Frangipani

Good Morning ladies! I want to first say that I really enjoy all of you and our chats so much!!! Kat, thank you for your thoroughly entertaining update. You crack me up lady!!! Now you're going to laugh, but I ended up having a leakage problem with one area of my incision and I remembered your suggestion about the sanitary pads and I did it too :biggrin:!!! Sanitary napkins worn low across the belly is not exactly a look that will be hitting the Paris runways anytime soon (I hope), but it works like a charm because when the incision is leaking, the gauze just can't keep up. Great suggestion -- kudos to you :cool2::thumbup::tt2:! Oh, I will definitely be getting out to NM sometime soon. Santa Fe is one of my favorite places on the planet, and I've made some friends out there too. I will let you know in advance of my next trip and I'm very much looking forward to meeting up with you!!! I'm glad to hear that you're doing so well! Becky, thanks for the encouragement on the drain. It truly is getting old, but posts like yours help me to hang in there. Karey, I've been following your final push thread and congrats on losing 6 pounds so far. That's awesome -- and with all of your hard work and discipline you very much deserve it!!! Cori, WOW, December isn't very far off at all. I can't wait for you to be on this journey -- well, actually over the surgery part and enjoying the results :eek::smile::eek:!

Salsa, You look wonderful and your Dr. did a fabulous job!!!! Congratulations girlfriend :thumbup:!!!! I'm simply in awe of how these plastic surgeons can mold the body into something new -- aren't you? Keep resting and healing, and enjoy your new hot bod :cool2::smile::tt2:!!!!

Hi Karey :tt1:, Yes, my Dr. and I are in contact in some fashion (either via phone or email) almost every day. He tells me that the drains are very unpredictable, but he wants me to hang in there as long as I can because the alternative (excessive swelling) is just as bad if not worse -- and I recognize that as well. He's hoping that I'll be able to have the drain removed sometime this week. I've been poking around on the Internet and there are others out there who have had this same long-term experience with their drains, so I guess I'm just one of those people who has a lot of fluid -- lucky me...............

Good morning and Happy Monday everyone -- I hope you all had a great holiday weekend!!! Becky, I can't believe the way you are bouncing back with the exercise -- great job lady :tt1::thumbup::tt1:! I stopped exercising because my drain output jumped 20cc's after my short, 20 minute workout the other day. And yes, believe it or not I still have this drain at 24 days post-op. If this thing doesn't come out soon, I'm going to have to get it a passport..... The drain is only thing that's getting me down right now, but my Dr. does not want it removed until I'm draining less than 30 cc's for two consecutive days. Right now I'm averaging 50cc's with no slowdown in sight. When I worked out and the output jumped up to 70 cc's, I figured I should just "park it" until the drain comes out, even though I am dying to get back to exercising. Anyhow, keep your fingers crossed for me that this drainage will slow down soon -- I'm very happy about everything, BUT I am getting SO tired of this darn drain!!!! Thanks for letting me whine :tt1:!

Hey Candle, Congrats on all of the NSV's :thumbup::thumbup:! Going to a wedding and seeing people after losing 124 pounds must have been an incredible experience! It sounds like you have an excellent plan regarding your PS consults -- and Dr. S seems like a great one to have on you list. BTW, I'm still thinking about our Crazy Ates Vegas trip, and we can talk more about this once I know what I'm doing with my second surgery. I'm headed back up to Miami at the end of July to meet with my Dr. for a follow-up visit, and hopefully at that point I'll have some idea as to the timing of round 2. It's not so much that I'm ready to go back into surgery again, but I like the idea of having everything done (more or less) at once. The second surgery will (hopefully) finish up the body, and I'm quite anxious to have it done. Have a great night :biggrin::smile::frown:!

Hi Kendra, So nice to see your update. Your trip sounds wonderful!!!! I agree with Lindata, time to have some fun with those wigs! The other day I was at a beauty supply store where they had an entire wall of wigs on display -- they were so cute and natural looking, I almost bought a few for myself. I'm sending quick healing vibes your way and also some extra energy vibes to give you a little boost at work during the next four weeks -- and of course, I'm still kicking and stomping! Big hugs to you!!!!

Hi Julie, Thanks!!! Great to hear from you!!! :thumbup::smile::frown: How are you doing and feeling?

Candle, thank you so much -- you made my day!!!! I think lingerie shopping will be fun, but was really fun was tossing all those "granny panties" right out into the garbage, which I did with great relish the other day :tt2::tongue::thumbup:!!! How's everything with you? I'm looking forward to your journey. Do you have any consults scheduled yet?

Hi Salsa, I was like Becky -- almost no appetite those first few days. My plastic surgeon is also really big on getting the proper nutrients and ordered regular meals, but you might recall that I had two Dr.'s and the GYN wanted me to be on "clears," so it was pretty hilarious the way my menu plan kept getting changed back and forth for three days. However, for one meal when I was on the plastic surgeon's plan, they brought me chocolate cake and it was Yummy!!!! My band was so tight (I opted not to be unfilled) that I was only able to have a few bites, but it was a heavenly few bites -- it made my day! My advice is to try to eat some foods you enjoy to entice yourself to eat a bit. During that first week after surgery I ate all kinds of things that I love but have been avoiding since being banded such as pizza, reuben sandwich, and potato Soup, among other things. I was only able to eat very small portions, so it was absolutely fine, and this way I managed to get some badly needed calories in my body. My Dr. thought it was a great idea too. The other thing I had and enjoyed was Jello Brand, sugar-free rice pudding (thank you Karey :thumbup:), crème brulee flavor. It's very, very tasty and only 70 calories -- it's very easy for us bandsters to eat too!!! When you first see your incision, remember that it will look very rough, but that it will go through many, many changes as you heal. When I first saw my incisions, I would have probably freaked out had I not been on morphine at the time (LOL :tt2:), because it looked absolutely awful. I cannot even describe it, it was just so puckery and gross. If I hadn't been 1000% confident that I had a wonderful Dr. who did beautiful work, I would have been very concerned that something was seriously wrong. Now at three weeks post-op things seem to be settling down and I can see that eventually my incision will heal quite nicely, as will yours. You're doing great, Salsa! Have a wonderful and restful day :smile::cool2:!

Hey Sweety, Your date is coming up quick! How are you doing? Try not to be too nervous -- as you can see from those of us who have gone through this lately, it's been pretty smooth sailing, and I'm sure it will be the same for you :thumbup::thumbup::eek:! Talk to you soon !

Hey Foofy! Sounds beautiful!!! "Loose more????" This is your brain on drugs LOL :thumbup::biggrin:!

Hey Foofy! Of course some people will loose more quickly than others, but IMHO, exercise is truly the key. I know the weather is beautiful in MT right now -- so get yourself out on those trails girl!!!! Thanks Cori! Your sweet messages always make me smile :thumbup::smile:! Becky, congrats on being three weeks post-op, tomorrow I will be too. Can you believe that it's been three weeks already? My head is spinning!!!! I agree regarding exercise. I can't say that it makes a difference with the fluid levels, but it sure does help with the energy levels. You're doing wonderfully!!! Thanks for sharing about what you're doing with compression garments. Have a great night everyone!!!

Good job Girl :thumbup::thumbup:! I knew you would sail right through this!!! Get some rest and take good care of yourself and we look forward to hearing from you soon!!!! Congratulations and welcome to the Flat Lands!!!!

Hi Everyone! I'm back and I'm in!!! Like Becky (hey girlfriend -- great to have you joining us :thumbup::smile:), I'm recovering from surgery and my Dr. doesn't want me doing too much too soon, so I'm setting a very modest goal for myself this month, but look forward to rocking with the rest of you in the coming months! I got a twenty minute walk in yesterday, today I'm shooting for 30 minutes. Have a great day everyone!!! July Exercise Challenge 1/15 Sessions

BBK, What a fabulous photo!!! I love everything about it and I'd say you are well on your way to a successful modeling career!!! Daddy, love your new avatar -- and WOW :thumbup::tt1::thumbup:! What a handsome hottie you are Sir!!! Musical Momma is one lucky woman!!! :smile::ohmy:

Thanks Jody! Well, I just got back from my first walk -- 20 minutes only, and you're right Becky, it feels like starting from square one again! When I started down my normal path my two favorite canine friends were right there -- Carmine the yappy, Bad A$$, Jack Russel Terrier and Hercules, the gentle giant Great Dane. It was sooooooo cute the way they were right there waiting -- almost as if they were expecting me. They walked along with me for about 10 minutes or so, with Carmine yapping at me the whole way. It was great to see them both!!! It also felt very good to be out there exercising again. I hope as time goes on, it helps us with the swell hell as your Dr. says it should, Becky. Foofy thanks ! To answer your question, I attribute most of my success to exercise and lots of it. I did cardio for a minimum of one hour most days and on the weekends I would go often out for 2-3 hour hikes. I also watch what I eat pretty carefully and try to keep my calorie intake at between 1000 - 1500 calories per day. I try to limit my carb intake, but I do believe in having some carbs each day, mostly in the AM or early afternoon.

Hi Ladies, Just checking in to say Good Luck!!! I look forward to following your progress and I know that you will all rock this challenge :thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:!!! Karey, your diet sounds very interesting -- thanks for being our "guinea pig"!!!! Even though I'm not quite at goal yet, I share all of your concerns about maintenance. I'm sure there will definitely be some additional learning experiences ahead with this band as time goes on........

Salsa, Best of luck to you tomorrow. You'll sail right through this surgery and will be looking hot and loving your new body in no time at all :thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:!!! Will be looking forward to the post from LJM regarding your progress!!!

Becky, I'm glad to hear that you are turning that corner! I still can't sleep on my side, but am SO looking forward to the day that I can. I had planned to start walking yesterday myself, but my errands ended up taking me longer than I thought they would and I didn't return home until after dark. I will be going out on that walk later on this afternoon though! Karey, thanks as always for the excellent advice and ideas. I needed that too, as Frangi is definitely feeling it this week!!! I feel like someone disassembled my spine, rib-cage, and hips, and put them all back together in the wrong place! Last night I had some pain in my lower hip and back that was killer -- so bad that I almost went running back to my Percocet. However, I decided to first try toughing it out with Tylenol and the pain went away after an hour or so. I'm not sure what that was all about, but I hope it doesn't happen again :thumbup::thumbdown::thumbup:! This might be a good problem and it is most certainly a first for me, but I am dropping weight like crazy. Up until this point, every pound I've lost has been extremely hard won, but the weight loss since my PS has been absolutely astonishing!!! I have lost another 6 pounds since returning home. I'm happy about this because I haven't quite reached goal yet, but once I do reach goal I think I'll need to add some calories to my diet. I still have a 10 pound "cushion" between goal and my absolute ideal weight, but I want to be really healthy and ready for my next surgery. I assume that the next surgery will take some additional pounds off as well, so I want to try to stay as close to my current goal as possible once I reach it. Anyhow, that's my update for today, but you'll probably hear from me later too :tongue::cool2:!

Salsa, you'll do just fine, you're young and healthy and in excellent shape -- No worries :thumbup:!!! Thanks for the feedback from your Dr. regarding exercise. That sounds like a very reasonable plan, and I think I'll do just that. Thanks again :thumbup::smile::smile2:!

BBK, You look wonderful -- and So adorable in your golf outfit!!! :smile:

Hey Karey! I'd be happy to join the thread and cheer you guys on!!! Good luck -- I know you'll do it!!! Okay for once I will keep a post short, as you all must surely be getting sick of the long essays that I've been writing for the past several days...... Have a great night everyone :smile:!!!

Steph! So glad to hear from you and to know that you're doing so well!!! I agree with you and Becky, "swell hell" is the worst part of this whole thing. I still have my drain in and even though it annoys me to no end to be still wearing my XL clothing, I'm not in any huge hurry to get the drain out until the time is right because the swelling is bad enough now. Steph and Foofy LOL :lol:! I had my breasts done too and it's so true that newly lifted breasts take on a whole new life of their own!!!! Plastic surgery can make the breasts perkier than they have ever been (or even could be) -- I can totally understand why your Dr. told you that you might never need to wear a bra again! Foofy, :biggrin::biggrin::biggrin: -- your breasts simply can't be as bad as mine were. As you can see from my before photos, my breasts looked like a couple of empty shoe bags :smile2:. So glad that's history now!!!

Oops! Sorry Brandottie -- I somehow transposed your figures, so now I've corrected it..... Name: Frangipani Weight loss from day of surgery: 114 lbs Total weight loss: 120 lbs Name: Candle Weight loss from day of surgery: 109.5 lbs Total weight loss: 123.5 lbs Name: Salsa Weight loss from day of surgery: 105 lbs Total weight loss: 105 lbs Name: Pammycakes Weight loss from day of surgery: 102 lbs Total weight loss: 104 lbs Name: Ceradad Weight loss from day of surgery: 102 Total weight loss: 122 Name: KarenG. Weight loss from day of surgery: 85 Total weight loss: 85 Name: NanaRenan Weight loss from day of surgery: 52 Total weight loss: 72 Name: TexasBecky Weight loss from day of surgery: 111 Total weight loss: 121 Name: SPEBSQSAlady Weight loss from day of surgery: 57.8 Total weight loss: 57.8 Name: Brandottie01 Weight loss from day of surgery: 32 lbs Total weight loss: 32 Name: Bergdorfblonde Weight loss from day of surgery: 32 lbs Total weight loss: 32 lbs Name: Gometros Weight loss from day of surgery: 52.9 lbs Total weight loss: 74.9 Name: Pizzicato66 Weight loss from day of surgery: 75.5 Total weight loss: 87.5 Name: Valstar Weight loss from day of surgery: 52 lbs Total weight loss: 57 lbs Name:Gweniper weight loss from day of surgery: 57 total weight loss: 91 Name: purplegirl1818 weightloss from day of surgery: 73.5 lbs total weight loss: 90.5lbs Name: LessNLess weightloss from day of surgery: 63 lbs total weight loss: 69 lbs Name: JudiM weightloss from day of surgery: 73 lbs total weight loss: ?? Name: hf2havefun Weight loss from day of surgery: 41 lbs Total weight loss: 56 lbs Name: Nikki S Weight loss from day of surgery: 102 Total weight loss: 102

Wow! Amazing job everyone. If this keeps up, the Crazy Ates will have a record setting Bandiversary!!! Somewhere along the way, someone mistakenly copied an older post when updating so our numbers got a bit jumbled up. I'm going to try to straighten this out a bit........ There! I hope I did this right, but feel free to do any additional editing. Name: Frangipani Weight loss from day of surgery: 113 lbs Total weight loss: 119 lbs Name: Candle Weight loss from day of surgery: 109.5 lbs Total weight loss: 123.5 lbs Name: Salsa Weight loss from day of surgery: 105 lbs Total weight loss: 105 lbs Name: Pammycakes Weight loss from day of surgery: 102 lbs Total weight loss: 104 lbs Name: Ceradad Weight loss from day of surgery: 102 Total weight loss: 122 Name: KarenG. Weight loss from day of surgery: 85 Total weight loss: 85 Name: NanaRenan Weight loss from day of surgery: 52 Total weight loss: 72 Name: TexasBecky Weight loss from day of surgery: 111 Total weight loss: 121 Name: SPEBSQSAlady Weight loss from day of surgery: 57.8 Total weight loss: 57.8 Name: Brandottie01 Weight loss from day of surgery: 23 lbs Total weight loss: Name: Bergdorfblonde Weight loss from day of surgery: 32 lbs Total weight loss: 32 lbs Name: Gometros Weight loss from day of surgery: 52.9 lbs Total weight loss: 74.9 Name: Pizzicato66 Weight loss from day of surgery: 75.5 Total weight loss: 87.5 Name: Valstar Weight loss from day of surgery: 52 lbs Total weight loss: 57 lbs Name:Gweniper weight loss from day of surgery: 57 total weight loss: 91 Name: purplegirl1818 weightloss from day of surgery: 73.5 lbs total weight loss: 90.5lbs Name: LessNLess weightloss from day of surgery: 63 lbs total weight loss: 69 lbs Name: JudiM weightloss from day of surgery: 73 lbs total weight loss: ?? Name: hf2havefun Weight loss from day of surgery: 41 lbs Total weight loss: 56 lbs Name: Nikki S Weight loss from day of surgery: 102 Total weight loss: 102