My name is Tracie and i am 35 years old. I was banded July 19th. I have lost 20 lbs in the last 2 weeks and although the loss is slowing now i still think its the best thing i ever did for myself. I just have to say, anyone who says getting surgery is the easy way out, is full of S**T!! The best thing i ever did for myself is also the hardest thing i have ever done Looking forward to meeting you all :tongue2:

I live in victorville, where are you?

I'm in Helendale -- Silver Lakes. Who did your surgery? I went to Dr. Krahn in San Bernardino.

I'm in Helendale -- Silver Lakes. Who did your surgery? I went to Dr. Krahn in San Bernardino.

Dr Korman in Marina Del Rey and i think im gonna switch over to the dr in apple valley next to st mary's, to get my adjustments. Its just to far to drive.

I was born and raised in Barstow and moved to Victorville a lil over a year ago, i know exactly where you are :thumbup: For a matter of fact i still work in Barstow.

Dr Korman in Marina Del Rey and i think im gonna switch over to the dr in apple valley next to st mary's, to get my adjustments. Its just to far to drive.

I was born and raised in Barstow and moved to Victorville a lil over a year ago, i know exactly where you are :thumbup: For a matter of fact i still work in Barstow.

I'm surprised by the number of people who live in Victorville or Barstow who don't know where Silver Lakes is!

I would switch to a local doctor for fills, but I absolutely love my doctor and his practice. Luckily for me, I have family in Redlands, so when I go down the hill for an adjustment (first one at the end of September!), I'll just plan to see family. Will the doctor in Apple Valley let you come for support group even if you aren't a patient there? I'd like to find a local support group if I could.

Dr Korman in Marina Del Rey and i think im gonna switch over to the dr in apple valley next to st mary's, to get my adjustments. Its just to far to drive.

I was born and raised in Barstow and moved to Victorville a lil over a year ago, i know exactly where you are :thumbup: For a matter of fact i still work in Barstow.

a little off topic but i used to work at St. Mary's what a small world.....

SUre is a small world HAHA I started this whole process out in the apple valley office but my insurance said i had to have it done at a COE hospital. So the apple valley office has a file on me all the way up to surgery day I just cant afford to take a day off work everytime i need to drive down to marina del rey.

SUre is a small world HAHA I started this whole process out in the apple valley office but my insurance said i had to have it done at a COE hospital. So the apple valley office has a file on me all the way up to surgery day I just cant afford to take a day off work everytime i need to drive down to marina del rey.

Is the Apple Valley office connected with 1-800-Get-Thin or are they different people?

I know this is not an easy way out but tell me what is the hardest part.......I need to know........I am in the process and just waiting for insurance approval at this point.

Hi Ladies, I was banded on May 18th. I also live in the Higher Desert. I was banded in Riverside tho. Im down 47 lbs. Good luck on your journy's.

I know this is not an easy way out but tell me what is the hardest part.......I need to know........I am in the process and just waiting for insurance approval at this point.

Everyone probably has different answers to this. I'm only 12 days post-op, so I can't really speak about living with the band. But for the actual surgery, the hardest part for me was the pressure in the center of my chest for a few days. In fact, I had to sleep the first night sitting up, it hurt so badly -- and that was only for five or six hours. After that, I was able to go back to bed.

Then there's the time affectionately referred to as "Bandster Hell". Now that the swelling has gone down where the doc placed the band, I occasionally get hungry enough to eat the way I did before surgery, but what I can actually have is very limited (still on full liquids until Thursday). It's pretty frustrating to have gone through all I did to get to this point, and still be able to eat like I did before. But even that's not too bad yet, unless I let myself get too hungry or don't get my Protein in.

It's also been difficult to remember that there's no drinking with meals, or for 45 minutes afterward. Some days -- some meals -- are better than others, but I forget at least once a day. As soon as I remember, I remove my drink and follow the rules. I assume this will get easier as I develop a new habit.

Someone with more experience may have other things to talk about, buy that's where I'm at. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask!