MamaMichelle

Here's the link to post your avatar: http://www.lapbandforum.com/index.php?act=UserCP&CODE=24 i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm15/PaulaBee_2008/sandiego1091-2.jpg and this is the text you need to add after the http:// in the box!

Those titles do relate to the number of posts you have made, that has always been in the info under your avatar but only recently did they add a colored bar to it... Here are the classifications: Lori Becky Only Over 250 Posts Over 100 Posts All Other Members If you'd like to see the top 20 posters on the board or want to search by a members name you can use this link: http://www.lapbandforum.com/index.php?act=...&filter=ALL

You can book/schedule a fill anytime (even on the day of your surgery) but the date you choose must be 6-8 weeks after your surgery date... During that period your body is healing so getting a fill early would only increase your risk of band slippage and complications. If you are really starving and don't want to gain weight back prior to your first fill a lot of people adopt a modified version of the pre-op diet replacing a meal or two with a protein shake or a large salad with spray dressing to help you from re-gaining the weight you have worked so hard to lose!! We all have gone through this phase so we know you're feeling terrible, but you can't risk the safety of your band by getting filled too early!!

This is the 2nd half of my trip report from San Diego and Tijuana... If you'd like to read the full report check out my blog: http://mamamichellelv.wordpress.com/ All 8 of us (5 bandsters and 3 daughters there for support) walked into the OCC to some pretty surprised faces, lol we were a big crowd… There were 6 or 7 women there getting banded who also had family there for support so it was a packed lobby, we started to mingle and then Claudia checked us in and took our payment ($100) and had us fill out a quick questionnaire (name, age, address, when was your surgery date, starting weight, current weight, date of your last period, etc) along with a medical release and a survey about birth control or something… Once we got those turned in we kept chatting (poor Claudia had to yell over us to call patients in for their bloodwork and other pre-op tests) but it was so great to be able to talk to patients just about to be banded and share our success stories, tips, and ease some fears hopefully! Then Jenn and Cassie walked in, they are total rock stars in my eyes having met Oprah and everything… Both were super sweet and encouraging- of course everyone had questions for Cassie about her surgery, and fills and progress poor girl was probably worn out answering everyone’s questions, lol. At about 9:30 they called the first one of us from our fill group in, it was Lisa and she was in and out before I even knew she was gone!! Hanna was up next and I wanted to take some pictures for her since her daughter wasn’t feeling well, she was totally relaxed and took it like a champ- for me it was really comforting to watch her go through the whole process so I knew exactly what was coming and what to expect!! After Hanna it was my turn and I told her to go get Linda so she could watch me, before I knew it in walks Linda, Lisa, Cassie, Jenn and Hanna… lol it was a full house in that little fill room! Dr. Romero had me lay on the table- put some iodine on my belly and showed me where my port was (a little below and to the left of my port scar) and then he set up all his supplies. He turned on the Fluro machine and showed me my port (which was fine, not flipped) and also showed me the esophagus and the pouch (fine again, not stretched) so no problems at all! He then inserted the needle, not really much pain though pretty weird seeing the needle sticking out of your belly. He had me drink the Barium and showed me on the fluro screen how the liquid flowed pretty quickly through the unfilled band, then he flushed some water in and out of the band (to clear out any air bubbles) and then gave me a 1.6cc fill and asked me to drink the Barium again. We looked at the fluro screen again and watched the Barium drain through the pouch at about 1/3rd the speed as it did before!! Pretty amazing… He then asked me to drink some water and I took a big gulp (old habits die hard, lol) I paid for that gulp later when I ended up burping, well it was more like belching actually for about an hour after my fill… Sweet Hanna was so worried about me she asked Dr. Romero to check my fill, so I got back on the table and drank another sip of Barium and everything was flowing well so no problems at all!! After we all got our fills we left the OCC for a little shopping and then crossed back into San Diego with a little traffic but no other problems!! Overall it was an amazing experience!!!

Hi Barb, The OCC is closed on Sundays so they will do your pre-op tests and surgery on the same day, this is the way I had mine done and it was super easy!! You guys will be great, best of luck to you both!!

Hey Mac, So sorry to hear about your struggles, I was out of town for the past 2 days and didn't have much time to be on the computer!! I had no idea things weren't happening on the scale since everything else sounded so perfect!! I just read in another post your were down 6lbs since your fill which is so awesome!!!!!!!!! Way to go sweetie!!

Just got back from my first fill!! Banded 2/28/08 1 Fill @ OCC 4/18/08 1.6cc There were 5 of us that got filled that day 3 girls got 1.7cc's and 2 of us got 1.6cc's so that seems to be the most common 1st fill level for OCC bandsters!

Hey Girlies!! It was so great to meet you guys today and I am so glad your family is doing well... Can't wait to see those pics!! Keep in touch...

This is what I have been following: 1. Are you eating 60 grams of protein a day 2. Are you eating 25 grams of fiber 3. Are you avoiding all liquid calories a. Soup can be sign of “soft calorie syndrome” b. Alcohol contains a lot of calories – 7 calories per gram (1) It’s also a stomach irritant c. Fruit juice is just sugar water 4. Are you making healthy food choices from a wide variety of foods? a. Are you avoiding soft foods b. You can’t just eat what’s easy c. Cheese is glorified fat 5. Are you drinking 6-8 glasses of water a day between meals 6. Are you eating too much junk a. Chips, chocolate, nuts, ice cream, cookies and other highly processed junk foods are too calorically dense to be regular parts of a healthy diet. But don’t avoid them completely to the point where you feel deprived. b. Stay out of fast food places 7. Are you getting in two servings of calcium daily 8. Do you always eat the protein first 9. Then the vegetables or fruits a. Five servings a day b. Potatoes are NOT a vegetable 10. Is your portion size appropriate? a. Meat or fish (1) 3 ounces – the size of a deck of cards b. Vegetables (1) ½ cup – the size of your fist c. Starch (1) If you eat the protein and the vegetables first you don’t need much (2) Avoid: rice, potatoes, pasta 11. You might try avoiding artificial sweeteners a. Some people think that artificial sweeteners stimulate the appetite b. They are HUNDREDS of times sweeter than sugar c. They teach you to like things too sweet d. There is no evidence that people who use them are any thinner than people who don’t 12. Avoid most diet foods a. Real food usually tastes better b. Real food is more satisfying than low calorie substitutes c. When you are only eating a tiny bit the caloric savings is not that great (1) Use a teaspoon of real butter instead of a tablespoon of diet margarine (2) The body has no way to break down artificial fats a. They may go into permanent storage b. Some people think liposuction is the only way to remove hydrolyzed fats from the body

Publication 502 outlines what medical expenses are allowable. Here are a few highlights from that publication: What Are Medical Expenses? Medical expenses are the costs of diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease, and the costs for treatments affecting any part or function of the body. They include the costs of equipment, supplies, and diagnostic devices needed for these purposes. They also include dental expenses. Medical care expenses must be primarily to alleviate or prevent a physical or mental defect or illness. They do not include expenses that are merely beneficial to general health, such as vitamins or a vacation. Medical expenses include the premiums you pay for insurance that covers the expenses of medical care, and the amounts you pay for transportation to get medical care. Medical expenses also include amounts paid for qualified long-term care services and limited amounts paid for any qualified long-term care insurance contract. What Expenses Can You Include This Year? You can include only the medical and dental expenses you paid this year, regardless of when the services were provided. (But see Decedent under Whose Medical Expenses Can You Include, later, for an exception.) If you pay medical expenses by check, the day you mail or deliver the check generally is the date of payment. If you use a “pay-by-phone” or “online” account to pay your medical expenses, the date reported on the statement of the financial institution showing when payment was made is the date of payment. If you use a credit card, include medical expenses you charge to your credit card in the year the charge is made, not when you actually pay the amount charged. If you did not claim a medical or dental expense that would have been deductible in an earlier year, you can file Form 1040X, Amended U.S. Individual Income Tax Return, for the year in which you overlooked the expense. Do not claim the expense on this year's return. Generally, an amended return must be filed within 3 years from the date the original return was filed or within 2 years from the time the tax was paid, whichever is later. You cannot include medical expenses that were paid by an insurance company or other sources. This is true whether the payments were made directly to you, to the patient, or to the provider of the medical services. Weight-Loss Program You can include in medical expenses amounts you pay to lose weight if it is a treatment for a specific disease diagnosed by a physician (such as obesity, hypertension, or heart disease). This includes fees you pay for membership in a weight reduction group and attendance at periodic meetings. You cannot include membership dues in a gym, health club, or spa as medical expenses, but you can include separate fees charged there for weight loss activities. You cannot include the cost of diet food or beverages in medical expenses because the diet food and beverages substitute for what is normally consumed to satisfy nutritional needs. You can include the cost of special food in medical expenses only if: The food does not satisfy normal nutritional needs, The food alleviates or treats an illness, and The need for the food is substantiated by a physician. Medical Conferences You can include in medical expenses amounts paid for admission and transportation to a medical conference if the medical conference concerns the chronic illness of yourself, your spouse, or your dependent. The costs of the medical conference must be primarily for and necessary to the medical care of you, your spouse, or your dependent. The majority of the time spent at the conference must be spent attending sessions on medical information. The cost of meals and lodging while attending the conference is not deductible as a medical expense. Here's the Link: http://www.irs.gov/publications/p502/ar02.html#d0e232

This was/is a big fear of mine and was a big part of why I didn't tell anyone that I was getting banded... I think that now that I have seen some results if I wanted to tell someone I don't think they would question my reasonings... obviously I chose this method because I knew it would work for me!! If someone did question why I took the "easy way out" I would tell them about the liquid pre op and post op diet the bandster hell issues and see if after knowing all of that if they still considered that to be easy, lol..

Hey everyone, Just got home from my fill trip to TJ / mini-vacation in San Diego... Everything went wonderfully we all had such a great time I'm in the process of writing down the whole experience for my blog and I'm sure I will post it here also!! Everyone sends their best, they are still in San Diego I hope things weren't too boring here with out our 2/28 crew positing... lol (kidding of course) Hope everyone is doing well, I've got some reading and posting to catch up on!!

Hey Girlies- Can't wait for our fill on Friday... Important question about Thursday night.. WHAT ARE WE WEARING OUT?? Nicer clothes or just jeans? I need to know the dress code though I will probably pack both, and since I'll be at Sea World all day I'm sure I'll be sporting a sunburn lol...

Sorry to hear about your struggles... Don't bottle it up... SHOUT IT OUT!! We are all here to support each other and quitting smoking has been a big issue for a lot of other bandsters! You are taking the first steps to CHANGE YOUR LIFE FOREVER!! It's going to be hard but if you just think of it as a few weeks of misery in exchange for years added to your life hopefully it will add a little perspective to your struggles...

If they have already approved you for surgery they would expect you to lose weight on the pre-op diet as instructed, so I don't think there is any way they would turn you away for surgery. But you can always email OCC and double check!!

Text Message for Restaurant Calories... Yay!!! - Do you dream about walking into a restaurant and having all the nutritional info right at your fingertips?! Well pinch yourselves, people, because that dream is now a reality. There's a database of about a bazillion jillion chain restaurant foods and their calories, fat, carbs, and protein -- and you can access the nutritionals simply by texting the restaurant name and menu item to DIET1 (34381). Within seconds you'll get the answer sent to your phone! You can also check things using the site directly: http://www.diet.com/mobile/

Here's something fun for you scale junkies... Celebrity Weighing Scale - OK, we don't recommend that you toss your REGULAR scale for this one, but check it out. Instead of seeing your weight in actual numbers, you'll get to gauge your weight compared to famous people, animals, puppets and more -- like Dr. Ruth, Mister Ed, Fozzie Bear and Gary Coleman. We kid you not. Yeah, it's silly -- but think of all the fun you'll have with your friends, family and pets!

No problem, I love this site here is another great recipe from Hungry Girl: Wise Fries Face it, french fries are one of the greatest tasting foods known to man. But they're no-nos when it comes to dieting. Of course, if you're feeling ambitious, you can whip up a batch of HG's Bake-tastic Butternut Squash fries. Yep, you can make crispy, wonderful, sweet fries out of our new best friend, the butternut squash. And, what's even better is that this is our easiest recipe ever. So pay close attention. VERY close attention. Because what we're about to share with you may very well change your life...forever! Ingredients: 1/2 butternut squash kosher salt Directions: Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees. Peel and de-seed your butternut squash. If you're unfamiliar with handling them, you may have a little trouble at first. They're fairly easy to peel, but you'll need a sharp knife to cut them. Once your orange friend is peeled and seed-free, slice it in half. Then cut it up into french fry shapes. We like to use a crinkle cutter to make authentic looking crinkle cut fries, but they'll work any way you slice 'em. Place on a cookie sheet sprayed with non-stick spray. Cover lightly with kosher salt (regular salt works, too, but we prefer kosher). Place tray in your pre-heated oven and bake for 40 minutes or so, flipping halfway through baking process. Fries are done when they are starting to brown on the edges and get crispy. Serve with ketchup, or however else you enjoy fries or sweet potato fries! Nutritional Info: Serving Size: 5 oz., uncooked Calories: 65 Fat: 0g Sodium: 486mg (includes salt) Carbs: 16.5g Fiber: 3g Sugar: 3g Protein: 1g * 1 Point

Thanks for the quick work!! I bumped up 3 or 4 posts in the general fourm that could be moved into this super cool new category, thanks again!

Chad can you move this to the Recipe Forum? :lb13:

Chad can you move this to the Recipe Forum? :lb13:

Chad can you move this to the Recipe Forum? Thanks :lb13:

If you are asking about the cost of surgery with Dr. O in Tijuana most of us paid about $8,000. Fills are free but require you to pay $100 for Fluro each time you get one!! We have a few Georgia members here so they should be able to give you more info about fills closer to home!! :lb9:

lori@obesitycontrolcenter.com I believe

Thanks for your post Bobbi, That is such wonderful and encouraging news!! My dad has type 2 diabetes and while I have yet to tell him about my surgery when the time comes and he can see my success I hope he will choose to get the band as well so he can get onto the road to health like all of us!