Michee

Hi Patricia To answer some of your questions: I had my surg on Wed Aug 20th Went back on Fri the 22 to have drain remove (not pleasant) Saw doc on the 27th Doc arranged for me to have lymphatic drainage (2 sessions) I saw the doc at 5 weeks post op I do not see doc again until December unless I have issues I wore the binder garment for 5 weeks

Peanuts are also extremely high in FAT and Sodium. Do NOT do anything to jeopardize your surgery since you are pre-op. Besides you will be on liquids post-op as well I am assuming.

Serenity Good luck with your appeal. Do not give up. I live in Ontario Canada where the band is considered and therefore not covered by our health insurance. Even after paying 16k for my band, I would do it again even if it meant selling my house. Do whatever is necessary to get the band, it will be sooooo worth it.

Melissa, get the surgery. You are obese. What are you waiting for? Do you want to be super morbidly obese and waddle into the clinic at 400 pounds? I was roughly the same size as you when I started............now I am wearing size 4 pants........I had to pay 16k for my surgery, and would do it again, even if it meant selling my house and moving into an apartment.

I have only told three people in my life about my band, I strongly suspect that the other people in my life would react exactly as you described. I find a lot of support on these forums. Bottom line, it seems that the people in your life cannot give you the support you need, you need to find it elsewhere. Congratulations on your decision to get the band. It is all gonna be totally worth it!

I was banded one year ago. No one at work knows. I said I had emergency hiatal hernia surgery. That was I didnt tell anyone before the surgery, it turned out to be true because the band doc found and repaired a hiatal hernia. Apparenty they occur in about 50% of the obese. The cool thing is that at lunch, when I was on liquids then mushies I explained that it was due to hernia surgery. A guy at work had hiatal hernia surgery years before, and he said, oh yeah and some foods are really hard to get down, even months after the surgery (lol). I came back from surgery with a note that said I had surgery (in order to use sick days) I would avoid the gall bladder thing, I am not sure that the scar is in the same place, and what would happen if you really did have gall bladder issues, or if someone from work said I am having gall bladder issues too, can I have some advice? In terms of the weight loss, people see that I dont eat much, and what I do eat is healthy, that I exercise, and drink lots of Water, and never partake in birthday cake etc.................no one is surprised that this behaviour has led to an 80 pound weight loss in one year. Congratulations on getting banded. Remember, if you dont tell, you can always change your mind later and tell, but once you have told, you cant untell.

Well I am more bitchy than I am skinny............. But I have a flat stomach and I wear size 4 or 6 pants..........5 pounds to goal Yeah ! Damn hardest 5 pounds in the universe.........same weight for over a month!!

Something to consider: I had a TT 7 weeks ago, when I went for my 5 week post op check the doc said that my stomach looked a little puffy, and that my belly button looked a little tight. (this was news to me, cause as far as I am concerned my stomach is flat). Anyway, he figures it is just post op swelling but I am scheduled to see him in December and if I am still puffy and bb is still tight, he will do a little lipo, and fix the BB. This is all included in the initial price of the surgery. If I had to travel to get the lipo and the bb fixed, it would cost me airfare, hotel plus some vacation time. I considered my options carefully. I had considered going to Malta for my TT. It is ranked well above Canada, the US and Mexico by the World Health Organization, so I was not concerned about "quality". In the end I chose a local doc, as I figured it may end up costing less in the end. Good luck with your research..........you are gonna LOVE having flat stomach. This is the first time in my life I have had one. Even when I have been thin (briefly) I have always had to purchase clothes that hide my stomach. When I got the surgery, I thought hmmmm. I wonder what clothing styles look good with a flat stomach? answer........absolutely EVERYTHING lol!!

I love the strong, healthy, fit, confident, energetic woman that I am becoming............

Do you have any consignment or charity shops nearby? I have been purchasing a lot of clothes that way. I bought an orly suit for $8.00, and Jones New York jackets for $3.00. It has been great! Also the smaller you get the more variety available to you at these type of shops. The people at work think I am rich. Here I am in Jones/Nygard etc etc, paying a lot less, and looking a lot better than in the Walmart Wardrobe! As I type this I am wearing some old navy jeans that I got for $1.00 at a charity shop. Remember not to buy too much, because it will be too big in no time

Hi Beth I think it comes down to the doc or clinics preferred style. My clinic is conservative and so it took me from August to February to get proper restriction. Some of my fills were 0.2. The plus side of this method is that I never felt too tight and never needed an emergency unfill. From what I have read on the forum, it sounds quite unpleasant. Another factor is that some docs put some saline in the band during surgery. I started out with 4cc at surgery, got up to 7.5 (I think). I was completely defilled 2 months ago due to TT surgery. I am now at 5cc and I feel I have no restriction. I am getting a fill on Wednesday (yeah!).

WoooHoooo I am no longer a "lurker" on this plastic surg thread....I have now joined the club. I am seeing doc next week to get the belly button stitches removed, and hopefully he will give me the pre-op pics and will take some post op pics. I will post as soon as I get them Thanks to everyone who was brave enough to post pics and tell their story. I really felt that I knew what to expect. In fact when I was asking the nurse some questions, she asked me if I had a medical background. Is anyone else gonna get their navel pierced??

I think it really depends on your incisions. Mine were no where near the bra line. I would not buy one until after surgery. You may not need it. I was on the busty side, I started in a H cup (yes there is such a thing) since losing 80 pounds I am in a double d. Heck even my running bra has underwire. I really need the support, but had no trouble post banding.

there were really no post op meds, except the liquid codiene (I paid $17.00 canadian) but I think any liquid painkiller will be fine. I also bought some OTC Gasx strips that were about $7.00

As soon as you are on mushies you can get enough protien from "real food" such as tofu, chicken, eggs, fish, lentils, meat.

To answer the ops question. I pay $40.00 per hour for my trainer.

I am not familiar with curves equipment, but I do believe that eliptical machines always give a highly inflated calorie burn number. I wonder if the machine manufacturers want us to feel "good" with these fake numbers.

They offer it at my gym. It seems really popular, they've added a few more classes. I am more of a running/cycling/weights person. It has way to much choreography for my liking, but those that enjoy "dancing" seem to love it.

No need to buy the binder garment. The doc/clinic provided it. I had a toilet seat riser, but didnt use it much (it was in the ensuite, and I ended up mostly using the powder room bog). I didn't need stool softeners but I ate a lot of fibre. No problem! My advice DO NOT spend any more money than you have to. The surgery is expensive, and you will need your extra money for new clothes. Good Luck !

Congratulations This is going to be an awesome journey. Over the next few months you are going to meet the confident healthy slim woman that is inside. During the process there will be some ups and downs. Luckily that means your self esteem goes up, and the scale goes down. You are also going to learn who your true friends are, there will be support from unexpected places. You will make new friends as you begin a new chapter. You will have so much more energy that you will discover more hours in each day. The band was the single best decision I have made, I no longer take meds for diabetes and cholesterol, and I can go to the store and buy pants that are size 6 or size 4. (okay, that sounded shallow, but trust me it is a thrilling experience). Welcome to bandland Debbie, you are going to do great !

Hi Kingbird I see we are practically neighbours. Have you checked out the canadianlapbanders group on yahoo? There is usually a local luncheon each month somewhere in the GTA. It is a great place to meet fellow bandsters. Congratulations on getting banded

I do not have a soy allergy, but I try to avoid it due to thyroid issues. I have used whey based protiens. Another option is to avoid protien powders altogether and make "shakes" using eggs. Pretty soon you will be off liquids, and you will be able to take in "real food" to get your protien. Congratulations on getting banded

I didnt have to give up coffee for the band.........but I did a 3 week liver cleanse earlier this year. I substituted green tea at the beginning. It still has caffeine so I did not get the withdrawal headaches, so it was just getting used to not having the yummy taste.

Hi Michelle I met someone yesterday who was banded in Ontario, and lives in Newfoundland. She was banded at SWLC in Mississauga, and received the name of a doctor affiliated with the clinic that will do fills. The Doc is in St Johns. Where are you getting banded? I am sure the clinic can give you the name of docs.

Hi Restless I think we are in agreement. We just used different words. Anorectics are not healthy, a really really low cal diet is not healthy. My point was that if you eat too little, you will lose weight (although not in a healthy way). As you stated, if you are not eating enough, your body will begin to feed on fat/muscle and other tissue. Therefore you will lose weight (not gain weight) from eating too little, you will be very skinny, but also very unhealthy.