Hello?

:: taps her mic::

Is this thing on? Is anyone out there?

This is my official APB (All Points Bulletin) for all of my fellow Bandits. This thread used to be very active and I loved coming here. It helped me through a ton of my moments and gave me more encouragement than you know.

This also used to be a great thread to offer one another encouragement, kicks in the butt (when needed), and to share our successes as well as those frustrating plateus and bumps in the roads that we all have had at some point.

Pre-Ops...Newbies..our seasoned Bandits...*Everyone*... has something that they contribute to this thread that may help a fellow bandster.

So if you have got a second to spare, just stop in and say hi and tell everyone how things are going.

Post some pics, too. Show your face. Show your progress. Share recipes. Meet friends. Share those NSV and other highlights!!

Oh yeah...*tell a friend about this site and the Bagnato Bandits section.* I think that we have forgotten to mention this site at some of the group meeting. So spread the word!!

I look forward to hearing from everyone.

Wishing you great success on your weightloss/healthly lifestyle journey and in all that you do.

--Brina

Hey Hey Brina! I am a Bagnato Bandit banded Sept. 2010. I am down 61lbs and loving every minute of it! I hope more of Dr. Bagnato's bandsters come back to the site and get this group going again. It is always good to hear from those who share the same dr. and to bounce off ideas, share successes/shortfalls, and to just generally be here to support one another. I don't make it to the meetings because I live in Perry and it is too far to drive, but hopefully I can make it to one or two soon. Keep in touch!

Hello emsbugbug:

Congratuations on your success!!! I try to make as many of the meetings as I can, but my problem is that I work a very odd schedule. It limits me to attending only those meeting that happen on Fridays and Saturdays...and I live within 2 miles of Dr. B's office.

I am hoping that this board will really pick back up. I will try to remember to ask the nurses to throw littel reminders at the meetings about this site so that we can get more Bandits here.

Again, Congrats on your success. You will be there before you know it. You keep in touch too!

Hey ya'll

I totally agree. This forum really needs to pick up "active" members. So here's what we'll do: Let's start posting tips and advice to the forum so others will know that the forum has active participants.

Also, does anyone know when does the support group meets? I really wanna start going so I can meet other bandits and share info. I looking forward to getting to know ya'll, too !!!

So let's keep up the postings and get this forum in motion !!!!

XOXO

Nicky

Just want everyone to know the next support group meeting is Feb 12, 2011 at 10:00 am.

Is the next support group meeting at the Bariatric Institute?

Yes it is at the Bariatric Institute.

I look forward to meeting each of you at the support meeting.

Hey everyone! I have not checked-in in a long time! I hope everyone is doing well. Things haven't been so great with me, but I have been back on track for a while now and starting to lose weight again. I am low carbing and running again. Although I have back-slid and gained weight back, I feel great now and I'm glad to be back on track!

Hey everyone! I have not checked-in in a long time! I hope everyone is doing well. Things haven't been so great with me, but I have been back on track for a while now and starting to lose weight again. I am low carbing and running again. Although I have back-slid and gained weight back, I feel great now and I'm glad to be back on track!

Hi Georgia Girl!!

Woman, I have not heard from you in ages. I am so happy to see you post on this board. I always wonder what happened to some of the original Bagnato Bandits.

Gaining and losing is all a of our journey. That was something that was difficult for me to accept. Now, I don't use it as an excuse, but it saves me from unnecessarily beating up on myself. I will reach a goal for myself and do the blonde cheerleader dance of joy (and everyone knows that I am neither blonde nor cheerleader). Then its like my body knows when I hit a goal. One of my first goals was to get under 200lbs. I made it without realizing it until an OTC appointment. I saw 198 lbs on the scale. Then it was like as soon as my body realized I'd reached a goal, it started craving EVERYTHING that I was not supposed to have. So then I gained back 5-10 lbs until I was over 200lbs. Then I lost weight until I was I was under 200lbs again. Then I move forward and get back on track. And that is how this has gone for me. I go through phases like that from time to time. Not often, but from time to time. It is frustrating as all hell and great outdoors, but if i had this weight loss thing down perfectly,I would not have gotten banded.

*****However, my worst day being banded is still better than my best day being not banded!*****

At least witht he band, I can still see the bandwagon when I occasionally fall of of it and gain a few pounds (my average is 5lbs or so). I just have to hop my heard-headed butt back on. Without the band, The bandwagon was in the next *town* and completely out of site (and I was 30-40lbs heavier) before I realized that I needed to get back on track. Overall, I think I am doing okay. Not perfect, but when I look back at it all, i am shocked...in a good way.

With your low carbing and running...you wil be back where you want to be in no time!!! Keep us posted and help us stay motivated.

You are still an inspiration to me.

Hi Georgia Girl!!

Woman, I have not heard from you in ages. I am so happy to see you post on this board. I always wonder what happened to some of the original Bagnato Bandits.

Gaining and losing is all a of our journey. That was something that was difficult for me to accept. Now, I don't use it as an excuse, but it saves me from unnecessarily beating up on myself. I will reach a goal for myself and do the blonde cheerleader dance of joy (and everyone knows that I am neither blonde nor cheerleader). Then its like my body knows when I hit a goal. One of my first goals was to get under 200lbs. I made it without realizing it until an OTC appointment. I saw 198 lbs on the scale. Then it was like as soon as my body realized I'd reached a goal, it started craving EVERYTHING that I was not supposed to have. So then I gained back 5-10 lbs until I was over 200lbs. Then I lost weight until I was I was under 200lbs again. Then I move forward and get back on track. And that is how this has gone for me. I go through phases like that from time to time. Not often, but from time to time. It is frustrating as all hell and great outdoors, but if i had this weight loss thing down perfectly,I would not have gotten banded.

*****However, my worst day being banded is still better than my best day being not banded!*****

At least witht he band, I can still see the bandwagon when I occasionally fall of of it and gain a few pounds (my average is 5lbs or so). I just have to hop my heard-headed butt back on. Without the band, The bandwagon was in the next *town* and completely out of site (and I was 30-40lbs heavier) before I realized that I needed to get back on track. Overall, I think I am doing okay. Not perfect, but when I look back at it all, i am shocked...in a good way.

With your low carbing and running...you wil be back where you want to be in no time!!! Keep us posted and help us stay motivated.

You are still an inspiration to me.

I have missed you, Brina! You look amazing, btw! I can't get over how different you look since the last time I visited. What an inspiration!

It feels good to be back on track. I was on a high dose steroid for about 2 months a while back and gained 30 lbs. I never recovered. Gained about 20 more since then too. I have been low carbing for the last 2 weeks and lost 14 lbs. The sugar cravings are gone and I feel great!

I will try to post pretty regular....maybe we can be each other's motivation!

I have missed you, Brina! You look amazing, btw! I can't get over how different you look since the last time I visited. What an inspiration!

It feels good to be back on track. I was on a high dose steroid for about 2 months a while back and gained 30 lbs. I never recovered. Gained about 20 more since then too. I have been low carbing for the last 2 weeks and lost 14 lbs. The sugar cravings are gone and I feel great!

I will try to post pretty regular....maybe we can be each other's motivation!

Hello Georgia Girl:

Yes, definitely. We should be motivation partners. I need all the motivation that I can get.

I know how it is with the steroids. I am an asthmatic and an allergy sufferer. So anytime I have a flare-up of either, I get some kind of steroids. I am normally only on them for a week or so, and I already experience changes in my eating and Fluid consumption. You need a big superwoman "S" on your chest for being on them for months.

You will get back on track...you *are* already getting back on track. I can't wait to see your progress.

Keep posting. I will do the same.

It has been so long since I've been on these boards...no - "No News isn't always Good News".

I posted on another thread about my progress, or lack thereof. If those "oldies" out there will remember - I did really well the first year of being banded. I dropped weight lack a fiend...exercised...even ran a 5k. Then something happened. Life.

I ended up going through a nasty divorce, moved back home (in with my parents with my kids), then out on my own. In the process ended up four hours away from Dr. B. and without insurance for over a year. I ended up going back to get my Fluid out in January 2010 when I got pneumonia and esophogus spasms. I had already gained back about 30 pounds of my (around 70) lost.

In the next year I ended up meeting a wonderful man, got remarried (never been happier), and gained 50 pounds. So now I'm up 20 pounds from the day I had surgery. Sucks. I had to find a new doctor (no one would take me within 100 miles of where I live). They said sorry we won't accept existing la-band patients. I finally found a doctor two hours from me that was willing to take me on this past November. I was able to get one fill in November (my itial visit) - when I went back in March for my next fill he wasn't able to access my port - it had flipped. So I had to wait until end of June for my insurance to pay for the revision. He was also going to move my port (he thinks it is a bad location in the chest). In the mean time I ended up with Erosion of the Esophogus, and my throat isn't dialating like it should (yep it won't work at all). I have constant port soreness. What's weird though is when I eat I get sharp pains there? I went back to my new doc on Wednesday and after discussing everything it was decided everything has to come out. I'm now waiting for insurance approval.

I'm extremely unhealthy and feel the worse I have in my life (physically). Mentally I'm the best I've ever been. My children are doing wonderful, they really like my husband. I'm finally treated like I should be treated...I never knew what I was missing....

As for the future, I'm looking into RNY conversion. After reseraching I believe it will be the best surgery for me. We are all different. Some of us have had great success with the band. I wish I could say I was one of those. I wish you all the best with your journeys. I'll try to keep everyone posted on my successes and failures. Don't be strangers as I have! If you hare struggling or succeding, please post. We all need to hear the good and the bad!

It has been so long since I've been on these boards...no - "No News isn't always Good News".

I posted on another thread about my progress, or lack thereof. If those "oldies" out there will remember - I did really well the first year of being banded. I dropped weight lack a fiend...exercised...even ran a 5k. Then something happened. Life.

I ended up going through a nasty divorce, moved back home (in with my parents with my kids), then out on my own. In the process ended up four hours away from Dr. B. and without insurance for over a year. I ended up going back to get my Fluid out in January 2010 when I got pneumonia and esophogus spasms. I had already gained back about 30 pounds of my (around 70) lost.

In the next year I ended up meeting a wonderful man, got remarried (never been happier), and gained 50 pounds. So now I'm up 20 pounds from the day I had surgery. Sucks. I had to find a new doctor (no one would take me within 100 miles of where I live). They said sorry we won't accept existing la-band patients. I finally found a doctor two hours from me that was willing to take me on this past November. I was able to get one fill in November (my itial visit) - when I went back in March for my next fill he wasn't able to access my port - it had flipped. So I had to wait until end of June for my insurance to pay for the revision. He was also going to move my port (he thinks it is a bad location in the chest). In the mean time I ended up with Erosion of the Esophogus, and my throat isn't dialating like it should (yep it won't work at all). I have constant port soreness. What's weird though is when I eat I get sharp pains there? I went back to my new doc on Wednesday and after discussing everything it was decided everything has to come out. I'm now waiting for insurance approval.

I'm extremely unhealthy and feel the worse I have in my life (physically). Mentally I'm the best I've ever been. My children are doing wonderful, they really like my husband. I'm finally treated like I should be treated...I never knew what I was missing....

As for the future, I'm looking into RNY conversion. After reseraching I believe it will be the best surgery for me. We are all different. Some of us have had great success with the band. I wish I could say I was one of those. I wish you all the best with your journeys. I'll try to keep everyone posted on my successes and failures. Don't be strangers as I have! If you hare struggling or succeding, please post. We all need to hear the good and the bad!

Hey Leslie!!! I posted on the other thread, but I thought I'd post it here too.

Copied and pasted...Well hey there, Leslie! It's been a while. Sorry you are not doing so well with your band. When are you having your band removed? I have heard lots of good things about the sleeve. Might be worth checking into. I miss talking to you! I was thinking about the 5k we ran a while back and how you got lost on the course, lol. Good times

I haven't been doing too hot either. I'm still 40 lbs lighter than I was when I had my surgery, but still...I have gained A LOT of weight back. My weight gain started when I noticed I was losing restriction really fast after my fills. They started measuring the fluid and I was losing fluid everytime I went in. I thought they were going to fix my band, but they kept putting it off saying I wasn't losing "enough" fluid to validate surgery. I was having to go in every 2 weeks to get a fill and I just got fed up with it and stopped going all together. I was also diagnosed with cluster headaches a while back and had to go on a high dose of steroids for 2 months. I gained 30 lbs in two months from the steroid and I couldn't seem to get back on track after that. I've been meaning to post too. I've been walking with a friend of mine for a couple of weeks and that's been helping. It's nice having a workout buddy....it makes all the difference! I really miss the support we all used to give each other. Anyway, it was good hearing from you! Please check back in and keep us updated! Are you on facebook? If you are, look me up and add me. I keep up with most of my lapband buddies on there now instead of LBT.

georgia girl

I will be having my surgery next Friday on April 27th. Does anyone know if there is a support group for Dr. Bagnato's patients in Macon, GA? I forgot to ask when I was at the office. Also, is there a group I can join on here that are just his patients as well? Thank everyone for all of there help. I am a nurse, but it is so different when you are the patient! I can use all the support I can get and appreciate those of you who have been on this journey longer than I have been.

Hey everyone, maybe we can get the Bagnato originals back together! I was banded Oct., 2007. Headed up to Macon tomorrow for a needed fill.