Anyone in the NW panhandle?

I'm about 8.5 months out, and have only met a few WLS patients in our area. I don't attend a monthly support group, but would like to try to get together with some other patients in our area. Maybe shopping trips, lunch/coffee out, anything other than just a support group,  more along the lines of a social event.

Pensacola, Navarre, FWB, Panama City, etc, etc.

 Hi there, I'm in Destin.  Let me know if you get something together.

Tami

Will definitely do. I'm thinking maybe April. I'm traveling quite a bit in March, and would like to do something monthly if we could enough people together. Heck, if we have to we could just hang out together.

  Hey! I'm in Pensacola :)  My surgery is 3/2/10 ... but feels like I've already had it

with this liquid diet! down 20+ pounds so far.  I travele to Gainesville, FL for my

appointments and for surgery due to insurance issues. :) 


Nora

I'm in Pensacola haven't had my surgery yet, but would love to get together with you all.

Michelle

Let's try to plan something sometime in mid-April. I've got 2 big trips planned already for March, or I'd get together sooner.

We can all brainstorm, and try to figure out a good time and place.

Was there a problem with your band?  I see you got sleeved a year later?  I am hoping to get banded next month-just saw nutritionist and got clearence from my pcp now all paperwork goes back to insurace for final approval-don't forsee any problems though
Ada

My band experience was deplorable. I had a flipped port from very early on, and it progressively worsened. It ended up causing the tubing of the band to tug on my stomach causing damage.

I was at a pain level of 6-8 daily, couldn't bend over my washing machine.

Not to mention, all the food getting stuck, throwing up water some days, and other days not having an restriction. I only had 3cc in a 10cc band, I couldn't eat any meats without some sort of condiment, or gravy. And, believe me I followed every band rule out there to a "T", I worked out until my band surgeon told me I couldn't anymore because of the port situation. I dropped 23lbs the first 2.5 months, but once all the complications started and I couldn't work out, I gained back 16 of those pounds before my revision.

The band has the lowest and slowest weight loss of any of the surgeries available. I revised to the sleeve 8 months after my band mainly because I could not tolerate the pain. My quality of life was horrible, and I was truly miserable. I've now lost 133 pounds with the sleeve in 9 months.

I know there are plenty of band success stories out there, but the increase of complication, and the fact the newest stats out show that 1 in 4 band patients will have to have another surgery to either fix, remove or revise from the band within the first 5 years is pretty scary.

Please check out the VSG and Revision board, and you can see just how many patients revise to the sleeve or even RNY from the band because of complications. lapbandtalk.com has an entire complication forum, and that's a real eye opener. Also, the failed weight loss board, and food trouble board are good sources for a true depiction of life with the band.

My mother had a band placed in Nov 2007. She started out at 245ish, dropped 75lbs still have 35 more until goal and she's been stalled for the last year. She can't get any fill because it makes her puke, she has a little restriction at this point, but she also pukes 2-4 times a week because food gets stuck, and her band won't tolerate whatever it is she's eating that day.

I'll add you as a friend so you can read my blog.

Pensacola here also. My surgery is March 10, 2010. Who are your doctors ?

Hey there, my band surgeon was Dr. Nye back in 2008, I left his practice, and had my revision performed by Dr. Michel at Eglin AFB.