depressed_bandster

Not sure about Kaiser....not sure about the difference between realize & lap band, but I DO know the pain is VERY tolerable! More discomfort than pain...and I'm a baby!!! The pain I DID have was from the gas left in my stomach after surgery (common). My shoulders hurt so bad and my collar bones felt like they were breaking!! I finally took Gas-X on about the 5th day & it started to dissipate. Any pain you do have will be temporary and the results from the band will last a lifetime.....SOOOOOOO worth every minute of pain & discomfort that didn't last long!!! :D

I was not required to do a pre-op diet and I have been VERY successful!! I've lost 90 pounds in 17 months!!! However, Creekwood is correct about all docs being VERY different with their own rules about LB do's and dont's both pre-LB and after surgery! You need to follow YOUR docs instructions!! VERY important. If you don't understand something, ask! Also, Mis73 is correct, there are rules to having a LB & if you want to be successful, you need to follow the rules!! I will tell you though, after being banded, if you have enough self-control to do so, you can still eat things you really want; like animal crackers...just have a couple instead of 15 !! I would not have succeeded if I had to deprive myself, so I made myself have discipline and self-control...I eat 1-2 oreos instead of half the bag; I eat 1 brownie instead of half the batch; at parties I have a SMALL piece of cake; I have 1/2 piece of pizza with my family, etc. You need to be sure you can control yourself though. Portion control is SO important with everything we eat!!! As long as you log it & it keeps you within your daily calories without going over, EAT IT AND ENJOY!! (This is after you're banded of course) Right now, you need to do what the doc tells you. Remember, after fills you will have to be on a liquid diet for 24 hours; after EVERY fill. So, if you can't do it now, ask yourself, will I be able to be on liquids EVERY TIME I get a fill???

libbyb....I'm sorry you get stuck often, but it DOES NOT and should not happen if your band is adequately adjusted. I have been banded for 17 months, have lost 90 pounds & have only been stuck (to the point of PB) 3 times, ALL my fault!!! I was super hungry, took huge bites & didn't chew! I knew as soon as I swallowed I was going to be in trouble! I have read about a lot of people who get stuck frequently & I just don't get it....I COULD NOT have stuck with this if it happened "more than you might think". I don't know how y'all do it that have this problem frequently!!! cnotche....I wish someone would have told me I'd have so much extra skin & an overhang of fat/skin that would need to be removed! Then, I would have started saving for the TT the day I was banded! I wish someone told me it was going to be this easy! I wish someone told me to start taking Gas-X the evening of surgery to get rid of the gas....that was the MOST painful part of the whole surgery....that dang gas that rose to my shoulders & made me feel like my collarbones were going to break! Once I started taking the Gas-X several days PO, it dissipated fairly quickly. Like steph04 said, don't compare yourself to anyone else's progress. This is hard, but you need to stay focussed on you & only you.

I knew my husband wouldn't be supportive of me getting a lap band, so I didn't ask...I informed him I was going to do it. He was hung up on the stigma of the lap band, thought if I just worked out harder or dieted "right" I could lose the weight. This was coming from someone who has NEVER had a weight problem, except when he was body building he had trouble gaining weight!!! He looks like a freakin anatomy chart! Anyways, I told him I was going to do it, we didn't talk much about it, he was skeptical about it and all he knew was the awful things he had read online...the deaths, the throwing up, the problems people have with it. He was also skeptical it wouldn't work...."what if you go through the surgery and have this foreign object in you and it doesn't work?" I told him I had to try it....I was desperate & had to give it one more shot to lose weight & get healthy. He didn't understand how unhappy I was, no matter how many times I tried to explain it to him. You only understand "being fat misery" if you have been there. He thought it would be an easy way out & was embarrassed by it & didn't want anyone to know; didn't want me to tell anyone we mutually knew. With the exception of family, I honored his request. After a few months & once he saw it was working & I started losing weight weekly, he would always ask every Tuesday (my weigh-in day) how much I had lost. He became my biggest cheerleader & supporter. Once he saw I actually had to work for it, watch what I ate and exercised my butt off (literally!), he respected the band a whole lot more. However he still wasn't ready to "go public." Me.....I tell everyone!! I've lost 90 pounds, I look & feel great & want to help everyone to be as happy as I am. I'd hand out cards to all fat people with my before & after pictures on it if I wasn't worried about offending someone and getting punched out!! If people just use the band like the tool it is, there isn't an easier way to lose weight!!!! Or healthier!! Anyways, I was asked to do a commercial for my lapband docs & asked him what he thought...he said he'd be embarrassed & didn't want his wife to be known as lapband woman. I said to him....look at me!!! If it didn't work there would be reason to be embarrassed, but it DID work and how I look today is thanks to the band!!! People aren't going to care how I lost the weight when they see how dang good I look!!! He agreed for me to do the commercial & when they sent me a rough draft of one of the cuts they're working on, I was soooo nervous!!! BUT...he loved it!!! He even sent to everyone!!! (And he wasn't suppose to, it wasn't suppose to be released to the public yet) He even told a waitress a couple weeks ago "she doesn't drink with her meals, she's banded". My daughter & I looked at each other and laughed. I haven't had a problem with his self-esteem like you, but we did have problems bcuz I didn't feel supported by my best friend. I felt so alone. It was a rough journey those first few months not having his support. The more I talked to him about it, the better it got. I had to tell him I HAVE TO DO THIS FOR ME....and I had to do it whether he supported me or not....I HAD TO DO IT FOR ME!!!! I'm sorry you are having to compensate for his insecurity & I understand how this is negatively effecting your relationship, but you need to stay the course and DO THIS FOR YOU YOU YOU!!! Try to get some counseling from a source you trust. Sometimes someone else can explain things to our loved ones differently than we can & can get them to understand. Maybe tthey can give you some advice about how to respond to him too! Good luck!!

So Sara....how did it go? How are you feeling with your first fill?

THIS is why I LOVE my band!!!

WOW!!! What an amazing change!!!! Congratulations on your success!!! You look fabulous! The plaque above your head in the second photo says it all....

Yes, empty stomach works best....the fill is more accurate that way. I'd think 2 hours before with no eating should be good. I try to schedule my fill appointments first thing in the morning, so I can just wake up & go. Don't forget to drink water, but not so much you are full!!! My doc also says liquids only for 24 hours after fills! God luck & congrats on your new journey! The Lapband is awesome!!!!

The band is a "helper" and a "tool"....you still have to do your part. That is the most important thing to know and remember when you decide to have this surgery. You will ONLY succeed if you do your part!! I have corresponded (almost daily on a private FB site) with other people who were banded the same month I was & I have seen people both succeed and fail with the band. The ones I know have failed, stopped losing, or gained any weight back have not stuck with the life change of getting banded. Portion control is a big part of it, along with making better food choices. If you follow your docs instructions you WILL see the scale moving in the right direction, which was ALL the motivation I needed. As long as the scale kept moving in the right direction, I was motivated to keep going!! Maddysgram is right, you can fail with any WLS....you have use your tool as a helper, it won't do it all for you, so you have be ready to make that comittment and change your lifestyle!!!

As stated above, you can't feel the band around your stomach. I could always feel my port if I felt for it, from day 1...couldn't see it til I lost weight. I have lost 80 pounds and could see a small bump where the port is & it actually started to hurt, especially when I'd do ab workouts, it felt really bruised underneath and I had to stop doing ab workouts bcuz the "uncomfortable" feeling got painful during & after workouts. In Dec I had a tummy tuck & had my port changed to a low profile port at that time. Now, It doesn't hurt & I don't see it, even with my super flat tummy!

Insurance will pay for a breast reduction/lift if proven it is medically necessary....just as jenc87 stated above. I did have dents from my bras in my shoulders, as well as shoulder/neck/back pain from my size F breasts & insurance paid for mine....any my TT!!

My PS had to submit as well & as far as I know, for any surgery the surgeon needs to be the one submitting. However, info from your bariatric dr will be helpful to your PS to get approval. You will need to show weight loss & how long you have kept the weight loss, which is best shown by your bariatric dr that followed you close since surgery. As far as I know, lipo would not be covered by any insurance, bcuz insurance will only pay for what is "medically necessary" ..... I was approved for breast reduction/lift and the panniculectomy (tummy skin removal). Your PS may or may not charge you extra for the "tuck" part of the TT (which is the muscle repair, buck muscle repair is not really medically necessary). I had my port changed to a low profile port at the time of my TT & BR/BL & didn't have to pay for the "tuck" part. Submit for everything you want & see what is approved.....all they can say is no! Good luck!

By the way, you look fabulous!!!

Hahahaha!!! MeE TOO!!! I NEVER was a "plastic surgery person" before this.....but now!!! I want to get my legs and arms done!!! Good thing it's so expensive, or I'd be addicted!!

I'm using Biocorneum. I got it from my ps but I've seen it online.

I've always wondered when reading about all the people that go to Mexico....who do they see for follow up? What if they have a problem? I'm 5-1/2 weeks PO TT & BR/BR & on another site I'm reading of people having problems even this late into it...so what do they do? That would scare me. My doc is 2 hrs away & that has been a pain bcuz I have a small complication with one of my boobs....however, I have his cell phone # and access to him whenever I want. I couldn't imagine being out of touch with him!!

I am 39 days PO a full TT & breast reduction/lift (no implants). I had my port revised at the same time to a low profile port. It did stick out a little prior to PS, but does not stick out now with the low profile port. I still have 23 pounds to lose to goal, but I don't see it being a problem.

I am 38 days postop breast reduction & lift...I had the surgery 13 months after being banded & after 80-pound weight loss, 20 pounds to goal. Although I would go back & do it again, I don't want to do it again in the future!!! It is a LONG recovery and I read a lot about many complications on another site that other people have had. I am thrilled with my results, excited to go buy regular sized pretty bras & excited I will no longer have neck/shoulder/back pain from my boobs...I went from a F to a D-DD (not completely sure yet, bcuz I'm still healing & still have some swelling). If you still have a considerable amount of weight to lose, WAIT! You DO NOT want to have to have this surgery twice!!! I did have a TT at the same time, but my boobs have been more sore than my tummy. I am STILL so tired and sore! Wait & it will be worth it!!!

OK Nikki, let's see if I can contribute any new info for you. I had a full TT with MR and BR/BL on Dec 19; I am 31 days PO. I was really only completely DOWN for about 5 days. The only real PAIN I had was the first 2 days trying to get in and out of the hotel bed. I had to stay in a hotel for 2 days, because my surgeon is 2 hours away & he didn't want me to commute, be that far away after having both procedures & being under for almost 6 hours & he wanted to see me 48 hours after surgery. Anyways, when I got home things were much easier. I had rented a lift recliner (lifesaver for me) which made it VERY easy getting up & down & that is where I slept until I got both of my drains out. DRAINS....I had 2. I was able to shower after he saw me at my 48-hour PO visit. The drains got more uncomfortable the longer I had them in; got my first one out 7 days postop, 2nd one out 12 days postop. SHOWERING.....I attached my drains to a lanyard around my neck when I showered. I first showered on day 3 PO, wanted to wash my hair SO badly. Got in the shower, sat in a chair while my hubby washed me and by the time he washed me & rinsed me, I was DONE! I didn't even make it to washing my hair & BARELY made it back to my chair after getting dressed. Had to do that the next day (my hubby had to do it for me). SLEEPING....as I mentioned, I slept in a recliner til I got my drains out. For one reason, I didn't want to leak in my bed if it were to happen. Also, my bed is really high & I couldn't imagine climbing in and out of my bed. I was just more comfortable sleeping in the recliner. When I did sleep in my bed I put pillows under my legs. By that time I was standing straight, I just didn't want to put extra tension on my scar by laying flat. I can lay flat now, but still sleep with a pillow between and/or under my legs. I've heard some horror stories about peoples scars opening up, even at 4-6 weeks, so I'm paranoid and don't want to stretch it at all! BINDER (mesh thing).....I woke with a binder and have to wear it 24/7 at least until I see him for a postop on the 30th of this month, which will be almost 6 weeks PO. It doesn't bother me like it sees to bother other people. I wear a thin, long spagetti strap tank on top of my bra & panties, but under the binder so the binder doesn't rub on my skin. This makes it much more comfortable. In fact, I'm washing mine now & have had it off for almost 3 hours (I forgot to start the washer, DUH) & I can't wait to put it back on!!! It feels so much better, my tummy feels more secure & it helps with my swelling. I bought some Spanx.....a tall underwear type and an open-bust camisole type. The underwear type is super tight and you pretty much need to be a contortionist to get into it, but it is just as comfortable as the binder. I'm not cleared from my PS to wear it alone yet....hopefully on the 30th!!! EXERCISING/GYM....I am a gym addict!!! It has been so hard for me not to go to the gym or do ANY exercising. It's so strange how all the doctors are SO different with their rules, so ask yours about ALL of this!! Mine has cleared me (at 4 weeks) to do light cardio. NO lifting, NOTHING using my core. Basically, just light walking on the treadmill, elliptical (not using the arm part), and bicycling. (I had a BR/BL, so that's why no arm exercising). I think I remember him saying each week I can increase a little, 6 weeks I can start using my arms in exercising, but no ab workouts for 8 weeks. I can't wait to go back tomorrow!!! LapBand.....I didn't have to get an unfill. In fact, I had my port changed to a low profile port at the same time of my TT. I haven't gained any weight....MIRACULOUSLY!! The first 2 weeks PO I was eating horribly, I had NO restriction and was eating everything that wasn't nailed down!! Some how, I am down 10 pounds since surgery. ALSO, you will want to wear drawstring baggy PJ bottoms. Any elastic band will be uncomfortable pressure on your tummy. Mine were really baggy, so I didn't have a problem wearing them with the drains. I couldn't imagine having that extra pressure of an elastic band on the days I was in swell hell. I can't tell you how I would have been without meds the 10 days or so. I took my pain pills EVERY 4 HOURS on the dot (set the alarm on my phone) around the clock, bcuz I was so scared to feel the excruciating pain everyone had talked about. I was never in excruciating pain....not sure if that's bcuz I was continually meds or if bcuz it just isn't as painful as everyone says. I will never know, but I do know I wasn't ever in bad pain, more uncomfortable. You will need help at least for the first week, especially with your little one, cooking & cleaning. I went back to work on day 12, worked from home and struggled. Not bcuz of pain....I was just so incredibly tired. And even then, I had to rig a work station on my recliner couch. I still can't sit up straight in a chair for long periods or I hurt. (I'm still working from my couch) Go check out Realself.com it was & still is a HUGE help for me, as well as encouraging to see light at the end of the tunnel hearing from people who are a couple weeks ahead of me. I am healing well. My only complaint is being so tired all the time & I have to really watch to not overdo it STILL. It's getting old, but I wouldn't change anything!! I would do it again in a heartbeat!!! Second best thing I've ever done for myself!!!! Only second to my band!!! I think, I hope, I covered everything you were asking about!! Good luck and happy healing to ya!!!

Praise God!!!! That is awesome!! Your persistent paid off!!! So, are you just getting a panniculectomy or are you getting a full TT?

Congrats on this new journey you are about to take. My TT & breast reduction/lift was the 2nd best thing I have ever done for myself!!! 2nd only to my LB!!! I am 4 weeks PO my PS. I am swollen and still happy with my results!! I have lost almost 80 pounds since my LB in Nov 2011, still have 20 pounds to go. GOOD LUCK!!!