kbells85

Hey everyone! I'm going to be moving to Milford, CT in the next couple of weeks and I'd love to get to know anyone else in the area that has been banded. We've all had our ups and downs with our band progress but I'm not necessarily looking for someone to "mentor" me...just someone that will understand what specific challenges we face. It'll be nice to have someone who lives nearby to commiserate with when the going gets tough and we can hopefully keep each other motivated. So if you live anywhere remotely close to Milford, I'd love to hear from you so we can get to know each other! Feel free to either reply here or send me a message

That's nice that you tried to stay in the marriage for your son. At the same time though, it'll be really good for him now to have a positive and strong marriage modeled for him with your future spouse. No one in particular for me right now. My life is hectic enough trying to move that I'm ok not having to worry about how it'll affect someone else lol. Thanks! I got my degree from LIU in Mental Health Counseling. That's a good idea about the doctor, maybe they'll have a lead.

Congrats on the engagement! Were you together before your surgery? I'm moving from Long Island. Thanks for the tip about your doctor, I think I'm gonna try to find someone more locally though. I'm glad you found a doctor you like, it can be tough out there! Haha

Haha no worries, hopefully I don't forget any of the questions lol. I was banded about a year ago and am down approx. 65. I was hoping to be further along than I am but my current employer switched my insurance company in January and I haven't been able to find an office that accepts my insurance. I know I need a fill badly but I don't have the money to pay for someone out of network. I'm hoping that with this new job, I'll be able to get back into an office and get myself on track again. As for the other questions, I'm 27 and knew that my current job was temporary so I could get my masters. Now that I graduated, I'm moving back to CT so I can be closer to family again. What about you? Have you moved around a lot? What are some of the struggles you've had with the band and how did you overcome them?

I'll be moving in a couple of weeks. Knowledge is def a good thing! Especially in this type of a situation where you'll have some struggles pop up every now and then throughout your whole life (I would imagine, anyway, lol). My name is Kelly, btw. Sorry I left that out earlier!

That's some confidence, lol...sounds like you're doing pretty well 6 years out but don't rule out that someday you may want/need some support of your own again!

Nice, good for you!! Is there much of a support system in the area for you or do you pretty much get that through this site?

Haha no worries!! I actually very much appreciate seeing how great your incisions look Thanks for your response, too, it was really informative an helpful!!

Hey everyone!! While I'm not at the point that I'm ready to schedule any lifts, tucks, or other skin-removing surgeries, I am finding myself very concerned about how noticeable the scarring from these procedures will be once I'm prepared to look into them more. I'd eventually be interested in a tummy tuck, lower body lift, breast lift (with possible reduction), and probably arm, back, and thigh procedures. To anyone who has had any of these surgeries: how noticeable are the scars that are left behind once everything has healed? Do you find yourself more or less preoccupied with how the scars look compared to what you thought about how you looked when you had the excess skin? For what it's worth in terms of the healing process and visibility of scars, my skin is as pasty white as it can be, lol. Thanks so much for your help, I REALLY appreciate your feedback

Congrats on your recent/future bandings!! The thing I struggle with a lot still after being banded for a year and a half is trying not to get down on myself for not losing as much as I had hoped to by now. I read posts and see that some people have lost significantly more than me in a shorter amount of time, so my biggest advice to all of you is not to let the progress of others get into your head. Your weight loss will be at the speed/amount that it needs to be for you to be healthy. If that means that others lose more before you, try to mentally congratulate them and move on rather than beating yourself up because we all know that we are often our own worst enemies. And when we feel attacked, we don't always make the best food choices. Good luck to you!!

Thank you so much! I felt like the benefits would outweigh the scarring but I guess I needed to hear from people who actually went through the procedures. Congrats on making such great progress with your weight loss!!

Glad to hear that you got the answer you wanted! For what it's worth, I heard a lap-band public speaker say that he switched out his port for a thinner one that he can't notice as much. Something to think about in case you need/want a port put back in but don't want the bigger one

I haven't gotten to the point that I'm close enough to my goal to look into any reconstructive surgeries yet but about a year ago when I was in the waiting room for a fill, I started talking to another patient. She said that she did the bypass a couple of years ago, had reconstructive work done, then did the band. She advised me that all of her surgeries were covered by insurance because she was an organ donor and she donated the extra skin that was removed. Like I said, I haven't looked into this myself yet with my insurance company but it's definitely something that I'm keeping in mind! Good luck

i'd also recommend something with the gall bladder...i had mine removed about 3 years before i had the band done and my bariatric surgeon said that the scars would be very similar, which they were! good luck

hey everyone! i just had my surgery on january 3, 2011. i'm a 25-year-old female living in greenvale, ny and i could definitely use the guidance/support from someone who has been in my shoes so i know what to expect throughout this process. if you're on or around long island, i'd love to hear from you!!!! thanks =)