Frangipani

Hi Judi, Thank you for the lovely, lovely message. I always enjoy hearing from you, your amazing wit and sparkling personality always shine through in your posts :smile::crying:! It's been great traveling on this journey with you too, and thank you for being the founder of our wonderful Crazy Ates group!!! Very interesting info about the inventor of the Lap Band, Dr. Kuzmak, who was obviously a very gifted and inventive person. It sounds like the last decade of his life was a real struggle due to an unfortunate accident -- and of course it's very sad to hear about his untimely death. That said, I guess your first born will be spared now (LOL :smile2:). Have a great day, and thanks again for the wonderful message!!!!

Hey Ladies, I happened to see your posts and I just wanted to wish you good luck. I cannot believe that August 7 is coming up so quickly!!! I was banded on August 7 of last year -- on the day of surgery I had a BMI of 45.3 and here I am just 11 months later, at goal and with a normal BMI. In order to lose the weight you'll need to work hard and watch what you eat pretty carefully, but the Band is an AMAZING tool that will make this all possible and very manageable. This is a very exciting journey, and I wish you all the best!!!! :smile:

Hi Salsa, Saw your updated photos -- looking good girl :party::thumbup::tt1:! I really didn't (don't) have much of a problem with my drain leaking externally. I did have one area of my incision that leaked for nearly two weeks, hence my need to use the sanitary pad. I think you should put a quick phone call into your Dr. about this. I mean it probably is nothing to be concerned about, but she can just confirm that for you and give you peace of mind. The call would probably take about one minute of her time, and I really doubt she'd mind. Jody, ROTFL at your hilarious message and Thanks!!!! Wow! You're the second person to call me a Hot Mama -- if you keep this up girls, maybe the whole concept could eventually stick :tt1::tongue::tt2:!!!!

Becky, What an ABSOLUTELY AMAZING transformation!!! Hot damn lady, what a bod!!!! :tt1::tt1::tt1: Congratulations -- it's all SO totally worth it!!!! :party:

Lulu, have a great trip!!!! Daddy, good luck today!!! Well, this exercise is going in fits and starts for me this month as I continue the recovery process, so I'm revising my goal. However, I think I'm onto something more steady now. I got two more workouts in, 30 minute walks on Thursday and Friday. Have a great weekend everyone! July Exercise Challenge 3/12 Sessions

Thank you so much Candle! You've been another huge inspiration to me and it's been great traveling on this journey with you!!! :thumbup::smile:

BBK, LOVE your stunning new photos!!!! Not only are they gorgeous, but they're so creative!!! You're a real natural at this, and it looks like so much fun!

Thanks BBK :smile::thumbup:!!! This Hot Mama thing is very new to me -- maybe you'll have to come visit me and give me some lessons! The numbness does feel weird, but I've had abdominal surgery before and slowly but surely the feeling does return. Cori, don't get me started on shopping, now -- I could go on about that forever!!!! Love, love, LOVE shopping!!!! I shop all over the place because you just never know what you might find. That said, if you want just a few ideas, try Chicos and Coldwater Creek. Both stores have stylish and distinctive items that are very fashionable, but more suitable for the 30 and over crowd. Hope this helps, and let me know if you need any more ideas.

Hi Becky, I'm very numb. The numbness reaches from my belly button all the way to my incision. I'm sorry to hear you're still having pain with your thigh incisions, but your legs look fabulous, so I'm sure it will all be worth it in the end. Stein Mart should definitely pay us -- or at least send us some additional discount coupons (LOL :thumbup:)! Well ladies I learned a little something about the power of cleavage today (which I'm sure most of you have known about for years). I was getting so tired of wearing my saggy, baggy clothing that I've had to wear because of the drain, that I decided to dress up a little today. So I dug out a very a cute top that I recently purchased at Stein Mart. It's one of these plunging neckline, sleeveless numbers with that shows a lot of cleavage -- so much so that I was actually thinking about returning it. The nice thing about it was that even though it showed a lot of cleavage, it's gathered at the waist, so that it still concealed my drain. Anyhow, when I put it on I realized that because of the thin shoulder straps, and the very low cut, I would not be able to wear a bra. Going braless is not something I'm accustomed to, but since I no longer really "need" to wear a bra, I decided to just go with it and headed out to the pharmacy to get a prescription filled. I got to the pharmacy, dropped my prescription slip off and started looking for Mederma Scar Cream, when I suddenly got the feeling that someone was looking at me. I looked up to see the pharmacist seriously giving me the eye! (LOL :redface:) About one minute later, he popped out from behind the pharmacy area, personally handed me my order and then asked me if there was anything else he could help me find. When I told him what I was looking for, he said that he didn't have any on the shelf, but that he would try to find some in the back, and lo and behold he did! So needless to say, I will not be taking that blouse back. In fact, I intend to start wearing it to the Bank -- and the Post Office too!!!

Hi All, Well, I had a great day yesterday. I felt the best and strongest I have since returning home and falling into my "achy fatigue." The pains have mostly gone away now and I'm starting to feel strong and energetic again. Feels wonderful :confused::thumbup::sleep:! Thanks Cori! :eek::smile: By the way, I enjoy your blog! Do check out Stein Mart when you get to a state that has one -- Florida and Texas both have a bunch!!! I go crazy when I travel to both places. Jody, LOL about the GPS and your presentation :mad::mad:! You can handle PS -- no problem. Just be prepared for a lot of hassle and a lot of upheaval. It's a lot like having your kitchen redone IMHO. Becky, don't you love it? We get all of these fabulous deals on summer clothing that we'll be able to wear for months yet (well, in my case all year round). Have a great day ladies :drool::smile::mad:!

Hi Terri, Thanks for the update, glad to hear that it all went so well!!!! I'm looking forward to seeing your photos. I see blepharoplasty as one of those "absolutely necessary" plastic surgery procedures as time marches inexorably on -- and I will definitely be having that done at some point in the future. Did you have much pain at all?

Hi Sue, Thank you so much for that -- you made my day!!! :smile::smile::smile: Thank you Becky and Cherieinnv!!!! Becky of course you know you have been my inspiration, and Cherie congrats on your great success so far!!! :thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

Hi Lisaqmoon, I'm sorry to hear about all the trouble you're having, but something is obviously quite wrong here......... Have you had any of your fills done under fluoroscopy? If not, that would be the very first thing that I would do. You need to have your Band looked at to confirm that it is in the right place and to see how much restriction your currently have. I know a lot of Dr.'s don't do this, but my advice is to work with a Dr. who will. I always have my fills done under fluoro, and wouldn't consider having it done any other way. It took me four fills to reach my sweet spot, but I was losing steadily from the first fill on because my Dr. manged to obtain good restriction for me from day one. Here are my three basic keys to sucess: 1) Fills under fluoro always. 2) Track everything you put in your mouth. I started out using Fit Day and currently use Daily Plate. I try to stay right around 1000 calories, but I'm not going to drive myself crazy trying to achieve perfection, so some days it might be closer to 1500. 3) Exercise and lots of it. I never got the hang of not drinking while eating, but honestly with all the other things I do it doesn't much matter. Now I'm not saying you shouldn't try, but based on what you're telling me, this is really the least of your concerns at this point. Hope this helps, and Good Luck!!!!

Nana -- thank you so much for alphabetizing our list!!! In honor of my hitting goal today :woot:I'm updating my total. Great job everyone!!!! Name: Bergdorfblonde Weight loss from day of surgery: 32 lbs Total weight loss: 32 lbs Name: Brandottie01 Weight loss from day of surgery: 32 lbs Total weight loss: 32 Name: Candle Weight loss from day of surgery: 109.5 lbs Total weight loss: 123.5 lbs Name: Ceradad Weight loss from day of surgery: 102 Total weight loss: 122 Name: Frangipani Weight loss from day of surgery: 119 lbs Total weight loss: 125 lbs Name: Gometros Weight loss from day of surgery: 52.9 lbs Total weight loss: 74.9 Name:Gweniper weight loss from day of surgery: 57 total weight loss: 91 Name: hf2havefun Weight loss from day of surgery: 41 lbs Total weight loss: 56 lbs Name: JudiM weightloss from day of surgery: 73 lbs total weight loss: ?? Name: KarenG. Weight loss from day of surgery: 94 Total weight loss: 94 Name: LessNLess weightloss from day of surgery: 63 lbs total weight loss: 69 lbs Name: NanaRenan Weight loss from day of surgery: 68 Total weight loss: 88 Name: Nikki S Weight loss from day of surgery:102 Total weight loss:102 Name: Pammycakes Weight loss from day of surgery: 102 lbs Total weight loss: 104 lbs Name: Pizzicato66 Weight loss from day of surgery: 75.5 Total weight loss: 87.5 Name: purplegirl1818 weightloss from day of surgery: 73.5 lbs total weight loss: 90.5lbs Name: TexasBecky Weight loss from day of surgery: 111 Total weight loss: 121 Name: Salsa Weight loss from day of surgery: 105 lbs Total weight loss: 105 lbs Name: SPEBSQSAlady Weight loss from day of surgery: 57.8 Total weight loss: 57.8 Name: Valstar Weight loss from day of surgery: 52 lbs Total weight loss: 57 lbs

OMG Judi!!! How could I have missed this wonderful post???? You'll have to excuse me because I'm sure I still have drugs in my system from my recent plastic (and GYN) surgery. What a wonderful thing you're doing and congrats on your success!!!! I love your blog!!! You are SO witty and such an excellent writer -- your blog is truly one of the best out there, and absolutely first-rate in every way. I will definitely check in!!! Thank you so much -- what a great and thoughtful idea :smile::smile::scared2:!!!

Hi Salsa, Ditto to the other great advice everyone has already given you. Just remember that you will have energetic days and not-so-energetic days, and this process is different for everyone, so take things one day at a time. Week 3 hit me like a ton of bricks and it is unbelievable how much I slept that week, but sleep is a very restorative thing and the experts say that most of us don't get nearly enough of it. So relax and sleep as much as you can, as it will only make your results that much better. Hope you are having a great and restful day :smile:!

Good morning ladies and May the force be with you!!! Well, I think you finally have me convinced that I am from another planet (although I have suspected this for some time ......). I truly am ready for round 2 because honestly, I don't like recovering from PS and I want to have it all done in one solid block of time. That said, my Dr. is the one calling the shots on this and, so we'll have to see what he says about all of this in a few weeks. He's very meticulous and careful, and he definitely won't allow me to be impatient and push things along too fast. Now if I could only get Scotty to beam me up and remove this damn drain, my life would be perfect.......

The above was the subject line of a promotional email I just received from Nordstrom. No more plus sizes for me ever again -- thank you very much :biggrin:! I also throw all of those plus-size clothing catalogs away with great relish whenever I go to pick up my mail :thumbup::tongue::party:! Whoo Hoo!!! I just love being average, don't you?????

Spanx are totally different, they are basically control-top pantyhose without the feet, so they stay in place nicely without all the problems that girdles have (been there done that before too, and hated it :biggrin::thumbdown::thumbup:). The closer you get to goal, the better and more effective the Spanx will be. I always found that they shaped quite nicely without being too binding. That said, they were just a little to warm for me to wear on a regular basis here in the VI, but I wore them almost constantly when I traveled. Hope this helps. You can also google Spanx -- you'll find tons of info. :smile::eek:

Hey Jody, Great to hear from you and look at your ticker! 43 pounds down Woo Hoo!!!!:thumbup::thumbup: Something I've been saying over and over lately is "Recovering from plastic surgery is not for sissies," and it's true! Don't get me wrong it is SO totally worth it, but there is a lot involved in this whole process, so don't worry, but just be prepared. LOL about Stein Mart -- that place is addictive isn't it? The only thing that saves us is that the prices are so reasonable!!! Just before I left Miami I found some great things on clearance. I bought two pairs of really nice, lined linen pants for $13 each, plus blouses to go with them for the same price. I tell my husband that it could be much worse, that I could have a Neiman Marcus addiction -- and that always seems to hush him up :biggrin:.

Hi Andree, If you look on the "Ask Dr. Schulman" thread, I think this issue might have been addressed. My Dr. ended up having to move my port and as far as I know, it was no big deal. My one piece of advice is to make sure you are working with a Dr. who is experienced in working with bariatric patients and who is familiar with Lap Bands -- this very important IMHO.

Hi Luu2008, With all the fabulous undergarments out there nowadays, you do not have to have PS to look great in clothing. Spanx are/were a Godsend for a lot of us and they work beautifully! Congrats on being banded and good luck on your journey!!!!

Hey Nana, Great to hear from you! Yep, anything you ever wanted to know about Becky and me (plus more LOL :biggrin:) is right there in the thread Becky linked to. BTW, I love your quote on your signature from John Pinette -- I've seen his routine on TV a few times and he is hilarious!!!! Have you ever seen his bit about going to a Chinese all-you-can-eat buffet? I laughed so hard, I cried! Congrats on losing 88 pounds lady -- that's fabulous!!!!

Hey Stranger, No, this thread is not officially dead. I've been following it during my recovery from surgery and I can't wait to be actively joining you guys again. Great job!!! You're doing wonderfully, and I've enjoyed the updates!!! Daddy, I think I congratulated you on the Tri, but if I didn't, you'll have to forgive me because I'm on drugs right now ( ). Congrats!!!! You're a rock star Sir!!!! :thumbup::cool2: