ev1988

Hey Kellhale! I just posted on another thread about a support group that meets a the Illinois Bariatric Center in Champaign the first Thursday of every month at 6:00. It helped me a lot when I started out, and I really encourage anyone to go at least a few times to meet people in the same boat as you!

Hey everyone! I haven't been on here in awhile, but I saw this thread so I thought I would write a quick comment. I am from Villa Grove originally and live in Tolono now. I had my surgery at the Illinois Bariatric Center almost 3 years ago, and they host a support group at their Champaign location on the 1st Thursday of every month (so tonight) at 6:00. It helped me a lot when I was first starting out, and I plan to go tonight as well. Just thought I would let you know in case you wanted to in person support too!

Thanks for all the kind words! I actually didn't have to have any fill taken out before surgery, but I asked for some to be taken out after surgery because I felt like my pain medicine wasn't going through the band. My surgeon took out .2 ccs of fluid and I felt a lot better. I think that was the good thing about having my lapband surgeon do the tummy tuck as well. He knew what to expect with the band and listened when I said it felt a little bit too tight. I have my follow up appointment on Thursday and I am keeping my fingers crossed that the drains will come out. They don't bother me much, but I am sure I will feel better with them gone!

My tummy tuck was completed on Thursday and I feel great! I had very little pain and was up and moving in no time. I was able to shower on Saturday and remove the bandages, and I cried when I saw my stomach. I am so glad I had this done, and I would choose to do it over and over again if it would go as well as it did this time. There is still some swelling and I still have my drains in, but neither are too bothersome for me right now. I go back on Thursday afternoon for my week follow-up, so I hope to get some good news then! For anyone thinking about having it done, I HIGHLY recommend it!

Thank you for all of the kind words! I am about 26 months out from lap band surgery and was down about 155 lbs total from when I started. My lapband surgeon is actually the surgeon that did my tummy tuck, and he charged me about half of what other plastic surgeons were asking for. He does not advertise as a plastic surgeon because he only does abdominoplasties on his own lapband patients. Unfortunately I had to pay out of pocket because I got sick of waiting to meet the criteria for insurance. Mostly I was ready to have it done and it was worth a few thousand dollars to me to have it taken care of. I have attached a couple of pictures. They aren't the best quality but they give you an idea of what it was like before and after. The before was taken right before I left for the hospital and the after was taken less than 48 hours later. I am very happy with the results so far!

So I had my first plastic surgery consultation today to discuss the excess skin on my stomach mostly, but I also brought up a breast lift and an arm lift. The doctor explained to me that there would be 3 separate surgeries for those procedures. I was under the impression that at least a couple could be done at one time, so now I am confused as to whether I was wrong or whether the doctor gets more money that way. I know that is a horrible way to think, but that was the first thing I thought of. I really don't want to have 3 separate recoveries for each of the surgeries, but I am guessing I will have to have at least two separate ones. Any thoughts?

Well I am 5'7" and that is pretty much what my doctor said too...that I didn't need to lose much more than where I was at. Honestly I feel okay with how I look right now, but I am worried about it not being the best it can be. I have until April 17th to lose more weight, and he seemed to think that there was no reason to wait to get the skin removed. I don't need any muscle tightening or anything like that, however I will need the fleur-de-lys tuck because of all the skin. One thing I am definitely worried about is that I plan to have children in the next 3 years, but he said that shouldn't be a concern of mine either. I think he just sees the amount of weight I have lost and the amount of skin I have and knows it just needs to go. The cool thing about it is, he is also the surgeon who did my lap band surgery...so he knows all about my weight loss so far. I just hope he's right!

Hello again everyone! Just a quick update and more questions for anyone that can chime in! I decided to forget about trying to get insurance to pay for my tummy tuck and just pay for it out of pocket. I have my surgery scheduled for April 17th, but I am starting to wonder if I am doing it too soon. I started my journey with Lap Band at 334 lbs and I am currently right around 175 which means I have lost around 160 pounds. I have a lot of excess skin, but I am not yet to my goal weight of 160 pounds. Is it a bad idea to go through with the surgery at 175 lbs if I still plan to lose another 15-20 pounds? Some people think it isn't bad because obviously 160 pounds was a lot to lose in 2 years so I do have a lot of skin, but I wanted to get everyone's opinion on it! I have so much skin that the Dr. is performing a fleur-de-lys tummy tuck, if that helps put things into perspective for you!

I live in Illinois and I am HOPING that since I have had some skin infections and things like that, that insurance will pay for my tummy tuck. I know that is a stretch, but I have pretty good insurance that covers a tummy tuck with preauthorization and I have been to the doctor a few times in the past 6 months to discuss the stomach issues. If I have to wait to have it, that is fine with me. I still have weight I want to lose. Where did you have yours done?

Thanks for all the responses! This is such an overwhelming process, and I have to admit the answers I got from the surgeon yesterday were not the answers I was expecting or prepared for. Additionally, it sounds like he charges $9,000 for an arm lift and $7,000 for a breast lift without an implant. Implants are $7,000 as well, but if you get a lift and implant there is a deal you can get. Who knows what that is. I may go there for my tummy tuck and then look around for other places to get the arm and breast lift. I know that plastic surgery is not something you want to find the lowest price for, but I just feel like that amount is a little extreme. Maybe I haven't done enough research to know though!

I think you will be okay with going back to work, but you will probably be EXTREMELY tired at the end of the day. I had surgery on a Monday and went back the following Monday. I was fine but I also have an office job. I did substitute teach in Kindergarten one day that week and was EXHAUSTED from chasing 20 five year olds around. I would just take it as easy as you possibly can and be prepared to sleep well those first few nights back!

The Bariatric Advantage powder is cheaper at the IBC than it is on their website. I always get it from there as opposed to the website because of that reason. They also have some really good protein bars there. I REALLY like the caramel crunch ones. They taste like a 100 Grand Bar. One thing I didn't think of before I finished my pre-op diet was how much protein is in cottage cheese. I started struggling to not eat the same thing every day, and by the time I was done with it I realized I could have been eating a serving of that with my meal at dinner time. I don't know if you even like it, but that is just a thought! Don't forget the obvious things like I did!

I am about a year and 2 months out. I went the IBC and love it! Hope you hear something from insurance soon...that was the worst part for me. I just wanted to get it approved and going!

Congratulations! You will have to keep us updated on your pre-op diet and how things go. I am excited for you!

Oh that's too bad that you live so far away. They must have a pretty good reputation if you are willing to drive that far to have surgery. Any news on when you might be able to get it scheduled? When mine got approved they scheduled me that day for a couple of months out, but then called and said they had a date in two weeks and if I was willing to immediately start the pre-op diet I could take that spot. I definitely took advantage of that! I was ready to have it done.

Yay that is exciting! Congratulations on getting one step closer. I am definitely glad that I chose to do the surgery and that I chose to have it where I did. I couldn't be happier with the IBC! I also love their support group meetings on the first Thursday of the month. I feel like it really helps be stay on track, especially when I get discouraged.

I am sorry to hear you had that issue. I am always worried something will happen with mine, but so far so good.

Harmanm, do you mind sharing why you had yours removed? Did you have complications?

For some reason this thread stopped giving me reminders so I am sorry I missed the question about fills. I think I got fills every other month for a few months but really have only gotten 4 or 5 in the first year. All of them were extremely small because my body had trouble accepting a lot at once. At this point, I am down 91 lbs since surgery and 120 together with the Pre-Op diet. I do try to attend the monthly support group meetings in Champaign, and I find them extremely helpful and motivating. Everyone is so nice, and it is great to be able to get together and hear everyone's experiences. How is everyone doing lately?

I am from the Champaign-Urbana area so it is kind of close!

I am 24 (25 next week) and I am so glad that I chose to get the band last February. Since I started this process in December 2011, pre-op included, I have lost 116.5 pounds. I still have about 45 more pounds I want to lose, but I wouldn't change a single thing so far. My friends and family have been so supportive since I got the surgery, and I haven't really dealt with any negative comments about the band. Everyone is just happy for me that I am starting to feel better and look better too. Don't let the fear of what other people will say keep you from doing it, because I wish I would have considered it when I was 18.

I don't fly often at all, but I did fly to Punta Cana about 6 months after my surgery. I didn't think much of it at first even though I had read some threads saying that it can fluctuate, but I was definitely able to tell that my band was tightening when we took off. I was glad that I hadn't eaten anything right before that, because I am certain that it would have caused problems for me if there was any food still above my band. I am sure it is different for each person, but I know that the next time I fly I will be sticking to liquids right before and during the flights. Hope this helps!

Since surgery I have lost 51 pounds and lost 29 during the amount of time I was waiting for my surgery. I lost 15 before I was approved for insurance and the other 14 on the pre-op diet. So altogether since December of last year I have lost 80 pounds. I didn't do any type of weight watchers program or anything like that, I just tried to eat less and better. I followed the pre-op diet to a T and did not cheat AT ALL when I was on it. I have had a few weeks here and there where I haven't lost any weight at all, but I try not to get discouraged because there are some weeks where I lose 5-10 pounds. It really just comes and goes for me. I felt restriction after my very first fill, and in fact I only have about 3.5 cc's in my band and I am happy with how it is going. Of course I would like to be down more than 80 pounds, but I am happy with being half way to my goal after less than 10 months from starting this journey.

I started the process through the Champaign office, had my surgery at the Clinton hospital (because of insurance purposes), and now go to all my follow up appointments through the Champaign Office. I live in Urbana and work in Champaign, so it is very convenient for me. I highly recommend it based on my experience thus far!