Lapband92410

We had our first call today. There were 4 paticipants including the moderator: Emily, Coleen, Tammy and Judith. I know the group was small but it gave us an opportunity to chat without a specific format in mind. 3 of the participants have been banded within the last 3 weeks and 1 was banded in April this year. It is exciting to hear that one of the particpants is going on solids tomorrow. Good luck to you. And to Tammy and myself let's just keep at it for one more week. Coleen, I hope that it was of someo comfort to talk to other bandsters, even us newbie's. I hope to see you on the call next week so that we can start forming a sense of a community. It was very nice to hear your intros, where you are at, what kind of struggles you are facing. I hope this call was as helpful to you as it was for me. Talk to you soon and everyone else welcome to join us next week. Judith

Thank you for the advice. So it I am on a liquid diet and I'm there only for the day, can I test with liquids? Would I be able to tell?

What does it mean to test your fill? I will be doing my first fill and I don't know what you mean by that.

This is a great post. Keep them coming. I am still on the full liquid diet. Day 12 today but I am trying to get an idea of what it will be like once I start eating solids. Also, quick question, how does it feel the first time you eat solids? I ask because I am going on a camping trip and it starts the Friday I am supposed to start solids. I was wondering if I should consider carrying over the liquids for 3 more days. I don't want to get stuck while I'm out in the wilderness. What if I'm in pain or I really get stuck. What do you guys think?

I hope to see you there :-)

**Note: This call will only be held if at least 3 people email me confirming their participation. So, if intersted, send me a note letting me know you'll be there for sure.** Alright bandsters, Just as I thought, the idea of a conference call has generated sufficient interest. I just want to clarify, there will be no professionals on the call, just fellow bandsters who believe that talking is the best medicine. We will discuss what we have gone through, everything from successes, failures, excitement, problems, solutions. Let's all unite and talk about what has worked for us and what hasn't, share about any resources that have been useful to you etc. Also, pre bandsters welcome. If you are considering lap band surgery and want to talk to other bandsters, you're welcome to join the call. We'll meet on Wednesdays at 6PM Pacific Time/9PM Eastern for about an hour, whatever works. The format I propose. Introductions (optional, you don't have to talk if you don't want to, just listen): Name, Surgery Date, Decision Weight, Surgery Weight, Current Weight, Briefly what you've been eating (liquid diet, first week full liquids, etc), Briefly Week's experience (how did you live the last week on the diet that you've been following). Sharing: I will begin sharing this week. I will talk about my story, who am I, my lifetime struggle with weight up until surgery, I will talk about my surgery and how it's been for me since. If anyone else would like to share, please email me beforehand so that I can allocate sufficient time. Problems and solutions: Here's where fellow bandsters can bring up a problem and other bandsters can discuss what has worked for them. Q&A: Have questions, just ask. Somebody surely has gone through this before. If you think I should include other items in the meeting format, please let me know. Happy trails to you all and talk to you soon. Here's the call in info. Dial-in number 1 (213) 289-5450 Access code 763-6144

My best friend is getting it done on the 8th. She flies in on the 7th at 8pm. Anyone else being picked up at that time? She's hoping here will be more people in the van.

I haven't done the counseling yet. I was looking at OA (overeaters anonymous) and it could be a good program for me. The band has certainly helped the physical aspect but there's a lot of emotional loose ends I need to tie. I am also going to start a phone support group with people here in the forum just to swap stories, I think talking helps.

Hi Deb, How did your surgery go? Hope everything went well.

Ather thing that helps is drinking very slowly. Taking sips of your clear liquids. It takes me 20 min to drink a half a cup of liquid. That's what helped me the most.

I am on day 10 post op. I have felt restriction and have lost some weight this first week. I think the biggest struggle for me has been the mental hunger and watching my family continue to eat normal. While the band may provide some pysical restriction, it doesn't help you with the psychological aspect of not being able to over eat or eat whatever's in sight. Some kind of a support group may help you. You go through a mourning period. Your best friend "excessive unhealthy food" has died and now you have to replace it with your new best friend "controlled healthy food". It's a journery and not an easy one. Good luck to you! I was thinking of starting a weekly phone support group where other bansters can call in to share experiences, struggles and successes. Anyone interested?

Hi everyone, I just got banded on Friday. I am doing really well, not feeling too much pain and following the post op diet to a t. I was thinking that it would be a good idea to join some kind of support group besides this fantastic forum. I'd love to talk to other bandsters face to face. Does anyone know of any meetings in the Bay Area? If not would anyone be interested in getting together about once a week or every other week to swap stories and/or for support? Looking forward to getting to know my fellow bandsters. xoxo Judith