enterprise01

Lynn, I may take you up on that offer next year. I ended up working all night Wednesday until 10:00 a.m. Thursday, so I spent rest of the day sleeping. Now my schedule is completely off and I'm out of sorts. I binged on chips and salsa. I'm such an idiot - I should not have even had them in the house. I'm having my mashed potatoes today. The holidays are always such a rough time for me with depression. Even though I have a boyfriend, I don't see him much around the holidays because he's with his kids. My mom will be here next week, so that will cheer me up. I've got the best mom in the world and she's a lot of fun to be around. Lynn, I'm sorry your lost your sister. We never expect to lose loved ones so early in their lives. It's hard to come to terms with that. Take care of your band and yourself. Listen to Dr. Spivak. I hate to see you end up with complications.

You're going to catch hell from some bandsters on here if they see this thread. You'll get lectures about how important the healing stage is, and how if your stomach is digesting food, which allegedly causes movement, the band will not gel into place as it's supposed to. And if the band (and the resulting scar tissue) doesn't adhere in a groove around your stomach as it's supposed to, you'll end up with a slipped band down the road. I'm going catch hell for saying this, but I think that's a bunch of hooey. If there was any evidence that this was true, then there would be a standardize post-op diet that everyone would have to follow. Each doctor has his own post-op diet, so they are obviously prescribing it based on what they, as individuals, think is best, not scientific evidence. My doc requires 48 hours of liquids and then soft food for 4 weeks. This is extremely liberal compared to other doctors' post-op diets. If weeks of liquids after surgery was really necessary to prevent slippage, then my doc should have loads of slipped bands to deal with. I remember asking him about his percentage of slips during the seminar, and it was so negligible that I dismissed it. The day after my surgery, I was extremely nauseous and just the smell of a Protein drink made me heave. When I called my doctor's office about the nausea (and diarrhea, too), I was instructed to eat dry toast to settle my stomach. I later discussed on this board that I had moved on to food earlier than anticipated, and one bandster in particular tore into me, told me my band was going to slip, and admonished me for "doing what I wanted." So the next day I called my doctor's office and asked about the importance of the liquid and soft food stages in promoting healing and proper band adhesion. The response I received was: No, that's not why we prescribe liquids and soft foods. It's to ease you into living with the band and preventing food from getting stuck and causing pain when you're already in discomfort from the surgery itself. Let the flaming begin.

Well said Green. There are also a number of people who are just users. Men and women are both guilty of this. A guy who is a player will pretend to be interested in the girl and pretend to be moving toward a fulfilling relationship when in fact he only wants the sex. Once he gets the sex, he moves on. This is entirely different from the guy who hooks up with a girl, likes her at first, later realizes a relationship isn't going work, and then moves on. The player is an intentionally deceitful piece of sh*t who never gives another thought to the women he uses. I suspect that the guy who dumped the OP is a player. And I also suspect he dumped her in such a harsh way to deter her from contacting him again. (Some women are also players, except instead of sex, they are after money or material things.)

Yikes! I'd get a small unfill today if I were you, especially since you'd have to wait until Monday otherwise. You sound like you're too tight already, and what if you have a little bit of swelling tomorrow or the next day and it gets even worse? You'll be in bad shape then. I'm going to make some mashed potatoes for myself tomorrow and that's it. I don't have family here and none of my friends invited me over, so I'll probably do some work instead of eating. That cold front in OK is headed here to TX, so I'm looking forward to some good weather. And next week I'm having my brachioplasty. It will be on either Tuesday or Wednesday, so I need to get caught up at the office before I can take the time off.

Good, maybe we can get some shopping done while she's here. I don't get to see her often, so I'm hoping we'll have plenty of quality time. This is going to be tough for me. sleeping on my back is also uncomfortable because it seems to invite my 4 cats to sleep on top of me. And the 20 lb cat almost crushes me when she sits on my chest. I need to get some Ambien. That's what I was hoping. I'll have to go into the office within a couple of days and don't want everyone to notice. I think they are planning on general anesthesia, but I'm going to ask about heavy sedation. I had lipo on my thighs and surgery on both feet done under a local without sedation and handled both of those procedures just fine. I think docs prefer the general because they're afraid patients will freak out if they hear what's going on. I pre-registered at the hospital today and it took 5 hours! Five hours to register for a 2 hour procedure! Well, I won't complain since it's a free surgery. I still don't have a firm date and time and am starting to get anxious about it. Let's hope I hear something soon.

I just can't believe the difference in your before and after pics. Absolutely amazing! You look so fantastic that I don't think anyone meeting you now would ever believe that you had a weight problem in the past. You're very petite now - just the way I hope to be in another few months. And you have the kind of smile that lights up a room. You are very, very beautiful.

Blood loss is a risk in any surgery, but it is extremely rare with this type of surgery. My lap-band surgeon said that you lose less than a tablespoon of blood during this procedure. Of course accidents happen and something could go wrong during the surgery, so that's why they ask you to consent to a blood transfusion in case of an emergency. And in the event you might need blood, of course the hospital will have it. This entire issue is not something that I'd waste time worrying about.

Ah, I see. She made him act a like a jerk because she was an honest woman who liked a guy and wanted to have sex with him and didn't act like haughty bitch who thinks she's better than everyone else. If a man acts like a jerk, then he is a jerk and it has nothing to do with the woman. There are plenty of users out there, and shame on you for blaming the woman for this man's poor behavior.

Lynn, you just crack me up with this. I'm still thinking about all those questions you asked Dr. Long about drains. Does this mean that you can't watch any episodes of Star Trek involving the Borg? They have tubes sticking out all over their bodies, not to mention cybernetic prosthetics. That must really creep you out. Of course, that's kind of the point. The Borg are supposed to give us all major heebie jeebies. But Julie, please tell us more about the drains to put both Lynn and me at ease.

Dr. Heller moved my appt to 4:00 pm today, so I'm just now getting home after running some errands. Good news - he is going to use me for the TV show. Yay! The surgery will be on either Nov. 27 or 28. He was pleased with the weight I've lost. He commented that it seems that the weight came off my face and my lower body, but not my arms. That's good because it's an indication that although I'm still 20 lbs from goal, I'm probably not going to lose any more from my arms. So it's OK to go ahead and do the brachioplasty now. We talked for quite some time about the scars. He said that he could tell by looking at me that I have a "high aesthetic standard" and he's concerned that I won't find the scars acceptable. He also said that some women would be happy to have the arms that I have now. I've given this a lot of thought, and I'm pretty sure that I'll be less bothered by the scars than the flab I currently have. Although he can't do a mini-lift, he doesn't think he'll have to go all the way to the elbow with the scar. He's going to minimize it as much as he can. I called my mom right away and she's flying in from Atlanta on Nov 26 and will stay with me for about 10 days. Julie, if you are reading this, do you think 10 days is enough or should I ask my mom to stay longer? Also, do you have any advice on things to beware, things you didn't expect, or things you wish you had thought of before the surgery? I bought a pillow for under my knees because I figure I'll have to sleep on my back for at least 2 weeks. I'm a side sleeper, so that will be tough for me. Should I buy some shirts that button up the front or will I be able to pull shirts over my head without any problem? How did you do with the drains? Dr. Heller said that the drains could be in for 2 days or 2 weeks. Will I be able to hide the drains sufficiently with a cardigan sweater? Any advice would be appreciated.

Yes, I'm staying off the scales for a couple of days, too. It just fluctuates too much and messes with my head. I don't need that added stress. I'm also considering another fill because I'm not feeling as much restriction in the evenings as I did a few months ago. I've only PB'd once or twice in the past month. Sunshine, if you can eat regular bites of anything, I think you might need just a small fill. Don't know about you, but I want it to be tight enough to prevent me from falling back into old habits. Just my 2 cents.

You're not kidding about the placement. That's fantastic! No one is ever going to notice the scars unless you raise your hands up over your head. I'm so relieved it's going well for you. I've also heard (and seen) some scary stories about brachioplasty. Do you know how many ounces or pounds of skin your dad removed? Not that it matters, I'm just curious about how it will affect your overall weight.

Just to clarify, the additive in microwave popcorn does not cause cancer; it causes lung disease. Here's the story of the man in Colorado who developed lung disease from inhaling the fumes for 10 years. His condition has been improving since he stopped cooking popcorn in the microwave every day. NY Times Advertisement

It was from inhaling the fumes of the popcorn, not from eating it. He was making about 3 bags of popcorn a day, which is rather excessive. And I don't think he's died yet. Here's an article about the dangers of inhaling the fumes of the additives in popcorn. Popcorn workers cope with lung disease - More health news - MSNBC.com

Hey, Ghost. You really are looking great. The difference in the before and after pics is drastic. You must be so pleased. Sorry to hear you're having some problems, but at least they are fairly minor. In another month, you're going to look even better!

Julie, you're looking fantastic already! Sorry your dad was so rough. I hope he felt bad about it after you fainted. Did he at least apologize? Do you have any before pics of your arms? I can see that your delts and biceps look really toned, but I'm wondering how the tricep area looked before the surgery. Your progress is simply astounding. By the way, I had liposuction on my inner and outer thighs when I was about 22 and in really good shape. My thighs were taped up completely for the first 10 days, and I remember that it took me more than an hour to pull all the tape off because it was so painful. I was shaking and dripping with sweat by the end of that ordeal. Your dad really should have been more gentle.

Got to agree with you on that. I've had over a dozen surgeries and none was as painful as the lapband. Not even close. I did a ton of research and spent a lot of time on this site just reading everything I could. Most bandsters only take a couple of days off work and many fly back home from Mexico the next day. When that's what you read from 99% of the people who have had this surgery, you're not really prepared if your experience is completely different. But the people who don't even learn the basics before getting the band can be annoying. It's particularly frustrating when they blame the band for "not working" when it's their own ignorance that's the real problem.

Congratulations on your success! Dr. Spivak has a support group that meets at 7 pm every 1st and 3rd Tuesday of the month at his office at 1200 Binz, Suite 1470. The meetings are open to everyone, not just Spivak patients. We'd love to meet you and hear your story.

My favorite: What's a PB?

Very frustrated with the weight loss right now. It had been holding steady at 13 pounds down, so I increased the exercise. Saturday I walked 9 miles, Sunday 8, and Monday 8.5. Guess what? I was up by 5 pounds this morning! It must be Water weight. I had some very salty ham and olives yesterday, so I'm hoping that's the problem. My eyes are very puffy today, too. I'll take a diurectic tonight and see if that fixes it. There is just no way I could gain weight with all that exercise (and it's not leisurely walking - I'm doing 15 minute miles). Also, I haven't gone over 600 calories a day.

Thanks, everyone. Yes, I know my arms are not nearly as bad as others, and some people would be happy to have my arms just as they are. I've just always been so dissatisfied with my body (even when I was thin), and I now I feel like I've ruined my skin by letting myself get so fat. I really want to wear a bikini again some day. Yes, that's really vain. I admit it. By the way, I recently bought a Bowflex machine. I haven't assembled it yet, though. I'm hoping that I can firm up my stomach and thighs some and maybe I'll only need some minimal plastic surgery done in those areas. I don't have a pannus, but that general area is sagging somewhat, as are the inner thighs. I'm hoping to avoid any more major scars. Now, you might be wondering, why don't I just try to firm up my arms, too. Well, even at my thinnest, the arms were always big. I've never been able to get rid of the fat along the triceps. It's been there since I was 14.

Julie, don't worry. I'm sure the results are very good. Your dad probably wanted "outstanding" and is disappointed with "very good" results. It's going to take some time before you can really tell what's what anyway. The first week after any surgery is usually a bit scary because nothing looks right with all the redness and swelling. I'm sorry to hear that you're so uncomfortable. I never really thought about not being able to sit after a thigh lift. How are you doing with your arms? Are you able to move them? For example, can you brush your hair without help? How bad are the compression garments? I'm just so amazed at everything you've accomplished. We're all looking forward to the before/after pics. Please keep up posted. And let us know what your dad says.

I agree with you on that. So many of them look like hard cantaloupes, sitting right under the skin. If you can tell that they are fake, then the plastic surgeon didn't do a good job in my opinion. Any type of plastic surgery should leave you looking normal and natural. I think we have Hollywood to blame for the watermelons that a lot women end up with.

This is the last of the photos. You can see the scrotum-like effect in these.

Here they are in close-up. Yuck, yuck, yuck.