momcof3

Back when I had surgery in 2008 I only went to Orientation, but since then they have people go to the Weight Loss Overview and then Orientation. Are you going through Richmond? Pam

Let us know how the meeting goes. Here is the information for the Sacramento Bandsters meeting this Saturday. PLEASE ATTEND SO OUR SUPPORT GROUP CAN BE SUCCESSFUL! IF YOU HAVE ALREADY REACHED YOUR GOAL, GIVE BACK BY ATTENDING AND SHARING YOUR ACHIEVEMENTS! IF YOU STILL STRUGGLE, COME FOR SUPPORT AND GAIN NEW INSIGHT! WE NEED EACH OTHER! Don't forget that our monthly in-person support group meets this Saturday, December 18! Sacramento Valley Bandsters Support Group Third Saturday Every Month 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Sutter Cancer Center Classroom 1, First Floor 2800 L Street in midtown Sacramento Please note that this is a band-only support group and band patients from any doctor or hospital are welcome to attend. Whether you've had your band ten years or ten days, let's encourage each other to be successful! Note: this building does not provide parking on weekends. There is 2-hour metered parking on the streets as well as a covered parking lot just a half a block away (enter on 29th, between K and L streets - cost is $1 per hour, same as metered parking, which is 25 cents for 15 minutes)

I am so happy we have reconnected on LBT . I guess someone needs to post at least once each day so we don't lose the thread again. Robin asked me to log my food too and fax it to her - I am going to comply and do it for a while and see if it helps me - the leader of my other Kaiser group that meets on Tuesdays is big on journaling too. I ate a handful of pretzels last night and then drank some iced tea - oops forgot I can't do that now - tea came right back up like an overflowing toilet.

That is an interesting question about the airport screening - I would guess if they asked you could show them your lapband card - people with pacemakers would like interesting too with the wires. Maybe Dr. Baggs is taking time off over the holidays. I did so great today - we had a winter celebration for our whole agency to celebrate department accomplishments - there was a couple of big tables with cake, cookies, candy - all kinds of homemade and store bought goodies. I took put my hands in my pants pockets and then got a bottle of water and a tangerine on the way out the door. I was so proud of myself. I brought the tangerine home as I was afraid to try to eat it at work. My unit went to Cheesecake Factory this afternoon for our Christmas event and I had clam chowder and iced tea - no bread, no cheesecake. Everyone else's food looked so yummy but it didn't bother me. Where are you flying to Tina?

I am up for a walk - anyone interested in Vallejo like we did before? I keep up with most of you on Facebook, but don't really like talking about lapband on there - too personal. Did you figure out how to track the thread? Don't know why they went and changed the website - made it harder to do everything.

My fill went fine - I know have 5.5 cc in my band and I am planning on going back in a month and get my last cc to take me to 6.5. The Lapbandtalk website changed its format and it took me forever and a lot of work to find our thread again and set my settings so I would be notified of a new post. I think many of the other people can't find it. I may take the link to this message and send it to some of the others on Facebook.

HI Reggie - I am doing okay - sticking to my food plan all day at work and then falling off when I get home - I am seeing Dr. Im tomorrow in Vacaville to get a fill to be back where I was before I had 3.5 cc taken out to try a different food plan. I figured out I could eat bread and that lead to a carb fest. Not good. Looking forward to feeling full sooner and getting back on track. Pam

Where or where did everyone go? And what happened to this website? Impossible to use - can't find anything. Once I found this thread again I clicked on the "stop watching this" button and then clicked on "start watching" and picked instant notification. Is anyone able to see this post? Pam i

Wow I finally found our thread again - I think Lapbandtalk.com remodeled or something and it took me a long time to find the Kaiser Richmond Pre-op thread. How is everyone doing now that we are in the holiday season? I am doing good during the day and then make bad choices in the evening. I am seeing Dr. Im on Dec 8 to get my last fill to take me back to where I was at before I had half taken out. Riley, Monique, Jess, Tina, Nicole, Christine, April - where are you friends? Pam

Hey - just checking in and trying to see if I am still getting the notification when a new post comes out on this thread. When I went into Lapbandtalk.com a couple of days ago I had to log in and then it looked different. Hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving and ate mindfully. I cooked at my house again and had a small bit of everything on a salad plate. I vividly remember my first Thanksgiving after my surgery in Nov 08 - thought I could eat two black olives and then have a few bites of turkey and one bite of stuffing - ouch - my first pb episode - I was miserable for hours. Pam

I'm still here - just don't have much to say. I am seeing Dr. Im on the 30th in Vacaville to get a small fill. Unfortunately I can eat bread with no problem. I hadn't really eaten bread for about 1 1/2 yrs and now that I know I can eat it, I can't leave it alone. Doing some stress eating again - story of my life.

There is a Bariatrics Support group that meets Monday evenings at the Elk Grove Kaiser. I believe it is mostly RNY patients, but you could give it a try. What surgery are you planning on having? There are a few of us that live in Elk Grove. We should get together and walk.

Jes- glad to hear your 1 yr appointment went well - yipee - you had a great year and are working your band. I have not heard from Donna and I wasn't at Point West this last time. I did see a picture of her and Nicole (one who moved to WA) from this last weekend on FB and they both looked great. Also saw a pic of Candra, Ashley, Chrissy and Nicole - hot mamas.

Maria - I think from what I have read about erosion you would be in a lot of pain if your band was eroding into your stomach. Glad to hear you are back on track. Nicole - are you able to drink anything now? If so you should drink some protein drinks to keep up your strength. I would expect the fluid to go right through your band if you are not very tight. Are you in pain too or just nauseaous? I wouldn't expect our stomachs and bands to look the same as they did right after surgery - we have lost a lot of weight since then so maybe all of our pouches look like that now but we just don't know it since we have not seen them? Have you checked the complication section of Lapbandtalk.com?

I don't know where your pouch went. Did you look up information on a slipped band? Maybe it slipped up? I hope you feel better soon

Go in to any Kaiser emergency room Nicole - by law they have to treat you. Is there a reason you think it is band related? The only reason I would think it would be band related is if you were too tight - but I didn't think you had much in your band? Let us know what happens

Riley -Sounds like you got approved for the Body Bugg? Yipee. How is your gallbladder doing? Are they still taking it out?

Tina - so far it is going good - I started being strict yesterday and logged my food and calories in Livestrong and am on track today too - eating my hummus and carrots for my snack right now. I had to work to get all my calories in yesterday. I ate a soft pretzel for dinner last night after my class and I ate it too fast and my band said no you don't and the last bite came back up - gave the rest to my son. So at least I know my band is still there and has some fluid in it. I'm really enjoying eating fresh fruit and raw vegetable and not pbing. I didn't realize how long it had been since I had eaten baby carrots or a nectarine - almost 2 years.

Stacey - it sounds like you are not getting enough each day to lose weight - if you drop too low your body will hold on to the weight. There is a lady in my weight management class who wasn't losing weight because even though she was eating about 1000 calories a day, she was running too much so her body was holding on to the calories she was eating. Glad to hear Michaela is getting the help she needs. My two Wellbutrin pills a day definitely keep me on an even keel. Are you still out there Candra? Donna? Are you guys coming on Saturday? I would go to the Richmond support group but it is way too far from Sacramento especially on a weeknight.

Yes the Point West Kaiser meeting is this Sat from 11-1 - I am going to be there so come Nicole - we go to Mimis for lunch afterwards

I agree - we should be better about checking in on here. I don't know where everyone went - maybe the sleeve people are getting their support from the sleeve website? I am eating hummus and baby carrots right now - not a big fan of hummus but I'm trying. I have not been journaling and hence have not stayed on track very well. I am on track so far today and I realize that I need to prepare measured quantities of the right foods so I can just grab them. I am on a 1200 calorie food plan now so if I follow it I should be able to lose this last 25 lbs. I walked a mile this morning at break before it got too hot. I am up for a Vallejo walk - just pick a weekend and let me know.

My B-12 was low at my 6 wk post op check up so I took the sublingual B 12 - two bottles worth and then I stopped. They never did any bloodwork on me other than the 6wk post op appointment so I don't know if it was low after that. I had extensive bloodwork a couple of weeks ago and everything was normal. I had to stop my multivitamin and calcium chew while eating only Optifast products so I didn't overdose on vitamins, but now that I am back on food I am going to start them again.

The 13 yr old daughter of one of my friends at work hung herself. The program I am on is working - I will be happy to be on all regular food here soon - it will be a 1200 cal food plan so I should be able to lose.

Medifast is a program in which you don't eat regular food - you eat there shakes, bars and they have some other things like cheese curls and crackers. It is not doctor monitored - you can order the stuff on the internet and it is expensive. The Kaiser Medical Weight Management program uses Optifast and it is only available by prescription and is medically monitored. I am only eating 4 products a day and starting next Wed will on all regular food - although I can have an Optifast product for my three snacks if I want. I just had my last lab work - they did 18 different tests and all of my came back normal. I see the doctor on Tuesday night. I am so happy to see all my "old" band friends back on here - Tina - did you talk to Michaela? I probably shouldn't have looked at the obituary this morning - made me cry at work and now I can't get the picture of her playing her guitar out of my head.

Tina - I am sorry - I didn't mean to upset you. I had a conversation with my kids after I found out and assured them that if they have any problems they can talk to me and we can try to work it out - that there are other options. The obituary is in the paper today - the last name starts with O. You might want to show it to Michaela and talk about it. It is really tragic - she has a 4 yr old son too.