kacee

Oh can I relate! Eating after the band isn't gonna be as hard as trying to control yourself before the band (otherwise there wouldn't be any success stories, would there!). I was also lucky that I didn't have a pre-op diet (my doctor thinks they are unnecessary and people probably wouldn't be able to follow them anyway), but I absolutely GORGED myself on Chinese food the day before surgery (I suffered all night with a stomach ache, I ate so much....was that DUMB, or what!), but my attitude about food has changed since the band. I still stumble sometimes, but I get right back up.

I never really had any problems sleeping from day one. I was afraid I might not be able to sleep on my side (I'm a side sleeper, and mainly left side) but I had no problem at all.

Besides, you are smack in the middle of BAND HELL time. You just gotta get through this to get your first fill. The only thing you really need to watch is not putting stuff down you that your body isn't ready for (healing wise). Other than that, it's gonna be a trial and tribulation for you through about day 30, when most folks tend to get their first fill...

Your doctor is very smart, angeleyes. The whole idea of pain management is not to wait until the pain HITS to take your meds. You take a little and let it coast and take a little more at regular intervals. The idea is NOT to have the pain and/or to minimize it considerably. I hear a lot of folks talk about being "miserable" after surgery. It is just NOT necessary!

You know what...everyone uses this board to vent and complain, but if you asked each one of us if we regreted getting the band, you'd have about a 98% chorus bellowing HELL NO! in your face. You'll get a golf ball.....a few times....and you'll learn what causes it and go on from there. You'll slime....it'll happen...but so what? None of that is like a daily occurrance if you are doing what you are supposed to do. You'll find you can probably eat most of the foods you did before. I can even eat those foods that "I can't" if I take it REALLY slowly. You're not doomed to barfing and clear soups. Your life will change, but you will LOVE the change.

Mine is dead center, just below my breast bone. I have lost all my belly fat very quickly and when I lay down there is a slight hump. I tell you what, though...it doesn't bother me one whit. As long as it's not sticking out of the middle of my forehead I am a happy camper!

Oh, and Gas-X or something like that. Keep a lot close by and use it.

Walk walk walk walk walk walk....believe it or not IT WORKS. Each time you walk you are going to find that air starting to move around in your body. You're gonna be doing a lot of burping and (ahem) farting and you're gonna be happy for EVERY minute of it! Each time you get up to go to the bathroom or something, take a complete tour or two around the house. A heating pad also works wonders.

Oh, and if you are a self-pay you don't have to jump through all those darned hoops pre-op. If your surgeon gives you any trouble, there's probably someone else who won't. And you can also get in and get it done quickly. I had to piddle around going through the motions for my insurance (I felt I needed to, even though I knew they would deny me ultimately) and after weeks of that, when I was denied finally, I had a surgery date set within 48 hours and two weeks later I had it done (I could have done it that week, except I wanted to wait until Memorial day and get the extra day off of work...)

I also literally SAILED through my surgery and recovery. I seemed to have an easier time of it than a lot of people half my age (maybe when we get older we just don't complain as much....hahahahaha).

Mine just came up with a red "x" in the middle....what am I doing wrong?

Also has a lot to do with your body type....I am pear shaped so everything on me goes away from the hip bones up. I'll be tiny tiny on top and my collar bone will be sticking out, flat stomach and everything, but my butt and thighs will still be large forever....mainly my thighs. But I guess that what lipo is for....

HAHAHAHA!!! That's called HEALING! Very typical. Those incisions are starting to knit. My itching didn't start until after a week or so and I would find myself furiously scratching and then all of a sudden it would hurt and I'd go YIKES! You're probably a fast healer! I got pretty good at scratching around the incisions after a while. You just gotta be aware of what you're doing and not forget and accidentally rake your fingers across the sensitive spots! Congrats on your banding!

HAHAHAHA...I was reading your stat and thinking, damn, you're a BIG GIRL! then I saw "Robert"....whew. My ex was 6'1" and weighed in about 225-245 and he was FAT. 6'2" in my mind isn't all that tall to be lugging around 290 on a frame. If you carry it in your stomach I would definitely consider WLS...since that's the most dangerous area to carry your extra fat. Your co-morbidities sure sound like they put you in the ballpark. Good luck and keep us informed.

<p>Absolutely. I fatten uplike this...</p> <p>butt</p> <p>thighs, hips, the girls-and everything beside them</p> <p>arms</p> <p>tummy</p> <p>back, face</p> <p> </p> <p>I've lost my tummy almost completely and it's come off my face too. My biggie is to get rid of the fat between my shoulder blades. That just grosses me out.</p>

As with any WLS....you can beat the bypass AND the band if you set your mind to it. But ideally, that certainly isn't the intent. I have yo-yo'd all OVER the place for the past....uh.....geez....48 :faint:years (good grief, it HAS been that long!). My all time high was 225. I had never really seriously thought about WLS because I figured I was just under the limit to get it done (and believe me, I even thought about TRYING to pack on another 25 pounds to get OVER the limit...I always figured the 100 lbs they talk about was gospel....NOT true). Anyway....let's see....the worst thing....was NOT getting it done much sooner (considering it's only really been around for about 7 years). The BEST thing? OMG....where can I start? And I am only 2.5 months out on my journey.... first of all, I have INCENTIVE knowing I CAN keep it off and it ISN'T a given that it will come back. I have found my will power has tripled. The fact that I was a self-pay ALSO gives me INCREDIBLE incentive to stay the course. Number one I would say is that the weight HAS come off (I kindof figured I would be another one of those "results typical" people who knocked off a few pounds and then stopped altogether....NOT SO!)...I have rethought my idea of losing. Always before I thought...oh no....60-70 pounds to lose? No way. It was like climbing Mount Everest. Since the band I do MINI-GOALS...and LOTS of them. I just hit my goal for August 31 (sooner than I anticipated!) to get to 185. Now I am at 183 and I'm thinking 175 by the end of September (notice my goals are REACHABLE...in fact, usually I sail past them much soooner than my "deadline". I celebrate each and every one and do the happy dance. And then I reflect...I am sitting at 183 and I remember when I CRIED when I hit 199, I was so thrilled to be in One-derland for the first time in 15 years!!!! I remember my happy dance for 205!!! Yeesh! How time flies when you are on your journey! And I have hit plateaus too....those are USUALLY the deal-busters, but now I go, "Okay, your body is taking a rest....I'll go with the flow then kick it up a notch and we'll end this thing after a while." ....and it always does. Today I took all my clothes off and just stood and LOOKED at myelf in the mirror....boy I haven't done that in YEARS! I am actually symmetrical now! Not bad! I'm not a bathing beauty, but I feel pretty darned good about myself. Little over half-way to goal....actually just over 23 pounds till the goal my Doctor wanted...which I didn't agree with...and I am going to DO THIS!!!!

Come to think of it, I also got a bunch of bills from the hospital after surgery and had to call them and tell them that I paid Dr. S in full and they needed to reconcile with his office. I had no problem after that. There was only one bill I did pay and it was for $10.79 for something-or-other at the hospital that wasn't part of the package.

I went to a tax seminar on just this thing. Yes, you can deduct it as a medical cost. I have never itemized and I will be doing so this year since I was a self pay. Since I am doing that I will incorporate ALL my out of pocket medical bills and the cost of surgery and probably come out smelling like rose come refund time. My brother does my taxes and he said some thing about it had to be more than 7% of your income in order to be worth itemizing. I definitely fit that!

Oh, and San Antonio will probably have quite a bit less rain than Houston, quite a bit less humidity, which will make the heat much easier to take, so unless you are into steam baths...look seriously at San Antonio.

If you guys are tired of the rain and you want 365 days of play for the kids...Texas is just waiting for you guys! Texans are friendly too. I recall talking to a guy who moved here from California (and a lot of Washington and Oregon people are ex-Californians) who I worked with and he was astounded. He said "I was crossing the street the other day and someone came up to cross too and they said HELLO!!!! He was just bumfuzzled. He said you would never see that in California (true, I lived there for 7 years). People are VERY friendly here, I do have to give it that. And you can probably get a house within a few minutes of hubby's work. Either place you wind up, you can't go wrong with Texas!

After my experience I felt like shouting it from the rooftops! It was a real eye-opener!

Also, claramae...I was a self-pay too. I didn't think twice about it and never looked back. As a matter of fact, in about two years when my loan is finished I am going to have some "work" done on me too....like my turkey neck and some lipo to the thighs. YEEEHAAAAAA!!!! I'm gonna look like a million dollars by the time I retire!!!

I think of it this way, I wouldn't think twice about tossing out a couple of grand for a car, and they only last about 10 years! If you told me that the band is "self-expiring" and only works for 3 or 4 years, I might stop and think about it, but this is a permanent change for your health. Think about it this way. Would you like to have your husband have to be your caregiver if you were dibilitated with an obesity-induced disease down the road? I don't think so. This is totally the best thing you can do. I never once questioned anything about my age (soon to be 56 and proud of every white hair on my head!!!) (frankly the doctor sounding off about the "mileage" a person has left sounds like a complete asshole...pardon my French...that is an abhorrant thing to say. If you were 75 maybe....but in your 50's? Get outta here!). Matter of fact, Claramae, I sailed through my surgery and recovery with half to NONE of the complaints I heard from people less than half my age (maybe young folks just whine a lot...what do you think? *wink*), and I bounced back like a million dollars and I feel like I am 20 now.

I wonder if you could have an irritation down there that maybe cannot heal 100% because eating irritates it? (I am so just guessing here) Kindof like feeling like you have sand in your eye when in fact you have scratched it. Have you checked with your doctor?

Adhesions is one thing that comes to mind. However, that doesn't really sound right. I'd get back with your doctor and I would INSIST.