Just wondering if anyone in the Myrtle Beach/Horry County area has been Banded by Dr. Balder?? I live in Little River and was Banded by him on Jan. 10, 2006.

Hi! Saw your note about being banded by Dr. Balder. I'm actually going to be banded 1/31 by Dr. Anderson. How are you doing? How has the first few weeks gone for you? I'm getting nervous!

I'd like to get a group of "banders" going in the area to meet once a month....interested? I've gone to several of the support group meetings from Anderson/Balder's office, and while I learned a lot, there were mostly Gastric Bypass people attending. The Charlotte group of banders meets once a month somewhere, and it always seems so positive. Plus they take photos at this meeting of all of them, and it looks like a journey of "Incredible Shrinking Women".

Would love to keep in touch!

Janet

Hi Janet,

Good Luck on your Surgery tomorrow! Today you are probably doing the Bowel Prep....that was very hard for me! I drank as much of the liquid as I could without throwing it back up, but was not able to finish it all.

Surgery Day was not bad at all....the worst part for me was trying to find a Vein to get my IV started. My Surgery took about 45 Minutes and then I was in Recovery for about 1.5 Hours. After that they took me up to the Room I would be spending the Night in at Conway Hospital. I didn't have very much pain while I was there....but Pain Medication was avaliable at my request. Just a word of advice....get up and move around as much as you can. I was getting up about every hour to go to the Bathroom and would walk around the Room for a few minutes each time I was up. I stayed Tuesday Night and they released me about 1:00 on Wednesday afternoon. You may want to ask them to give you some Nausea Medication before you leave if you have more than a few minute Drive Home.

Once I got home I spent the next few days on the Couch! You are going to have to sleep on your back for about a week and then you should be able to move to your side. You will be on a full liquid diet for 4 weeks after the Surgery....however, at my 2 Week Check-Up Dr. Balder said I was doing good enough to move to Mushy Foods. THANK GOD!! Soup was getting old...no matter how many different flavors I tried!

I have been pretty lucky with my Surgery...only had bad gas pains once! (Knock on wood!) I had very little pain once I got home, my incisions are very small and healing well. I still have the Steri-Strips on the incision where the Port is; the other 4 wounds look like small red cut marks. They are going to put a Binder on you after Surgery and it will help hold your Stomach in. I stopped wearing mine after about 2 weeks....

Dr. Balder scheduled me for my 1st Fill on Feb. 20th. I was afraid that until I had a fill I would be able to eat close to what I was eating before I had the Surgery, but that is not the case. For Breakfast I fix one of the Quaker Instant oatmeal Individual Packs and have yet to finish an entire pack. I had 1 Egg and Grits (just enough to cover the Egg) for lunch yesterday and was not able to finish all of that either. Before the Surgery I would eat 2 eggs, Grits, Bacon, and Toast before I would feel full. As soon as I start to feel full I stop eating. If you try to eat to much it will feel like you have a Brick in your Stomach....or atleast that is how it was for me.

I have not been to any of the Support Group Meeting yet, but I am going to start getting in the Habit of going.

Best of Luck Tomorrow! :clap2:

Blondiee9584

Thanks, Blondiee, you mentioned some things in your post that I had not thought of. Yep, started the bowel prep a bit ago....I hadn't read the pkg til tonight, and then realized I should have started earlier. Oh well...looks like it will be a LONG nite in the bathroom. ANd here I was thinking I'd have a long, relaxing soak in the tub. I'm getting nervous. My surgery is actually at the Rivertown Surgery Center....they are just starting to do self-pays there, and I'm actually the first (there will be 3 done there tomorrow). Representatives from Inamed are supposed to be there also to qualify the new place of surgery. It's about a mile from Conway hospital. I stay there a few hours, and then go to the Holiday Inn nearby for the night....at which I think Dr Anderson will visit later in the afternoon to check on me. After the night I'll go back in the morning to the office. It's the way they had to set it up doing it out of a hospital. Should be interesting....I definitely plan on trying to get up and around since you made a point that it will help. Your first two weeks.....just clear liquids/soups? Protein supplement drinks, and broth, Jello, etc? How did you get a variety?

OK, let me go get some things done before I have to sit in the bathroom. Say a prayer for me in the morning!

Janet

When they scheduled my Surgery they had not yet started doing it as Out-Patient in the Rivertown Center yet, and since I am not at all good with pain I decided it would be better for me to stay overnight in the Hospital. I was Self-Pay also since my Insurance would not pay for the Surgery. It did cost extra for me to stay overnight at the Hospital....all together my Surgery will cost about $17,000.00.

After the Surgery the food gets boring really quick! My Mom made a variety of Jello Flavors for me and I had a variety of Protein shake Samples that I got from Sue. My Diet pretty much consisted of sugar free Popsicles (there is actually a pretty good variety of flavors at most Grocery Stores), Sugar Free Jello (My Mom did use Splenda to make a few flavors just too see how I liked it....you might want to try that), and Soup! I had Clam Chowder (strained out the Potatoes and Clams), chicken Noodle (strained out the Noodles & Chicken), Homemade Vegtable Soup (Mom made a Large Pot of Soup which I ate off of for days!), and if you are Chinese Food Fan you could get the Won Ton Soup and just eat the broth that they put the Won Tons in (If you like the Egg Drop Soup you could have that and just strain off the Egg Drops). I mostly drank Water, but found out that I really liked the Crystal Light Lemonade for a change.

Hopefully all went well with your Surgery today....!!

:wave: Just wanted to Butt in and say Hey girls!

It's me, from the Charlotte Bandsters. Meet for lunch, take a pic, post it here! It's fun and you watch yourself shrink! Glad you two found one another and it's good to see the support/advice/encouragement here!

Conway Hospital...my daughter broke her arm and had surgery there...never wanna go back. The hospital was fine, the ordeal wasn't...I'm goona go hurl now at the memory of all that! LOL

Janet, you should be banded now...recover nicely!!! And congrats!

I made it, I made it! It started off a little rough with trying to get the IV's in (I'm terrified of needles), but from there it went smoothly. It was outpatient at Rivertown Surgery Center with Dr Anderson, and apparently lots of onlookers. My doctor has been doing it at Conway Hospital, but has worked out an outpatient surgery center for self-pay patients, to lower the costs. Representatives from Inamed were "overseeing" to qualify this as an additional surgery center for lapband...I'm guessing there were over 15 people in the operating room, LOL. Hey, the more the merrier, and the more to make sure things went right! I stayed in a recovery area til noon, and then had to check in at the Holiday Inn a mile away. Dr Anderson came to check on me at 8pm that night, and then again at 8am the next morning at which time I was "released" to go home. I was getting up every hour to walk a bit...didn't want to get stiff, trying to help myself. Drank Crytsal Lite all afternoon and through the night (getting a little tired of Raspberry Ice!). Actually stopped by work on my way home to "check-in" and pick up some paperwork, and then came home to rest.

I've been hungry since I woke up! The strangest sensations in my stomach - I can't determine if I'm hungry and the sounds are my stomach growling, or if I have to go to the bathroom. Does this sound familiar to what everyone goes through? The pain (which isn't horrible, but still there) seems to confuse me and I can't figure out what is going on like I used to. I drank 3 Protein shakes yesterday, and already one this morning. Just strange. I've uncovered 4 of the 5 bandages (I'm a wimp when it comes to looking at incisions, too). They all look great, but am saving the biggest for when I have more courage.

Blondiee, can I borrow your Mom? LOL, I have not told my Mom yet...she was against the surgery and was terrified that I would die on the operating table...so I decided to wait until I was okay. But I sure am missing out on all the good Soups she could be making for me! I am very close to my Mom, talk to her one-two times a day, so it has been interesting the last couple of days. She's two hours away, so it's all by phone.

Angie, thanks for the questions and support! I have another friend that is getting banded in Charlotte today by Dr Bauman...the husband to my friend that was banded in Nov.

Just wanted to check in, and say thanks again for the thoughts and prayers!

)

Janet

Janet, I am so proud of you!!!! CONGRATS on being banded. How are you feeling? How much have you lost? How long does your Dr. want you on liquids and mushies? I love it. Let me know if you have any questions at all. I am here for ya.

Angie

Glad to hear your Surgery went well SCbeachbander.....I have been out of town so I am just now getting back to check on your progress! You are probably still on Liquids...which stinks for the time being but it does really help in the weight loss progress. You should have a 2 Week Check Up and if you are doing well and have not had problems you should be able to move to Mushies. I am now on solid food and have lost 29 pounds...it has been 5 Weeks (today) since my Surgery so that has been about 5.8 pounds a week but I know that is going to slow down. I have got to get back in the Gym....but it is so hard for me to find time. My sisters are going to start going with me so that will help with the motivation! I am going for my 1st Fill next Monday....will let you know how that goes. Gotta get back to work but I will post later!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY to you all!! Hope that you are showered with love throughout the day! :biggrin1: :biggrin1:

Hi Blondiee.....it's taken me forever to have time to go online! I had to read back up the posts.....how was your fill? What was it like? Do you feel restriction? I'm beginning to wonder if they gave me a "placebo" band...ie, cut me open to make me THINK I have something around my stomach to make me eat less. I've done great by pound standard....34 lbs since 1/12 (2 weeks before surgery).....but I feel like I am starving all the time. And I am certain I am overeating if you go by 1/2 cup per meal. In one hand I am scared to extend my pouch, and the other my hands overtake my good sense and still cram it in my mouth. No, I'm not eating like a hamburger or anything like that....still small portions, but I'm quite sure over 1/2 cup.

Ok, have to run....please let me know your experiences! Or anyone else that can add advice, please do!

How Long Does It Take For Insurance Approval For Lapband?

hey ladies!! i was banded by dr balder dec 8 2006. i hope you all are continuing to do well. you are great inspirations!

sounds like you all are feeling great and lookin' even better! if you get together please let me know - i am in florence, but i would make a drive to hear stories like these and get support any time!!

Take care and i hope to hear from you soon,

your friend and bandster!

stephanie

Hi Stephanie,

I am interested in the lap band. It does not look like my insurance will pay for it. I am starting to look at self pay options? Does anyone know how much it will cost for lapband as an outpatient in Conway?

Hi all, I have not posted here before but thought I would put my dates on here. I will be banded by Dr. Strickland at the SC Obesity Center at LMC. I have my filter put in on the 2nd of April and the lap band procedure on the 10th. I was beginning to think this day would never come lol! I have a profile on ObesityHelp.com if anyone would like to read my journey to this point.

Well how did it go with the surgery 1-31??? I am thinking of be banded by Dr. Anderson I am just wondering is this a good move? Am I in good hands. I am a low BMI but need a change in my life. Present weight 193. Please fell me in on the Dr. staff and your experience. Thanks SCBeachbander.

Hi everyone from SC, I live outside of Charleston, and had my surgery in Dalton GA, Dr. Ponce of the Lap Band institute which is in Chatanooga TN- only 30 min. from Dalton. The cost out of pocket was $13,800 for everything and he has done over1200 surgeries. I almost had the surgery here in Charleston and found out that the doctor here was taught by Dr. Ponce. The doctor here kept trying to push me to have the gastric bypass, and it wasn't for me. I had my surgery on the 14th of March and am doing great. Good Luck to you all- Gretchen