babsyintx

Hi Karen, I was asking Lisa about you a few days ago on the phone. I am coming to Vegas next Friday the 4th- monday 7th. I would love to see you . I wil be hanging with Lisa some of the time. Maybe we can get together and shop on Saturday daytime or you can come and have dinner with us or something like that.... PLEEEZE! Babs in TX 334/182/170 -152 6/23/03

Hi Leatha, I never thought I would like heels, but now I am getting into them again. Congratulations on this major NSV!!!! And the stockings too...... Babs in TX 334/183/170 -151 6/23/03

Hi, The determining factors are genetics, how much weight you have lost, whether you exercise or not or have ever. No one can tell you what you will look like or how much excess you will have until you get to goal. My plastic surgeon said that I have about 12 pounds of excess skin and fat distributed on the thighs and stomach. But I was 170 pounds overweight when I started my journey with a BMI of 53.9. Now it is 29.5. So I dont know what to tell ya!!! You probably wont have too much of a problem though based on age and lower BMI. Babs in TX 334/183/170 -151 6/23/03

Hi Lisa, You are a trip!!! I went out today and bought Gas X. Since I started the Wellbutrin to quit smoking, I have been having lots of gas pain. I have never used Gas-X, but lets see if iit works!!! I'll let you know...... Babs in TX 334/183/170 -151 and counting

Penni, Stick with what you are doing. I have had plateaus ( been on one for months now) , but someone will see me who hasnt seen me in amonth or two and say, "Wow, you look a lot thinner". The only thing it could be is the exercise. You are compacting!!! Babs in TX 334/184/170 -150

Hi Everyone, Met with plastic surgeon a couple of days ago. He and I spoke for 1 and a half hours including the time it took to take pics of my stomach and thighs. He recommends a medial thigh lift before a tummy tuck based on medical necessity. Before he will consider doing this, several things have to happen: 1) I must be cigarette free for 6 weeks prior to surgery I have a prescription for Wellbutrin and will start the weaning process one week from now. i already cut back to 6 cigarettes per day from 12, but I fear if I stop completely, I will go back to binge eating as a substitute! 2) EKG-done that already yesterday 3) Appointment with infectious disease specialist. I have infections on my upper thighs that are active. He thinks that it is a long term staph infection not related to excess skin or fat removal. He will not attempt to do a TT and medial thigh lift at the same time. From what I understand, the medial thigh lift is the most radical because I have both vertical and horizontal hanging skin to be excised. What this means is that they not only pull up and remove the skin, they also put horizontally. The scar will run from my knee to the groin and all the way to my backside. The end result however will be that I will have long thin scars in the middle of my upper thighs, but cosmetically I wont have any sag both on the inner and outer thighs. I am still not sure I want to do this. Two-three months in a compression garment and a huge amount of healing. He is filling with my insurance company though based on medical necessity. Nothing will happen anyway until I am smoke free, which I am not at present. I would like to do this in the springtime if I do it at all. He claims I have about 8 pounds collectively on the thighs and 5 pounds on the stomach to remove or more. I am gonna think about this for a while, but I am going to attempt to stop smoking anyway since it is not healthy for me and this would be my first and only try to end it. Babs in TX 334/184/170 -150

Hi Michelle, My plastic surgeon didnt think that I had much more to lose. A lot of it is excess. Regarding being at goal for a year, I think that applies more to bypassers than lapbanders. My weight has been either stable or going down for about a year. Last April, I weighed 223. Now I weigh 184. I have not seen the scale move significantly since November. I am not losing anymore presently. Like I said, I might wait another year, but I know my insurance will pay now for it, so I am afraid to wait too long and then find that I wont be able to have it next year due to unforseen circumstances. Babs in TX

Lisa, When I come to Vegas in a few weeks, I will personally kick the weebles ass for you if you want me to..... I know if it were me standing there, I would have been arrested cause I would have hit the man. My NY Bronx Ghetto girl is coming out now.... I am really sorry. You have every right to feel sorry for yourself. Hang in there and keep your chin up. Focus on getting well and forget about the doc for a while. Hugs, Babs in TX

Lauren, DOnt worry about it! I was eating regular good in my third week. Every doc is different. If you told me you ate a whole 24 oz steak, then I would think that you have an issue. We all slip up and make mistakes. Babs in TX 334/184/170 -150

Betty 54 Paula 43 Kelly 65 Becky 77 Carol 102 Alex 110 Nana~49 Rich 20 Larae 22 Maureen 73 Marie 56 Wyld Blu 73 Penni 54 Vera 60 Darcy 59 Kelly 39 michelle 135 mary 65.4 greg 77 Sharon 35 Tricia 60 Darcey 23 cindy 88 Melissa 39 Michelle 80 Jonathan 27 Lisa 70 Lauren 23 Babs in TX -150 Total: 1828.40

Hi Sharon, Quite frankly, I am not that worried about the long term. Ten years from now, I could be dead from another ailment or they might have come up with a cure for obsesity that doesnt involve any surgery at all. If I had to have my band replaced, so be it. Or if I could no longer have a band due to erosion or some other problem, I would see another alternative to keep the weight off. THe band is the safest form of WLS and that was enough for me! This nurse everyone keeps discussing: It is highly unlikely that she has had the band for 17 years. She may be confusing it with a form of VBG because Don Mills from Inamed gave a presentation about the history of banding and although there have been surgeries performed as early as 1989ish, none of those folks still have their band. And surely no one in the US had one unless they went to Italy, Sweden or Australia. Still think it is highly unlikely. Babs in TX 334/184/170 -150 6/23/03

Christina, All days have been good since I have been banded. I have had few problems and the journey has been hard because of the changes I have had to make, but relatively easy compared to being fat. I really enjoy my food and that has not changed at all for me. THe band rocks!!!! Babs in TX 334/184/170 -150 6/23/03

Nancy, I have had a few moments during my banding journey where food was a chore and I really didnt care if I ate or not. This was usually after a fill. Now, I eat whatever I want and although I am losing slower, I still enjoy food immensely. Maybe too much.... Babs in TX 334/184/170 -150

Tony, I do understand where you are coming from. A couple of days ago, I was at Marble Slab Creamery with my 9 year old. This very obese woman was having trouble to pick out what kind of icecream cone she wanted. After 5 minutes of sampling pretty much everything in the store, she offered to let my son and I go before her cause we knew what we wanted. They have a sugar free fat free chocolate yogurt that has about 100 calories for a 5 oz serving. This was a treat for my son and I after I finished an hour workout at the gym. My son who has a weight problem (post meds for anxiety) wanted to have marshmellows on top. I told him no because marshmellows have lots of calories and its ok to have a treat but he doesnt need to eat the marshmellows as well. The obese lady was listening to our conversation, but I think subconciously I was directing this conversation her way too. I was a little angry at her because even at my highest weight, I dont recall ever going to an icecream shop and ordering the largest waffle cone with about 16 oz of icecream, so I guess I couldnt understand why she couldnt see the joy in just having a small portion. IN the end, she ordered two very large cones and walked out and I felt bad cause the only way I got morbidly obese was because I ate too much so I shouldnt be so harsh to judge her the way I did. But honestly, I just couldnt help it. I was torn between wanting to help her and shaking her so she could see the light! It was a confusing moment for me, but its clear that I have a lot of mental work to do on this front. I still see obesity as a sign of weakness despite my intellectual side knowing better. I need to examine these feelings a little more...... Babs in TX 334/184/170 -150

Mine took three months. I started with one surgeon, then changed to another though. My approval from insurance only took one day though. Babs in TX

Hi Everyone, I am going next week to meet with a local plastic surgeon who gets great reviews here in my area. He takes my insurance and from what I understand he is very kind and compassionate about the problems relating to morbid obesity. As a matter of fact, he only takes insurance from WLS patients and the rest of the universe is self pay. I checked out his website and he seems to do a good job. The one hour consult is free so I am definitely going next week. I was gonna wait til I got to goal, but my body really seems to be stuck in the 180's and I dont think a fill is going to help at this stage. I even considered going on a liquid diet for two weeks to see if I can jumpstart this baby, but I dont feel like I want to wait any longer on the tummy tuck and thigh lift. I figure I have about 15 pounds of excess there and if that means I am cheating a little to get to a weight that I can live with , so be it. I had considered Costa Rica, but if something goes wrong, I want to be close to home. Plus, the most I would have to pay out of pocket would be $2000 if my insurance approves it. I talked to them on the phone and it sounds like they will cover it if medically necessary. Having the excess on the upper thighs is causing me problems with skin infections and flare ups and I am sure that I can get this approved based on medical necessity. I have a letter from my OB-Gyn and I am getting a letter from my PCP. That and the photos should do the trick. I am getting a little excited and nervous about the possibility of having a flat stomach and thighs that dont rub together. Do you think I should wait til I get to goal or should I move forward now? Babs in TX 334/184/170 -150

Hi Joan, Thats a good question! Lots of differences. The most compelling one is that before, I used to walk up a flight of stairs and stop three times. Now I jog up and dont even get out of breath. I can fly on airplanes without a seat extender. I can exercise for an hour on an elliptical machine, treadmill and weightlift and I actually like it! I danced for four hours the other evening with two of my girlfriends at a anightclub (birthday party) and although I was really tired, I could have kep going a while longer! I used to be a size 28 and now wear a size 14. So life is very different now. This year I am actually plaaning a trip to Disneyworld with my kids without the fear of dread of fitting in the rides or getting through turnstiles getting in the way. But thats a whole new thread! Its wonderful to be able to live life the fullest and not feel like I am missing out on anything! Babs in TX 334/184/170 -150

Hi Everyone, Well, I finally made it. The elusive Century and a Half Club. One hundred fifty pounds gone forever! I have been sitting at 185-186 for two weeks and finally got to 184!!! Its been a struggle. I have been back at the gym 3 hours this week and I am attempting to keep this pace going and add a martial arts class as well. I want to be able to kick some booty if I ever need to! Plus I thnk it will help my sense of balance as well. My body is rebelling to get these last pounds off. I think it is happy here, but I am not!!!! Dont expect to ever see a Double Century Club from me. I have no aspirations to be 134 pounds and I am pretty sure that my body will never get there unless I become bulimic or anorexic! Dont need any new food disorders!!! Babs in TX 334/184/170 -150 and counting 6/23/03

Thats really great that she is doing well and no pain! That is encouraging since I am soon headed down that road...... Babs in TX 334/184/170 -150 6/23/03

Hi Trish, I love the avatar you created. Very cool ! Now tell me how I put this on the bottom of all my posting!!! Babs in TX 334/184/170 -150

Betty, You might be getting the signal and ignoring it. For me, its a nose sniffle, a small sigh, a hiccup. I rarely ever get the hard stop that you are referring to, so my advice is probably useless to you! LOL I would take really small small small bites, chew um to a pulp, then swallow. Wait wait wait. Repeat. Better to be a little hungry than miserable!! Try alternating mushy food and hard Proteins. Sometimes mixing different textures help with this problem. Babs in TX 334/184/170 -150

Hi Again: Jonathan: Actually I did think that when I get to 170 with 15 pounds of excess, I would then weigh 155. If I have the surgery in the 180's, I can only hope to achieve a weight of 170 ish.! The recommended weight for my height is somewhere between 146-162, so technically I should be able to lose more weight. The Tanita scale estimated based on my body fat that I should be able ot achieve 146 as a rough estimate of where I should be. My PCP thinks that I should aim to be at a weight of 165-175 because he believes that it is unrealistic having been obese my whole life that I can get to a weight lower than this because of bone density, age and excess skin and fat that probably wont go away no matter how much exercising I do. SO it is valid to think that maybe I should wait a little longer til I actually get to 170 so that way the end result puts me at a normal BMI. I am still overweight with a BMI of 29.7, but then again even my banding doc didnt think I would be able to achieve a BMI under 30 since I started at 53.9! So I guess I am just trying to figure out what the best thing is to do. What I dont want is to have the plastic surgery and then go on to lose another 20 pounds, which would make the TT a moot point to some extent cause I would have more excess. I think you understand what I mean.... babs in TX 334/184/170 -150 6/23/03

Trish, Dont go to the main forum of obesityhelp.com. They are all bypass patients there and they are not going to give you any support regarding the lapband. Go to the lapband forum instead over there and keep talking to us!!! I started out at 334 and there are quite a few of us who started at higher BMI's doing really great with the band. Heck, if I can lose 150 lbs, then so can you!!! Babs in TX 334/184/170 -150

Hey Darcy, What are you trying to say? Ya dont like my attempts at song writing? LOL Anyway, it is kinda catchy. La LA LA LA LA LA!!!! Babs in TX 334/184/170 -150 6/23/03

Hi, I suppose it could be a real problem if someone were ugly and fat.....LOL. Babs in TX 334/184/170 -150