Bratty_Nicole

Yes, you talk to me on OH. I just replied to a thread you had somewhere else on here. Yeah, but now we are going to be skinny girls in Colorado! Yeah, we can be buddies. I hope your surgery went good, I know with Dr. Snyder it did. What band did you get? Lap band or Realize? Do you have a Blackberry phone? I ask because you were typing on the threads from your cell. Let me know everything when you feel up to it...

YEAH!!! Yes, I talk to you on obesity help too. I am so happy you were approved!! That is how I got my date too, they called me Monday of last week and said that I could get it done that same Thursday. Awesome huh!? Well, let us know how everything goes when you feel up to it and CONGRATULATIONS!!

Hi, I am not sure where you live, but my surgeon Dr. Michael A Snyder is going to start doing clinical studies on people with a BMI of at least 35 (but below 40) with the band. I don't know anymore beyond that or if you are even interested. If it is something you are interested in and want more info his website is www.denverbariatrics.com . He is one of the, if not the best weight loss surgeons in Colorado. I got the Realize band 10/2 and paid a total of $14350.00, I don't know what the cost would be or if there even would be one (since it is a study). If you want, I would call his office on Monday as I know they are going to start doing it soon if they haven't already started it. Good luck!!

Good to know! I have a whole bottle of them and as soon as I am done with it, I will swing over to Target to get the smaller ones. I have a feeling I will keep all of my hair if I start to take them now.

My e-mail address is nicolet8200@comcast.net. Sorry to sound like an idiot, but what is the spreadsheet for exactly? :tt2:

My goals: ~Feel sexy around my husband and not ashamed. ~Become healthy enough to start to try for kids in 3-4 years. ~Not look around the room to see if I am the fattest person in it and realize that I am. ~Go to amusement/water parks and not see that I weigh too much or have to wide of hips to ride on rides/slides. ~Shop at my favorite "normal sized" stores and buy clothes on clearance. ~Be able to wear sexy costumes at Halloween time. ~Get off ALL meds!! And last but not least... ~Feel more comfortable in my skin. :tt2:

Heykygirl31 ~ Where do you shop that has tall fat women's clothing? I am 6 foot tall and can only find short inseamed pants...I always end up crying when I leave Lane Bryant because they NEVER have my size in their tall jeans..... Hmmm.....Maybe I should come live where you live and you can come live where I live. :tt2:

Hi fellow SPers, Did any of you take/start taking Biotin to lessen the amount of hairloss? I just started today (the pills are pretty big, so I was affraid the last couple of days). Did anyone take them and not lose their hair at all? I have some pretty damn thick hair and could probably stand to lose some, but I really don't want to. What are your opinions on Biotin?

Hi Carrie!! WELCOME!!! We are band Sisters! Glad to hear everything has gone good for you. Did you get the Lap-Band, or Realize Band? I got the Realize band and my port is still pretty tender, so I am still on meds. I have stopped taking as much as they prescribed, but I still take just enough to take the edge off. :tongue2: Isn't it funny that you can't ACTUALLY feel the band inside, that is one thing I was absolutely sure of, that I would be able to feel it. The only weird thing is that when I drink liquids sometimes I feel what I think would be restriction (since I am sure my belly is still pretty swollen). Weirdness! Well, anyway, congratulations and welcome! This is a great board!

Hey everyone! I had surgery last Thursday and my surgeon lets his patients choose. When I asked which one he recommended, he just said that in his opinion if there were one band better than the other, then everyone would only use that band. They are both basically the same, the only difference is that the Lap-band comes in 2 different sizes (he said it is mostly men that receive the larger band just because of the size of their stomach). He also said the Lap-Band people are working on a cool website like Realize as well as the Realize people are working on making a larger size band. I think it is good there are two companies battling for us to pick their product; it makes them work harder and make big improvements faster. I personally chose the Realize band because of the port and their cool website. Good luck in whatever you chose! :tongue2:

Ok, first things first, when people ask you how much weight you have lost, tell them that is not what you are most interested in with the lap-band. Tell them you are first and for most interested in getting healthy and extending your life. We all know it is also to lose weight, but people shouldn't make you feel like a failure just because you can't report back a loss to them. What you lose or do not lost isn’t their business. We also all know the band can be tricky and finding that "sweet spot" takes some time, once you do though, there will be nothing holding you back. It sounds to me that you need another fill, no big deal. I wouldn't beat yourself up about the weight gain though. You have ONLY had 1 fill, don't worry you will be great! :tongue2:

Hi, I just got the Realize band this past Thursday. My BMI at that time was 41 (6 foot tall, 307 pounds) WITH co-morbidities. I have high blood pressure and depression. I also did self-pay because I didn't want the insurance company to play games with me. Best $15,000.00 I ever spent (so far! :tongue2:) on something. I think it would be best to go to a seminar or two and see if it is something you could do and see if you find a surgeon you mesh with. It is a completely different way of eating and I have found sometimes that it can be depressing (I am still on the liquid phase of the diet, so this is only why I say this). But, would I do it again based on everything I have experienced up to this point? Hell yes! I am so glad to know that I have a tool that will help me to not only lose weight, but to keep it off permanently. Whatever you decide to do, I wish you the best of luck!

Hi all! I just wanted to hop on here really quick and say that everthing went good in surgery and I am doing really good. The only thing that has been a little bit of a challenge is remebering I am banded, the reason I say this is because I have been having head hunger, and will think out of habbit that I want something from Burger King or something. So yeah, that has been the hardest thing for me. The gas was a little bad last night, but I would just get off my butt and walk. It wouldn't make it go away, but it would make it more manageable. Also, I have had some gas pain in my right shoulder today. I know that is weird becuase people often say they feel it in their left, maybe I am just a weirdo! :thumbup: Well, that is about it for now. I wanted to let everyone know that got banded today that I was thinking about them and wish for a speedy recovery. :w00t: TTYL, sorry if I didn't spell things right, but I am a little bit druged up and don't really care about that so much.

I am from Aurora, CO and had surgery in Denver, CO.

Thanks for thinking of me guys! I wish all my band brothers and sisters the best of luck tomorrow! We are all going to do great especially with all of the support on the SP thread. Sending positive and healing thoughts everyone's way that had surgery today and will tomorrow.

Hahaha!! Thanks! Sometimes when I get mad, I curse... A LOT... I am pretty sure I was cussing left and right...oh well! The heat of the moment... :cool2:

:cool2: YEAH I AM A SMASHING PUMPKIN! OCTOBER 2ND, HERE I COME!!! :smile:

Surgery is set for this Thursday October 2nd. YIPPEE!!!! I can't believe it! It is finally MY turn to sit on the loser's bench!! :cool2:

I live in Aurora, it is pretty close to Denver. Where do you live in NM?

Those are some cool ideas too!! Like you ladies, I am just excited to be able to dress up next year and not feel so self-consious. I am sure this surgery will not "fix" how I feel about myself, but it wil cetainly help... :teeth_smile: HALLOWEEN 2009, HERE WE COME!!

Hmmm...Apparently I am the only fat chick in the whole state of Colorado, in her 20's, getting banded soon... Good to know...

I have my Mom's genes...Everyone on that side of the family is severly obese...My Sister on the other hand is skinnier and has my Dad's genes...We all ate the same and had severly different results with weight. They also say that if a child is adopted, they can eat the same exact way as the adoptive parents, but their metabolism and weight is the EXACT same as their birth parents. I believe in the "fat gene" because it has been medically proven. That is also why we don't fail diets, diets fail us...

I agree! I don't have my date set in stone yet, but know that it will be in October. Halloween is my favorite holiday, so it makes me VERY happy that I will have my new b-day in the same month as Halloween! I can't wait until next halloween when I don't have to wear some ridiculous costume that is too tight and NEVER looks like it does on me as it does on the size 10 "plus size" model wearing it on the display. I want to go as something naughty, like a dominatrix or something like that that will excite the DH. :girl_hug:

:w00t:Hey, I am trying to find a buddy/group of buddies from Colorado that is/are female and not yet banded. I am close to being banded (should be getting my date within the next week or so) and just wanted to have someone to talk to and experience stuff with. Let me know if anyone is interested!! :embaressed_smile:

My insurance also required a 2 year supervised diet and after that I would have to pay all of the expenses out of pocket. After 2 years, if I lost weight and kept it off then and only then would they "reimburse" me... It was also for RNY and I am not interested in that type, so it wouldn't have mattered anyway. I too am doing self pay. Good luck!:thumbup: