LaurenLeigh

Cool, another Georgia girl! Wow, you have lost 45 pounds already? That's awesome! I hope they really give me a good fill when I go there too. I'd love to get full from thick liquids. I'd lose weight fast! I'm so excited about it. It seems like it's taken FOREVER to get to this point! Lol. I'm so impatient.... ~Lauren

Sue, The doctor here does have fluoro, otherwise I wouldn't go there. I definitely don't want someone blindly filling me! That seems scary, lol. I can't believe you hardly remember anything about the surgery! I remember too much! I actually woke up in the operating room right after surgery with the breathing tube still down my throat. That was kind of alarming. Lol. I had to wait a long time before surgery (I think I was last that day) so I saw Dr. Ortiz several times as I hung out in my room. I don't know what they gave me before surgery, but I was in the BEST mellow mood as I sat and waited, lol. Don't worry, you didn't do anything bad! Lol. I just remember you from the waiting room while getting checked in and from walking laps after surgery. Good luck with your fill this weekend! I know I am SO ready for mine! I ate an ENTIRE taco salad last night from On The Border (it's huge!) with no problem at all. I need some restriction!!! ( Talk to you soon, ~Lauren

Hi, Sue! I didn't ride to the airport with you, but I do remember you from surgery day. I am having my fill done here in Atlanta where I live. Depending on how that goes, I'll probably have all of them done here. I am SO looking forward to it! Lol. I'm ready to get this ball rolling! Good luck on your trip to TJ this weekend! Take care, ~Lauren

Thanks for sharing the pics, you were thinner than most to start with, lucky girl! ~Lauren

How exciting! I have my first fill in 5 days. Thanks for sharing your experience! ~Lauren

Mikey, you put it correctly, we are all in the same boat. Unfortunately it seems like that boat is sinking! Lol. Just kidding! > I know we are all going to do great once we get our fills. Mine is this Saturday, so my spirits are a little higher now. It really helps to be able to come on here and talk about how I am feeling and hear that others feel (or have felt) the same way. The only thing worse than feeling totally depressed is feeling totally depressed AND alone! It's so good to hear from you, Danielle. I was wondering how you were doing, now I know, just like me! Lol. I think I'm as excited about my fill as I was about my surgery! The surgery excitement was probably jumping the gun a little for me. I really had my hopes up so high that the weight would start fallling off immediatly. Anyway, now I've had a giant shot of "DUH!" and I'm back to my senses, ready to really get going with a new way of life! Have a great day! ~Lauren ps. If you can't tell, I'm on my second cup of coffee. So I'm a bit liberal with the exclamation points, sorry for that! Lol.

Sue, Personally, I didn't use insurance. I payed cash. I had my surgery in Mexico by Dr. Ortiz. It was great! I think you are going to have a problem if you are using insurance and want surgery "right now." Lol. The fastest I've ever heard of insurance taking is 2 months. You should check with your insurance as to whether "bariatric surgery" includes lap-band surgery. My last insurance covered gastric bypass, but not lap-band. Different plans cover different things. It's always best to call your insurance company and ask them first hand before getting your hopes up! They'll be able to tell you all the criteria you need to meet. Then you can go about picking a surgeon that's best for you. Good Luck! ~Lauren

Thanks Tom. You are right, the weight I lost pre and post op was the "old way." So why should I be surprised that it's coming back? It always did before! Lol. Until now I hadn't thought about it that way. I was lumping that weight in with my "lap-band experience" when I really shouldn't have. As for hubby, trust me, I'm going to make him squirm all right! I'm pretty cute when I'm thin...lol. I think he's torn between wanting me to be thin and healthy and the fear that I am going to leave him when I start getting attention. I guess I would be too if I were in his position. Unhealthy over-eating is one of the biggest things we have in common! Lol. Okay, my fill is a week from tomorrow.. I'm going to try and relax until then! Thanks again, Lauren

Thanks for your support. I know other people have gone through this too. When I first came on here I read posts similar to mine of folks going through the same thing. I guess I just didn't think it would happen to me! Lol. I just needed to hear some positive words, so thanks for that! I'm in the middle of one of those overeat-because-I'm-depressed,depressed-because-I-overeat cycles. It REALLY sucks! Oh, well, at least there is a light at the end of the tunnel! Thanks again!!!!! ~Lauren

My fill is on Oct 6th and I am in bandster hell right now. I can eat (and do eat) anything. I am really discouraged. My old habits are all back, same old cravings and head hunger. I'm hoping this fill will turn things around for me, I've gained 2 pounds back since going on solids. I also thought it would be easier to not have drinks with my meals, but it's difficult for me. I hate feeling like I am choking down pasty food. So I've been pretty much living the same way I did before surgery and that makes me sad. Hopefully things will turn around for me, or else I just wasted a whole lot of money! I'm in need of some serious encouragement. My husband isn't much help, all he can say when I try to talk to him about it is how much money he spent on my surgery. I'm really sad when I think about my band, so I try not to. At first I was so excited and dreamt of all the things I would do when I was thinner, now I try not to think about that. Thanks, Lauren

When I was banded, my weight was 263. It's okay to ask, so don't worry! Lol. I lost about 9 more while on the liquid diet after surgery, but now I've gained about 2 pounds back since being on solids, which I'm hoping is due to water retention for girly reasons. Lol. I'm a little discouraged, but I'll have my first fill in a few weeks and hopefully that will change things. Right now I can pretty much eat as much as I did before surgery. Trust me, I was SO nervous before surgery! That's normal, but once you get there, you'll see all is fine! Good Luck! ~Lauren

I think that might be something to ask a doctor...

I found out about Dr. Ortiz, called and spoke to Carolyn two days later and scheduled my surgery for 4 weeks from then! It did seem fast, but I was so excited that to wait longer would have been excruciating! Dr. O and his staff are AWESOME! My surgery was Aug. 20th and I'm doing fine! Looking forward to my first fill. Good Luck! (though I doubt you'll need it!) Take care, Lauren

Brenny, The band doesn't make you "not eat." It makes you eat less. You just can't fit the same amount of food in your stomach as before the band. I got my band on 8/20/07. I haven't had my first fill yet(the band is filled with saline about 6 weeks after it's implanted), but I don't feel weak or tired, other than the normal weak and tired I am from being 250+ pounds! I'm sure there are people on here who have had their band longer than me who could better explain this for you. I stayed up too late last night, so I'm probably not at my sharpest! Good Luck!

Wow, you are my HERO! Congrats on your weightloss! (I don't have any advice on the skin, my journey is just beginning, but just wanted to say "WOW" at your awesomely rapid weightloss!) =D> =D> =D>

I'm all about the gum! Lol. I haven't been this minty fresh in I don't know how long. Lol. I've also taken bites of solids (usually what my kids and hubby are eating for dinner) chewed and spit it out. It's gross, I know, but it does the trick. I've found that most of those things didn't really taste as amazing as I had built them up to be in my head!

So is Darlene someone who is there all the time, or just every other weekend? I live in Atlanta, and I will be needing my first fill in about 4 weeks. I am going to go to the fill center in Roswell and have no idea what to expect or to ask for. How much do they charge in total for the first visit? Is it hard to get an appointment, do you think I should go ahead and make one now? They use flouroscopy there don't they? Sorry for all the questions! Lol. Thanks, Lauren

Okay, I'm going to order some now! And I do have some skinny friends I could give that stuff to... lol.

How funny! We were at the table next to you sort of diagonally. That is so funny, I wish I had known at the time that you guys were fellow ATL-ers! I got some soy protein powder at Walmart yesterday, but after I got home I saw that it has like 170 calories per scoop and says something about "bulking up" on the container. That's kinda scary! Lol. I'm trying to un-bulk! #-o ~Lauren

Good luck, Donna! Wow, I'd DIE to weigh less that 200! Lol. I did nutri-system once, the food is expensive and most of it pretty nasty, though a couple of things they had were good. It was just SO weird that none of it needed to be refrigerated, even the stuff with meat or chicken in it. I think one could do a lean cuisine diet which would taste better and probably cost less. I'm probably going to mostly eat lean cuisines when I get off these dang liquids. I've always been a bit of a grazer too.

I haven't had a fill yet, but that sounds like an overfill! You should not be that tight. Do you know how much they put in? That's like 27 days ago, you should be able to eat solid food by now. I would definitely call my doctor if I were you! Good luck and let us know what happens! Take care, Lauren

So where do you get the protein powder? At GNC? I've always avoided going in that place for all the meat-head guys I always see in there, lol. I've been eating a lot of campbells condensed soups. It takes me a day to eat a whole can, and then I have one slim fast too at some point during the day, usually for breakfast. I need to come up with something else, I'm getting sick of the slim fasts. I need to go buy a blender today (I seem to throw them away or lose them every time I move), get some fruit, start experimenting. Hey, Vex, did your boyfriend go to Mexico with you? Do you have blond hair and he wears glasses? If so, I think we were at the restaurant at the same time in the hotel. If not, then nevermind, lol. I probably left on your surgery day, I think. The 22nd? We left for the airport while everyone was in the lobby waiting for Mrs. Ortiz. I hope all's going well for you! ~Lauren

I'm right there too, I can eat on Sept 10th. I have to admit that I've done the solid food chew and spit out thing a few times. Luckily, I'm way to scared to swallow it. But it's worked well for me when my family is eating something that I'm dying to taste. The act of spitting it out grosses me out so much that the craving is gone! Sometimes in the middle of the night I wake up so hungry that I have to get up and go drink a tiny Danimals yogurt or a Slim Fast just to make it through the night. I figure that I'm only taking in about 600 to 800 calories a day at this point. I hope the hunger doesn't get worse in week 3, if it does, don't tell me! ~Lauren

Yes, Donna, that's EXACTLY how I'm feeling right now!! All of those things you said. It's funny because I think about my band about every 30 seconds, whereas I used to think about food every 30 seconds! I've wanted this band for so long, that I'm just so afraid to lose it and all the hope for a better and healthier life that came along with it. CalKev, I should definitely think about a clothes pin on the nose when I cook for the family! Lol. Thanks guys, you all made me feel better, and not so insane! =D> ~Lauren

See? We told you it'd be great! Good luck tomorrow on the begining of this crazy journey! Take care, Lauren :-h