ElaineC

Christina, Congrats on your decision! I found that if I really wanted to chew something for meals on the pre op diet, I simply at a glucerna meal bar instead of a shake. The chocolate peanut ones taste like an extra chewy reeses cup. It is something that worked for me. Elaine

Not fun Erin! I am not looking forward to when it happens to me. I'm glad you are feeling better now.

Erin...You are doing what you know will work..your body will get the message soon. My scale at home is totally unreliable and I have not managed to get to my TOPS meeting, so I have no idea what I weigh. The home scale showed I was up a bit...but then it is at LEAST ten pounds off so I have no idea if it was real or not. I will jump on a scale when I get my allergy shot on Mon. I am eating ok..and keeping my calories where they should be. My clothes fit better so hopefully I will get answers I like. I want to get to Twosville...I know...everntually I want to get to Onderland, but right now I will be THRILLED with Twosville. I have not been in Twosville in over 3 years. Realistically, I should be able to get there before July is over. I would LOVE to be in Twosville when I go for my first fill.

Actually, When I decided to get banded I joined TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly). It is an international group that has meetings similar to Weight Watchers, but at a much cheaper cost. This group DOES get very excited for all losses and reminds us they care when the scale is not going down. I figured I would need support. I am the only bandster in the group, but about half have had WLS of some sort.

WELCOME!!!! I am Elaine and I also have a PCOS diagnosis, but had my daughter prior to being banded. I don't know if you are being treated for your PCOS, but I think metformin is a wonder drug for it. I have a 5 year old daughter who I firmly believe would not be here it it were not for this drug. I have been blessed to not have the cholesterol or blood pressure problems, so I don't have answers for that. I wish you much success. Being banded was the best decision I have ever made. Since May 12th I have lost about 40 pounds. I started my pre-op diet early and did the glucerna meal bars for breakfast and lunch and then lean cuisine.

Day four you can begin creamy soups...just use a wand mixer to get rid of any lumps. My fav was cream of borccoli cheese mixed with cream of chicken, add some parmesan cheese and use the wand mixer to get rid of ALL lumps. It did not take long at all. Place in small bowls and microwave for about a minute stirring halfway through. YUMMY. In regards to the shoulder pain. mine was in my left shoulder and it was from the gas. What I found to be the BEST solution was actually to hold that arm up over my head. If that did not release it immediately, press down on the shoulder with the arm still up. This action general resulted in a massive burp and the pressure/pain was gone for a bit. It worked GREAT. and of course WALK!!!

Toronto? I know where that is...I think they wrote a song about it, right....? "Way up North where it always snows..." Or at least that is what is seems like to this FLORIDA girl. LOL Enjoy the time with your mom.

I LOVE this idea! Clothing is too expensive for the short time we will all be in the plus sizes. Paula, I think I would be able to use your too-slim-to be-in clothes. and then hopefully be able to pass them on shortly thereafter. If you don't have any takers on the board, maybe freecycle them in your area? I have done this before with the clothes I was never going to be skinny enough to wear again...and I usually had several people that wanted it in only a few minutes after it was posted. So, it is another thought.

I don't know where you are in Florida, but this doc will work with patients on whom he did not do the banding. The office is JUST on the north side of Orlando. I don't know if he will work with your specific band, but if you call him you can at least get a straight answer. If he doesn't, perhaps he can give you ideas as to where you can get your fills. I have not been to him yet, but I have my first fill scheduled with him on the 31st. Wiljon W. Beltre M.D. 685 Palm Springs Dr. Ste. E Altamonte Springs, FL 32701 Phone: (407) 830-6868 The other pace that does fills is Fill Centers USA and they are located in St. Petersburg and Tampa. I don't have their phone numbers but if you do an internet search for it, it comes up pretty easily. I wish you success! Elaine

Orange Park is near Jacksonville right? May I ask what route you are planning to take to St. Pete? I live basically in Orlando. Did you know there is a doc here that will do fills for those of us banded in Mexico about 2 miles from my house. If you want the info on them, let me know. I am scheduled for my first fill there on July 31st. If you are crossing the state on I-4...I am off exit 92..maybe we could meet up? I would love to see another bandster from the forum.

Sounds to me like you have just found your skinny clothing fund!!! AWESOME! Elaine

HEY !!!I still need a name or title. Elaine

Mona, We were trying to figure out my place on Team Craptastic, but I have been told you are the one that can bestow them. I know I take a lot of crap, give a lot of crap, and love to read all the crap. (Oh, and I also scoop a bunch of crap from the litterbox!) And all but the last is in fun! So, where do I fit in? Elaine

I was banded on June 19th. (July 10th is my first day of solid food since the surgery.) Two days after surgery I was throwing up. We mad ea phone call from the lobbly of the hotel (they have the clinic on speed dial.) Within a few minutes the van was there and picked me and my partner up and I saw the doc less than a half hour after calling them. They looked at my band under fluro and determined it was still properly placed and treated me for dehydration, nausea, and gave me pain meds and vitamins. By the time the IV was done, I was feeling pretty good. I have not had any further issues. I would go back to the OCC again in less than a heartbeat. The standard of care wsa wonderful. The nurses don't speak much English, but are super sweet and make themselves understood. They may not know English, but they know nursing. And that was the more important. I have located a fill doc that is only 2 miles from my house. there is a group on yahoo that is called mexicanbandsters. You could ask on there if anyone lived near you that could give you fill and follow-up options. You could also get fills through fill centers usa. Elaine

Of the ones on this list, I haveonly tried Dr. Siegel's Smart for Fife. (The cookie diet.) It actually entailed more than just cookies. It included soups, and shakes as well as appetite suppressents and vitamins and a laxative. I actually lost weight on it, but then ended up in the hospital with fluid around my heart. Let's just say my cardiologist afte the fact told me no more appetite suppressents and I listened and stopped the program becase they were in everything! Of course, I gained it all back .... Elaine

YAY!!!!!! Elaine

I am a FL girl here. My surgery was the 19th and I jumped into the pool a few days ago. WOW did it feel good. Elaine

Ok...I get to have solids on July 10th..it is getting so CLOSE! I have finally decided what I want. My sweetie has even said that she would pick it up. YUM! I love bourbon chicken. I think some stir fry veggies will go with it nicely. It also comes with rice or lo mein. I figure I will probably manage a few bites of the chicken and veggies...and the noodles will probably not get eaten. So what are you all eating? (or did you eat?)

Ok..I called Melissa and she verified that I have the VG band with a fill capacity of 10 cc....due to my height and BMI. Height is actually a factor. Who would have guessed? She corrected the operative report and has already e-mailed me the corrected copy. So..it has been clarified. and I am not nuts. My stuff did not match up, but it now does.

Ok..I am confused. The card I have says LAGB VG, Adjustable Gastric Banding System. It then has the reference number and SN number. They did not write in the fill range. My operative report says "Lap-Band Size--Lap-Band size 10cms/ 4cc". So..Which do I have? the 4cc or the bigger band? I keep reading that the VG is the bigger one, but my operative report says the 4cc one. HELP!!!! Elaine

I worked at a place with a ROPES course. The harnesses they had would not fit, so I could not do any of the high elements. I plan to do that stuff when I get closer to my goal weight. I am scared of heights, but do OK if I have someplace for my feet. I figure It will be a reward to get over that and "BEAT" the ROPES course! Elaine

Words do have power. If thinking of it as a DIET is a bad thing for you. Maybe consider it Pre-Op Preparation Phase. The 3 weeks on liquids is Post-Op Healing Phase. These are really what you are doing. I agree I have failed at so many diets in the past, that the word diet just seems like one more thing I can fail at. The band is a tool for success. I hope you find a way to mentally handle the prep and healing parts of the process. Elaine

I think this is a question for the docs. They have to know the answers. When you find out PLEASE POST them so we can all know.

That is AWESOME! Jeans that FIT. I want some. My Non-Scale Victory was e-mailed to me by my sister. Lat Saturday was my daughter's tap recital and in one of the photos she took, you see my daughter and MOST of me is cut out of the shot..what you see if the front of my shirt. What I noticed in the shot is how much FLATTER my tummy looked in the shot. I am not even 3 weeks post op, but it felt GREAT to see it in the pic. Elaine

Erin...I actually had my first fill scheduled before I even got banded (am I anal or what?) Actually I was afraid that the local doc I am using for them would stop taking new patients and wanted to be on the list. It is RIGHT at the six week mark, July 31st. Hopefully I don't freak out over the huge needle. Still being on liquids, I don't feel like I have much limiting my amounts, so I am glad I scheduled when I did. Solids are starting to call to me. I keep shutting them up, but I am hoping that being allowed to CHEW will satisfy me once we start solids. (How is everyone else from our date doing? They don't post)