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Goals

I want to bend over and still be able to breath.

5 People
 in progress, 
8 People
 achieved this
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Surgeon Testimonial

Gregory L. Schroder M.D., F.A.C.S.
I love Dr. Schroder. He has been wonderful everytime I met him. I began my WLS journey with him just over 3 years ago. He is a big fan of the Lap-Band and offered me information that changed my mind from having the RNY and having the Lap-Band instead. He never said don't get this, he just offered a lot of clincal info showing why he thought the banding was better for me. I am really happy with the decision to have the Lap-Band. He has been really suportive. Seeing him has become much easier now that he has 2 partners in his practice. My surgery in set for July 19th and I know that he will take good care of me! I will report back after the actually surgery and let you know how everything has gone. In the begining I had trouble with getting them to submit my insurance info correctly. Whether it was because of the mistakes or just that Aetna is just cheap and selfish I will never know but I am paying for the surgery myself.
Member Interests
  • Dogs - I have 3 (yes I'm crazy), our newest is a Jack Russell ~ Rosie ~
  • Scrapbooks - Love to sit and crop with others...haven't had much time to do it recently.
  • Radiological Technologist - I will be starting school in the fall to switch careers! I am very excited!
  • WLS in your 30's - Turned 31 a day after my final denial..decided that I would find a way anyways!
  • Reading - I rearly find a book that I can't put down, but when I do, I literally can't!

Latest Surgery Support Comments

  • Comment by calgal on 7/18/07 11:19 pm
    best wishes for a smooth surgery and a good recovery. hugs, sally
  • Comment by judyanne on 7/18/07 8:38 am
    Tomorrow is your day! Just remember you are on the journey of a lifetime. Try to enjoy every minute. It may sound weird now, but know that you are cared for and prayed for here, and all too soon this will be but a memory and you will be an inspiration to someone else. I am waiting for you on the losers' bench!
  • Comment by DonnaJEM on 7/16/07 7:40 am
    Welcome to the loosing side Amber! You'll do great on Thursday! Be well and take care!
Click here for the surgery support page

I had the Lap Bad on July 19th, 2007

*2 weeks pre-opt and before my Pre-opt diet   ~ weight 293.5lbs
*Day of surgery  ~ weight 283lbs
*October 6th ~ 13 days shy of being 3 months post op ~ weight 249lbs  

Grand total so far!!!   44.5 lbs!

UPDATE:
November 2009
*Can't remember how many fills I've had or what my band is filled at
*Weight 190lbs ~ a grand total of 103.5lbs
*13 weeks pregnant

Applejax's Blog
Applejax's Blog


I don't love to post
on August 4, 2007 1:46 pm
It's now post opt day 16 and I am on a mushy type diet.  I can have chicken and fish.  I have had a really hard time staying true to the diet.  When they say mushy I think of mashed potatos.  A person can only eat so many potatos.   I have probably eaten things that weren't on my diet but I try to keep my portions small and I chew like crazy.  Dawn, the NP at my surgeons office, didn't act like that was a huge problem.  My scale says I'm down to 272.5 which is great.  My high was 293 before I started my pre opt diet do I'm figuering that's about 21 pounds.  I have a fill scheduled for 16th.  I am soooo ready for it.  Since I don't love to post, this will probably be the last until my fill. 
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2 days after surgery
on July 21, 2007 7:59 am
Wow, I'm such a whimp.  I hurt so badly.  My back is killing me and we aren 't even going to talk about my tummy.  I slept most of Thursday and almost all of Friday.  I was a little irritated with St. Mary's.  They kept me in the post opt recovery area until I was discharged.  I kept asking for my husband and they wouldn't let him back there to see me.  I got out of surgery at 10am and didn't get to see him until 3ish.  I did get to hear the nurses bitch about when they are getting their breaks and how they needed more beds.  Not overly happy with the experience.  

I can't say that I'm hungry but I feel empty.  I havn't managed to get any where close to the amount of liquids that I need.  I keep trying because I can tell I'm dehydrated.  Each day is getting better...I can't wait until I can eat my mushies.  

I'm down to 279 pounds.  At my pre opt appointment I was 293, the day of surgery I was 283.
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Tomorrow is the BIG day
on July 18, 2007 8:33 pm
Poor Skyler, she is having a hard time tonight with my surgery tomorrow.  I wish I could have kept the knowledge of my surgery from my girls.  When I dropped the girls off at my parents tonight, Skyler freaked out.  Normally when I drop them off, I turn into chop liver.  They love my parents and ask to spend every night there.  Tonight Skyler cried and begged me not to leave her.  She told me that she didn't want me to be skinny, that she loves me how I am.  I felt so bad.  Once the kids had heard that I was having the surgery, I had talked to them about doing this to be healthy and to be able to move and play with them.  I never focused on being skinny but some how I must have sent that message out.  What am I teaching my girls?  They are at such an impressionable age, I need to really watch how I protray weight.  I don't want them to have a bad self image.  I wish this parenting thing was easy.  

Well I am off to bed.  Just 7 1/2 hours until I check in to St. Mary's for my band.  Tomorrow I will post my weight and measurements.
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less than a week to go.
on July 13, 2007 8:47 am
Wow, I just logged on and saw several posts offering support and encouragement for my upcoming surgery.  I really appreaciate everyting!  Each day has gotten easier and I am less focused on food (the way it's supposed to be).  For the first time in my life, I have truely given up my most powerful vice.  SODA.  All 300-1000+ extra calories that I would drink (and go to my hips).  I have lost the craving for it and I am very concious of everyting that I put into my mouth.  I don't want to jepordize my results by being weak.  I CAN DO THIS!  I WILL DO THIS!  

I'm excited and empowered by everyone's kind words.  Thank you for helping me with a new chapter in my life!
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just 9 days left...
on July 10, 2007 1:39 pm
Back on track with my LD.  I seem to be doing what I need to do to get back on track.  I watched a t.v. show last night about Brookhaven Obesity Clinic and I was these really obese people and most of them were trying hard to take control of their life.  A few people on the other hand were doing what ever they damn well pleased.  I don't want to be like the cheaters.  I want to take charge of my life and if that means I have to put down the damn fork and give up excess than that's what I will do! 
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My Story

Hi Ya'll (Since I moved from Arizona to Virginia I am trying to improve my southern accent!)

I have been struggling with my weight for the past 8 or 9 years.  I used to be one of those skinny people who thought they were fat; now I'm a woman of substance longing for the days of her past.  Besides the typical weight one gains while away at college, I started have problems in April 1998 when I had a horrible fall skiing.  I tore my ACL, LCL, and my MCL.  Recovery took well over a year before I had full motion in my let.  I had really stated to pack on the pounds then.  With my first pregnancy I gained 100 pounds!  I ate and ate and ate!  I wish my husband would have said..."Honey, I think 5 hot dogs a bag of chips and a gallon of punch is enough."  But apparently I had a reputation of not being very nice while I was pregos so everyone let me eat just to avoid me turning into the devil   What me, not be nice, surly they weren't really talking about me...I don't remember being mean.  Then to make matters worse, I fell in my house and retore my knee.  Another surgery to fix things.  We were also getting ready to move cross country from Arizona to Virginia (hence my new accent!).  I didn't gain any weight, but it was damn near impossible to lose anything either.  Back in my glory days I was about 155-165 pounds which is pretty good since I was 5’11”.   At this point in my sob story I am close to 300 pounds which is double from my "normal".  So now that we've settled in Virginia, we decide that it's time to have another baby.  This time I am determined not to eat myself to death.  I only gained 40 pounds with my second daughter.   Now I have joined a gym and I am going to get things in order.  Now I had to do it for my girls.  Then in May of 2004, I slipped of my back deck and broke and dislocated my ankle.  OUCH!  Well needless to say I will never have normal motion back in my leg again.  Walking with out a limp was a major accomplishment!  So I decided that shy of divine intervention I had to look for something other then good ol' diet and exercise.  That is when my very long search of WLS began.  I started jumping through all the hoops to have a bypass done and then out of no where, my husband's insurance changes and they now don't have an obesity rider.  Nice.  Since paying for it at the time was out of the question, I continued trying all sorts of diets.  Now I just became frustrated, depressed and defeated.  I got myself a part time job to start saving up pay for the WLS out of pocket.  And to my surprise, my new company covered the surgery.  WHAT COULD MY LUCK BE CHANGING?  Apparently it hadn't.  I filed for the surgery.  I had my numerous letters from the doctors saying that I need it.  The only thing I didn't have was a qualifying comorbidity.  Now my Hyperlipidemia, PCOS, Arthritis, Hypothyroidism, Degenerative Bone Disease, Depression, 2 ACL repairs and a broken/dislocated ankle wasn’t enough.  

Gosh golly it’s easy to get on the poor me band wagon….the highlights in my life are my wonderful husband who has stood by me through thick and thin.  He has been my rock!  We have two incredible little girls, Skyler 7 and Emma 4½.  They keep us really busy.  I have been a Real Estate agent for the past 6 or so years.  The market has slowed since I began RE and I have had the opportunity to try something new.  I am starting to teach art for a company called Abrakadoodle and I am really excited.  I am also going back to school in the Fall to start the pre-requirements for a medical imaging program I am hoping to start the Fall of ’08 (but probably closer to Fall of ’09).  I figure if I keep trying new things, I will some day know what I want to be when I grow up!  I am a little nervous about going back to school since I haven’t been on a college campus since we started our family.