CalKev

Becki - Thank you for the kind words and the great account and advice. Thankfully we live a couple hours north of the border of Mexico. So its a short trip down and back luckily. As yu suggest I will drink H2O and get the walking in. I already have a small book I'd like to get through and my ipod is loaded. This last week I picked up a new therapeutic pillow from my local pharmacy slash drug store. It has micro fiber exterior and small beads and is shaped to support your neck in a

Tom - thanks will do. I presume your are speaking of footwear and not some other risque get-up. Sounds like comfort is key - Can you go back to a belted pant or shorts the next day? Or is it best to stay free any easy so to speak until you get home - reffering to wearing loose boxer shorts. and relaxed fit clothing (sweats, etc,)? I can guess your reply but asking anyway as I am not so comfortable in sweats even less with the whole gown thing. Thanks for all the good advice! Kevin

Clynn, Good information. Like you I had a full physical 2 weeks ago. All was well accept for obesity issue. Waiting for blood tests to come back. Will keep an eye out for B12 and iron levels. Thanks - Kevin

Barbara, First let me give you my motivation to get into the Band Frame of Mind. I take this very seriously. During the last year my father-in-law, a athletic, 62 year old, coded in hospital due to heart problems and kidney failure, among other things. I was calling funeral homes even before he entered the hospital. His wife, 63, was diagnosed and treated for bowel cancer which turned into a staff infection that compromised her vertebrae so much that it is now fused and she has rods in her back and is in constant pain. My Step dad was just diagnosed with Parkinson

Becki - any suggestions for what a man and women should bring to wear for comfort once back at hotel? Kevin

Thank you for the photos. It's great to see the real deal! CalKev

Hello Band Fans, I am 43, male and currently my BMI is 53. As I have mentioned my Band Date is Oct. 16. It would stand to reason that a person with a higher BMI would take longer to heal than one with a lower BMI. Is this fact or fiction? If a male my age was banded and in the same physical circumstance as I with lets say a 35 BMI would we recuperate at a analogous rate or does an increase in body mass augment the healing time? Any well-informed thought would be valued. Scheduling time off work and this came to mind during the course of preparation. This is such a great forum to "band" together. Ohh I knew it .... the bad puns are going to start "filling" my head in anticipation. Kevin

Claire

Tom, Thank so much for taking the time to reply. You hit the nail on the head with your reply. Perfect for what I need to monitor. Motivation to me usually involves data collection and a good GUI that will put it in visual reference. My mind is not as sinewy as it used to be. Not for want of trying on my part but a good data gathering tool sure helps take the pressure of those over stressed synapse. With appreciation, Kevin

T-Cat, I have shared your feeling of being enveloped in a time warp sequence in reverse. When you start your liquid diet time will slow even more. The only thing that helps me is to continue to educate myself on all that is involved in living the lap band lifestyle and specifically what I can and can

VG Unfilled / VG Filled Found this to be a helpful visual. Kevin

Hi Fellow Band Fans, Pre-op here and want to track my weight loss. I have been using Calorie King Diet Diary for palm pda and it just does not have the features I am looking for. It is basic track caloric intake, daily weight, and has a database of foods. Does anyone have suggestions for a more all-inclusive program? Kevin

Hello Band Fans, This is the support forum so I wanted to add my two cents about the support I have received pre-op from Dr. Ortiz

Hello October Bandsters, Is there anyone having surgery the same day as mI am? The 16th is band day for me. Are there any other 10-16's out there? I live in Southern California so am very lucky to only have a couple hours to drive to get to the pick-up point. How about you? 19 days and counting. Kevin - CalKev

Claire - Your account is a great help. How are you progressing? Has the post-op been as you expected or have you had any surprises? My wife is unable to accompany me due to work schedule (her assistant just lost her 22 year old son in a auto accident and a co-worker had a stroke at 34 years of age all on same day) so she has to shoulder more responsibilities for awhile. So I invited my mother who is an RN to accompany me down to TJ. She is comfortable in the clinical environment which I want to rub off on me as this is the first time i've had a surgical procedure. 19 days to go and less nervous thanks to Claire!

Roo, I surely do not envy you on the IBC. That does not sound fun. As I mentioned before I am taking 2 Kirkland (Costco brand) natural fiber tabs a day pre-op (19 days to go) but it is hard to know how much they actually help as I don

Roo, I also went through the program and had a good loss. Been lucky and not had IBS but my problem was coming off of it and eating solid food again. Like many others I did not return after I started to regain weight for the nutrition counseling and support group. This was a major mistake on my part as I felt home free after losing the weight but was unrealistic about reentry into the world of food. So this is why I am getting banded as I realize that after liquid I need an internal coach to keep me on track. Sounds like you have a good plan and that is what I like about the band is that you can tailor your own lifestyle so it works best for you. I am a vegetarian and it will be interesting to see how my nutrition is affected when I start chewing food. I am lucky as my health insurance will cover the medical monitoring. You know the very reason you state is why I wanted to be on liquid before the surgery for an extended time for fear of the 3 weeks of distress post-op. I am hoping to take the edge off the solid food withdrawal. Just crossing my fingers it helps. Good luck

Claire, I will be there in 3 weeks and your account is very helpful and comprehensive. Thank you! Kevin

Roo, I am Pre-Op (scheduled for 3 weeks from today on Oct. 16, 06) and been on Optifast for 12 days so far. I have lost 13 pounds and want to lose another 13 or so in the next three weeks. What has helped me with losing but not having any bowel issues is that I am drinking 12 to 16 glasses of water a day. That may sound excessive, but if you think about it that is 8 16 oz. bottles in a 24 hour timeframe. I usually drink one bottle with each of my Optifast meals (4) for me a day, 1 when I get up and 2 to 3 when I go to bed. And yes I am getting up a lot but only at night not as much as during daily tasks. I also take a fiber tab in the morning and one at lunch and a Centrum in the evening. My plan is to take a slightly different route than most which I cleared with Dr. Miranda. This is not to say she would OK this for everyone so I want to make it clear I am not speaking in her stead. My plan is to continue Optifast after the surgery until I reach the weight which is optimal for me. I have a high BMI and want to be medically and nutritionally monitored for several months after surgery. Once I am back on solid food I will then begin the process that will lead to fills as I stabilize my weight. The only side effect I have run into other than the obvious one is once you drink lots of water daily as you probably know; you crave it and get thirsty for it all the time. Just one experience to add to the others. Oh yes I have been cranky as you say but that is finally starting to go away after almost 2 weeks of physically feeling like a walking water cooler and on the verge of alienating all my friends and family. Best of luck Kevin

tuesdaythecat - Just think of the next 26 years of good health and beyond. Forget the fear. I'm scheduled for surgery and can understand. Hey we all get fearful - nothing new - but for example if you have a fear of public speaking once it's over you feel great. If you can focus on the you after the surgery. It can be a very exciting prospect. This is an opportunity that many would love to have and just think we are going to actually get to do it. Yiiippppeeee! Kevin

Hello Fellow Lapband Fans, One issue that always comes to mind is the fact that we Americans think we have a lock on doing almost everything best and that our laws somehow protect us from fraud, Doctor

Tom - Excellent question. May I add: Low Impact Water Aerobics

Hello All October Bandsters, Scheduled for the 16th and ready to go. Started a medically liquid diet early as I have a high BMI and am right on course to lose 5% bodyweight before arrival. Excited about gettong healthy. Anyone else for middle October? Kevin

Cheryl, I'll just miss you as I am scheduled for the 16th. Live in Southern California. Anyone else? Kevin

Pegala - When I talk about my upcoming surgery (October 16) to others I just reflect back on Dr. Ortiz's C.V.. My mother and I sat down and went through his credentials as well as his experience with the procedure and I am hard pressed to find anyone in the U.S. that comes close to the expertise he has in this specific procedure. Many U.S. surgeons are doing the GB but don't have even a tenth of the hands on time Dr. Ortiz has with the lapband procedure. 4 of 5 the Physicians I spoke to here in the states said "Do it" and their reasoning was primarily the level Dr. Ortiz