Burgygirl

I liked Dr. Rivas. He is good at answering my questions. I have had one fill since surgery and have lost 50 lbs so far. I haven't been as vigilant as I should be this last month but I am getting back on the wagon. The only complaint I had was it took until the afternoon to get my discharge orders written as he was in surgery most of the day. I didn't have any issues with insurance (BCBS-Federal) so I am luck in that department. Good Luck on your surgery!

Sounds like the program at Presby is very similar. Pre-op (2 weeks before) I did protien shakes for 2 meals and 1 high protien, low fat "sensible" meal. Wasn't too bad and gets your body in the mindset of weight loss. Good Luck to you and your wife. I tried getting the hubby to do this with me but he is very skittish about anything surgical. To me it's no big deal.

Hi, I am also from Dallas and have BCBS Federal. They don't have a 6 month waiting period and don't require a psych eval. That being said, depending on what doctor you pick, they may require it. Sometimes I get to thinking it is a good idea since the changes are mental as well as physical (at least for me). What doctor are you going to? I used UT southwestern and have been really happy with them. Good Luck in your journey.

Hey if you want to ride, then ride. Tha't what is so great about motorcycling....the freedom to do what you love. Also when you are tempted to cheat go for a ride. The air will clear your head and get you focused on something else. Heck if you feel uncomfortable on the rocket, trade it in for a cruiser and you will fit right in. My husband has a Harley and I have a Burgman scooter. It's all good!

It may make you retain fluid (which will go away) and it may increase your appetite. Low dose steroids may not be too bad as they taper them off fairly rapidly. If you want you can google Prednisone and get alot of information.

It's all fluid from the operation. Don't get worried about it. Whenever someone has surgery on their abdominal organs, they swell and retain fluid (it can be alot). This may continue for 2-5 days after surgery. Then all of the sudden you are running to the bathroom every hour. This is just the way the body works. Right now it is important for you to drink lots of fluid (don't worry your body needs it to recover) and try to get in 60-80 grams of protein. It can be hard getting that much protien in but aim for it. Like the previous poster said...this is a time for healing, your weight loss will really start a month to 6 weeks after your procedure. Stick with the diet recommendations your surgeon gave you. Right now you are probably on liquids. All of this is to not stress your body out. Don't worry it will work out:thumbup:

Wow, lots of great progress. AmyMoe, Yikes that was an experience. Hope you are feeling better after it. I feel like my restriction is not quite as much as it was after the fill but I'm still going down slowly. For some reason I can't eat chicken. I have tried it every which way and chew, chew, chew but it just sits there like a lump. Fortunately no obstruction just discomfort. My kids laugh at me because when it happens I get up and jump up and down trying to dislodge it . So I stick with fish and ground meat. I am ready for some new pants but don't want to spend alot as I plan on continuing to go down. I may try a resale shop to see if they have anything there. Keep up the good work all and happy belated St. Paddy's day.:sneaky:

I grew up with veggie gardens, so this year I put in a raised bed (5 ft x 10 ft). I'm planting pole Beans, tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumbers and 1 cantelope plant. I may even throw in some strawberries just for fun. This rain should really help. We have wildflowers that should be coming up with the rain. I was thinking about planting some herbs but am not sure about which one. TQUAD- Good Luck. Patio tomatoes will do great in pots. Plus they do well in sun. Just make sure to keep them watered. Depending on what you plant you may not need that umbrella. Have fun with it.

I had a fill yesterday and have ramped up my excercise. I updated the spreadsheet! Looks like I have 3 more pounds to go. The fill has really helped me as I had started slipping a bit. Way to go everyone and keep the focus on.

My fill went well. I am just battling indigestion like I had immediately after surgery. My stomach is gurgling away but I am a little hesitant in case it aggravates the indigestion. The fill was a little weird for me. He numbed me up, had me lift my legs to make it easier to access the port, stuck the needle in and then had me sit up:eek:. Then while I was drinking Water slowly he inflated the balloon and asked me to tell him how constricted I was. At first I had water up to my throat feeling and then he slowly released it until I could feel the water pass. He played around with it until I felt comfortable with drinking water. On a different note, I went shopping after the fill to buy some pants as most of mine are falling off and I actually tried on a pair of 16's (not the plus size):laugh:. They didn't fit just yet but I could bet them on. I'm hoping with the fill I will be in regular sizes by April. That would be a great April fools present. Take care ladies

Had a fill (first one) today and have good restriction. Liquids for today and then regular food tommorrow. I was shocked that I had lost 2.5 pounds from my appointment 2 weeks ago. I still went ahead with a fill as I could eat pretty much anything and I found myself getting sloppy. I hope I don't get stuck when I start real foods tommorrow.

Fill went very easy. Interesting but easy. He put the needle in, had me drink Water very slowly and I told him when it was going down or not. He said he put in 4 cc in a 10 cc band. liquids for 24 hours then regular food. I'm glad I did this as I was starting to get pretty sloppy with what I ate. Everything would go down with virtually no restriction. I know what you mean about Texas..sometimes you think everyone owns a gun:eek:. I'm just glad you are safe. Thanks all for the information.

Hi all! I got my band January 13th, 2009. I just saw this on Banded Bikers. My hubby has a 2008 HD Dyna Wide Glide. He has ridden bikes most of his 53 years. Last year he surprised me with my own Suzuki Burgman. I had taken the MSF class 2 years ago but never felt comfortable on a cruiser. I love the Burgman as it suits me for tooling around and getting back and forth to work. We live in North Texas (Red Oak) and have a group of close friends that we ride and get together with. Alot of different bikes. So far I have lost 30 pounds and go in for a fill this afternoon. Nice to find this group.