Hey everyone! I hope you guys don't mind that I've started a new thread. I've been talking to Terri from Dr. B's office, and she wants to email all of Dr. Bagnato's patients about this website and this support chat that all of us Bagnato Bandsters have going on. She was really impressed by how we've been supporting each other and wants all of Dr. B's patients to be able to come here and get support.

I wanted the title of the thread to be clear and make sure everyone who was banded by Dr. Bagnato knows that they are welcome here, even if they don't live in Albany.

For anyone who is interested, we have formed a support group and have decided to meet once a month.

Our first group meeting will be Feb. 7th at Ruby Tuesday in Tifton, Ga at 6:00 pm. This meeting is basically just a "get to know each other" meeting. I hope to see all of you there!

Mia

Stop being so down on yourself. You are doing wonderful. You just need to change something in the way you are eating to get the weight loss going again. I try very hard to stick to the sugar busters diet that we were put on preband. You are just going to have to find what works for you and let it happen. Take care and keep trying ti will work.

hi everybody

I know appointments at the treatment center have gotten kind of tough to get lately, so if any of you are trying to get in soon i just had to cancel an appointment for the 31st at 3:30. I have lost too much to be able to get a fill!!!!!! :tongue_smilie: Did i mention that i can't get a fill next week because i have lost too much weight??? I LOVE MY LAPBAND!!

I'll be there at 2 p.m., getting my assessment. I am so excited!!!! Everyone I have dealt with at the office seems really nice. I think this is the only time in years I have been to the doctor and not felt judged.

Leslie - fantastic that you have your date! please let me know all about it!

Oneder Woman - good luck with the assessment!

Mia - I agree with everyone else...don't be so hard on yourself. You have done a great job on the weight loss and sometimes, unfortunately, it doesn't happen according to our time tables. I am so bad about saying that I want to loose X by such-and-such date and if it doesn't happen, I end up so disappointed in myself. That is so stupid! Instead of being happy with what I do loose, I think I "failed" because I didn't reach my magic number. Don't belittle what you have accomplished. And whether or not you are 300 on your wedding day, you will look and feel beautiful.

I agree with the person above (can't remember who now!) who said to change up your diet. That works well for me. If I do low carb and hit a stall, I add some carbs and it usually gets it moving again. If I am eating too many carbs, I back off and add protein.

Now having said all of that, my scale has refused to budge for 2 weeks other than going up and down with the same 2 lbs. It is very frustrating, but I am trying so hard not to get discouraged. I know in my head that I haven't had a fill, but sometimes, it is hard to remember that. I don't get one until the 16th! That seems so far away!!! Is it normal to have to wait 7 weeks after surgery? Should I call to get moved up? I have seriously no restriction at all right now. It is all will power that is keeping me from eating way too much.

Georgia Girl...I may have missed it. Which beach did you go to? We are heading down to Mexico Beach on Saturday for a few days. I hope ya'll have a blast! Enjoy yourself :-)

We are at Cape San Blas. It's pretty secluded here, it's great. My son is taking a nap right now, so I have a little down time. I think we are about 45 minutes from Mexico Beach. I hope ya'll have a good time too!

I don't know what the deal is, but I need another fill. Ever since I got here, I haven't had much restriction at all! I'll definitely keep my next appt and hopefully get a fill! I've been missing everyone, ya'll take care.

Mia, you are doing great, don't get discouraged okay. I have 6.5 cc and I don't much restriction right now. It's a game of trial until we get there. Cheer up, you've lost soooo much weight already!

Well everyone...I hope ya'll have a great weekend! This is probably my last post until next week. We are heading down to the beach house tomorrow. Tyndall Air Force Base is having an Air Show and I am planning on taking the girls to that. GeorgiaGirl, I'm glad ya'll are having fun. It is nice on the Cape...we may head out to there on Monday. We like to take the 4 x 4 to a section of beach there you can actually drive on with a permit! You can park and have the truck right there. It is nice and secluded and great for picking up shells. Only 12 days left! I am so excited and ready to be an official Bagnato Bandit! Well I've gonna run and get back to work. Until next week...

Mia and Jeannie,

It was great to meet you at lunch last week, and I appreciate you going with me to the OTC to meet Malik.

Mia, I'm so sorry to hear you being discouraged. I know people have probably mentioned this before, but please THROW AWAY YOUR SCALE or hide it in the attic. It's nice to have a goal (for your honeymoon) but don't beat yourself up if you don't quite reach it by that deadline. Nobody's perfect. Think about how far you HAVE come, and in a relatively short period of time. We are all rooting for you

Glad you could fit in a fill. My first is 7 weeks after surgery. Jeannie's cancelled appointment was too early for me but I told her she could probably auction it off on ebay!

Hope to see you soon,

Holly

OKay, I am a big baby but I am getting nervous about my assessment appt. on Monday. For one, I assume there will be bloodwork and it always takes 4 or more sticks to find a vein in me. Also, I am afraid there will be some reason they tell me I am not a good candidate or something. And in general, I find medical appointments unpleasant.

Words of reassurance welcome.....

Hi all, I am back from my vacation. I will go back and read all the posts and see what has been going on.

Take care.

Dana

OKay, I am a big baby but I am getting nervous about my assessment appt. on Monday. For one, I assume there will be bloodwork and it always takes 4 or more sticks to find a vein in me. Also, I am afraid there will be some reason they tell me I am not a good candidate or something. And in general, I find medical appointments unpleasant.

Words of reassurance welcome.....

As far as your medical assessment done at palmyra the most painful part was HOW LONG it took them to get everything done. LOL. My poor fiance and daughter literally fell asleep and were sleeping in the lobby when I finally got done 5 hours later. From what I remember, I registered for my surgery (since it was only two weeks away-again I'm self pay so we moved very quickly) then they took me up to the lab to get bloodwork- nice lady who used a butterfly needle and got it on the very first try and I have rolling veins. Then I went down the hall for the EKG, painless. After that I went upstairs (which was the part that took FOREVER) to have a chest xray- again- quick and painless procedure aside from waiting to be called. Don't worry- you will do fine. The most horrible part is the waiting.

I agree with Mia. The most painful part was how long it took them to get everything done. Once I was "taken to the back" everything kinda whooshed by. However, when i was up front in the waiting room it took forever to be called. Luckily I had my little hand held game console with me, so that helped pass the time quicker. Initally I was the only one there, then some other patient showed up. There was NO ONE in that waiting room other than the two of us and it took like 45 minutes for me to be seen in the outpatient check in department. Initally, I went to this little room with this nurse who asked me all kinds of questions about my presciption drug usage and explained when the outpatient center to fidn oout my surgery time. She pretty much put all my stuff into the computer. I think a wounded snail stuck in cold syrup could have moved faster than she did. :thumbup: Then I had to go back to the waiting room.

Finally the lab nurse called for me. That lady is fantastic. Normally people have to poke around me like they are playing pin the tail on the donkey or soemthing. This blessed woman hit it on the first try. Then she took my x-rays, ECG, and all that other stuff. Yup, the same lady did all of that. I think that is why it takes so long...I only saw TWO nurses back there and they were the ""all purpose"' nurses. They did it all.

Overall, I was very pleased. There was some wait ( the whole thing from walk in to hauling ass out the door was 2-3 hours), but the nurse who actually did the lab procedures was a sweetheart and super efficient. She was very quick and very thorough. Waiting to be called and dealing with the wounded snail lady were the most time consuming parts of the entire visit.

The truth be told, most of the peopel who get banded are are not exaclty the best surgury/anesthesia canidates in the world. We are doing this becasue we are overweight and that itself comes with a host of issues. Diabetes, high blood pressure, rspiratory issues, etc have this done. But the point of having the lab stuff done is to make the procedure as safe as possible. Having said that, i think that you would have to have some extremely serious condition for them to tell you that you are not a good canidate.

I think that you will do fine. Just bring soemthing to bide your time when you are in the waiting room.

Onederwoman,

I also remember that the nurses at Palmyra were sooooooo good at sticking me. Usually, I bruised and sore after having blood drawn, but with the blood draw there, i had no bruising and was not sore. I was pleasently surprised.

Oh, and the waiting thing, yep...there was no one in the waiting room when I got there, but I still waited and waited and it took a long time for all of it to get done.

I would probably feel better about it if my husband was going w/ me, but he has to be out of town. I haven't told my parents yet (I know, need to get on that) so I will be on my own tomorrow. I know it will be fine, as I said in an earlier post, I just have an aversion to medical stuff (has something to do w/ judgement and that scale.....)

By the way, Brina, you are so funny - I LOVE reading your posts. I used to make my living as a writer, and you have real talent for comedy.

Thanks all for the encouraging words. I will post tomorrow and let you know how it goes!

Hey everyone! I am back from the beach and I have to admit, I got a little homesick while away. We had such a good time, my sister's wedding was beautiful!!

I was really scared to get on the scales this morning..........but I knew I had to, so I sucked it up and did it. I did gain 2 pounds while I was gone, but honestly, I was expecting it to be more. We had soooo much junk food around the beach house. It didn't help that my restriction is MIA! I noticed it was relaxing a bit a few days before we left, now I have very little restriction. I don't have another assessment until April 24th, so I am going to have to hang in there a while. I'm not stressing over the 2 lbs, because I had a good time and enjoyed myself.

Anyway, it's good to be back!

Wow - I guess I should count myself lucky that my preop stuff at Palmyra lasted maybe an hour or an hour and a half at the most. I know for a fact I didn't want long enough to finish a magazine! LOL!

Georgia Girl and Para Girl - glad you enjoyed your vacations and are back now!