Kat1215

I was banded on 3/13/06 and I am trying to find some others in my area. I'm hoping to find out if there are any nearby support groups. There was a post on Dr. Spivak's website that said there was a meeting at San Jacinto Hospital the first Tuesday of every month. I went over to check it out this past Tuesday and the meeting was no longer there. I don't know if the group doesn't meet any more or if they just meet somewhere else. I haven't told anyone about my surgery except my husband and daughters. It would be great to know some others close by that I could share experiences with.

Diva, I've had 4 different types of surgery in the last 6 years. I've never had a problem with the anaesthesia except for being nauseated one time after surgery. I've always been given a shot to relax me before being taken into the operating room. I do remember going into the room but everything happens so quickly and they say start counting backwards from 10. I don't remember ever getting past 9. Hope your turns out well.

Congratulations for making it through the rough times, Sheryl. I really believe that what doesn't kill us makes us stronger. Since you're still breathing you must be stronger and ready to start out brand new. Good Luck!

Thanks Lisa, I'll check back here next week.

Hey Ms. Vickie, I just saw your post today. How did your fill go yesterday? I am going on the 27th.

I was just starting to get back on my feet at 6 days. I had to return to work on day 7 and just barely made it through the day. I started making sure I was getting at least 3 good protein shakes a day. I also started taking an iron supplement. My doctor has me on a daily vitamin but it doesn't have much iron, so I take a really small iron tab that I found at the drugstore. I don't take it everyday but I do take it every other day. It makes a huge difference for me.

Almost all medical expenses are tax deductible, including weight loss programs.

Thanks AngieO for all the great info. I didn't know about absorbing the saline after the first fill. Roni, I did schedule my fill for April 27. I have adjusted to the idea and I'm doing my best to be good with my eating. It seems like Dr. Spivak had told me in January when I had my first consultation that he would be on vacation in April. That might be why his schedule is so full this month. I've decided to be pro-active and not sulk over waiting for my fill. I bougt a new pair of tennis shoes today and I'm going to start coming home and walking every day after work, before I get too comfortable in the house. Thanks for all the posts from everyone.

Ditto to all the things everybody has already said plus...... good-bye to saying I don't really mind being fat because the number on the scale isn't who I am.

I was banded on 3/13/06 and I'm fighting with the hunger, too. I was hoping to get a fill soon to help with it, but when I called to make an appointment they didn't have an opening until 4/27! All day yesterday I kept thinking that I'd never be able to hang on that long. I've lost 10 pounds and I really don't want to gain it back. I have stayed on mushies but I'm dying to eat some real chicken. Anyway, I'm supposed to stay on mushies for one more week and then slowly start adding other foods. I kind of feel like I can't even decide what to eat at this point. I finally decided today that I'll do the best I can until I can get a fill and that my real weight loss will begin then (hopefully). If I could stand to be hungry all the time I wouldn't have gotten the band. I know I'm not giving you any concrete advice, I really just wanted to tell you that you're not alone. I'm fighting the same battle right now, too. When I get really discouraged I come to this forum and read some of the positive results people have had long term and I feel better.

I use Benecol Light. My doctor told me about it when my cholesteral was high. It is made out of plant sterols (or something like that). It brought my cholesteral down over 50 points in 6 months without any medication. I even like the taste of it.

Hey Roni! I guess I need to call the office to go ahead and schedule my fill. Why does it have to be done at the surgicenter? My biggest problem right now is that I don't have any time to eat during the day. I teach 4th grade and I only have 20 minutes for lunch. I've still been sticking pretty close to protein shakes and soup. I did get up extra early so I could have some scrambled eggs this morning. If the nurse told you to start some solids I guess it's ok for me too. I'll try it out this week end and see how it goes.

It sounds like you are doing really great. You've come an incredibly long way by taking off all the weight you have. I'm looking forward to being a size 18. Instead of comparing yourself to other people, compare yourself to where you started and give yourself a huge pat on the back.

I live in Baytown, east of Houston

Hi Kathy! I'm a Kathy too. I am 2 weeks post band and I'm doing great. The worst part of the surgery for me was the pain from the trapped gas. I had to sleep in a recliner for the first 2 nights because I couldn't lay down flat, but I'm already able to sleep on my stomach now. So far so good for me. Good luck to you.

Hey TXKRAUSE, I read in a cookbook for people having weigtloss surgery that Soy Nuts are a good crunchy snack and high in protein. I haven't tried them yet because I'm still in mushies stage, so I don't know if they are any good. Just thought I'd let you know since you were asking about crunchy snacks.

I was banded yesterday morning by Dr. Spivak. I guess I'm doing pretty well. I have an excruciating pain under my right collar bone and shoulder. I guess it's gas, I sure wish it would stop. I'm still trying to figure out the whole eating thing. I guess that will work itself out once I can start experimenting with foods. I was surprised to find that I had lost 7 pounds since my consultation. I never weigh myself. That's gonna have to change. Do most of you keep food journals? They told me yesterday that I should be eating between 800 and 1000 calories a day with 60/70 grams of protein. This is going to be quite an adjustment.

I was also banded on 3/13 and I have been drinking protein shakes every day. Yesterday I had baked fish with cooked carrots. I mashed both with my fork. It felt good to have something real to eat. My Dr. had me on liquids for 48 hours then mushies for 4 weeks which can include veges and fish.

I've never been on one of these support sites as a user. I have been reading some of your threads while I've been deciding about my surgery. I just got word last week that my insurance was appoved and will receive my band tomorrow. I know I'm going to be looking for support since eating is my favorite thing to do. I'm not really nervous about the procedure itself, I'm more worried about how to live afterwards. I'm 48 and I've been severely obese for most of my adult life. I gave up drinking 19 years ago and substituted food. I had always fought my weight before but managed to stay within 30 or 40 pounds of my ideal weight. Now I'm 110 pounds overweight. I don't have many health problems yet so it was hard to decide about the band. I finally decided I should do it before I have a lot of health issues. I'm married for 23 years and I have 2 girls still at home ages 19 and 22. That's enough for now. I feel like I'm making this too long.

You sound like you're doing fantastic to me! You probably are gaining muscle even if you don't feel like it. You are really exercising a lot though and not taking in many calories. My daughter needed to take off 30 lbs. last year and her trainer had her eating 1800 calories a day with 80+grams of protein. If your body thinks that it is starving it will hold on to every ounce. Does your gym have someone you can talk to about calories vs. amount of exercise? By the way 40 is not that old. I'm 48 and I totally understand your worries. I didn't tell anyone that I was having this surgery done except my husband (of course) and my 2 daughters who are both at their ideal weights and very supportive to me. As far as I'm concerned, my weight is my own business and I think keeping your weight to yourself might help take some of the pressure off of you. Maybe instead of focusing on short-term goals you can look at your progress over a month? Good luck - I'm thinking good thoughts for you.

I haven't had my first fill yet but my surgeon told me that the Synthriod shouldn't ever cause a problem. You can always call your Pharmacist (Sp?) to ask about crushing.

I went to a hypnotist for a year. I didn't really take off any weight but I did want to eat healthier foods. Now I listen to a subliminal self-hypnosis tape every night when I go to bed. I'm hoping that the band and the tape combo will be the answer to my obesity. I don't find the hypnosis alone to be strong enough to control my portions but the foods that I do eat are much healthier. When I am listening the to tape on a regular basis I crave veges instead of sugar. If you are interested the web address for the subliminal/self-hypnosis tapes is http://efflearn.com/default.php . The truth for me is that I had to exhaust every weight loss avenue before I could accept the fact that I needed to have surgery. This band (which I got on Monday) is my last hope.

I just wanted to add 2 things. I have United Healthcare and they dropped a bomb on me 2 days before surgery. The WLS is covered on my policy but my Dr. wanted a letter to verify before surgery. I had just about given up and had decided to have it done over the summer (I'm a teacher and needed to have surgery during spring break) when it was approved. The catch was that they had decided they would only pay the surgeons a max of $1000.00 in network. Of course my surgeon was insulted and pulled out of the network. The short story is that my surgery should have been paid in full by my insurance but since they changed the amount to the surgeon 2 days before my surgery we had to come up with $3600.00. My point is to be careful with United Healthcare and make sure you know exactly what they will pay. The second thing is that I read in Newsweek a while back that if you have the right Unicare policy it will cover WLS. As a private policy it might be expensive but it might be worth looking into. Good luck to everybody with your insurance compainies.

Sounds like you have already lost a lot of weight, I can't wait until I take off about 20 lbs. I don't know a lot about this yet but my guess is that protein shakes are better than having the wrong foods. Good luck getting back on track.

Welllllll, today is Thursday and I was banded on Monday. Today is the first day I have really felt half-way like myself again. The biggest problem I've had has been the gas pains. That is finally getting better. I haven't had any pain meds since yesterday afternoon and I think that is part of what's helping me feel better (less fuzzy). I have been having trouble getting myself to take in nourishment of any kind. I think I might be afraid of getting too much. Today I'm going to start on protein shakes. I'm dying for a steak buy I know I have to let that go. Anyway, Roni I was on the end in the step-up room also. I had on a red shirt and my hubby was with me. He has a gray beard. The person right across from me had on a dress. Was that you? I'm glad you're doing o.k. I'm trying to figure out what my meal plan should be when I go back to work next week. I have to be there at 7:30 and I only have 25 minutes for lunch at 12:30. Since I'm a teacher I don't have any other breaks until 2:30. I'm leaning towards some kind of canned protein drink. Anybody have any suggestions?