I just found out my surgery will be in July (granted my pre-op testing goes okay) SOOOOOOOOO

Here's a thread for everyone getting banded in July 07!

Does anyone have any good ideas for a neat name we could call ourselves?

ribearty - yeah, I've had that tummy pain too...it means you're not resting enough...take it easy. Some of my pain was also due to some nerves trying to re-connect. That was a sharp/burning type pain. But the soreness will go away!

Linette - I have to admit that I'm jealous! Especially now that we don't have that nice cushion that we once had...self-pay sucks. My doc won't file insurance for me, but maybe I could get him to write a letter of medical necessity and file myself? Hmmm...I'll try that and see how things go. Um...is a quad-runner the same as a 4-wheeler? That's what we call them up here. We also say "sno-go" or "snow-mobile" NOT "snow-machine"...those are things that MAKE snow!

Mango - welcome to my world! Insurance not only cut coverage, but increased our co-pays (from 15 to 25/visit) and premiums 120%! YIKES!

I am soooo ready for my fill! Thursday can't come soon enough! I go up and down with the food - some days I eat too much, but I'm still more active than I have been in a long time. This usually happens in August anyway...get the energy out before winter comes (in about a month)...then I'll hunker down for several months with my treadclimber and the rec center here.

I'm having a little anxiety about this weekend. I'll be getting my fill on Thurs. and then I'll drive to Fairbanks to stay with family for a few days. I'm worried that there'll be a lot of judgement. Not for having the surgery, but that I don't LOOK like I've lost any weight (and haven't really since the surgery) and worried that there will be a LOT of eyes on what I'm eating. My usual obnoxious confidence is waning!:omg:

Laurend, I am so jealous! I want my fill, too. Although you're not as restricted as you would like, I'm sure it helping w/some of the hunger, right?

It helps a little, but not very much. The only thing that I've really noticed is that it's a little harder to eat certain foods than it was before I got the fill. Other than that and some slight restriction, there isn't much difference. My surgeon is pretty aggressive with fills, so if I can get an appointment for this Wednesday (the only day she does fills), I'm going in to get a second fill.

Hi Everyone, I just got back from camp. I'm exhausted, but we had a great time. I didn't do very well on the mushies though. The menu for the weekend had very little that could be mushed up in my magic bullet, so I just chewed like hell.

I have discovered that I can pretty much eat anything, as I have no restriction whatsoever. I was very careful with everything I ate, and kept it to 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup servings, but I know I could continue to eat, and eat, and eat if I wanted to.

I did drink quite a bit of alcohol thought... I guess that is a bit of a VOICE camp tradition, as the kids are being entertained, us adults are enjoying our own version of entertainment. Wine passes through just fine!!

I've decided that since my first fill isn't until Sept 10th (my doctor waits 6 weeks, as that's the manufacturers recommendation), and I have no restriction, that my goal this month is to eat healthily, start a real exercise program and just maintain until the fill stage. I don't intend to try to lose weight right now... just maintain. After all, I got the band to assist me in the process, and it can't really assist me right now until it's filled.

I've tried to catch up on the posts, but sure I missed some things. So here goes...

Lynette.... CONGRATS! $9,600 of new found money. Don't let your DH spend that... put it away for yourself to use on something special as a reward when you reach your goal.

Marcy... Oh you are so lucky. I love crab, salmon, etc. I've also always wanted to visit Alaska. Must be amazing.

Sunny... Hope you're doing better in the hind end situation!!!

Jeanie... Miss you sis!

Everyone else, hope you are doing well!!!

Marcy, yes, a quad runner is a 4 wheeler. Don't know why, but that's the terminology around here anyway. I'd submitt the appeal, all they can do is no right. Don't worry about what people are going to say. This tool takes time, and when people think weightloss surgery, they always think of the bypass where you lose more in the beginning. It will be fine, and you'll finally have your fill.

Kathy, glad you had a good time at camp.

Tennille, love the new picture. It's great!!

Laurend, does your dr. give you a fill if you feel like you need one? I'm thinking of calling my dr. to see if I can get another one before the 31st of this month. I'm not feeling much restriction now, but I'm not overeating either. I may call tomorrow and see.

Have a good night everyone.

Hello everyone,

I just wanted to take a minute and check in. I haven't been online in a few wks. I was banded July 23rd. I had lost 15lbs prior to surgery and another 16lbs since the 23rd. I feel great....I will be excitd to have some real food soon. I am getting sick of soup and yogurt. Over all, I feel fantastic. I went back home this past weekend to visit my family. And fortunately enough they were very supportive of my meal plan and didn't make it too difficult. I leave on vacation this Sat and I really look forward to being able to have egg whites. I know that sounds silly but i am getting tired of the liquid stuff... Ok..I will try to check in before I leave on Saturday.

Thanks for the thoughts and prayers you guys, it really means a lot...... I am so psyched for my fill tomorrow because my appetite is coming back. I also need to start working out. Have any of you started working out yet? what are you doing? I think I might start out by walking 30 minutes a day.

Hey everyone! I am new here and still figuring all this out (so bare with me ..) My name is Jessie and I was banded on 7/26/07. Very excited so far and I can't wait to start working out. I'm getting married on February 23rd so hopefully I will meet my first goal by then!

Hey everyone! I am new here and still figuring all this out (so bare with me ..) My name is Jessie and I was banded on 7/26/07. Very excited so far and I can't wait to start working out. I'm getting married on February 23rd so hopefully I will meet my first goal by then!

Hi band sister. I was banded on the 26th also. Congrats on the band and the wedding Look forward to getting to know you. this is a great group here.

Laurend, does your dr. give you a fill if you feel like you need one? I'm thinking of calling my dr. to see if I can get another one before the 31st of this month. I'm not feeling much restriction now, but I'm not overeating either. I may call tomorrow and see.

Yep, that's what she does, at least with the first few fills. She told me when I went in for the first one that it probably wouldn't be enough to give me good restriction (most first fills don't), so to give it a few days and then call for an appointment for another fill.

I went grocery shopping today, for my new healthy menu/lifestyle, and was quite dissapointed. The only grocery store we have in town is really quite pitfull and does not carry a lot of fish, or fresh seafood, or produce for that matter. So I have decided I will have to go down to Austin every weekend to shop for my most 'gourmet' items, such as fish ( they only had previously frozen catfish at my store!). It's only a 30-minute drive, but still,I wish we had better selection. I suppose it will be worth it.

By the way, I stayed the same on the scale today, first time in a month it did not move down!

I have been buying very healthy foods since right before my surgery and I have noticed the prices. WOW!!!!!!! My grocery bill has almost doubled. The last time I went my DH went with me and when the total came up I thought he was going to run out of the store LOL. He always thought it was bad before.

When I went for my appointment last week I was talking with the PA about that and she said yeah she knew. I told her it just blows me away with society today being in the 'obesity syndrom' we are in. You can buy junk for a lot less than something whole-some for your family. She said she had never really thought about it and said that she is going to be doing a paper for a presentation she has to give and I just gave her the topic. She asked if I would be willing to give her an interview about it. I told her sure.

I too had an alcohol drink Friday night. I actually had 2 drinks in the span of about 6 1/2 hours. I kept thinking of all the calories in them. LOL The whole night I kept thinking about the calories that I was 'wasting' on those drinks. I left half of the 2nd one.

Can't wait for that scale to move again but I am going to try to stay off the scale and just weigh every 4-5 days. That will be terribly hard for me!!!!! LOL I also think I am not going to beat myself up about not losing anymore. I need to remember as someone else said that I am supposed to be healing right now and just focus on maintaining the weight loss that I have already had until my fill.

When I went for my 2 week the PA told me that they will do all of my fills under fluro and that the first one will/should really make a difference. She said since she can see the fill and the fluids going through it I will have restriction. She also talked about something that I guess I never thoguht of. She said their office will never do a fill unless it is under fluro because there is to high of a risk of sticking the needle into the tubing of the band or missing the port. I had never thought of it or heard of that. I just wondered if anyone elses dr has mentioned that. Don't get me wrong I am VERY HAPPY they do mine under fluro but I just wonder how each doctor determines how they will do the fills.

<br /> <br /> Bending causes me pain. I can bend sometimes without pain at the waist and then others times it hurts. Does anyone else have this problem? Last week, I squatted and got up and felt bad pain dropped down and got back up and it was tender for a couple of days. I also went back to work on 7/24 after surgery on 7/20. Just a little too soon.

Hello Riberty,

I was banded on July 17. I had the same pain that you are talking about. It didn't hurt all the time. Only when I sneezed, laughed, or bent down. I called my doctor. He told me it was possible that gas had settled there and that it was gas pains. Mine was always in the same spot....on the lower right side away from my incisions.

I hope your pain goes away.....mine is almost gone.

Hi Everyone.

Just checking in. Did 45 minutes on the treadmill today and 30 minutes yesterday.

I'll be on mushies soon!!!!!! YEA!!!!!!!

Welcome back Kathy- glad you had a wonderful time.

I just got back from my first post op. I am down 21 lbs from the first day of pre-op liquids (13 since day of surgery)- I found out that I have the 4cc band. I am alowed to go on mushies today. I am starting with eggsalad for lunch today. I am so very excited!!!

Great work, Anna! I go on Wednesday to the nutritionist and will probably be on mushies then, too. Though I have cheated here and there and here and there--Lipton Noodle soup (with the noodles), crispy toast (a tough one!) , crackers, fruit, I've still lost 18lbs since preop diet. I'm overjoyed--237.5 to 219.5. I must say I wept a bit on moving out of the 20's. Moving into the 100's may be cause for SOBS of joy!!!!

I walk every day and soon I will be back on the tennis court, so that helps the little transgressions. I do have great fear of the old head hunger habits creeping in. I've had a therapist for the last two months whom I will see again tomorrow. She's GREAT!

Good luck everyone--the best is yet to come!!!!

Lorna