princess_n_thep

Okay, I will join in on the fun....this is last year at Halloween

Musical Band: Singing dogs (cuz thats the way it would sound) My silicone friend has a name: EXPENSIVE (actually his name is Elby, like my plant)

Liquid Extra Strength Tylenol (available at WalGreens) works best for me

I have Humana PPO and they stopped paying for lap bands as of April 1st from what I have been told. As for fills, not sure yet as I was banded in Mexico on the sly and haven't tried asking them yet.

Christina, Here is a link for the list on NSAIDS that Michelle gave us awhile back. Hope it helps. http://www.lapbandtalk.com/showthread.php?t=5143&highlight=nsaids+list

I am a Cusp child (aka Zodiac Baby). Born on the change of the signs from Taurus/Gemini. I take on more of the Taurus mentality. Stubborn little bitch all the way. Hubby is a Sagittarius.

My doctor says once a year if your fill level is perfect for you. Otherwise, if you go for a refill within the year, they change it out anyways. He told me to think of it as a oil change in your car ha ha ha.

I can play old McDonald on my armpit. Does that count?

http://www.lapbandtalk.com/showthread.php?t=6117&highlight=scar+stages various members at various times throughout their banding and their scar stages/how they look/ how they are healing/ etc.

in my nose

I saw your thread, thought I would respond. (don't post often unless I think I can truely contribute) I am a swimmer and have been a water fanatic all my life. I am also a Water Safety Instuctor, was a lifeguard for 12 years in the summers, and was an Aquatics Director for 4 years of that 12. I waded in the pool at 2 weeks after surgery several times and was just fine. I did nothing strenuous and just "relaxed" in the pool. Be careful though and make SURE you put some cocoa butter or Vit E oil on your incisions after drying off because chlorine can dry out your incisions and make the healing dry and cracky leaving you with heavier scars. I did Vit E and did fine. You can see my scars on the "scar stages" thread. Also make sure you are putting on your sunblock. A "senior citizen" geared class may also be just what you need if you want a water exercise. It is very low impact and uses toning rather than straining techniques. I didn't start "swimming" laps until about 6 weeks because of the muscle groups it uses. Even then I was a bit sore on the sides and the port area. Only did a few laps too. I am almost 2 1/2 months out now and still don't do A LOT of laps. Mostly cooling off and enjoying/relaxing. Swimming for exercise/ swimming laps uses muscles in the stomach region that may irritate you, cause you slight pain/discomfort, if you do it too soon. My suggestion is if you want to swim for exercise is to do a lap and then give it a day and see how you feel. Then progress upwards in adding more laps. May I sugges using a slower/less wide stroke such as the breaststroke or side stroke (not on the port side) rather than a full crawl, backstroke or butterfly. I still haven't even attempted a butterfly stoke I feel it can cause serious damage still right now. I think it depends on if you mean "getting in the water and splashing around having a cool down in the summer" or actually "swimming for exercise/laps/workout". GOOD LUCK and HAPPY WATER DAYS!!

>>>>>>>>busting in to drop a post hey! had a great time in Vegas!! I hope I can go in Sept but don't know if I can get the time off work. hells bells, thought I would lose sooo much weight in Vegas by walking the strip and eating good. AAAARRRGGH, got blisters the first morning and that did that. no extra weight lost, maintained. Lisa is now my first official bandster meet and greet! What a great start! LISA, YOU ROCK!!! ((doing the booty shakin dance for Vegas baby!)) And Kathy, I would love to meet you too! Heck, anyone coming to Phoenix soon??? I need friends. Anyone want to be my friend? I will pay you!! $1.00 per hour one on one friendship! >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>jumping back out, I read, but post VERY seldom anymore... a bit too much drama at times for me. But.... maybe after the hectic summer I have, I will come back... miss you all too!

My mom had a Twix candy bar in the car one time when I was about 6. I saw it and got excited. She told me "oh no honey, that is mommy's poopie medicine, if you eat that it will give you the poopies". I was like "ohhhhh" and didn't touch it. For YEARS (until about age 16-17!!! I know I was in HS) I didn't eat a twix bar and always wondered why they put "poopie" medicine in the candy aisle. In candy, I never even ever picked up the package because I "knew" what it was. So why even pick it up and read it? I figured because it had chocolate in it, it was with the candy. I even saw other kids eating them but thought they must be constipated and didn't want to embarrass them so I just kinda snickered to myself because I "knew". My mom STILL laughs about this. Don't post often, but HAD to share this story. P.S. I used to tell my son that there was an 800 number for mom's to call when their children misbehaved. I used to get on the phone, "call them" and "talk" to them when he was misbehaving. Then I got "advice". He took it VERY seriously. Sometimes he would even ask me to call them. ha ha ha. And after I got off the phone, he would listen to whatever I said!! This worked from about age 2-6. Ahhhhh, those were the days.

okay, i am daring, i am brave, i am saying F*#k it... here it is. If they want to sue me for it, be my guest. Can't squeeze Water out of a rock I say... Ben Zuckerman, a 57-year-old bottling executive from King of Prussia, Pa., was not surprised last year to find himself carrying more than 290 pounds on his 6-foot-1 frame. Mr. Zuckerman said he could look back on decades of binge eating and failed diets. Diane Bondareff for The New York Times The inflatable Lap-Band. Full text of articles deleted by moderator

Man, I am such a loser. I tried to quit and did it for 3 weeks. Then flunked. Dog got sick, I got stressed and in the cigarette went. I suck!!! Please quit babs! I want some good news about someone else having more will power than I do! I cut down about 1/2 the amount (smoking about 6-7 cigs a day now) but I am still smoking now after the band. GRRRRRRRRRRRRR! And I HATE it so much! YOU CAN DO IT YOU CAN DO IT!

Way to go Kristen! And congrats on making it to the site! Your loss is awesome! You may want to post your start/now/goal weight in your signature. People need to know how large you started to begin with and that makes more sense on how fast people lose. Usually very heavy people lose A LOT of weight very quickly then taper off to just the 1-2 lbs a week. But your loss is VERY fantastic!!!! I know you work very hard at the band though. You give a tremendous effort in making this band work and you are very disciplined from it! Way to go! Keep up the good work!

(jumping in from lurker no posting land) Wooooot, hands up in the air girls and guys.... raise the roof! wooot woooot.... thump thump thump.... okay let's get 'er movin and shakin'! Jiggle that junk ladies.... woooooot woooooot......... okay, we're really movin' now! Now let's go side to side.... c'mon step to it! ((jiggle jiggle thump thump wiggle wiggle shake shake)) (okay, jumping back out into no posting land and back to lurking)

Okay, I have to come out of the woodwork for a posting on this one. Who needs a diet plan when all I have to do is read this post and be so purely grossed out I won't eat for DAYS! But to each their own and I do admire the grow it and eat it idea. However, I was thinking more in the lines of veggies and fruits. How much do you want for the rabbits? You send them to me and I will pay you to save their lives and you can go buy meat in the store? Or how about this... I get the rabbits from you and will send you a shipment from Omaha Steaks? Holding her sign of "Save the rabbits", Jenna

Here are my 2 months after surgery pictures of my scars. I had my first fill 2 weeks ago. I am just now starting to see some changes. This is about 32 lbs gone now.

lol... thanks. I still READ ya know! Hey, did I hear some booty shakin' goin on??? Ohhhh, I think I did.... let me stand up... okay lemme join ya... thump thump thump.... i hear it.... oh wait, that was just my biological clock ticking in my ear with my age!!!

Police Officer

7 weeks post op....

okay okay okay... i am breaking down. Here is my before picture before surgery and the picture of what I looked like 5 years ago. This is NOT my before surgery/after pictures but are my before/whattolooklikeagain pictures. The picture is AFTER I had a child and I know that with the help of the band I can look like this again.(about 150lbs, BMI of about 25). The other pictures were taken 2 days before I had surgery. Although I have lost 17lbs, not much has really changed in appearance. I am doing this mostly for Paula M. who is struggling with her decision to band or not. Also for those that feel that lower BMI's should not band. I want all of you to know that I bounced 50-70 lbs 3 times in the last 5 years. Diet, gain back, diet gain back. I know that a lot of you don't see the fat but I do. The rolls, the cottage cheesey dimples, the sagginess, the horrid horrid look of it. Maybe some of you WOULD be happy to be my weight or have my body but to me I look at this and cringe with the site of it. Just because you didn't SEE the same things we did as we were GETTING fatter and fatter, that is not our fault. I will delete this thread in one week so take your looks now. I just wanted some of you that are so down on the lower bmi's to really LOOK at the difference. I want to make a change now so I don't have future problems. I am SOOOOOOOO sick of hearing the "low bmi vs. high bmi" saga and the close mindedness of some people on the board. So if you are one of these people, you may get defensive and that is okay. If you are a low BMI person I hope you like that I did this. Believe me, I don't exactly like having this picture out there! Just taking these pictures had me in tears ALL day and was one of the most HUMILIATING experiences for me. But, for the good of getting some of you off lower BMI's back I am sharing them with the world. I hope that now you see that just because you are a lower BMI (I was a 32.7) that does NOT mean you don't deserve the band nor should you not be allowed to get it. And furthermore, if you post saying you don't see it, you are completely blind. As I sit here with tears welling in my eyes, I hope some of you now can see that even less fat than you have can affect someones self image and how they feel. Please remember this next time you post your "opinion" on someone with a lower BMI or private message them. Please answer the poll honestly. Your vote will be PRIVATE and you will not see the results of others with their names. The poll is to truly show the amount of people and what their BMI's are so pleaseeeeee be honest. I am thinking that some of you will be surprised just how many lower BMI's are successful and are getting the band as their chosen tool. No one will know you voted. P.S. Penni or someone, please do the side/side thing for me.

Kathy, Just for you.... pictures removed.....the post will remain.... however.... I would like to request that a moderator please LOCK the thread to stop additional "pitter patter" back and forth. (if a moderator can lock the thread but leave the poll open, that is cool... but if not, lock the whole thing please) I hear your point Kathy, maybe it will help others that come later. Love and Hugs!

Proof positive. The truth hurts. Deal. But again, I specifically said NOT YOU BABS, the ones that PM'd me. Sorry you felt slighted. I did not attack you, you just happened to have posted before I got upset about the PM's. Wrong place, wrong time. I am not even going to waste my time with posting all the threads that had snipes and gripes about low BMI getting surgery. Just not worth it at this point. I am NOT one of those people that hate obese people or have disgust. If anything I have pity and compassion. With an ENTIRE family of MORBIDLY obese people that have now had GBypass I just consider myself more qualified to foresee my own future. I don't deny my own self esteem issues, never have. Unfortunate that some have missed my entire point about the post. And unfortunate that some have never opened their minds to really SEE. But VERY FORTUNATE that some have really benefited from this post. I am glad I helped some come out of their shells and say "you know what, she is right, I deserve this too!" Tell me this isn't chicken shit (sent to me by someone who is registered with zero posts) "if you want to lose weight then get out there and lose it but dont go whining to the people who truly need the help who will die without this surgery. I have seen your oh poor me i need to lose this little bulge. laziness is not an excuse and that is what someone of a lower weight is doing, being lazy." I will not oust this person because they don't matter this was just ONE of the PM's/emails I have gotten. It is chicken shit because it is obviously a new name created just to email me so I do not know who you are. you know who you are, whoever you are and you live with your sour grapes. So as for me... this is my grand exit. Out in a blaze of glory I say. Good luck to you all. This thread will be gone by the end of the night.