Calling all upcoming bandsters...

I just wanted to start a thread where everyone can post their surgery dates and we can start to compare notes.

I am scheduled for 9/12. I have ALL my pre-op stuff next Wed & Thurs, including psych eval, sleep consult, lab work, 4 hr nutrition class, and pre-op appt with surgeon. It is going to be a couple of very full days.

My parents are coming for a visit the following week, and I don't plan on telling them about the surgery, so I am rushing to get through all of that before they get here.

How is everyone else doing getting their pre-op stuff scheduled?

Here is the list of September Bandsters: I'll try to keep it updated for everyone.

9/1 okiegirl

9/1 TexasBr@t

9/1 TruBlueSue

9/1 finallyonmyway

9/1 ashley

9/4 JamesA

9/4 SLHarrison

9/5 Em1125

9/5 kittylover54

9/5 mcw12985

9/5 chabutter

9/5 BigBZ

9/5 TamifromAL

9/6 Ashlee

9/6 Cole

9/6 Kathy S

9/6 r2ht4u

9/6 Gjdf52

9/6 babyjessica

9/6 P McDonald

9/6 harlito

9/6 kareyquilts

9/6 LindaN

9/7 bibytz

9/7 kristyinusa

9/7 sunnshyne411

9/7 MICHELLE43

9/7 cassandra

9/7 green

9/7 happykat

9/8 dovie6523

9/8 valgal1968

9/8 PattyMartin

9/9 mary9

9/9 msgoat4949

9/11 cindyn

9/11 BJean

9/11 SheryBery

9/11 SherryA

9/11 RHCPgirl

9/11 lamamama

9/11 PHAT TX

9/11 drcollier

9/11 fraleyk

9/11 Dana Kwt

9/12 want2lose

9/12 ItsGottaGo!

9/12 TxAngel

9/12 HopeWorks

9/12 kattiegirl

9/12 brendab

9/13 katt

9/13 jewel

9/13 avasa

9/13 whlatimer

9/13 twiceblessed

9/13 suleehci@yahoo.

9/14 gonnabethin

9/14 mom of many

9/14 spike6

9/15 swanny

9/15 fugnick

9/15 coryW

9/15 ericergoman

9/15 melissa0915

9/18 Linstadt

9/18 tayvia99

9/18 April

9/18 Turmoil

9/18 LovinColorado

9/19 vv0710

9/19 susoue

9/19 Elaine53

9/19 reredc

9/19 missSD

9/19 sweet31eve

9/19 lisalee

9/20 mariecarmen

9/20 wantlapband

9/20 samos

9/20 labradoodle

9/20 ErinS

9/20 beechpad

9/20 lifelongband

9/20 mejomojogolow

9/21 jgandg

9/21 WandaKay

9/21 Dallasmist

9/21 JewelsInLove

9/21 YellowRoseKnows

9/22 diane5467

9/22 kellieatkins30

9/22 Lila

9/22 shell04937

9/22 venetiaann

9/22 butterfly1973

9/22 teachmath

9/23 tgjones

9/25 buzz321

9/25 sandranoelle

9/26 marie noone

9/26 christy

9/26 Lin

9/26 The Woman

9/27 Bettina

9/27 tommygirl

9/27 GettinThinMan

9/27 MimIN

9/28 Tracicat

9/28 jumbojet

9/28 "D"-n-OK

9/28 rbabcock61

9/28 Lisa99

9/29 Lapoli7

9/29 ratgirl

9/29 sweetsue

9/29 chattanoogabrat

9/29 phw72

9/29 JessyInSD

9/29 Chrissy "O"

Sorry to be late, posting my losses for last two weeks, down 2lb last week and 2lb this week, its nice to see the scales moving again :clap2:

Tanya xx

Tanya, congrats! You're moving right along!

Sandra, as Dr. Oz would say, "Just do a U-turn, and get back on track." Hey, you're down 60 lbs, right? So, you've been going in the right direction!

Karey, that's scary! (And I'm a poet, and know it!) I hope they figure it out soon. That's the kind of thing that would keep me up at night.

I was able to avoid the chocolate when I was getting baskets ready, which is usually when I go hog wild. But, then yesterday, I walked by my daughter's basket, and my hand went on auto-pilot. Luckily, I only came away with two little foil covered eggs, so I didn't totally crash land. But, thank God the leftover lasagna from the weekend is finally gone. I had no will power what so ever when it came to the lasagna. But, at least the band kept the quantity under control!

Mim, I'm so glad to hear the water finally flushed out! Wow, that must feel awesome!:clap2:

Lisa, I'm so sorry about your kitty, too. Were they fighting, or just rough play? My dogs sometimes go at it and you'd think there would be blood involved, but it's just play. I could definitely see a smaller animal getting severely wounded in the middle of it. I love my fur babies, and dread the day something happens to one of them.

Tami

Lisa: If it's there I can't leave it alone either - I have 0 willpower for chocolate. I bought a box of 100 cal hershey bars and have it in my desk for the "MUST HAVE CHOCOLATE" moments. I have left the M&Ms and minie ggs alone since Wednesday... probably because the peanut butter ones are all gone...THANK GOD!

Karey: THat is so scary! I hope all works out well!

Sandranoelle: You are NOT a failure. You have lost 60lbs! It is hard to refocus after going slightly astray, I am having a heck of a time doing it myself right now. All we need to do is get right back up on that horse when we fall off - we can do it!

Tami: I was relieved that the water weight went away, I was so afraid I was going to have to flight to get those lbs off. I have not lost a thing this week but I guess there are a few more days where anything can happen.

karey- I am so sorry about your kitty. I don't know what I would do if something happened to one of my pups. My heart goes out to you!!

I gained 2 lbs while on vacation. Grrrr!!!

Sandra- It seems we're going thru something similar. I can't eat much of real food, so I wind up going for the chocolate or something worse (like ice cream.)

I am so relieved that my DH is going out of town on business for the next two weeks. I think it will be much easier for me to get back into a decent routine and get all the crap out of the house!!

Tami and MimIN: I love reading your posts!

lisa- hang in there with me!

no loss for last 2 weeks.

Thankgoodness I go for a fill friday- Ive been fearful of slippage so Ive not had many fills and inturn not losing!! IM GOING-

Well, I got another fill. I have lost count of how much, I think I will ask next time. When I eat I usually hurt. Getting stuck? I need to eat smaller bites and chew more I guess. But I thought It was supposed to get stuck. wasn't that the point.. to fill up the little stomach and feel full. (what does full feel like?) I can sit from between 5-10 minutes and feel like I can eat more. Mostly get stuck with meat or chicken. I have had on PB. yuck. So Am I too tight? I can eat an entire potato with chili and cheese on it with no problems or am I just not able to eat meat? I wish this was a exact science and we would all react the same so we would know what was happening..

Lisa, sorry about your kitty. what a sad shock..

Karey, what a scare. I hope you are recovering quickly and that it was some freak occurance. (this doesn't look like it is spelled right.)

BJean. what's wrong with ice cream????? it at least goes down and doesn't give you chest pain. maybe we could start a new ice cream diet.

Tami and MimIn: you guys are the best. thanks for your support and encouragement.

I hope everyone has a good weigh in tomorrow... cross our fingers....

Sandra, did your doc recommend going to liquids for a bit after your fill? You could have a little bit of swelling from the fill which might make it difficult to eat meat. You might also try drinking something warm/hot before eating. I've heard that can help. But, I don't think that "getting stuck" is the goal. If food is well chewed, and you are not overly tight, food should pass slowly through the stoma. I get a little "stuckish" sometimes, too, and like you, I just have to wait a minute or two for it to go down. It's usually because I either didn't chew well enough, or because of the texture of the food. Dense, sticky foods sometimes give me a bit of a problem.

By the way, I rarely feel "full" anymore. If I eat enough to feel it, it's not a comfortable or satisfying feeling, so I avoid it! I just stick with portions of 1 to 1-1/2 c. at a meal, unless it's something like soup that passes through the stoma quicker.

I'm down 3 lbs. this week. Don't shoot me! I have a horrible cold, though, and won't be working out for a few days. I hope that doesn't throw me off track. I might at least do some time on the treadmill to keep my mind in the right place!

Hope ya'll have a great week!

Tami

Tami, I hope you are feeling better soon! I too have a cold so I only ran once this week....it is too darned hard to breathe.

I am so glad I didn't actually get a fill last week. Between the cold and stress in our house I had difficulty swallowing anything last week....just too tense. I've been exhaused and sleeping a lot.

Fortunately, I eked in a 1 pound weight loss this week...down to 184.

I am really worried I am losing lean body mass, I only just got back to working out this past weekend. I am down 4lbs this week.

No loss or gain this morning. Maybe I need the "sleeve" :omg:

Mim, does it go away that quickly? I have often wondered myself how that works. Four pounds is a lot of muscle to lose. I'm sure you're glad to be back exercising again!

I do know that when I am increasing my stamina or trying to build muscle (not just maintenance) that the body retains water to help flush out toxins and rebuild even more muscle. It often sticks around a couple of days...of course my fluid intake is also increased significantly.

Just a couple of thoughts from my corner of the world. BTW are you getting used to your boosies yet?

Mim, does it go away that quickly? I have often wondered myself how that works. Four pounds is a lot of muscle to lose. I'm sure you're glad to be back exercising again!

I do know that when I am increasing my stamina or trying to build muscle (not just maintenance) that the body retains water to help flush out toxins and rebuild even more muscle. It often sticks around a couple of days...of course my fluid intake is also increased significantly.

Just a couple of thoughts from my corner of the world. BTW are you getting used to your boosies yet?

I will be completely truthful... I have been eating like h*ll. cookies, chocolate, banana bread, ice cream, cheese, mexican... TERRIBLE! I should have gained all this time and the only thing I can come up with is losing lean body mass. I don't know how quickly it takes to lose muscle but it freaks me out. I just got back to working out and it's a slow start, I have been doing the seated bike to minimize 'bounce' but it has only been 2 days (I didn't go today:omg: ) 4lbs is a lot when you are eating like pre-band. I don't know what is going on and well I should be happy but I don't want to loose what little lean I have, lol.

I am getting use to the girls FINALLY. Funny thing is I took some more pictures this weekend and was comparing them against previous weeks and they looked the same and it bummed me out. I just posted on a BA forum complaining that they weren't dropping and wondering if I should be concerned. I just finished analyzing them again and realized my righy has dropped almost an inch since Saturday night and is almost even with my lefty - So when 'they' say it can happen over night (2 in this case) they weren't kidding! I will be happy when I actually have a breast crease and can wear a bra, that will be a great day... right now I still look like I have porn boobs.

Well, I got another fill. I have lost count of how much, I think I will ask next time. When I eat I usually hurt. Getting stuck? I need to eat smaller bites and chew more I guess. But I thought It was supposed to get stuck. wasn't that the point.. to fill up the little stomach and feel full. (what does full feel like?) I can sit from between 5-10 minutes and feel like I can eat more. Mostly get stuck with meat or chicken. I have had on PB. yuck. So Am I too tight? I can eat an entire potato with chili and cheese on it with no problems or am I just not able to eat meat? I wish this was a exact science and we would all react the same so we would know what was happening..

Hey Sandranoelle: For me full (when I actually stop at 'full') is a content feeling like you feel before you get uncomfortably full. You don't want to strive for the stuck feeling however I have learned from other bandsters that is a common misconception and some think that the really tight everything gets stuck feeling is what the band is all about. The problem with that is to much of it can lead to problems like slips etc.

After a fill I have always been instructed to go on clears, then full liquids, mushies and then back to regular food (1 day on each liquid stage). I have also found that if after a fill I think "I am starting over" and I stay away from the foods I know are my nemisis I can stay away from them until I 'test' them and realize 'oh yeah I CAN eat this'. What has worked best for me is to not test with the stuff that isn't good for me I am much more successful. Lately I have been testing the limits far to much...

I don't know that you are too tight but you may want to go on liquids for a few days, after a fill the stoma gets irritated and swells up a little and if things are getting stuck routinely it irritates the stoma more and then starts a vicious cycle.

I want a fill in the worst way but I am still fairly tight in the mornings and I just can't justify getting a fill when it's me that has the problem with control, not the band:(

Tami: The worst is being sick and trying to exercise! This weather (here in Indiana where the weather changes 10 x in a day) has my allergies in a tizzy coupled with a sore throat. I hope you feel better soon!!

Bjean: You didn't gain!!! That is an accomplishment too! The sleeve scares me because it's not adjustable however I have said to my dear jerk that if the band fails me in anyway I am going to Vegas to get the MGB and that is not adjustable either.

I really don't know anything about the sleeve. I was just being a wise acre. What is WGB? Some kind of gastric bypass?

Fortunately you're getting great results with the band so it shouldn't be an issue for you.

I'm not giving up, but like you I have been outa control. It's so strange because I'm doing really well at meals. It's the chocolate thing that has me in its grip. Funny thing is that I've never been a honest chocolaholic. I like it, but it has never been something that I have trouble giving up. Right now it's about all I want. Wonder if there is some mineral in chocolate that having the band causes you crave it? Since there are so many of us who are talking about the chocolate thing at the same time, maybe the band depletes our zinc or something. Doesn't chocolate have zinc?