BigDennis

Your story sounds all too familar to me and many others on this forum! I, very much like yourself, finally realized I had to take charge of my life or suffer the consequences. I am very confident you made the right decision and will simply do and be awesome very soon! I feel sure everyone has shared their experiences with you, but the shoulder pain is the remainder of the gas used during surgery. It is extremely painful for a few days, but will fade away very soon. Incisions may hurt for quite some time and usually the one where your port is installed will be the most sensitive. You will be back to normal and at the top of your game before you know it! Thank you for sharing your journey with us and I am looking forward to hearing about the successes you are soon to experience! Dennis

Less experienced? I was banded April 26th and learning new things every single day. The issue here is not experience, but dedication. We all know and understand how we got in the shape we are or were, so part of the learning curve is to never go back there. The band is only a tool to help us reach our goals and not the solution. It is highly important to believe in ourselves and remain dedicated to our new diets and lifestyles, whether that is during pre-band diet or post sugery. Yes we can cheat, BUT we are only cheating ourselves and it simply is not worth it!

Why YES, it is cheating!! LOL Don't you think it is funny when people are cheating themselves and don't even realize it?!? OMG, the whole reason for doing a lapband was to lose weight!! Helllloooo!

Food and hunger have no clue who they are messing with! Kanda will kick butt and take names later. I'm loving that attitude girl! Keep it up and thank you for the motivation!!!! Dennis

Yep, we are pretty much a matched pair of drama kings and queens! I've only experienced yours though email, so I can only imagine what your hubs experienced! LOL Big hugs CG!!

Now, that is funny coming from you Ms. CG! LOL I'm just sayin...... What, I don't get any sympathy for being sheared like common sheep? LOL I hate it when you are right CG, I am definitely a Drama King!!

CG, one thing you can always say about BigD is that he is one truthful guy! I looked a little weird, once they shaved my tummy and chest for the surgery, but Mother Nature is slowly putting things back the way they were! LOL You know, I could actually be that "missing link" they've been looking for!

You are so welcome Deborah! If you are even a little bit insecure about how your incisions and resulting scars may look in the future, I would highly recommend using Mederma. Women tend to be a little more sensitive about these things, especially since certain outfits and bathing suits will not cover your surgical incisions. You've invested so much into becoming healthier and looking great, you should use the Mederma to maximize your progress! Dennis

My doctor highly recommended Mederma, so I used it often in the first couple of months. I probably should be using it now, but I simply have not replaced the empty tube at this point. It seemed to soften the scar tissue and fade my scars quite a bit. I'm kind of a hairy guy, so between the Mederma and my ape-like appearance, my scars are not that noticable. LOL Like CG said, if your incisions are a little on the large side, I would highly recommend using Mederma, but if they are already not too noticable, you could probably do without it. The stuff is a little on the expensive side, so you may want to look at some of the generic products that do the exact same thing, at a greatly reduced price too! Yep, I'm a penny pincher!! LOL

Once again, you are correct TX! This is just a phase you are going through and you will need to determine what is best for you during this phase. Trust me, soon you will soon be able to eat many of the foods you love and enjoy, so don't put to much effort into this regretting phase! It may be in much smaller portions, but the beauty of the band is that it will allow you to eat many of things you desire. This is a healing time for you, so take it slow and easy for now. Do the best you can to consume the required amount of protein and soon you will be well on your way to enjoying the foods you enjoy and living a much healthier lifestyle. Smile TX, you have a lot to look forward to!! Dennis