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Being a nurse, I know how good it feels to be acknowledged for taking part in making someone's life better. Usual gifts we get are cookies, cake, chocolates, etc. I want to give something to the surgical clinic staff who helped give me a new life 2 weeks ago. 95% of the staff are banded themselves, so I don't want to take unhealthy food. I'm thinking fruit & veggie trays would be nice, but then again maybe something non-edible that everyone can enjoy (something for the office?) any suggestions? (Am thinking of a cap of $50-75)

I also have my surgery in a few short weeks, May 2nd and would welcome any and all suggestions.

Thank you for the words of encouragement, KekeBoo:-) I have to admit, he first two weeks after surgery, I was exhausted when I would take just a short walk. I'm a therapist, so unfortunately I sit in a chair much of the day. My staff is starting to make jokes about how much I get up and randomly walk around the inside of the building several times a day now. As soon as the snow melts, my daily walks with my little doggie will increase significantly too.

Thank you all for your prayers and well wishes. I have a surgery date of Aug 5th! I'm excited and nervous all at the same time. If I can just get through this 2 week liquid diet!

Two days isn't bad. Not long after all the finger wagging from the doctor's office about the importance of the two week pre-op diet, they tried to reschedule me for two weeks earlier to fill a vacancy. I told them no way!

My name is Paula I tried for 2. Years to get approved by a private hospital but whenever I got done with my 6 months of preop stuff they always came up with something. Like my paperwork wasn't good enough or I wasn't compliant. The best one was when the insurance lady called to say I was approved and then I found out she lied to me and was fired. I gave up after the 3 rd time. That doc did remove my gallbladder tho. Then about 6 months later I was told I needed surgery for Gerd or acid reflux but they couldn't do it till I had lost weight because the surgery for that doesn't last if u r obese. So I was sent to a teaching university hosp.ital. I started my 6 months over and besides having my paperwork put on the inactive file we finally got her done. I am now 2 weeks post op and feeling pretty good. I've lost 25 pounds already. Thank u for listening

A time to change. I guess the beginning of the story comes about three years ago. After a major change in my life, I returned to school and earned two Associates degrees. The first was in medical assisting and the second in a medical office administration. Following a series of jobs to hold while finishing school, employment was found with the sisters of St. Francis out of Michigan city, Indiana. The job was as a medical assistant with a company named Working Well. These clinics specialized in occupational medicine and I was hired as a floating medical assistant to work between the companies five clinics in Northwest Indiana. This was definitely a change of pace compared to what I had previously been used to working within the cable television industry. It was a cold fall morning in late October when driving to work, it became increasingly harder and harder to breath. A cold which had been caught was becoming increasingly worse and worse. Driving became a task that was more difficult than usual. A decision was made to go to the emergency department of St. Anthony hospital. The results from that trip was a diagnosis of bronchitis and I was sent on my way back to work. Within the next week. The symptoms became increasingly worse, leading to a visit to my new Dr. for the hospital health insurance. The doctor was booked but they got me in to see his nurse practitioner, Ms. Nicolette Alexander. During a visit with Alexander took some precautionary tests and a chest x-ray gave me some medicine and said she would follow up with me. Less than a day later I received a phone call at work from Ms. Alexander's office. Not tracking me down was no easy task because I have been bouncing around from office to office for the last few weeks. Needless to say the message from the doctor was. I need to see you now! Gary my whole life I have never had a doctor track me down and use that phrase. So I knew was urgent. You have come of that meeting has stayed with me to this day. She stated. My heart was enlarged and my symptoms were indicating a need to see a cardiac specialist. It was at that point I was introduced to Dr.Sammie Dali. He informed me of a diagnosis of congestive heart failure and a ejection factor of 24%. In layman's terms that meant my heart was operating at only 24% capacity. After that Dr. Dali began a regime of medications, cardiac rehab and lifestyle changes to correct this condition. Within a few months. My overall health improved, but not enough to make a satisfactory change. My weight, but still an issue and the doctor and I began discussing bariatric surgery as an option. After being referred to above Midwest Bariatric Institute, it was decided that I was a good candidate for bariatric surgery but there were conditions. It was necessary for me to demonstrate that I could live the program and walked the walk. So with that began a series of nutrition classes, medical appointments, support group meetings, evaluations and lifestyle changes. Physically I was beginning to improve. But emotionally it was a roller coaster. One day the motions would be highly because everything was going alright and others because a reverse to rock-bottom when things went wrong. Six months later, after various evaluations, another cardiac scare and various doctors discussing my situation, it was decided that surgery was a go. In my corner was Ms. Alexander and Dr. Dali in the opposing corner was Dr. Gerald Cahill and his team off specialist. Dr. Cahill was concerned of possible cardiac issues, but finally agreed after Dr. Dali went to bat and hit a home run. Going into the surgery was a scary proposition. I remember thinking please hurry up and get this over with so I can continue on with my life. Papers have been filed, a medical leave. Approved and most of all a long heart-to-heart talk with my wife. The date of the surgery, after a comforting visit from my pastor, and imposing on one of my good friends to stay with Kathy, my wife, it began. I remember being wheeled into the cold operating room being given medication to relax and almost choking as a breathing tube was placed then blackness came signaling the true beginning of my new life. It is now 2 years later, I have lost over 150 pounds and feel great. Now has come the time for me to get serious. Time to exercise and watch the diet. It will be a challenge.

You are not alone on this journey we all have our resons for WLS and all are good one for it. Welcome . 2 years and 150 lbs way to go I'm 11 weeks post have lost 45 lb post op and a total of 62 lbs and only 60 lbs to go till target weight. It's nice to hear from people that are 2 years or more post op and doing great. Hope your health is doing better stay strong Surgery Anniversary 7/30/12

My same thoughts :cursing: Very lucky of you, they didn't have you do any of the routine tests to get cleared? and in 1 week you were able to get the money from your mortgage? (read that off your blog) How did you manage all of that? Give me some pointers kuz mine is taking for ever

I am excited to get the lap band after trying every diet under the sun. I am happy that there is lots of support out there to help me out.

My Surgery is on June 30th and I am very excited. My starting weight was 243. I was required by insurance to lose 24lbs and I have currently lost 40lbs. I am starting to struggle. But in just over a week i will be on my way to a better me!!! :smile2:

Hi Everybody! I live in the Northern suburbs of Minneapolis, Minnesota. I had my surgery on 6-23-11 by Dr. Jeffrey Baker at Unity Hospital. He works out of Baker Bariatrics. He is a very skilled surgeon who has done many procedures and is really nice too! I highly recommend him. Plus my insurance covered him so that was a bonus! I am 6 weeks out and have lost 20 pounds so far (i had lost 20 before the surgery) so am down 40 pounds so far. Started at 243- at 203 this week. I had a 'mini stall' at week 4, but only lasted about 10 days. Now moving down again. Overall, I have had no complications or problems that weren't expected. I have not had any nausea or vomiting since the surgery. My incisions healed well (can hardly see them now). I consider myself very lucky!! I am 47, married, no kids except for my 9 year old Beagle, Brewster. Tonight I start in a beginning running class training for a 5K race in October. I have already been thru my closet and was able to give 2 big bags to the Lupus Foundation- I have lost 2 sizes already!

Thanks so much for your touching story. I only had to wait 5 months due to having to appeal a denial, but here I am 6 weeks out and moving forward every day. Welcome to the losers bench. Looking forward to your future posts.

Hi everyone, I am so happy to have found this website. The others seem more dedicated to the RnY WLS and I had the sleeve done exactly 1 week ago. I weighed 256 pounds prior to the surgery, down from about 300 at my highest. I had been hovering around 250 for the past 8 years. Anyway, I had Kaiser Insurance and they have a program that is extremely rigourous. First, you have to prove that you have tried all other weight loss options. You need solid proof, like your Weight Watchers log or documentation that is extensive. Once you pass that hurdle you wait to go into a class that lasts 6 months! You go once a week for 2 hours for 6 months where you learn about the surgery, nutrition, hear success stories. If you miss a class, you MUST make it up. If you miss 3, you are out of the program. After finishing the 6 month class, you are evaluated. If, during the 6 months, you have lost 10% of your weight (in my case, 26 pounds) then you go to the next step. I did not lost the 10 % and, in fact, only lost about 3 pounds in 6 months (so depressing) so I was referred back to the Dr. for another consultation. After being approved by him, it's on to a gall bladder scan and a fitness test. With Kaiser, you have to wait 3 months for a gall bladder scan (very frustrating). The exercise fitness test consisted of walking three times around a rather small building. This was the easy part for me because I go to the gym several times a week, love to exercise but for whatever reason, my exercise did not lead to weight lost, only maintenence of 250 pounds. After the fitness test and gall bladder scan, you are assinged a series of three appointments. One is for the shrink, who spends about 20 minutes making sure you are sane, then the nutritionist who gives you the same information you have gotten in the class and finally, a consult with the surgeon where you decide which of the three surgeries you are going to have. lap band; RnY, or Sleeve. For medical reasons, my surgeion pushed the sleeve. I was happy with that choice because I don't want to be fooling around with lap band adjustments and also, at 55 years old, I feel I needed a permanent fix. Then FINALLY, you get a surgery date. This whole process, including the 6 month class took a year. It was a long long year. Very frustrating because I could not lost that 10% and that slowed me down by a month or two. I had to get through Thanksgiving and Xms without gaining weight because in the pre op appt and in bold black letter in the pre-op instructions, it is stated "If you gain weight prior to the surgery, your surgery will be cancellled." That is a sobering thought after waiting for a year. Needless to say, I pigged out at Thanksgiving and gained about 5 pounds which was hard to get off by Xmas. My surgery was scheduled for Dec 29, so I really watched myself at Xmas and managed to check in on the 28th at the exact weight of 255.1, a whole 9/10ths of a pound lower than the last appointment. Whew! So on the 29th of Dec, I checked into Scripps Mercy Hospital in downtown San Diego (this is who Kaiser is contracted with for bariatric surgery) and waited to go under the knife. My surgery was delayed by about 3 hours but they gave me a bunch of Morphine and Versed so i didn't care. Finally, they wheeled me in and the next thing I knew, I was waking up in recovery, feeling so weird but actually, not in a lot of pain. My biggist problem was the after effects of the anathesia and, of course, the bloating from the CO2 they pump into you to do a laproscopic surgery. I was up walking within about 5 hours. Conditions at this hospital were amazing. The staff was the best I have ever had and all they cared about was my comfort. Their goals were to control nausea and pain. I didn't have nausea and the pain control was a morphine pump which I used liberally. I also got liquid Ativan to help my bad back so all in all I was pretty damn high at the hospital. I got out Sat. morning and things have been pretty smooth sailing since. I'm still obsessed with food and can't wait to get a little something on Monday (12 days after surgery after bargainaing my doctor down from 14 days) I'm so happy to have found this site to help with my recovery and to answer all my questions. My surgeon was Dr. Janos Taller who is with Pacific Bariatric Surgery. I personallly thought he was excellent. Thanks for reading and good luck to all contemplating this surgery. If you have Kaiser in San Diego, now you know the protocol. Smillzee

I just started my journey last week. I am very thankful to have found this group! I will share more later. I have set up my profile and there is a bit of information about me there. I look forward to learning, sharing and all that goes with...Blessings~Melanie:)

Hey all.... It was a false stall ....."my Aunt Flo came to spend a few days.....I forgot about her.....grrr I am still right on track ....yippie

I spent the day trying everything I could think of to get rid of this gas. I accomplished the mission! YAY!!! It took, miralax, prune juice, and a freakin fleet's enema, but hey- tasked accomplished. I'm so happy now. I also took pictures of how I looked the day before surgery and I took a comparison pic just now (exactly a week after) and the difference is astounding! Like, my stomach area alone looks alot smaller. I started out at 312 pounds (pre-op diet) and today when I weighed myself, I was at 279lbs. I'm amazed. I intend on stepping away from the scale for a while because I know that soon enough there will be the "dreadful stall" and I'm ok with that. I think I'm going to go back to work on Tuesday, so tomorrow I'm going to spend the day resting. I hope that you all have a great week ahead of you and some interesting stories along the way. Take Care, Candace

What do the instructions from your surgeon/NUT say? Every surgeon has a specific post-op program. I was on Clear liquids week one and full liquids week two with a goal of 100 grams Protein and 64 oz Water per day.

My surgery was June 18, three days ago. I'm doing pretty good! liquids are incredibly slow, so far today I've drank 20oz of waters and 8oz soy milk in a Protein shake, that's it. I WILL get through another Water today!! But I have had no incision pain, just gas pain. Been working my business and walking a bit, had a couple diarrhea BM, and only taking the pain med at night to help sleep. Slept on my back flat last night and it was good.

@@ripeone What exactly do you mean by nights not so good? Do you mean you eat stuff you shouldn't at night? Have you been stalled? Since you are doing well during the day, try to make the nights more like your days, i.e., eat protein instead of fat and sugar, and try not to eat too close to bed time. Emotional eating is a much harder thing to fix than what exactly you eat to deal with emotions. Good luck! You obviously know what to do since you are down 50 lbs.

I was a bit manic myself yesterday. My stomach just kept growling and growling. Woke up today and it was gone. Whew. We'll be eating normally soon. I had a really rich bisque a week ago and it made me nauseous as well. Too fatty.

Thank you so much. I been at a stall this past week and it's frustrating considering I'm only 2 weeks out. I would have never thought I would lose nothing my second week post op. That was motivation for me to get back into the gym and really focus harder on my fluids and protein intake so I can have a reasonable loss this upcoming week.

Welcome, Karen! I'm from Iowa! We are neighbors! I am new, too. I just found LapBandTalk last week, and now I'm addicted! It has been so helpful! I am almost done with my requirements for my insurance. I go for my psych. eval tomorrow, and then my doctor will submit to insurance. Keep up the diet and exercise program. It may be tough, but it's worth it! I feel the same about gastric bypass. The band is the way to go! Best of luck to you!!

Hello everyone, my name is Kini and I live in Dallas, Texas. I decided over the holiday that I no longer wanted to continue this cycle of yo yo dieting and disappointment. I had considered the lap band last year, but talked myself out of it. So with the new year I made a consultation appointment on Jan 5, 2009. Two days later they had my insurance approval. This week I had my lab work done and was cleared by the cardiologist. I start my pre op diet Tuesday and see the Dr Felts on Thursday. My surgery day is Jan 26th! Is it just me or is that moving along super fast!!!!! I'm really nervous about this. Is it normal for things to move so quickly or has the good Lord just removed all the obstacles? Has anyone had their surgery by Dr Frank Felts @ the Surgery Center at Craig Ranch? What was your experience? I really haven't had an opportunity to REALLY research this doctor. Any advice you can offer will be greatly appreciated.

https://www.lapband.com/en/sign_in/?cID=T2&eway_id=1081836 There are some great recipes on this site. Free to join and tasty. Personally I like the chili enchilada soup. It was awesome. Making more tomorrow for this week at work.