Chili's and Bob Evans right off Antioch... a couple min. from the hospital. Anything is fine with me. Did we just want to plan on eating dinner?

Swimming...LOVE IT. I just have to tell you that the last time I was in the pool and I was just kicking against the side of the pool for exercise, I noticed something disturbing. The skin on the inside of my thighs looked totally gross in the Water. THANK GOD I WOULD NEVER WEAR A BIKINI!!! I can only imagine what the loose skin there would look like.... YIKES!

:omg: