Hey There,

Just looking for any July 2011 banders. I just started my process, but as that I am "self-pay", I am on a fast track to surgery. Although, not terribly obese (bmi 34), I am using lap band surgery as a tool for continued success after loosing weight. I have always been able to join a program(diet or exercise or prescription) and loose weight.....I've done it several times with several different programs (not a good thing), but I always gain the weight back and more. Now that I am in my 40s, it is harder to loose and faster to come back. No more, I say! I want to be heathy in my future - family history/genetics dictates that I will/can be using a walker or wheel chair from degenerative bones and joints, heart disease, diabetes. I am trying to steer clear of that but still keep seeing myself heading in that direction, so now is the time for further action. Although apprehensive about going under, I am reading all the good things about the lap band procedure and am hoping that it is just a little more than the tubiligation and endemetrial ablasion that I had done last year. At least, I am thinking of it that way, so as to not scare myself too badly!

Lisa B - Northern Virginia

Tammy, you have plenty of reason for venting, don't feel bad. Your day sucked!

Tammy - do you work in HR?

Hi everyone,

My surgery is July 18. I start my 10 day, liquid protein and clears a week from today-yuck! I am expected to loose 8-18 pounds over those ten days. I attempted this in 2009 and was denied by insurance. I have new insurance and met the requirements this time around. Good luck to all of you, keep us posted.

Hi! I'm also a self pay so my surgery was fast tracked. I go in on Friday for my protein shakes and nutrionist visit and will have the surgery on July 1st!! I'm 39 yrs old and weigh 336lbs. I am so excited but also cautious. What I can't wait for is for the water retention to go away!

Congratulations for your successful day, a new life begins. Thanks for the support, mine is July 18.

Congratulations! Have a great night.

Congratulations Nechama! Hope you are doing well tonight. Thank you for your post it will help us know what to expect after surgery.

Greetings from the other side of the banding journey!! I am home from the surgery which took place at 8:30 this mroning. All in all, REALLY not bad. I don't know if my pain is on a lower level because the surgeon used the same incision sites from my gall bladder removal, but I CAN say that I have only taken the liquid vicadin once since I have been home. I was not nauseous after I woke up but I tend to respond pretty well under general anesthesia. They had me up and walking within a few hours and sent me home with orders to come back in 7-10 days to meet with the nurse about my incisions and to have an esophogram before that appointment. I don't look forward to chugging more barium but apparently I will be having a lot of esophograms because that is part of the annual physical now to make sure that the band is doing well. I am able to drink my clear broth and juice and water without any issues as well. Again, don't know if that is because I am taking sips or because I am just responding well to the band, but it is comforting!

As far as the gas issues I have seen others have after surgery, I have not had any pains at all. I find that weird so I expect that it will kick in tomorrow. I did bring a pillow with me to hold against my stomach in the car on the way home and that was a huge help, so I recommend it to everyone.

That's all for now! Have a good night

I can't sleep I have surgery this morning at 7:30am. I am feeling excited and nervous all at the same time. Tonight I have reflected on my past and what I am about to do. After 13 years of fixing everyone else's problems and taking care of everyone else I am finally going to take care of me. My only child graduated this June from high school and will be leaving for college in August so that will leave me on my own to really take care of myself and also to find "me" again. I am excited for this new chapter in my life to begin. Good luck to my fellow bandsters who will be banded today along with me. Here's to a new beginning for all of us!!

nechama...are you having any shoulder pain...i hear that is common, just wondering about that?

good luck to everyone (including me) that is being banded tommorrow. am getting excited and can't sleep! nervous at the same time though too! daddy and hubby are coming with, so hope all goes well...

Nechama~ Glad you are doing so well!!!

Here I gooooooooooo Leaving for the hospital in about 10 mnts!!!!

I'll check in later

GOOD LUCK TO ME AND ALL OF MY JULY 1 BANDERS!!!

Leaving for surgery this morning. Feeling good...actually slept last night. My thoughts are with my fellow banders...good luck guys!!!

Thank you MassMommyRebecca and Coco'sMum for the support! Today is a new day. Suppose to be my day off (work 4 ten's), but have to go in to get caught up. No, I don't work in HR, although some of that department's mishaps end up in our laps. I work in the Business Office for a large school district co-op that services special needs children. Love my job 99% of the time. Yesterday was just all I could take. I could feel myself emotionally starting to break-down and that is not the norm. I'm usually the one putting out the fires. I was ready to start one yesterday.

So I will start anew this morning. Scale didn't move quite as much as it has the past couple of days, then again I didn't exercise yesterday. So this morning, I will go get on the elliptical, get ready for work and try this again. Hopefully it won't be a full day, was looking forward to 4 days off.

Best of luck to all the July 1st banders this morning! You are carrying the torch for those that follow you.

Here's to a happy Friday!

Best of luck July 1st Bandsters!!!

Wow it's the month! I can see it on the calendar now and I am so ready. Good luck today to our first batch of July 2011 Banders!!!

Ok, I need to vent...so if you don't want to read...please skip over my post.

Today has been awful...day four of my pre-op diet. That is enough to make the day crappy. Got to work, boss brings in bagels and cream cheese. Then had three CPA's come in for an audit of our retirement plan. OMG...I wanted to kill them. Then someone orders pizzas for everyone for lunch. I'm sitting in my office and all I smell is sausage and cheese pizza. I really wanted to kill someone. Auditors take up so much of my time I missed my shake time by two hours....starving. Finally get my 2:30 shake at 5:30 (after being and 1.5 hours late on my second shake). Auditors finally leaving. Now I have to stay late to do the work I was suppose to do today, but didn't have time. So, 11.5 hours later and no lunch break...I finally make it home. All I want now is a piece of roast beef and to go to bed. Instead, I will probably have my last shake and go to bed.

I don't know if I can take 12 more days of this. UGH!!!!

Nighty-night July banders. Best of luck and well wishes to all tomorrow's banders!!! You are in my thoughts and prayers.

You and me both Tammy!

I'm also on day four of pre-op and it was HORRIBLE!!!

I went ice skating with a bunch of friends this morning and had a great time and burnt like a ZILLION calories!

BUT then they all went to McDonalds on the way home and I was so protein starved I swapped my lunchtime protein bar for a seared Caesar salad with the same number of kilojoules - not bad.... BUT then my boyfriend didn't want the rest of his fries and EVEN THOUGH I KNEW I SHOULDN'T HAVE AND I DIDN'T NEED TO AND IT WAS STUPID I ate like 500 calories worth!!!! Ugh! I don't think I've ever felt guiltier for eating ANYTHING!!!

But - I felt SO bad I forced myself to go to gym (even though I was still sore from ice skating) and work off 500 calories...

So by the time I got home I felt okay...

THEN in yet ANOTHER moment of weakness, I caved to my boyfriend's teasing offer of ice cream (And SOMEHOW justified it to myself) and now I am miserable AND feel sick due to my occasional dairy intolerance...

Bleh. Today was a major failure.

All the best to those who are going/have gone in for surgery too by the way!!! I'm keeping you all in my thoughts!

OK, here are today's bandsters: jenjaw, nancy2011, amjcal, Tracy N, xlstan, Wendy Muehleisen, ahassan, KevinM, lifeisjustbeginning2011 (Amy).

My thoughts are with you guys, I know you will do great!

Oh, and everyone, I finally have my date! Got it yesterday after my EGD. It is July 15th. The did find a hiatal hernia, which they will repair when I get banded. I'm sooooo hoping that it doesn't make recovery harder.

Here is our updated list, welcome to Lisa_MC and BandMeBaby!

No date yet: kychick1294, 30Something (JeVona), nickieredd79

June 27:pkjjm31049

June 30: Nechama L

July 1: jenjaw, nancy2011, amjcal, Tracy N, xlstan, Wendy Muehleisen, ahassan, KevinM, lifeisjustbeginning2011 (Amy)

July 5: AlyGurl (Aly), MassMom01527 (Steph), Allison0927, Harvest Farmer, wannabe21bmi (Kate), Kim from CT, blackmajyk, Xtinabrown13

July 6: lizzy21050, crash878905, Lorelei, Kimiky

July 7: nesportsfan, hokdo, songbird5769, Short and Chunky, LisaB68, pinktink, dare2bthin

July 11: dixiechick, honeybunny, Jessica43082, hlong1985, Breezybbyy

July 12: BandedApril (April), merlina

July 13: CurlyDiva, Tammy A, Lisa_MC

July 14: crystalddm, BandItOrLoseIt, MassMommyRebecca, schmidty42, CruiseGirl2011, Denise'sjourney

July 15: Shauna Deanne, Corize, JohnnyBoy

July 18: Colee85, Bandmebaby!

July 19: Mrs. Schultz

July 21: NomersCat, Coco's mum, Rock4Light401

July 22: razzcat

July 25: cat lady, dropsizes (Mary)

July 27: Healthy4Ever

July 29: ButterflyM, PungosMama

Nechama, it is great to hear from you and I'm so glad you are doing so well!

Tammy and Aly, so sorry you had such bad days! I'll be on pre-op starting July 5th and will be joining you guys in the struggles. I feel lucky my doc is only making me do 10 days instead of his usual 14!

How is everyone else doing on their pre-ops?

Shauna