lcoates

Hi Lisa! Gloria and I had a great time and it was a pleasure meeting you and your husband and the other May 8 bansters.

Are you going back for your fill? I'm pretty sure I'm going back to OCC for mine. What about you others?

How are you doing on the post op diet? It's a real struggle for me, I'm hungry all the time, and not head hunger either. I'm drinking like a fish. Not alcohol! but protein water, vitamin water, water water and more protein water. I've had a couple of yogurt smoothies today.

How's everyone doing as far as going back to work, bruising, soreness, etc? Today is the first day I'm uncomfortably sore. What I think is the port, largest cut in middle/left of my chest, is really sore. I hope I haven't done anything to it. :lb12: That's why I want to go to the OCC for my first fill, to make sure everything is fine.

Maybe we can schedule our fills the same day and have a reunion cup of broth! ha!

Jea

Jena, you and Gloria were a pleasure to meet. We really enjoyed your company. I would love an email of the pictures that Gloria took (coatesdogs@yahoo.com). I don't plan to go back to the OCC for fills at this time. There are a couple of places close to me that I may go to instead. Also, I am hungry too and I have the runs. I hope the yogurt helps with that. Not fun. My port site is a little sore as well and I think that is normal. I am so bruised!!! I look like I got stabbed in a bad fight. Oh, well, it is the price to pay for a healthy future weight.

~Glad to hear you are surviving,

Lisa (ps, I can't wait for creamy soups)

I just want to give a quick shout out to the May 8h banders. I hope all of you (Valerie, Jena, Brenda, Jenn (not on forum yet)and Saul (not on forum yet)) are doing fantastic. I loved meeting all of you and your significant others, spouses, and/or family. I loved the support and I appreciated sharing the journey with you. Keep in touch and may all of us who are banded have terrific banded futures.

Take care,

Lisa >

PS, I hope the other banded folks on the forum are well too. I don't want to leave anyone out.

Ok it was everything you all said it would be. OCC was awesome and the only hard part was the waiting. I was the last surgery of the day so I felt like I waited hungry alot but now that it is done and I am definitely not hungry, it is a thing of the past. We are still in TJ because we decided up front to stay an extra day. I have had very little pain or discomfort. I have to get up and down gingerly and have had some tiny little hicups or burps I can't tell which, that really hurt yesterday (day 1 post op) and only hurt a little bit today. We fly home tommorow but having a couple of walking days behind me I am not to concerned about the flight. It is only a couple of hours and I seem to do fine without walking for at least that much time.

I met awesome people who were walking this journey at the same time. Brenda, Jennifer, Jena, Lisa, and Saul I hope you are all doing great!

Blessings!

Really enjoyed meeting you and your husband Valerie. I am so glad to have had the surgery the same day as you and glad I got to meet you. I hope all is going well for you and that you heal super fast. Thanks for the broth and protien mix. Your generosity was most appreciates. ~Lisa

I chose not to tell people I was getting banded. The only people that know are my husband, a friend that came with me to TJ and another friend that first told me about the surgery. I have a few different reasons for not telling people; I didn't want to hear about the 'dangers' of getting surgery in Mexico or have all my skinny friends share once again how they stay skinny by not eating dessert for a few weeks (I have never eaten dessert my entire life) or by cutting out their morning pastry. I may tell a few close friends eventually but we'll see how the band works for me first. Please share your story.

Hello there!!! I have chosen to keep my procedure quiet. My husband knows and my parents know and that is it. I do not want anyone else to know. I did not want to hear the negatives either or the just go on a diet comments. If there is a comment about my future weightloss, I plan on saying, "diet and exercise". I eat fairly well now and I exercise most days during the week, so I guess I would not be completely lying.

I'm totally guilty of this. I get sucked into the internet when I have so much other stuff to do. But I simply can't help myself!! I am a member of several different forums (karaoke, cake, this one, etc.) and then there's MySpace, YouTube, FaceBook, online scrabble... where does this leave time for exercise?!?

Just like getting my band was a tool to keep me from sabotaging myself, I needed something to help me stay off the internet when I had work to do. I found it here:

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/4476

It's an add-on for the Firefox browser. Don't know if IE has one or not - I use Firefox.

I have it set so that I can't access any of my favorite sites between 9a.m. - 12 p.m. and again from 2:00 - 6:00 p.m. I haven't blocked e-mail sites and "non-fun" sites (banking, bill-paying, mapquest, etc.) that I may need to access during that time. So far it's been working great. Even though I can "cheat" and circumvent the block, I haven't yet.

Who knows, maybe it will help some other internet junkie. :-)

Good idea! I know I am an internet addict. Isn't admitting it the first step to recovery???

my step mom is almost here, we're leaving Atlanta tomorrow morning at 9:55 and arrive San Diego at 11:30! I get banded on the 8th, wooo! for all of us! I'm as nervous as a cat with a long tail in a room full of rocking chairs.

Thanks for the well wishes everyone.

>

Jena

I love your cat comment Jena.

I just received my confirmation e-mail from Melissa the OCC and that just made everything real! It's really happening, I'm confirmed for surgery..omg. I have not had a problem with freaking out until now, lol. I can't wait!!

Hi Alana!!! I just got my confirmation email from Melissa as well. It is a little freaky, but glad we are all moving in the right direction.

~Lisa

Hey Lisa!!

I also will be leaving New Mexico tomorrow and banded 5/8 I was curious are you just so full of anxiety??? Cuz I feel as if I could emplode, seriously I am on the verge of a freakout . I hope to get to meet you, save travels.

THANKS FOR EVERYONE’S SUPPORT AND COMMENTS!!!

Yes, McCracken I am a little anxious. I have butterflies in my tummy and can barely concentrate here at work. We just need to take some deep breaths and know that all will be well. I look forward to meeting you.

~Lisa

I leave Portland, Oregon tomorrow to head for San Diego for my banding. I want to wish those who I will be running into a safe trip. May our surgeries be a success!!!! For those who will not be joining us, I hope all is well.

Take care,

Lisa :girl_dance:

Lisa,

I am on May 8th too. Jaqualine, Alana, and Jena are all there about the same time as us. Hope we all meet up.

I bet we will cross paths! It will be nice to meet fellow patients who are being banded at or around the same time.

Hope all is well,

Lisa

You Guys ROCK!!!!! Thank you so much for the encouragement and understanding. I called to set up an appt for the surgery and was able to get a June date...They offered May but I gasped...too early...Plus I am waiting for results r/t financing. I have an appt with a therapist I saw five years ago on Monday. He was helpful then...don't know yet what it will be like to reconnect and if he'll be effective for this part of my journey. The posts really help provide authentic feedback regarding what to expect. Now I feel I gotta eat the 80.00 worth of food I just bought last shopping trip (thank god for Trader Joes)...and then do the optifast in preperation to help get my head wrapped around it. Will keep ya all posted...Bummer I missed the whole Oprah episode on it...Did she offer an unbiased slant? Take good care "banders"

Dani

Good Morning Dani! To answer your question, did Oprah give an unbiased slant: I thought Oprah was just "ok" with her comments. The show focused on young adults (teens under 18) having weight loss surgery. I thougt the show was really good at showing what the guests went through and their actual interviews were good. Oprah also had Dr. Oz on the show and he did not seem to be on board with the teens decision. I got the feeling that Oprah was not completely on board either with thier decisions. Maybe she felt it was an easy way out for them, which it is not. Lets be honest, Oprah has had her weight issues and she may want to consider surgery for her weight just to be rid of the burden of those extra pounds (just my opinion). Also, the Mother of one of the young ladies "Cassie" who was interviewed by Oprah and banded by Dr. Ortiz is on this site. I think her name is Jenn and she posted to your original question about "knowing if your are ready". I bet she can tell you the vibe she got with regards to Oprahs thoughts on weight loss surgery. Lastely, if Oprah and Dr. Oz were implying that the teens were somehow bad or wrong for the decision to have weight loss surgery, that is just way too sad. So many people suffer emotionally and physically when there is a weight issue involved no matter what thier age. I felt Oprah and Dr. Oz needed to be more empathetic and understanding to the teens than they were. Now, this is only my view and I in no way want to put down Oprah, Dr. Oz and/or hurt anyones feelings!

~Take Care!

Hello All ~

I have never posted to a forum...so I guess I will learn as I go. I have been considering lap band since I discovered my sister had it done a year ago. Of course, in honor of her weight loss...I gained 50 pounds! I am going through my closet to purge my "thin clothes" and am mourning...deeply mourning the days when I used to dress so fashionable. In the past three years I have gained 100 pounds and cannot seem to stop this upward trend. Middle age can't account for it all...and there is definite emotional eating and drinking going on. I am terrified to have the lap band done but see no ther choice as ideal body weight is critical to the work I do (which I cannot disclose lest my patients read). Is it worth it? Do I have to be concerned that I am getting this done out of the country? How do I know if I am ready? How do you all deal with the emotions underlying the eating? I HATE exercise which I know needs to change. Well, I am signing off to place all my thin clothes in a storage bin in hopes that I will fit into them again. I have bins with sizes ranging from 10 - 20!!!! Not a good night. Only positive is all the added space in my closet! Thank you in advance for listening.

Hi Dani!!! Yes, you will learn to post on the forum as a newbie on step at a time. I have never posted to a forum until recently and have found it to be fun. It is good that you are looking at options for weight loss. I think that doing as much research as you can so that you are comfortable is key. I knew I as ready when I said to myself, "if I don't do it, I will regret it"! However, everyone is different and I don't feel surgery needs to be rushed into. Give yourself time to think, ponder, ask questions, etc..

I hear ya in the fashionable department. I feel so plain when I dress for work. I just don't feel comfortable in my clothes as I am trying to wear what I have until surgery (things are a little snug). Currently, I have only one pair of Jeans that fit. That makes me sad because I love to dress jeans up or down. Some of the things that don't fit me anymore, I donated. I thought as I lose weight I can start new. Of course there are some cute clothes one cannot part with.

Knowing that you are an emotional eater and drinker is a step in the right direction. At least you are mindful of what your life is like for you. I guess we all need to look at the different reasons as to why we over eat or drink. Counseling can help, but that can be costly at times. Bookstores are full of self help books, but which one do you chose? I think deep down we all know why we over indulge. With the band, one cannot over eat. A person has to be careful.

I feel I have done so much "homework" with regards to having Dr. Ortiz do my surgery. I have zero reservations about going out of the country. I have to as I am not heavy enough to have the surgery done in the states. Besides, my insurance wouldn't cover it anyway. I first saw Dr. Ortiz featured on Oprah as she had a young lady on named Cassie who was a patient of his. I liked what she had to say, I bought Dr. Ortiz's book, contacted other people who had the procedure done by him, etc.. and I was convinced he was my guy and TJ was my place. I am a little nervous, but that is normal. Other than a few butterfly's in my tummy, I am ready and cannot wait till May 8th! I wish you well on your journey to deciding what is right for your and I hope you find emotional peace.

Take care and enjoy the added space in your closet.

Hi, my name is Lisa and I am also scheduled May 8th with Dr. Ortiz. I am looking forward to embarking on this lap band journey. I also really love the lapbandforum. There are so many fantastic comments, suggestions and support. It is very nice to see.