TheGh0st

OK I apologize for this in advance but couldn't resist putting in a plug for a local KC area support group. There is a Yahoo Group called KCBandsters that has members all across the area banded by a wide range of different doctors. We use to meet each month but stopped nearly a year ago as we thought the doctors offices had all started to have adequate support groups of their own. Just this month it was decided that there was still a desire for us all to meet wether in addition to our local docs groups or in lieu of as the case may be. This is very short notice but the first new meeting will be tonight at 6:30pm at the Antioch Library on the North West Corner of Shawnee Mission Parkway and Antioch (Just East of I-35).

Hey John. Wheetsin is spot on with her post unfortunately. I too would trust Hoehn with my life (and did) but I no longer go to them for my after care do to the same issues she was discussing. I also agree whole heartedly with MEW. You need to form your own opinions. Just because there are those of us that had issues it doesn't mean you will. But its always good to go in with your eyes wide open.

OK I hesitated posting this here because I didn't want to sound like an advertisement. But since someone else suggested I post it as well I figured I'd go ahead. If anyone is interested there is a local Kansas City group called KCBandsters that is going to have a city-wide support group meeting tonight. The meeting will be at 6:30pm at the Antioch Library on the North West corner of Shawnee Mission Parkway and Antioch (Just East of I-35) It is open to all bandsters regardless of doctor and was founded by a local woman banded in Mexico 7+ years ago. I found it fun and useful to me to get out and meet as many bandsters as possible instead of just limiting myself to just those banded by my doctor. For over a year until my schedule didn't allow it I went to both support groups regularily. Sorry for such a short notice. If anyone is interested in coming but can't make it tonight let me know and I'll post a reminder for next months meeting with a bit more notice.

Puddin - I am so glad to see you back here you have been in my thoughts and prayers. Like the others you have been an inspiration to me and have been sorely missed. I am so sorry for what you are having to go through with the cancer. Try not to be too hard on yourself for any choices you made along this journey. God loves all his children. Remember, none are perfect in His eyes save Jesus and it is only by his grace that we are saved. Please remember you are in my prayers and let us know if there is anything we can do for you.

Amazing - Thank you so much for sharing this for everyone. Admit it. I know your a guy and all but isn't it great to have a proper belly button again. I keep looking at mine and smiling. Your incision line looks GREAT. If the doc hasn't reminded you enough already as soon as the drains come out start massaging that scar line like clockwork. Mine is still very purple but other than the color you wouldn't know it was there. The incision is completely flat with no scar tissue built up on the surface or below.

Congratulations and welcome to the banded side of life! I'm glad your surgery went so smoothly.

Hey Robyn I've been thinking about you. Try not to beat yourself up to much. I know I've been there. I'm nearly 20 pounds up from my lowest weight at the moment as well. I won't list my weaknesses for fear of giving out more ideas for cheating. So far I haven't caved to the cheetos but I remember them being talked about at support group as well. I will say today so far I've only had 1-Slimfast merely because I couldn't be bothered to cook a real meal. Then 1 cup of left over mashed potatoes, a cup of homemade rice pudding and a large glass of wine. Somehow I think I'm not doing so great on the protein front. I had lunch with a mutual aquaintance of another Hoehn bandster from back when we were all going to support groups and heard some interesting updates. Don't really want to gossip on line but would love to catch up in person some time. If you are thinking of joining a gym let me know where I've been waffling over a gym for months and would love to have someone to keep me accountable to it.

Oh yeah I forgot the other stupid c**p I keep telling myself which says that I'm so behind on things around the house both physically and financially that I should just put aside trying to lose these last pounds and focus on maintaining until I get caught up on the other areas of my life. This one actually seems to be the worse line of cr@p for me as its the main excuse both my DH & I usually give for not investing the time and money in joining a gym yet. Ofcourse I've found the money and time to get a membership to a local massage spa. So much for priorities.

I've been fooling myself with the good ole' "I never really thought I'd get down to the size I am now so why should I fret over losing these last 20 pounds?" Yet if I really didn't care why do I keep beating myself up like I'm some sort of failure? I really need to give myself a proverbial kick in the arse and either decide I'm happy where I'm at and quit with all the self loathing or get up and actually do something to lose those pounds and be done with it. Other than just whining ofcourse

Their are stories floating around about those who have done this though I can't say if they are just urban myths or reality. I will say that it is highly unrecommended and I know at least 2 doctors in my area that will refuse to continue follow up care to any of their patients if they leave their practice to have a fill somewhere else so I'm sure they would be even less willing to continue follow up care for someone who had a fill at home. Thier reluctance has something to do with worries of any confusion over who may have caused any possible complications down the road. With some doctors charging hundreds of dollars for fills I can see the allure and in the end you have to do what you feel is right for your own care. It is not our place to judge your final decision. We don't know your finances, we don't know the level of expertise of the person you might ask to give you the fills. For all we know it could be a nurse practitioner that gives fills all day long in a clinic and happens to be a relative of yours willing to give them to you for free after hours. But in my own humble opinion I wouldn't risk it if only because I wouldn't want to risk my doc finding out and telling me he would no longer see me.

*Sex Toy* Ha! It crossed my mind as well but I kept flashing to a treadmill or Universal Weight Machine. I wouldn't want the camera right now either if I couldn't use it until the end of the year. With the rapid speed of technology changes I'd be afraid that by the time I could really dedicate myself to taking pics it would already be out of date and I'd be constently annoyed that he couldn't have just waited until I was ready for one and got me the newest and best then. - Oh and definitely go for the spa day. I use to hate that stuff but I'm totally hooked now. It is so much better than chocolate or flowers.

Interesting question. I suppose the easy answer for me is no, I've never regretted it. Though I haven't had any serious complications yet either. Except the time I was dealing with some severe heartburn and acid reflux due to being over-filled and resisting getting the unfill I knew needed. Even then I didn't regret the band one moment. Harder answer: I may not regret having the band but I would be lying if I said there were never moments even if only in passing that I wonder what it would be like to be able to sit down and eat a deep dish pizza crust and all or to enjoy a Rueben Sandwich. But those passing thoughts are more like those of an adult thinking back to the days of their childhood. No matter how fond the memories not many of us would really want to have to go through puberty all over again. Honestly, if I had to choose I think I'd pick going back to being a child and reliving puberty over living life overweight without the band any day. And technically if I reallly wanted the pizza and sandwiches I could go in for a temporary complete unfill. But I can still get the taste of any food I might want to if not in the volume I use to and the idea of having an unfill just so I can wolf down my food without chewing is just not worth it to me anymore.

Shoot if there are margaritas involved I'm there! Seriously if you ever decide to pop in for a suprise visit to Billie one of these months let me know and I'll rearrange my schedule to go that night as well. It would be a hoot.

Yes it sounds like you might be OK delaying your fill. HOWEVER, wether your self-pay or insurance your office visit next week should already be covered at no additional charge. My suggestion would be to go ahead and go to the appointment. It is for more than just a fill. It is a way for your doctors office to monitor your recovery from surgery and make sure you don't have any other issues or questions about the process so far. Most if not all doctors will take the time to talk to you before the fill about how you are doing, how much you are able to eat and how much hunger you are experiencing. There were a couple times during my first year that I ended up not getting a fill at my appointment. If by some chance your doc doesn't bring up the subject first. Definitely speak up and voice your reluctance to get a fill before you feel you "need" one. On the other hand you never know, there have been many a time that just one or two days seemed to make the difference between my feeling OK with my fill level and wishing I could eat my own arm off.

Over 100 pounds lost in a year! What an amazing Valentines present to yourself! I am so happy for you. I would love to see you all again, but my schedule doesn't allow for me to go to Hoehn's support group. :cursing: We might just have to arrange a girls night out sometime soon to catch up or even put faces to some of the newer names on here.

Tonja - Welcome to LBT (LapBandTalk) I found the following response on this thread from another poster askinga similar question. Thought I might re-post it just incase someone doesn't see your post by Tomorrow. Good Luck. A group meeting sound a bit strange to most at first. I know it did me. I wanted to see the doc one on one and was a bit annoyed at having to attend a seminar first but in the end I found that so many people had not only the same questions I did but also thought to ask some even better questions that hadn't even crossed my mind. So in the end it was more usefull to go as a group. It kept him from having to repeat himself 100 times over, It gave me answers to questions I hadn't thought of and it also made me realise just how many other people there were out there just like me. In some ways the last one was the most important it helped me feel a little less "guilty" so to speak for considering weight loss surgery. Well before I go on to long let me just say welcome to the site one more time and I look forward to seeing more of you around here.

Congratulations!!! Tell us more, tell us more. Did he finally stop his advances? Did you end up reporting him? What happened?

There is a whole thread dedicated to people lamenting about how cold they've become. I too have fallen prey to the old heater under the desk trap. I can remember well the days when I had plenty of names for women like that. LOL

I forgot I changed my ticker to a short term goal a while back. What a waste that was, my body is just determined that I'm at goal and it won't lose anymore for me. Ofcourse I'm really not in the mood to try either so I can't really complain. :smile::seeya::thumbup: My starting weight was around 260 and I got down to 163 around the time I had a tummy tuck last fall but with the post surgery swelling and all I'm still up closer to 175 even though I haven't gone up in sizes. Size wise I started at a size 24 so tight I had to lay against the bed to get them buttoned and jump up and down to zip them. But I was determined not to buy the next size up knowing I was going for surgery soon. Now I'm wearing 10's most days but can fit a snug 8 and even managed to zip up some 6's from Aeropostale though I couldn't sit or breathe well once they were on :hurray:.

My four year old swears he has the cure. Everytime someone starts to hiccup he tells them to say "Allacadabra Allacapoof!" he keeps telling them over and over until the relent and do it. Surprisingly it seems to work most of the time. Maybe its because all his incessant pleading has distracted us and then the concentration it takes for us to say it just the way he wants us to.

I'll be waiting for your review.... 2 pages front and back 12 point Arial Font with appropriate footnotes. :smile:

You need to follow any advice your doc gives you first and foremost. But I would recommend trying to go more for soft proteins over carb-ladened foods like mashed potatoes. You could try some cheese soup or cottage cheese (chew well) or make some Sugar Free chocolate pudding and mix in some protein powder. Tuna salad well blended and without things like celery would also be good. Agan just chew, chew, chew.

I know its hard but try your best to get in some more fluids. Your body really needs it right now to help you heal. Congratulations on getting banded. I look forward to seeing your progress.

That is fantastic!!! Good Job!! I've only known of one other gal that lost most of her weight with either 1 or no fills but then she was banded in Mexico 7 years ago and was only given the option of the smaller band so it may have been a bit tighter. I wouldn't complain if I were you. If you can eat 1-1/2 or even 2 cups of food and still maintain the weightloss without stuggling with hunger issues then I wouldn't worry about it. Just be happy you were one of the lucky few. I remember now one other friend that had only 1 or 2 fills in a larger band and lost all the weight she wanted to while still eating pretty large meals (bandster-wise that is) but then she quit smoking and everything changed for her. She put on 20 pounds and has been struggling to get back on track, so she is now getting more aggressive fills and discovering new sides to the band (like sliming and having to give up certain foods that don't go down well) that she never really had before.

Hmmm...? How about Lobster Tails, many restraunts around here will let you add a lobster tail to a main dish. My DH will order his meal and I just add the lobster tail on to his order for me. Fish in general is a good choice. I also think that Indian and Ethiopian Foods are generally band friendly. Just not the Indian nann bread. Oh and I love going to those Japanese Steak houses and ordering Lobster as well YUM!.