MamaMichelle

LOL funny story, when I was speaking with Dr. Ortiz before surgery I told him to make my scars as small as possible because I just might want to be in playboy someday... Totally joking of course but it was funny at the time!

Thanks misty, The bikini pics are super icky, I know people visit this site at work on their lunch breaks and stuff and I didn't want anyone to barf on their computers after seeing them, hopefully after another month (May 28th) I will be ready to show all of them... Of course I'll have to put a big disclaimer to warn away those with heart conditions, lol.

Congrats Kimmie, Did your doctor use fluro to check the band placement or your flow level? Also why did you only get 1cc, I know you had some vomiting issues right after being banded so was he being cautious or is this the standard amount of fill he gives for 1st time fills? How have you been? We miss you around here!

Alana- Not sure if you have seen this SNL skit/commercial but your 2 week period story made me think of it... It's hilarious!! http://www.hulu.com/watch/10234/saturday-night-live-annuale

I found a close up one too... the long vertical mark is a dog scratch...

Here's the best I can do on the scar pics, as part of my monthly picture documentation I have been doing bikini pics, they are pretty icky so I have edited out my face but here you go: Day before surgery, 1 month post op scars and 2 months post op scars

Thanks Kittycat, those 3 pictures actually only show 24lbs lost since the first one was taken the day before surgery... Here's a fun way to look at your weight loss = 1 pound = a Guinea Pig 1.5 pounds = a dozen Krispy Kreme glazed donuts 2 pounds = a rack of baby back ribs 3 pounds = an average human brain 4 pounds = an ostrich egg 5 pounds = a Chihuahua 6 pounds = a human’s skin 7.5 pounds = an average newborn 8 pounds = a human head 10 pounds= chemical additives an American consumes each year 11 pounds = an average housecat 12 pounds = a Bald Eagle 15 pounds = 10 dozen large eggs 16 pounds = a sperm whale’s brain 20 pounds = an automobile tire 23 pounds = amount of pizza an average American eats in a year 24 pounds = a 3-gallon tub of super premium ice cream 25 pounds = an average 2 year old 30 pounds = amount of cheese an average American eats in a year 33 pounds = a cinder block 36 pounds = a mid-size microwave 40 pounds = a 5-gallon bottle of water or an average human leg 44 pounds = an elephant’s heart 50 pounds = a small bale of hay 55 pounds = a 5000 BTU air conditioner 60 pounds = an elephant’s penis (yep, weights more than his heart!) 66 pounds = fats and oils an average American eats in a year 70 pounds = an Irish Setter 77 pounds = a gold brick 80 pounds = the World’s Largest Ball of Tape 90 pounds = a newborn calf 100 pounds = a 2 month old horse 111 pounds = red meat an average American eats in a year 117 pounds = an average fashion model (and she’s 5’11”) 118 pounds = the complete Encyclopedia Britannica 120 pounds = amount of trash you throw away in a month 130 pounds = a newborn giraffe 138 pounds = potatoes an average American eats in a year 140 pounds = refined sugar an average American eats in a year 144 pounds = an average adult woman (and she’s 5’4”) 150 pounds = the complete Oxford English Dictionary 187 pounds = an average adult man 200 pounds = 2 Bloodhounds 235 pounds = Arnold Schwarzenegger 300 pounds = an average football lineman 400 pounds = a Welsh pony

Congrats on your progress sweetie!! I hope the "mother of all periods" has finally ended for you...

1) I am 26.5 (like Bebe I look a lot younger, just this weekend I was carded twice!! The first time a bartender was checking to see if I was over 21 and the other time the walmart cashier was checking to see if I was over 18.) 2) I have only been overweight for the past 6 years and my son is 6 years old, lol. I was a high school athlete so I was always in great shape and I was a college cheerleader when I became pregnant. I gained 70lbs with my pregnancy going from 140 to 210 on the day my son was born and I have yo-yo up an down in the past 6 years. 3) I can think of 2 times in the past 6 years where I got on a diet kick and the lowest I ever got down to was 190lbs, the most reecent time I reached that weight was October of 2006 and of course I gained all that weight back and more putting me at almost 250lbs in Jan of 2008. 4) My weight was coming off quickly in the first 2 months, then I got my fill and it has slowed. I think it has more to do with me eating too much and testing my fill than my body refusing to release the weight (though it feels like I will never get to that 199.9lb mark) 5) My average weekly weight loss is 1-2 lbs

Way to go sweetie, it is so great that you have reached such an amazing milestone!! Keep up the great work babe!

Hey Mac- I am right there with you I was losing more/faster before my fill on 4/18... I think for me what it was is that I was EXPECTING to be super restricted so I started to "test" my fill almost like I was trying to see how much I could get away with eating... What a terrible thing to do I know, but it's what happened!! I am trying not to get too down on myself, and the whole reason I started the May exercise challenge was to motivate myself to get back on the treadmill. Again the band isn't a Magic Pill you have to work it!! I am going for my 2nd fill sometime at the end of May, hopefully you can get back on track after your second fill as well!

I believe the recommended wait time between fills is 2-4 weeks, I got my first fill and didn't feel ANY restriction at all until 6 days after the fill... It just kicked in one day and now 2.5 weeks later I still can't eat any bread or bread-like items but don't feel much restriction on other foods so I will be returning for another fill in late May. My point is just give yourself a week or two before you rush right back and get another fill, you just may find that you don't need one by that time!! Best of Luck!!

Very cool, great costumes!!

5kg is equal to 11lbs which is great, if you were like me an usually GAINING 1-2lbs per month you've managed to make it 4 months without gaining anything, so that is an achievement right there! Your doctor is correct, it usually takes a few fills to find that "sweet spot" but once you get there the weight will start falling off and all those who aren't supportive of your choice to be banded will be able to SEE your great progress! Hang in there!

I U Jenn!! You are such an asset to this board and to those of us who have questions and struggles!! Hope we can all get together again soon.. P.S. I hope Britt is doing better, keep me updated on her!

Hi Mikey!! sorry to hear about your struggles but stories like this help to remind us that the band is NOT a magic pill and many people (well probably all people) will struggle at some point. Thanks for taking the time to post this, you are right that many bandsters stop posting a few months after surgery. However I think you'll notice that with the publicity from the Oprah show there is a whole new group of really motivated bandsters who are posting a lot!! I have a small group of local bandster buddies that I meet with for coffee every week or so but I really find that posting here helps more because no matter what time or what's wrong someone here will have the answer, and usually pretty quickly!! I think there is a happy medium for everyone and you have to find what kind of support is best for you!! Welcome back to the board hope to hear more from you in the future!!

Hello "NewAttitude" welcome to our group!!! The shoulder pain is from the gas that is used in the surgery.. In order to give the surgeons more room inside your body they pump your body cavity with CO2 gas most of the gas escapes after surgery but sometimes there is gas that gets trapped and like any gas it tries to rise out of the highest point of your body, this is why there is shoulder pain after being banded!!

Have you been under a lot of stress lately? I have heard that stress can cause the band to tighten up unexpectedly! Congrats on your new found restriction...

WOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOO!! YOU LOOK GREAT (sorry for shouting) but great job, so happy to see you're doing so well!! Let me know when you're in Vegas, I'll wear my goal dress and you can wear yours and we will go out on the town!!

The chewable and liquid vitamins are mainly for the first few weeks post op when you're on liquids only... Some bandsters find that after banding (when still swollen) and after a good fill that it is hard to get vitamins past their band, you can take a regular swallowable (We will make it a word, lol) vitamin but you may want to purchase a pill cutter ($2-$6 at CVS or Walmart) to split the pill in half!

Thier website is: http://www.cosmedclinic.com

Happy Birthday!!

Nicole: Life right now isn't too shabby it's odd that I hit my plateau AFTER my fill, but plateaus are something that happen to everyone so I guess it was just my time... I think that like you I was "testing" or "pushing" my fill to see how much restriction I actually have which means I am eating more than I did pre-fill when I was only allowing myself 5-6 smaller meals per day.. Looking to go back around the middle/end of May for fill number 2. Did you go back to OCC for all 3 of your fills? If so how much did you get each time? M-C: The original title of the post was "Amazing Surgery Video" and didn't have any of the pictures, or additional info about the woman it was just a link to the surgery video... I am such an information junkie that stuff like this is so useful to me but like I said I guess others aren't as interested. Hopefully this will motivate people into taking a 2nd look!

I pulled this from this post: http://www.lapbandforum.com/index.php?showtopic=5975 Bandster’s Eating Order As a bandster you have a specific order in which to eat your food. It is important that we get enough protein in our diet to keep our bodies moving properly. Therefore, you will need to make sure you are eating your protein first. As WLS patients we need 40-60 grams of protein every day. We can get this in a variety of ways. Protein shakes, cheese, fish, beef, chicken, soy. The challenge comes when we can only tolerate certain foods. Also, it is important that we get as much “hard” protein (chicken, beef, and fish) as possible. We shouldn’t get it all from protein shakes and cheese. When we sit down to a meal we need to eat our protein food first, vegetables second, and carbohydrates/starches last if there is room. Proteins last longer in the pouch and take longer to process through the band allowing us to feel full sooner and maintaining our satiety longer. As it turns out hard proteins are sometimes the most difficult to work with for a Bandster. The hard proteins need to be more moist, more tender and chewed more completely than any other type of food. Generally, but not exclusively, the proteins are the foods that get stuck the most and cause spit ups. The reason for this is simple. The bite isn’t small enough and/or we haven’t chewed it to a liquid before swallowing. For the record…Beef is generally the most difficult for bandsters. Beef is one of the most difficult foods for humans to digest. It can take several days for a piece of steak to actually work it’s way through the digestive track. And that’s on an unbanded person! So, if you eat a piece of steak and you don’t chew it up completely, which is difficult as steak is so fibrous, it can sit in your pouch for an extended about of time and your stomach acids are not there to help break it down. Eventually, this piece of food can fall over your stoma and get stuck. This piece of steak that you ate two days ago can still be in your pouch and you can still spit it up at this late date. Remember each and every person is different so you will have to test your own waters. I’m not here to tell you what to eat or what not to eat. Some Bandsters have no trouble with beef whatsoever; others won’t go near it. Trust me you will figure out what you can tolerate and what you can’t. Trust me too when I say these things change. One day ground beef is fine and the next you realize it isn’t any longer. You must be willing and able to adapt to sudden changes.