Bettina

Tracicat,

I will have mine done in 8 days at Atlantic City Medical Center. I live in Tuckerton.

What is wrong with me??? I am obsessed with finding out how Anna Nicole Smith's son died. I keep thinking about her and reading everything I can about the case. I've spent literally hours reading every article out there and they all conflict. Why don't I have anything better to do with my time?

You are so not alone on this one!!! I am just glad to see that i am not alone!! How awful, having a new baby and your son dying while coming to see his new sister! Ugh! Do you have kids? I do, so I am thinging that I have extra feeling for her..another thing i think about is she just lost all that weight to make her life better and now this....and I am trying to lose weight to make my life better....I feel the kinship.:cry

gotcha! My doc told me that tummy tucks depend on how old you are, how is the elasticity of your skin, and how long have you been overweight. (the longer the worse it is to get it back in shape) I see your 50 but that certainly doesn't mean you don't have really nice pliable skin. The whole reason I am doing banding over bypass is the plastic surgery issue, 1-2 lbs a week is managable and I should be able to exercise while loosing to keep up with lose skin issue.

Best wishes to you.

Hi everyone! I am doing great! Banded on the 8th and just plugging along. Have any of you been drinking Ensure? What is your take on it. I don't really like the powder Protein drinks, so have been using Ensure. If any of you have any info on it, let me know? Thanks in advance.

Prior experience tells me that you should really ask your doctor. Wasn't it required that you see a Registered Dietician? If it was, you should double check with them.

Best wishes!

There are chewable tablets BUT the meltaways come in grape And BUBBLEGUM- the bubblegum tastes like candy!!!- SOOOOO MUCH better than the liquid. I took one dose of liquid and the consistency was so thick it upset my stomach (nausea)!!

I even cheated and had chewable ibuprofen (not allowed) in case the pain got really bad! I figure the ibuprofen was the lesser of the evils considering the liquid tylenol with codeine is HORRIBLE- didnt want to risk gagging or vomiting!!!

Oh yay, glad I didn't buy chewables yet. I hate chewable anything...reminds me of the when i was little and took flintstones chewables..stick to your teeth..ew. I am not fond of liquid either, however I do like the way Centrum liquid tastes. Pain reliever was the only thing I haven't bought yet. Good to know, thanks again!

I ditto everyone else, she is prob a little jealous.

9/5 chabutter

Mine went great surgery 0930, out and in room by 1100, walking by 1215, swallow study by 2pm home by 5pm- I was supposed to stay overnight and the surgeon let me go home!!

No pain that required anything stronger than Tylenol meltaways, the second day was the most sore and stiff. Since then I have been home free. I went to the mall everyday and walked at least 1/2 the first 2 days post op. Im in Texas so its too hot to get outside, so window shopping was the PERFECT cure for soreness!!

Im day 5 post op back to work and feel great. Some soreness near the port but I slept on my belly last night and even on my port side- So Im good. Now I have 5 weeks of liquid and mushies!!

Let me know if there is anything else you are curious about!! you can read journals when they are back up>>

Good Luck to you!!

Thanks for posting that, I was wondering about pain relief but forgot to ask Tylenol Meltaways....are they tablets??

Good luck everybody who's getting banded tomorrow and the weeks to come. I have 9 days to go!!!!!!!! Can hardly wait. I know the people who were banded in the past two weeks may not be able to post their experience yet, but I'm sure they all did GREAT. I'm so happy for all of you. To finally make a decision to do something good for ourselves feels so good... I'm sure many can testify to that. Please, if there is anyone that has recently been banded I would love to hear about your experience. My process started in March of 06. It flew by really. I was discourage about the length of time in the beginning, but it was damn well worth the wait. It gave me time to really learn about my body and what it needs and the changes I needed to make for the future. I'm so ready..

I wish everyone the best...

Starting weight: 240 lbs

Height:5'6"

Surgery date 9/28/06

Hosp. Langhorn PA

Hi...good luck to you! I go the 27th!

Which hosp are you going to in Langhorn? I have family out that way....nice area. I love PA!

I heard those petitions are a way of collecting names for email promos. I delete them.

Not only that, but they put spyware on your computer......Last January I had to send my computer back to Texas because I got 22 Trojan Viruses from an email like that!!!!!! OMG it was awful!!!!

Thanks Bettina and Lisah25, my mask is called ultra mirage II nasal mask. After seeing Bettina's I think I want that one its so tiny and it looks like it does'nt put all that pressure on your face like mine does.

I checked it out Dana, no, I couldn't use that one either. Mine just goes under my nose...like a fake mustache...lol.

What kind of mask are you using?

I started out with Swift Nasal pillows and didn't like them. They make my nose hurt and were very noisy. I think the one I have now is a Comfortlite 2, and I'm using the simple cushion, it fits over my nose and is very comfortable.

The humidifier helped me.

I tried that one for my overnight fitting, it kept sliding off my face-I lay on my side to sleep. Yeah mine seems to be noisy if it comes off my nostrils. Hubby sleeps on the couch sometimes claims it wakes him up...but we use the air conditioner at night so I don't see how he can hear my mask. My nostrils are so so tiny...I have these odd "pillows" they don't go up my nose, they kinda just block them so no outside air gets in. None of the nosepillows fit due to the tiny nostrils (currently my best feature -that and small ears--till I lose weight...LOL)

I just picked up my cpap on Frinday and I hate it!!! I can not sleep with it. It hurts my nose and feels like the preassure is to high. I called the company and they said to use the humidifier and that my setting is only at 7 and they can not go much lower. I hope I can get used to it, I have my surgery next Thursday and my doc wants me to be used to it by then.

Dana I am a 7 too!!!! What kind of mask do you have?? Mine is really tiny!!

Its really a tiny set up!

Mine is called Mirage Swift nasal pillows...If I had to have a real mask I'd shoot myself-no worries about sleep apnea after that!! My kids call me Scuba Steve!!! LOL

ok what is that im getting lap band what is the difference, and just how fast will i loose my weight? i am 231 and only 5'2 diabetic, knee problems, high risk heart disease so yes insurance is covering, i really dont want gastrick bypass , tell me of this option please . :cry

:help:

Duodenal Switch: How it works

Restriction (Vertical Gastrectomy): The stomach is restricted by dividing it vertically and removing more than 85% of it. This part of the procedure is not reversible. The stomach that remains is shaped like a banana and measures from 4-7 ounces (120-250cc) depending on the surgeon performing the procedure. The nerves to the stomach and the outlet valve (pylorus) remain intact with the idea of preserving the functions of the stomach while reduing the volume. By comparison, in a Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, the stomach is divided, not removed, and the pylorus is excluded. The Roux-en-Y gastric bypass stomach can be reconnected(reversed) if necessary.

If that is what you are getting, your stomach is cut through!

Banding is just a "belt" around your stomach for food restriction.

How much you lose is gonna be totally up to you. My sis lost 70 with the bypass but gained prob 40 lbs back.

If you do what the doc says you should be fine!

Take care and good luck!

Geez I hope I am in that 80% . I am waiting for a call today from the sleep apnea people, apparently I am taking off the mask (and its tiny) and shutting off the machine---while totally asleep...I am shocked when I wake up and find it lying next to me on the bed! When I am down about 50 lbs I am gonna get retested..I can't trust not snoring is a sign its gone, some people with sleep apnea don't snore. I will happily let them goo my head if it means I can put it away in the closet...yay!!

Sorry to hear about the boo-boo...but dang girl, you got a great butt!!!!

Piece of cake, Bettina! You can do it!

I go in waves, nervous---ready----nervous----ready...lol

Physically i am ready. I went out and bought all the post op stuff I was told to get. I only have to do one day of pre-op liquids...but I think I will try a few days pre-op..to get a jump start. The doc was impressed that I had lost weight since the last visit, so maybe I can wow him this time.

I was gonna do a last supper...did anyone else do that??

Makes me kinda nervous seeing it in writing...ugh

We have some upcoming surgeries this week- Good Luck!!

9/18 Linstadt

9/18 tayvia99

9/18 April

9/19 vv0710

9/19 susoue

9/19 Elaine53

9/19 reredc

9/19 missSD

9/20 mariecarmen

9/20 wantlapband

9/20 samos

9/20 labradoodle

9/21 jgandg

9/21 WandaKay

9/21 Dallasmist

9/21 JewelsInLove

9/22 diane5467

9/22 kellieatkins30

9/22 Lila

9/22 shell04937

9/22 venetiaann

9/26 marie noone

9/26 christy

9/26 Lin

9/27 Bettina

9/27 tommygirl

9/27 GettinThinMan

9/28 KarenK

9/28 Tracicat

9/28 jumbojet

9/28 "D"-n-OK

9/29 Lapoli7

9/29 ratgirl

9/29 sweetsue

9/29 chattanoogabrat

wow, busy month for banding!!

I don't really think about food the way I did before. I enjoys quality foods, rather than quantity (I would rather have 1 piece of quality salmon, than 75 fish fingers, if you get what I mean)

But really, I guess, I just worked out the deeper issues I had in life, and as a result, I was able to get control of my eating.

I was told that its possible to crave foods that you never craved before and that some foods you just don't want to eat anymore......did you experience any of that??

I read that people now snack...yikes I don't do that now, I certainly don't want to do it after being banded!!

2.4cc. But, I am well under goal weight, and am considering an unfill of .4 if I don't stop losing.

ETA; Banded for 19 months.

That is great! I can't wait till I can say that!!

Yay to all the October Bansters...Lots of luck to all of you!!

Are you kidding Bettina? Because surely you're trying to be funny. You're good, girl!

No not funny, but i scrolled up and read something you wrote to me before all this crap..

"Bettina: You definitely did not come off as a know-it-all to me. I appreciate every bit of info you are willing to share. I am very much into starting my life anew with a completely different focus - on health and beauty. And I have a lot to learn. I have indeed been the typical woman trying to raise her family, keep her husband happy, and thinking of myself as selfish if I spend too much time or money on myself. My role model mother was famous for neglecting herself and focusing on others' needs."

I mistook this for you saying that my advise was appreciated.

McW - Don't know whom you were jumping on, but you must not have read back quite far enough. No one was "jumping on" Bettina.

On a couple issues or topics, there were some of us who had differing opinions and experiences and were concerned that those would be ignored because Bettina was making herself out to be an "expert authority" on those topics by repeatedly stating her qualifications. If a reader thinks someone is an "expert", why read any further or consider a different source of information? When I said something to Bettina about it, she became very defensive and acted wounded.

No one ever, to my knowledge, has had a problem with anyone speaking their mind here. But we should ALL be able to do it with impunity, not just ones with whom you may agree. Furthermore, if you have information and experiences that don't jibe with someone who is sharing information contrary to yours, why can't you talk about it without everybody getting all het up?

So attack on, if you must, but if any of this has served to make people aware that all posts should enjoy the same credibility here, then it has been a good thing.

I think your the one who didn't read back....

What do you meant I reapeatedly stated my qualifications?? I tried to explain why I said what I did. If we are all allowed to speak our mind, how come I can't??????

And you wrote I acted defensive and wounded.......all I did was apologize.....i didn't write all kinds of drama. I apologized. And, I am not the one who claimed to be perfect! You know nothing about me, so don't profess to! Leave me alone. OMG I tried to give my input and as I previously stated, I was hoping that someone else was told the same as me so that I can validate what I was told....what part of all this don't you get???

I think if she doesn't like it, she shouldn't read it.

Good morning all, and best wishes. I am on my <24hrs countdown. Hope everyone has a great day.

Good Luck!!! You must be so excited!!! :clap2: