Frangipani

Hi again Dr. Schulman, As you might be able to tell, I'm a lady with a lot of questions -- always! Regarding the buttocks lift, is it usually the case that the patient would benefit from some sort of augmentation after a lift? I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around this augmentation concept, because my backside has always been WAY more than ample -- and even though it has gone south as of late, its pretty hard to imagine that I will need to have anything more added to it.

Hi Kat, How wonderful to see your rapid progress!!! That's very encouraging for those of us about to take the plunge. You sound SO well, just 8 short days after surgery, and it's great to hear how pleased you are with the results!!!:thumbup: :smile::huh2:

Congratulations to all who have joined the 100 pounds plus club! Can I join you ? Isn't the Band wonderful? When I started this whole thing I really wasn't sure if I was ever going to lose 100 pounds!!! This is the best club ever!!!!:thumbup:

Dr. Schulman, Since I imagine that this is a question that comes up often, I pasted it in here from another thread. (However, if for some reason you don't want it here just let me know and I can delete it or have it deleted.) Thanks again for all of your help! It's really great to have a place where we can have our questions answered by a professional. Quote: Originally Posted by Frangipani Hi Dr. Schulman, I have a question for you, when you are doing a breast lift with silicone implants, is there a particular type of incision that you find yourself using more frequently than others? If so, what would that be? When performing breast lift with implants in a weight loss patient, I almost always use an anchor incision. Yes, this is a more extensive incision, but most weight loss patients require more extensive "remodeling" of their breast tissue. In other patients (not weight loss) I am usually able to do the surgery with just an incision around the nipple-areola-comlex. There is an occassional weight loss patient that will do ok with the smaller incision, but in my experience, this often leaves them "undercorrected." __________________ Matthew Schulman, M.D. Board Certified Plastic Surgeon Specializing in body contouring after weight loss Attending Plastic Surgeon, The Mount Sinai Hospital, NY Professor of Plastic Surgery, Mount Sinai School of Medicine Member American Society of Plastic Surgeons Member American Society of Bariatric Plastic Surgeons Sign up for FREE email newsletter www.madisonavenueplasticsurgery.com

Me too Stranger, where do we get to sign up for that? It sure beats the hell out of the Podcasts -- huh?:sad: Stranger, WAY TO GO!!!!:frown: Wow!!! Major, major kudos to you for training in those conditions. Tonight will be my first 5 minute run, but I do it in the early evening, and the temps aren't nearly as bad here, it's just the summer humidity that can get to you sometimes.

Hi Teresa, Yes, I am on St. Thomas! Oh Boy Candle, now you're talking because that gets me into my favorite part of the country for hiking!!! Within about a 3 hour radius of Vegas, you have the North Rim of the Grand Canyon (WAY more spectacular than South Rim, in my opinion), Zion National Park AND Bryce National Park. In fact, that whole area is an absolute hiker's paradise. I just love, love, love it out that way!!!! We could do a little Vegas, catch some shows, etc, and then those who are interested can do some hiking too. What do think???? I'm would be happy to be the tour guide for the National Parks, as I have spent a lot of time on the trails out there. Again though, August in the desert is a NO GO -- we should wait until October, November, somewhere in through there. The weather definitely foils us August Bandsters unless we want to go to a little farther North, and/or out of the hurricane belt.

Thank you so much BBK -- you're such a sweetie!!!! :sad::smile::frown:

Thank you for the info, Dr. Schulman!

Thank you so much Candle, LuLuc & Lessnless!!! :frown::smile:

Hi Dr. Schulman, Thank you so much for starting this thread! This will be very helpful us :sad:! I have a question for you, how often do you find that it is necessary for a Lap Banded patient to have their port moved when they have an abdominoplasty? Also, is it usually preferable for the patient to have and/or switch to a low profile port in conjunction with this procedure?

BBK, Definitely have that belly button checked out ASAP. That doesn't sound good at all, but maybe (hopefully), it will be something that the Dr. can take care of easily. Good luck, and let us know how it went.

Becky, I really haven't told very many people and have no plans to. That said, if I had children, I would tell them. I can imagine adult children being upset about not being informed when a parent is having surgery. I think they would definitely want to know. As for your parents, I vote no. Older people tend to get stressed out easily under the best of circumstances, and it's very likely that this would cause a lot of anxiety for them -- also, most folks in that older generation don't understand plastic surgery, as it just wasn't part of the culture back then. Just my two cents for what it's worth.

Oh my goodness Steph! Look at you -- you tiny little thing!!! You look wonderful!!!! I noticed that you have your shirt tucked in too. I am SO looking forward to that day. I have always had a little pouch of fat in my lower abdomen that has always been with me -- even in my college days when I weighed 106 pounds. As a result, I am always draping that area with things that clear the lower abdomen and hips. In fact, I don't think I even own a single piece of clothing that doesn't clear the belly and extend down to the hips. I told my Dr. that I am SO tired of draping my lower body -- that is my biggest complaint. IF I manage to arrive in the flatlands (and I say IF because I truly won't believe it until I see it), the first thing I plan to do is to go out and buy myself a tight tee shirt and tuck it right into the waistband of my jeans!!! You look amazing -- Congratulations :sad::thumbup::eek:!

Hi BBK, Thank you so much for the feedback, I will try to mentally prepare myself for this. What wonderful, inspirational before photos!!! You have come SO far, it's truly amazing. Maybe you should consider writing a book about your incredible journey! BTW, where was the cruise photo taken? It looks like Puerto Rico -- possibly?

Hi Jody, Yes, you have the dates right. My surgery is scheduled for 7:30 A.M. on Friday the 13th :eek:. Good thing I'm not superstitious -- huh? Since I'm having just about everything but the kitchen sink done, I assume I will be in surgery until at least 1:00 or so, and perhaps even a bit later than that. I plan to call you that evening, but if you don't hear from me until the next day, don't be concerned. I will PM you with my hospital info, and if for some reason you don't hear from me, you can call the hospital directly. I hope I will be well enough to call you on Friday evening, because I plan to be on an absolute mission to be up and about, and doing as much walking as I can ASAP! They apparently plan to keep me in the hospital for three days because of the open GYN surgery, but I'm having a really hard time imagining myself lying around in bed for three days. As I said before, they'll probably catch me trying to sneak out of the hospital to go catch a sale at Stein Mart :sad:! And Becky, that is a good question. Who is going to be updating us on your progress?

Hi LJM, Thanks for the nice message, and for sharing our excitement with us :scared2::smile::tongue2:! Obviously you are definitely losing weight, even if the scale isn't showing it right now. Keep up the good work with all of your running, LJM! You are a true inspiration!!!:smile2:

Thanks Pizzi :smile::huh2:! Good to hear from you too!!! It sound like you are loving it out in CA !

Hi BayCityBandster, As Mindy said, we are all different, but I too can eat anything, including all types of bread, Pasta, meat and vegetables. In fact, I have yet to encounter a food that I am not able to eat, but I do watch my calories and portions pretty carefully. Early on I had a few PB incidents, but I have not had one in a very long time. As Denise says, you learn how to chew your food and take smaller bites, and for me it has pretty much become a habit now that I don't even need to think much about doing anymore. Good luck and congrats on being banded!

Hey Jody, Sounds like a good plan, but do be careful -- you definitely don't want to be completely sidelined with an injury. I just finished week three of Couch to 5K. Last night was actually my night to do it, but when I got up to the high school there was a Marching Band event going on at the track field. I couldn't believe it though, there were still some people out exercising on the track during the event!!! I'm sorry, but that just didn't seem to be very respectful of the kids trying to put on a performance, so I wasn't going to do it......... Salsa, Congratulations on moving down the size scale Enjoy the rest of your holiday weekend everyone!!!!

Hi BBK, You look wonderful!!!! I think the bust line is awesome too -- it still has that "umph," but is perfectly proportioned to the rest of your body. Congratulations!!!! :thumbup::thumbup: My surgery is coming up in just a little over two weeks, and I'm dreading the post-op pain, but seeing your photos reminds me that it will all be worth it in the end!

Becky, being as tall as you are, if you didn't have decent-sized feet, you would topple over -- think about it!!!! Personally, I would gladly go up a shoe size or two, if the trade-off were to gain some inches in height! I've always wanted to be tall -- you tall ladies can wear anything and look good in it, and you tend not to have "thunder-thighs" (like I have) either!!!

Thanks Jack ! One of my all time board favorites checking in, WOW -- and with a Seven Woot Salute!!!! I think if I figure out the secret of the last twenty pounds, it will make me more famous than Indiana Jones, because that is truly the Holy Grail for all mankind!!!!

Hi Cheryl, I know exactly where you're coming from. It's unfortunate, but many US Dr.'s don't know that much about the Band as of yet, and don't realize it's true potential. Of course some people will lose more slowly than others, but I truly believe that if you eat right and exercise hard you will lose weight quickly with this Band. If you read through this board and look at people's tickers, you will see very solid evidence of this. Gastric bypass is almost a no-brainer -- the weight comes off lightening-fast and with almost no effort on the part of the patient BUT, it also has obvious drawbacks (which I won't really get into because that's not what this discussion is about). I love my Lap Band because, unlike Gastric Bypass, the Band forces me to do my part (i.e., eat right and exercise), and I really believe this is healthier in the long run. I think a lot of Doctors favor the gastric bypass because it is almost a sure-fire method for losing a lot weight quickly, and it doesn't rely so much on the compliance of the patient. This is not true with the Band. If you don't do your part, you won't be very successful in the long run, because it's pretty easy to figure out ways to "eat around" the Band if you are determined to do so. If you want to go with the Band, I have a few suggestions for you, 1) Find a Dr. who is 100% completely on board with this procedure and has a lot of experience with it. Band placement is important!!!! If the Dr. doesn't know what they're doing and doesn't place the Band properly, the Band will not work for you, and in fact, can cause serious problems. 2) Work with a Dr. who does the fills under flouro. I will never understand why 100% of Doctors don't do this. When you do a fill under fluoro, it completely takes the guesswork out of the whole thing. The Dr. is able to see exactly what he or she is doing and they are also able to see the Band and confirm that everything is okay, every single time you have a fill. Best of luck to you! And hope to see you in "Bandland" soon

Hey Becky and Jody, Thank you so much for the enthusiastic celebration from my two online BFF's!!! I really am happy about this -- even though this isn't "goal," for some reason, hitting the 100 pound mark was more important to me than goal. Wow, do you two ever have me pegged!!! I am well known for being a total "Shoe-A-Holic." But how did that manage to even come through in my writing? And Jody, what size shoe do you take?

Woo Hoo, a Shrinko De Mayo!!! My all time favorite monthly bandster name!!! Love your logo too!!! Thanks Yvonne, for the incredibly sweet message!!! I really appreciate it. I see that you were just banded last Tuesday -- Congratulations!!! Trust me, if you exercise and follow the dietary instructions, the weight loss happens so quickly it will make your head spin. You will be so thrilled with this band!!!