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 Let me first say that I"m sorry I haven't kept up to date with my progress,It's been really slow anyway. I went to meet Dr.Geller for the first time back in April.I really liked him.He was to the point with my surgery and my build,he wasn't sure if I could get approval based on my BMI I was just on the border for approval.He suggested that I have a sleep study done.I went and YES I do have Sleep Apena & pretty bad.The tests showed that I quit breathing 50 times a hour,with a sleep disturbance that lasted between 14 & 40 seconds!!!! Hell... no wonder I felt run down ALL the time.I thought it was chronic fatigue syndrome from the Fibromyalgia. That was submitted to insurance and I'm on a machine.If I go 1 night without using it I really feel it,BIG difference. It's a love/hate relationship. I just want to be healthy and feel good again. Dr.Geller's office submitted the paperwork to United Health Care on April 15th, and the wait begun... It took them 12 weeks ti approve me!!!! But hay ,I'got approved!!!! I tried not to get my hopes up because I new so many people fighting it. I would call about every week and ask if it was still pending,they would say "It's still in review" When i got the ok I jumped and had to pinch myself,just wasn't believing it. So it's been almost 2 weeks since I quit smoking,with help of the patch & everone at work is rooting me on,I can do it. They will not operate on a smoker & i understand that.They are looking out for our well being. Well, I have my psych eval on August 6th,I will update when I get back!!!  8-7-04 Hi, well I got approval from Dr. Headden (psych Dr.) for surgery Yesterday!!!!! He was very professional with the eval. He asked me questions that I thought he would & MORE. I really liked him. I felt like maybe he might be a ship'em in & ship'em out kinda Dr. but NO he wasn't. I got a lot of good insight from him.I believe if he felt that a person couldn't handle the drastic change with surgery like this he would really advise more counselling. He said he would be sending a letter to surgeon's office soon,with his approval. So I will update when I hear from them. ( It's been 16 days & NO SMOKING!!!! ) I can do it!!!! Bye for now. 8-15-04 yee hawwwww!!!! I have a surgery date!!! It's gonna be October 1st.Donna is mailing me a package of what to expect. I'm so happy.I really tried to not get my hopes up before I was approved,& now I have a date. I have read so many postes of brokenhearted poeple wanting the surgery so badly & they were still facing a hard wall. I even know of one woman that was told she was approved for Lap Band. She went for ALL of her pre-op tests I believe she even had a date for surgery!!!! She then was told she was only approved for Gastric!!!! I felt so bad for her,she was so upset. Idon't know what ever happened to her,I don't believe she ever went threw with the Gastric,but who knows. I feel so comfortable with my decision, to go with the Lap Band,I've only researched it for about 3 years now!! It's not so hard to loose weight...but to KEEP IT OFF,well that has NEVER worked for me. I once lost 90 lbs. with Weight Watchers. I kept it off for about 3 years.I started overeating here & there & there it was all back again,& then some.It's been 3 weeks & 3 days of becoming a NON-SMOKER!!!! Boy they sure smell good though.LOL LOL August 20th Well I received my packet from Dr. Geller's office.It has everthing in it I should need.(Pre-op instructions & tests to have performed) I will be on a clear liquid diet 2 days before surgery.The week of surgery liquids only,&then next 2 weeks mushy foods.I hope I'm one of the lucky one's who feels some restriction after surgery& before my first fill,they say that any weight that does come off before your first fill is a bonus!!! I had a pretty bad reaction to a BP pill yesterday...I woke up with the whole left side of my face VERY swollen,actually it was my whole left side (foot& ankle) It was the strangest thing.Trouble breathing also. Went to Dr.,he switched my meds.It's been a long day,so I'll update soon!!! c u. August 27 Feeling alot better on new BP meds. The swelling has almost went completly away. I'm so ready for surgery,I can't wait.I have all of my pre-op tests coming up next week.I 'll check back soon!! September 5th Hi,I went to hospital this morning for most of my pre-op tests. I arrived there at 7:15,ready to be done with it. My Mother went with me for moral support. Things went pretty smooth. I first had a Ultrasound of my Liver & Gallbladder,Xray of chest area,EKG,and then to the Lab for bloodwork...well let me say that I hate it!!!!! The poor guy tried 3 times & nothing!!! He then called another Lab. Tech. in to help...she couldn't find it either,so she tried once more and ta da!! I've always been a hard stick,and Iv's.hummmm well I hate them too.LOL (my husband is also a Med. Tech. and he has drawn my blood on several occasions with NO PROBLEM so WTF!!!)Oh well at least that's behind me.Oh I also had a urine test & A breathing exercise thing-a-magig to use until surgery and after to strengthen my lungs.The Respitory Therapist said I was right on track. I was a little scared because I smoked for about 20 years!!! I also have a little chest cold,but she said I did great!!! My next test is Friday,until then c u ~~~~~~~~~ September 19th Hey, Its's been a while. Whewwwww I've had alot going on lately.But it's all good!!! I'm now finished with all of the pre-op testing. Yee Haw!!!! My surgery is scheduled for October 1st. I love the Fall weather,It's always my favorite time of year. My husband & I will have reached our 12th year of bliss this October 24th. He also has a birthday,Oct.12th in there as well.Back to my profile...I'm pretty healthy,ya know they do every test known to man before ya get the go ahead for surgery.I've had all the Labs & xrays as stated earlier,CLEARANCE,from Cardio.Doc.,Breathing Doc., & Vascular Doc. My Doctor's are very sure to cover all bases,that's why I feel I'm in good hands!! Oh I almost forgot...I have a Angel,her name is Natalie Bradford,she's already had the Lap-Band performed by Dr. Geller.I'm so excited!!!!! She knows what to expect. She has a friend who is also having the same surgery,same Dr.,same day as me too.How great is that?!!! She plans to visit the Hospital. I plan on buying a few things next week...scales,hand blender,blender for home,food processor,& pf coarse all the pre-op foods for liquid diet.(((( which I'm dreading)))) Oh well I can do it!!!! I will update again soon ,c ya. Hello,well I have the cold from Hell.I have a Dr.Appointment today,he will fix me up & get me ready for surgery. I work with the public,& could have killed the lady who gave me this sickness!! Why would you go to the salon if ya looked like death warmed over??? LOL Some people?? I went for a nutritional class last night.It was pretty informative. I'm also going to attend a support group tonight,Natalie will be there,& a dear friend Melissa. Another great friend of mine had RNY yesterday!!! She's a real trooper.She's doin great!!! Her name is Sherry.I peeked in her room last night after the class& there she was...wide awake and talking!!! I will go & see her again tonight,just to say hey,because this cold I have I would not want to give to her!!!Melissa that I spoke of earlier had RNY last December & she's lost a total 160 LBS.!!! They are doing great. I will update soon... 10 days 2 go!!!!! Hi well it's 7 days to go. I'm feeling better with the cold.I will be ready for surgery!!! I've rounded up several things I will need for the big day. I will update soon. Hi,my friends at work all gave me a great big potluck dinner!!! They had everything I loved & more. I won't go into details because I'm on the dreaded liquid pre-op diet. But it was delish!! They also all chipped in and gave me a card with money in it! I feel so blessed to have great friends like this. Hi well I'm banded!!!! I did it!!! My story is a bit different than all the happy ones ya hear.Although I'm still happy I've come this far. I started the 2 day clear liquid diet last week on Wednesday & I was doing good...then Thursday came and all Hell broke loose. I had severe nausea. I couldn't keep liquids in me. I had SEVERE diareha and still needed to drink the Citrate Bowel prep. I now understand that after I look back that I MUST HAVE HAD A FLU OR VIRUS. I thought the runs was from the liquids...But that bad???I also had a episode of vomiting,which was clear water??? I wasn't sure.Then Friday came & Hubby,Mom,& I get to the hospital at about 9:00 am. I'm called back at around 10:15 and was getting preped for surgery. I said bye to my Mom & Hubby and I remember them wheeling me into a cold room with bright lights. One of the surgical Nurses says "boy you sure have pretty lips!!" Of course I was shocked and thought it was funny at the same time. I'm tried so I'll update the rest soon. I will say one thing...I'M FEELING A LITTLE BETTER EVERY DAY!!! c ya soon. Well it's been 5 days since I was banded,My husband took me out for a drive this afternoon,& my mom & I went to Bingo!! We always have a good time together whatever we are into.~~~~Momma,I know you are reading this...I just want to tell ya that I love you and Dad & I really appreciate EVERYTHING you have done to help,it means alot.~~~ Ok back to the mojo...I could hear one of the S. Tech's saying Foley Cath. out,& I heard the other Doc. asking me how long I'd smoked.LOL LIKE I COULD ANSWER HIM!!!! The damn breathing tube was still in my throat.He said that i had spit up alot of junk??? I then recall I was wheeled back to my room.I shared a room with another one of Dr.Geller's patients,her name was Shelly,she had open RNY. My Mom informed me that there was a small set back that occured in the OR room. The Doc. had accidently nicked my stomach when he was trying to stitch the band to it. She was told that he put 1 stitch in it,then the Doc.said he put 2 stitches in it,then the next day I was told by the Doc. that it happened & he had to cartarize it??? He said that he put some blue or green dye in and checked my stomach for any leaks and all looked fine. He said I would urinate it out...& I have!! Dr. Geller never had to tell us what happened...he could have swept it under the rug,but he was honest enough and told us about it.I feel that this is a risk that we take and he has made sure that I have NO problems with it. I do feel that he is a great Surgeon with Gastric Bypass,but maybe still ironing out the kniks with the Lap Band. One other thing that he said that was the cause of this was that I have alot of fat around the top part of my stomach...something that most men have,or at least other people with a very top heavy build. Oh well I'm on the mend and I'll write again soon. Hi,It's been 1 week since surgery and I'm seeing a big difference each day!!! I woke up in a very bad mood today...don't really know why???? My mom and my neice Keshia came by and I went with them to Walmart.Keshia was having a new set of acrylic nails put on and I ended up getting a manicure.It did feel good...but not as good as the manicures I give!!! I was so sick with that dam flu before surgery,I did well to get my old polish off my fingernails & toenails,and get legs shaved!!! But I now have a very pretty polish on my nails and they are all nicely shaped.I'm also finished with soup...I hate it!!!!! unless it's real chunky and I'm not supose to eat them yet. NO MORE BLENDERIZING THEM!!! Can't stomach it!!!! I had a scrambled egg and cheese mixed in today and it tasted sooooo good. will write again soon,TTFN (ta ta for now). Hi it's now been 11 days since surgery & I'm feeling soooooo much better.I still have less energy,but it's on it's way back!! My sterri strips are itching me,so I know I'm healing nicely. I got a phone call from a good friend that I work with yesterday,& she said that she missed me,and that I should come to work and let her shampoo and fix my hair,so off I went to the Salon.(yes I drove myself this time) Stacy has taken care of this FRO for me the past 2 weeks now,and it feels better. I had to snicker a little...because I felt like a little ol' lady going to have my hair done!!! LOL LOLBut soon I will be back in action and back at work. My mom & I have been getting out just about everyday!!! We go to Bingo,Walmart,Kroger,and this past week she took me to Caesars.( the gambling boat) She handed me 100.00 and said here...go have fun!!! She is ALWAYS treating me to nice things,gotta love those moms,because ya only have ONE !! We had a good time,but didn't win. I'm learning that I can eat a little more each day,so that tells me that the swelling is going down from surgery. I have lost 15 pounds since surgery. Today is my husbands birthday,we didn't do much,I bought him a coconut creme pie and a card,it's his favorite. He's a little under the weather today...so I told him that we would celebrate soon.He's spoiled,I bought him 2 new pairs of shoes,he ordered a DVD copier online,and he got a outfitt!!! ( he's worth it,because he spoils me too) Well It's now been 15 days post-op and I woke up this morning feeling pretty sore where the port area is?? That's normal though,I've read where people can have port pain for 6-8 weeks and after a fill too. My mom took me to the salon again today and I got a scalp treatment and fresh hairdo!! All of my steri strips are off and everthing looks great. I tried to go without my abdominal binder for the past several days....not sure if that was the cause of the minor setback but I wore it today and I do feel better.(not to mention that it's pouring cats and dogs...I have heard that whenever you have surgery,alot of times it will hurt when the pressure is up outside and it rains??) My Mother & i had lunch at the Foodcourt,it was good. I go back to work on November1st.I plan on starting a walking exercise this week,I have a treadmill which has dust on it LOL. It still seems like a far away dream that I can actually loose this weight in the near future & keep it off. Tomorrow I will be playing Bunco and then maybe if I have the energy Bingo after that.LOL c ya!! Hi...It's been a while since I last updated! I'm now 27 days post-op,and let's just say...BOY SHOW ME THE NEEDLE !! lol I'm ready for my first adjustment.I go for that on the 18th of November. I go back to work on the first. I'm sure I will be pretty tired the first few days.I've had my days and nights mixed up for a few weeks now?? My port is still a little sore if I over do it...mainly late at night. I went to a seminar last Tuesday with Right Weigh. Dr. Geller was there and so was Dr. Shina. It was pretty good,but I wish they would have had a little more to say about the Lap Band...It was mostly Gastric Bypass. In a since they are about the same guidelines...but they still differ a little. I met some of my buddies at the seminar.( Melissa,Natalie,Meanie& Debbie) I just met Debbie last week...I'm going to be her Angel. Her surgery is November 17th at Caritas. She is a really nice and funny person...we had alot of fun at the class.Five days after her surgery I'm also goin to be a Angel for Astarre...she's another friend I met online! That's all for now, c ya. Wow how time flys!!! I went for my first fill.Dr.Geller thinks my port might have flipped...he couldn't axcess the correct side. It wasn't a very pleasant experience.(not the worst that one could have) I was a little lightheaded afterwards. I got a letter in the mail today...he's gonna look at it under Xray & see if he can fill it that way. I go on December 1st at 8:00am!!! I've had a rough weekend. Ed had a heartattack on Saturday. He had one artery 99% blocked and another one 50%. They inserted a stint and it fixed both of them!!! I love him so very much,he's a really good man. I don't know what I would do if he died. I'm trying really hard to prepare foods that are in good stamding with the Healthy Heart diet. We both need it. When something like this happens,it really makes ya think. I feel very blessed to have him in my life,healthy parents,a sweet niece,& a brother. I think we should always tell one another how much we love them...because we never know. I'm VERY close to my Mom...not many other people are that I know.She's my Best friend and we do most everything together. My Dad bought Ed & I tickets to see a comedian at Caesars for tonight...but with Ed being on the mend we didn't go.They went...I hope they are having a great time & winning lots of money.they deserve it!!! Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and we are going to his brother Mark's house. I wish I could have had my fill before now...but oh well I can wait a few more days!!! WOW It's been a long time!! Ive now had 2 fills & I go in for another on Feb. 10th. I have 1.5cc in the band. The largest fill that Dr. Geller will give from here on out is 1/4 or1/2 depending on what I weigh from here on out. I think thats fair enough. He's looking out for the well being of his patients. I reffered a friend to him because she's tried everything in the book to loose and keep it off & it still creeps back.I can tell a weight loss in my clothes. I don't have that bloated feeling all the time anymore either.See ya on the flip side!! LOL Hi well I've had my 3rd fill!! He was able to get in the office this time!! I'm now at 2cc's. I go back in 6-8 weeks for a check-up. Boy I CAN feel a difference. I must eat slowly and chew chew chew or my band will let me know who's the boss LOL.(( P A I N)) I think maybe 1 more tweaking & I'll sit back & enjoy the ride!! Bye for now~~~ Hi!! I've had my 4th fill. I believe I may have found the "sweet spot". Doc. Geller was able to get it done in the office again!! I hope he can from now on. I've lost 38 lbs so far! I love my band!!!!! OMG!!! I love my band!!! DO YOU HEAR ME??? I love it!!! LOL I tried on some shorts & capris from last summer & they are too big!!! I'm in the process of getting rid of the old & finding some new. A lot of these were to small to begin with and had been collecting dust. I know it's happening for me,it's just a shock,because I'm NOT killing myself to do it,like I have done in the past! I hope with a few more pounds gone, I can get rid of the BP meds. & the C-pap machine. I'm getting alot of compliments from friends,clients & family!! My mom says almost on a daily basis..." I can really tell hon!!!" "IT'S HAPPENING" LOL. I say hey I'll take it!! I'm trying to learn how to use Photobucket and upload some recent pics., of me. I will update soon!! Bye W O W..... I need a new pic. on my profile!! How time flys....the date is August 2nd. I've had 1 more slight tweaking a few weeks ago & I really think I have enough!! LOL It feels good to get rid of the old clothes & some pretty new ones too. I'm in a size 18 now...was in a 22 or some 24's. I feel so good about my decision to have the surgery!! well well well.....it's been a while! I'm very happy to report that I'm now wearing a size 16 & I'm into a 14/16 shirt. I love my band and I feel real good! I checking into Aqua aerobics ((might help with Fibro.)) I'm ready for the fall! Talk to ya soon! Hi.it's been too long since I last updated........but everything is going GREAT!!! I love my band!!! I've had a really hard time the past few months with the Fibro. It's kept me from working out,like I should,my GP put me back on Celebrex, with a higher dose,& it helps some. I wish there was a cure for this dreaded problem. It can really take a toll on a person. BUT on the brighter side....I think my sleep A. is getting a little better. In general, I love this new life & health!! The best thing I've ever done for myself! I N E E D A N E W P I C T U R E LOL I guess I'll have to become computer savy. Soon to come though!! Do you snore? Sleep apnea is a common health condition of the obese. Sharon Neva's Story Her personal experiences and feelings along with practical information to prepare you for your life-changing journey. Page Created by Sharon On 09/17/04 One of the HTML volunteers from ObesityHelp.com If you'd like your profile spruced up write us at [email protected]
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