Hippo's Hope

Sorry, I guess I shouldn't have posted in the Gone for Good Club, but I just had to respond. Hope

PhotoNut, I can identify with your fear. I am still four weeks away from my first fill and it really does scare me because I absolutely freak about going through PB's and slimes. I eat out a lot with friends and I have not told my friends about my surgery so every time I read something like Kristin's lovely dinner above, I get these pictures of myself in a nice restaurant doing something totally gross and my friends rushing out the door in search of the nearest exorcist! (Not that yours was totally gross, Kristin. But tell me, did the water shoot out or just kind of dribble out?) Lord, help me! Hope

What a great bunch of women! You look great - and so does your Mom! Sounds like a wonderful way to celebrate Mother's Day. Hope

Missymaxie, At $600 dollars a pop, it might be to his advantage to keep you coming in for more fills - IF he is more concerned with money than with your progress as a patient. I'm not accusing anyone, just a thought (and not a very nice one). Hope

Dody, I'm glad you posted, even though it took me a long time to see it. I have been thinking about you and wondering how things were going for you in Tennessee. I am soooo sorry to hear about your pneumonia. I had a terrible run in with it a few years ago and it so wipes you out. I hope you are able to rest because you really need to! I'm sorry this happened to you when you were so ready to get going with your band, but everything will work out for you in the end. Know that I am thinking of you and hope you feel better soon. Hope

Sorry, I missed this thread until just now. Thanks for the invitation. Maybe I can meet you for soup night. Hope

Wow, DrewsLou - 18 pounds??? How do you do that? I was banded May 1 and I think I have lost 4 pounds - and I wasn't a bit hungry for the first five days. You Go Girl!!! Hope

Drs Hansen and Alldredge in Sandy, Utah $12,761.00 - That includes surgeon, assistant, facility, anesthesia, and one year of follow-up/fills.

Thanks, Marci. Hope

What is a Magic Bullet? Hope

Just checking in. I just finished some canned (smashed up) chicken mixed with ranch dressing for dinner and it seemed to go down okay. I had applesauce for Breakfast and carrot soup with cottage cheese for lunch. It is still a struggle for me to get my Water in. Now that I am supposed to be dividing my eating into three meals a day, drinking seems to be even harder. I know I have to wait a couple of hours after eating and it seems that I would have to really guzzle the water to get in enough before next meal. Anyone else having this problem? LindaV, I laughed at your little pizza excursion. We had a family meal Sunday where I did the same thing. I wanted to taste some chicken/spinach/feta cheese sausage that was being served, so I set my fruit smoothie aside and took the tiniest taste of sausage, chewed about four times and then 'gracefully' spit it into my napkin. I didn't feel guilty, because I didn't even come close to swallowing it but it still gave me the satisfaction of seeing what they tasted like. Have you been exercising, LindaV? I have not. I know that with the three procedures I had done, my doctor said I would heal up more slowly and I can tell by reading other's posts that I have not been as active. Also, since I don't have a young family to take care of, I am able to relax more than the average bandster. I am starting to wonder if that is all a good thing. In a way, it is great because I can rest whenever I need to. On the other hand, I don't seem to be pushing myself much. Hope

I'm on my sixth post operative day and this thread reminds me that I have four gift certificates to Cold Stone right here on my desk. Should have used them before surgery, huh? We have had them for about a year and I have never gone there. The voices in one ear say to save them for a special treat and just order small and the voices in my other ear keep screaming "Re-gift". Time will tell.

LindaV, I just wrote you a pretty long message and lost it when I wandered off to something else. Sorry. Can I use my medication as an excuse? I will get back on later and start over with my experience. Thinking about you as well as Sleepy Jean and DrewsLou. Were there others banded on May 1 or 2? Not much energy here but (on the bright side) not much appetite either!! Hope

Count me in with the 'no particular diet before surgery' crowd. My surgery is Monday, May 1 and I asked my doctor again two days ago about pre-surgery diet. He said to go out to dinner Sunday and enjoy my 'last supper'. Of course, I will have nothing by mouth after midnight on Sunday, except a tiny sip of water to get my blood pressure pills down the morning of surgery. I know the pre-surgery diet varies with different doctors, but I also wonder if some doctors take into account your BMI when deciding. Mine is barely 40 and it may be that my physician would have put me on a pre-surgery diet if I had a higher BMI. Not sure. I do think it is important to have a doctor whose judgement you trust. If you are asked to diet before surgery, I'm sure it's because your doctor is trying to give you every advantage possible. One good thing about the liquid diet before lap band is that those patients usually end up getting a head start on weight loss. Hope

Count me in, friends. My surgery date is May 1 and I am both nervous and excited! Can hardly believe this is happening to me. It will be fun to talk with you all as we progress. Hope

Hi Kim, Welcome! I'm sure you have found this place a great source of information, as I have. Wishing you the best of luck on the beginning of a new life! Hope

So, my doctor has not mentioned a thing about a pre-surgery diet. Am I going to be okay? My surgery is nine days away. I have a pre-op appointment on Wednesday and unless he tells me then not to eat, it looks like I just keep going normally until surgery. Have any others out there been banded without the pre-surgery diet? Hope

Hi, This is my first post but I have been reading on this site for the last several months. I have been scheduled for my surgery on May 1 in Salt Lake City. I am just under 5' 2", small/medium frame and weighed 219 at my last doctor's appointment. I was small and thin for the first 35-40 years of my life so I know what it is like to be small, but I have been overweight for so long now that I had honestly lost all hope of ever being anything but fat again. So now I find it hard to even imagine setting a goal weight. It would be nice to be small again, but I am realistic and feel it is more important to be a healthy weight for an "older" woman. (I'm very young at heart!!!!) Looking forward to your support. I have learned so, so much from reading all your posts and I thank you all for your honesty.

My aunt's jowels, my grandmother's neck, and I still don't know whose butt that is!!!!!!!!! Hope

Has anyone here had their gall bladder removed at the same time as lap band surgery? Would appreciate any input on this subject. Thanks.

Strong and Beautiful

Alison, Thanks for responding. For some reason it reassures me to know someone else has done this same combination. Did your surgeon use the same incisions for both procedures or did you have a separate incision for the cholecystectomy? Did you stay overnight in the hospital? I am having my surgery done out of town with a pre-surgery consult only 5 days before my actual surgery so until I get a chance to sit down with my doctor at the consult I am kind of clueless about a lot of the details. I agree with you that I would much rather have both things done at the same time and avoid going back under anesthesia later when I already know I have the gall bladder problem. Wishing you well on your way down! :Banane56: Hope P.S. How long ago did you have your surgery?

Thanks for the greeting Susan. You have been very inspirational to me as I have been reading this site over the last few months. You have made great progress and I also appreciate your insight.

Thanks 3Loves for the welcome. Hope you get a date soon.

Megret, Good to meet you. Where are you in the whole scheme of things? Have you met with a surgeon yet? Hopefully you will be on your way soon. There is a huge amount of information on this site, isn't there? Good luck on your journey!