Smiley

I'm from Missouri and in the Kansas City area. I have been off of this site for a long while, but it is time for me to get to gettin' again. Got a fill scheduled for tomorrow!

I just got back on the forum after being off for almost 3 years. After reading your post I am just plain curious, what did you find out?

I'm not sure where your port is at currently, but mine is about 1/2 and inch to the right of my belly button and about 1/2 an inch above it, which is really in the way. My doctor was looking at putting it right under my sternum and bra line. There is a soft pad of tissue there that he would have put it under if I had had the money to pay for that procedure. Maybe some day I will add that scar to my expensive little body.

Don't pick a goal weight, pick a goal size. Determine what size you feel comfortable in and what size people say you look great at and go for it. I thought I would get down to 142, but being a size 10 at 160 is perfectly fine with me. That is half the size I used to be. If I went down to an 8 I would look sick and I don't want that. Besides, having been heavy our bones add extra bulk to carry us around and that also adds extra weight to us, especially those who have been fat all of their lives - like me.

I agree with Angie. I have always heard 3/4 to 1 cup of food at each meal, with most people doing a cup. If you are truely hungry and getting headaches from being so, you need to listen to your body and eat - within reason of course. Where did you get your surgery done?

I don't think I can change anything else right now. LapBand in 2008, TT and Arm Lift in 2009 and red hair in 2010. I now need someone on the other side of things to get to gettin'. I am being as patiently impatient as I can.

I still have to remind myself that being full is not the goal, being satisfied is. I can get anything and everything down, but I still have restriction. Restriction doesn't mean that all of this stuff gets stuck or will not go down necessarily, restriction means that you eat a cup of the foods you are supposed to eat and you feel satisfied. If you do not "feel" satisfied then you have to determine if it is head hunger you are dealing with or truely physical hunger.

So glad that was the problem and that it has now been fixed. I would so love to have my port relocated b/c it seems to either hit everything or everything hits it. Anyone want a couple of kittens as they are 100% accurate at landing on it every time they jump up on me?

I was right with you Tuesday. Yesterday I added some of the sauce to my rice to prevent the golfball feeling.

Hmmm - that is a new one. Have you tried eating something in the morning or at least having a protein shake. Usually people get quesy if their blood sugar drops, but maybe nausea is your symptom. You might want to give your primary doctor a call as well since this doesn't really sound band related to me.

Disclaimer: I have not read the entire article because I am once again at the library and once again supposed to be working on my dissertation but once again am being a slacker. And then I wonder why I keep having to shell out money each semester because I am not done yet. Anyway, here are my thoughts: A. The surgery she had is a much higher risk surgery than having the band. B. You should never choose the cheapest doctor for any surgery just because they are the cheapest. I could have used a cheaper band doctor here in the states, but I wanted to go to WTLSC and am happy I did, even though I know of others who are happy with the cheaper ones. I also could have gone to the plastic surgeon that was cheaper, but his office was kind of like a cattle call. The surgeon I chose I am absolutely in love with and after spending 2 hours consulting with him and no money, he was the one I chose b/c I was 100% comfortable with him. C. After writing B I realized that you should never choose the cheapest of anything just because it is the cheapest. You need to make sure it is what you are comfortable with and that you will be able to live with the consequences of it being cheap. Now, as for the box of salt I bought the other day, I did choose the cheapest one, but that is something I can live with and be comfortable with. However choosing a brand of salt at Wal-Mart is much different than choosing a doctor to cut me open and in this case rearrange my innerds.

You should not feel pain when you have proper restriction as long as you are eating the proper foods and chewing them properly. Although, on occasion I must admit that something may surprise you, but this should be a rare occurence. When you have proper restriction you feel a normal fullness after eating about a cup of food. There is a nerve with a medical name at the top of your pouch which is what signals your brain that you are full and it works the same whether you are banded or not, it is just that it kicks in sooner with much less food on a banded person. As a side and not a need by any means to know I have good restriction, sometimes after drinking or eating I get a sound like a clogged drain finally breaking loose and draining right in the area of my band once everything has gone thru. Luckily I have only heard it at home so hopefully no one else has heard it in public. One girl I know of describes it as her band being musical, but I cannot bring myself to think of my band as being musical.

When was your last fill? Do you have restriction? Are you eating no more than a cup of food at a time and in the proper porportions? Are you eathing slider foods? Are you exercising? Are you eating 60-80 grams of protein a day? Are you drinking at least 64 ounces of the proper liquids each day? Have you contacted your doctor about this? Okay, I will stop with the questions for now.

Well PB on him. He obviously was not willing to be the supportive one to help you get thru this time, so maybe it is best that he goes which might in the end alleviate one of the stressful issues in your life. You are not the only one that has had significant restriction issues. There have been others on this board that had problems with their band slamming shut even though they were completely unfilled. Take heart that we are with you and you will get thru this yucky time and come out a stronger person on the other side. When you did find that perfect man, let me know if he has a brother.

Around here they do a complete unfill and the liquids when someone stretches their pouch. Were you completely unfilled once they discovered it? As for the carbonated drinks my center says absolutely none for 6 months after surgery and they still are not really recommended after that. At am partaking of one at the present time, but I make sure that I go slowly and allow each drink to go thru the band before I take another drink b/c the carbonation does cause all of that fizz which can stretch the pouch with the gas that it creates. Sounds like you are doing better which is good to hear. Stay with us on here and we will help get you thru.

Yippee Skippy!!! I'm pullin' for you here! The good news is that the TT and the thigh thing will probably take care of those 3 pounds. You may not see it for a while b/c of the swelling but in the end you will see it. Enjoy shopping for new clothes, just don't buy too many bottoms because about 6 months after the surgery you may be wearing a different size on the bottom half. I am really interested in how the thigh portion of the surgery goes as that and a breast reduction will be my next surgical procedure. The girls I could live with, but my thighs are definitely out of sinc with the rest of me and it is hard to hide them. Honestly, they looked better when I was fat b/c they held themselves up and stayed out of sight, now they like to droop and peak out below my modest length shorts. Can't wait to hear all about it.

DON'T Treat With Vitamin E. Vaccariello said she had been told her entire life that vitamin E prompted healing, but more recent studies show that it, like hydrogen peroxide, actually impairs healing. To make matters worse, about one-third of people will develop an allergic reaction to vitamin E. I have been told by 2 doctors to use Vitamin E oil and my plastic surgeon knows I use it has never said anything. From what I can tell it is working on the PS scars and I know it worked on my feet scars, however I plan on giving the Mederma a try once I run out of Vitamin E oil. DON'T Expose To Sun: Not only do ultraviolet rays slow the healing process, the can discolor the scar. The sun stimulates the cells that produce pigment, and when your skin is sensitive and healing, it's prone to discoloration. Cover the area with SPF higher than 15. This was told to me by my plastic surgeon last year. He said to not expose them for a year. I am past my year but since my scars usually take 15 to 18 months to really show improvement I am still hiding them when I am in the sun and using sun lotion. He also said that scars can take up to 2 years to heal so I figure I will be hiding/protecting them until this time next year, especially the ones from my arm lift. DO Massage The Wound: Once new skin has grown, massage the mark. This helps break down the dense bonds of collagen. If they are not allowed to take hold, the appearance of the scar will be much less noticeable, or may not form at all. Massage - with lotion - in a circular motion for 15 to 30 seconds a few times a day. One lotion to try is Mederma. It's a nonprescription ointment that contains onion extract and has been shown to inhibit the formation of collagen. There are lots of other products for sale that promise to lighten or prevent scars, however, no studies show that they are effective. [/b]The massage part was suggested to me by my doctor. I have the privelege of having those nasty keloid scars, but they are getting better. I figure I am massaging them when I put the Vit. E oil on them. There are new treatments out there, and specific laser treatments are especially designed to treat certain scars. Some help smooth and remove redness, others are perfect for acne scars, and still others vaporize shallow scars and allow smoother skin to grow. I heard or read someplace (or maybe I just made it up) that there treatments being worked on/experimented with right now to treat scars. So hopefully in then next 10 years we will see these remedies offered and hopefully they will work for what will be our old scars by then.

Your family sounds like my family and that is why I did it. I have an aunt and a grandma with diabetes and a father that is borderline. I have watched my aunt lose both of her legs to the disease and I did not want that to happen to me. I knew that I could do something to counteract the future that I saw for myself at that time and I did it. I now know that I have done everything I can to make sure that I live a long, healthy life and to make sure that I am able to see my nephews grow up so that they can take care of me when I am old. I also was considered a light weight in regards to many people who have the surgery, but that did not matter to me. After trying everything else under the sun I felt that this was the only hope I had left. I am who I am, they are who they are, and you are who you are, so make the decision for the future of yourself and what you know to be best for you.

I can do both any time day or night. In regards to the rice I just make sure that it is not too dry. As for the bread, even though I can eat it I try not to. I do not buy white bread at all. If I am eating something on a hotdog bun I pull the majority of the bun off and just give myself enough to hold on to in an attempt to protect my clothes and my girls from the ketchup - it doesn't work. In regards to hamburger buns I the bottom one off completely and once again pick a bunch of the top one off so that I just have enought to hold on to. Other things such as garlic bread I eat a bite or two and pitch the rest of it. A taste is really all I need for me to consider myself "normal". I also eat pasta without a problem, although the spaghetti noodles kind of scare b/c I find them hard to chew. To remedy this I just make my spaghetti at home with rigatoni and when eating spaghetti elsewhere I cut it up like I would to feed it to a two year old child. When I am done eating it I kind of resemble a two year old child as well.

I love summer! I just got back from the grocery store where I stocked up on fresh fruits and vegetables. I know my eyes were bigger than my stomach, but I don't care, I'll just have to carefully plan my meals, snacks, and drinking. I can't wait to go home in a couple of weeks when there are more things ready in my parents garden. Worked up 19 quarts of strawberries from their garden a few weeks ago. The plan for the tomatoes this summer is to make salsa - yummy! The other thing I love about summer is that I actually want to drink liquids, can't say the same for the winter.

I agree about the arm flab. I hated hearing mine slap my sides when I was on the elliptical. The only negative reaction I have ever had to those scars was with a group of 4 and 5 year olds. I threw my arms up on the air exposing the scars and heard a loud gasp from all of the children. I had to explain in 4 and 5 year old language what happened and that everything was okay. I have considered having a tattoo put over my TT scar. There really isn't a need to do it right now, but depending on how it looks a year or so from now I may consider it. I got the idea from someone who had a mastectomy due to cancer. She did it so there would be something pretty for her to focus on as opposed to an ugly scar. Having never been the tattoo type, we'll just see what happens.

Being medically ignorant, if the NG tube is just what they put in your throat during surgery, it isn't a big deal. That is one of the questions I asked before my first post-lap band surgery and they said it would not go down far enough to cause any harm to the band. Whew!

I think this is something that is hard to explain other than it does happen and we have all had it happen at some point in our band journey. You are correct though in saying that it is the size you get to that is more important than the weight you are. We have a tendancy to beat ourselves up over a pound or two but in all actuality as long as we can still fit into our "skinny" clothes and look great, the scale doesn't matter.

I had my arms done a little over a year ago as well as a tummy tuck. One of my suggestions is to not go out and buy a whole new wardrobe immediately. Either make do with what you have or buy stuff at garage sales and second hand stores. I bought tight size 12's right after my surgery b/c I really did need new clothes, but this summer they are all to big as I am wearing perfect size 10's. I am either having to replace them or alter them. As for the healing process, point blank you are going to be sore. Take care of yourself by resting and doing exactly what the doctor says. After your incisions heal get some vitamin E oil and rub on them. The unfortunate part is that scars in the arm area do not heal as well as the ones in other places. However, take comfort in knowing that people will see the arm scars much more infrequently than they would have seen the arm flab. The LBL was suggested to me, but I just could not afford it and chose the TT instead. I can tell how the LBL would have been beneficial, but then again I was going for normal, not perfect and I can always go back and have the rest done. I have not have the boobs done yet, but they are on the schedule for my next surgery, I'm just not sure when that will be. My 20 year class reunion is next year and I would love to have them and my inner thighs done by then, but I am starting to realize it probably won't happen unless I get a windfall of money. Congratulations on becoming a new you, don't worry too much, and let us know how it went when you feel up to it. Andrea

The V8 splash stuff was recommended to me by my practitioner as a way to help get in some of my fruits and vegetables. That might help you in the mornings when you are tight. Just make sure you are getting your protein in and not eating too much by trying to get that and the fruits and vegetables in.