voodookitty

wow, Tracy! I love the updated photos. You look AMAZING....so beautiful!

Hi All, I am scheduled for my surgery on August 25 and this past Saturday I started my pre-op diet to shrink my liver. So I've been doing my nasty shakes, Soup and a "sensible" dinner which has mainly been Protein and veg..absolutely no carbs and starches other than whats in the shakes they gave me. I just got one of these high falootin' fancy scales at my office that I ordered. It measures BMI and weight in every form according to height, etc. So all excited I step on the damn thing only to find it says I have lost ONE freakin pound since my consultation. I'm ready to just puke. All these headaches, weakness, nausea and no cheating for one pound. I called the hubs and he said, well, you're weighing mid-day, you're fully clothed, etc. Don't worry it will be less tomorrow morning. Oh pooo! Okay, peoples..just how darn much can a blouse, bra, drawers, and slacks weigh??? lol 'Scuse me while I go kick something.:heh:

Hi all, I had to update my pic so I could show ya'll. I have cheekbones again!!!!! Surgery was on the 25th and I lost 12 pounds the first week, so that makes 16 total with pre-op measly 4 pounds. I can only see it in my face as yet and my hands since my wedding ring is really loose now. (angling for mo betta sparklies soon) Now you know why I'm smiling so big in my pic! lol xoxox:bounce:

Hi all, well as of this morning I am down 20 pounds but thats not my major accomplishment. Before this band I would do anything I could to avoid getting off my butt and doing any form of exercise. Here I live in one of the most beautiful countrysides in the world and I rarely do much but ride by the sites. This weekend my husband managed to talk a moaning, bitching, reluctant me into talking a walk through one of our forest parks. Being this soon out of surgery, etc I had a million excuses. I sheepishly told him on the way there that we'd have to turn around when I got out of breath or started hurting. Imagine my surprise when we started this walk and by the time it was over I had walked over a mile and a half! I can go up and down stairs without gasping for breath now. I just did a major walk without getting winded and my hubs says I rarely snore now. Now that's with only 20 pounds less. I can only imagine how much better its going to get!:whoo:

We both went through the Healthier Weight Centre, they offer unlimited free refills for one year.

There are so many different regulations on this. Every doctor is different. I was banded by Franco favretti, the Italian doctor that fitted the second lap band ever done worldwide. He now teaches other docs worldwide in banding and continues to develop the best way to avoid complications. I am so impressed by him and I felt honored to be one of the few patients lucky enough to secure a appt with him. That said my advice was: 7 day pre-op diet to shrink the liver (protein shakes and sensible dinn) post op: 3 weeks of liquids 3 weeks of purees then progression into solids. First fill at 8 weeks Then 3 days of liquids/puree of liquids after a fill. Now that is very conservative compared to what alot of doctor's say but the patients at the clinic I go through have a very very low rate of problems with their bands IF they follow the program. It's hard and it sucks and I wish sometimes my doc was as easy going as alot of docs but after spending nearly 15k self pay on this the last thing I want to do is screw it up because I've been too hasty or anxious to do what *I* wanted. My advice would be listen to your doctor but educate yourself, its better to be more cautious in the beginning while you're healing then to regret it later on and end up in surgery again or doing harm to yourself. If his speciality is gastric bypass over the lapband then it may be why he's so lax. Their rules are very different to ours. Best wishes to you in your journey and please don't think I'm trying to say any other doctor's but mine are wrong because I'm not...only that it is better to go with caution sometimes rather than over confidence.

Hi Wen, I live in Macclesfield just outside Manchester. Feel free to contact me as I would love to meet up for a coffee or something. I am also an American married to a Brit.

Don't worry. I was banded on the same day as Fairydust and we seemed to work one another through the nerves. lol I felt like you too. I wanted to lose weight but I was also scared about changing my lifestyle. Even though food is our enemy because we couldn't control ourselves, it was also a best friend because it always was there. It's hard to break up even a harmful relationship because we get used to things and don't like change...it's no different when it's your relationship with food. Just like a 'human' breakup the pain lessens every day until you just can't feel that remorse any longer. Maybe not the best comparison but the best I could do first thing in the morning sans coffee. lol

Welcome! I'm sure you will find this to be the most exciting and rewarding journey of your life!!!

I'm originally from New Orleans but now living in the UK with my British hubs. I am soooooo homesick! I'm stil in my liquids phase and can't wait for my mushies so I can make some red beans minus the rice. lol

(Shaking head) I feel for you, sweetie. Geez, I'm still on liquids for another week but if I were in your place I would hate that. My hubs has been very supportive and even nags me to eat more (drink rather lol). My mom has been a bit funny about it. She keeps nuerosing over all the things I can't have anymore. I'm like mom, ys, I may get pissed for about a minute if my body rejects something I love later down the road but I can still have what I like just not as MUCH of it. I think part of the trick seems to be not to deprive yourself because when all of us did just that on all these diets over the years we'd end up binging. If you take a bite or two usually it will satisfy that craving. I agree completely with the choice you made. Well done!

I've only lost 20 pounds so far but I went from a 44 DDD to now wearing a 42 DD. I doubt they'll go below a DD in cup size as I did have a breast lift and enlargement 9 years ago. Even when I was thin a million years ago I was a 32C.

Bjean, I have that kind of relationship with a few of my friends. Sadly since I've moved to the UK its been difficult for me to be very helpful to them with all the time changes. At least here in the UK it's not considered weird or satanic to do what I do. The US can be so narrow-minded about it. I'll have to watch Moulin Rouge again, maybe it is one of those films one just doesnt get the first time around. As per coke, I dropped weight really quickly when on it but the harm it caused was by far worse than any good it did at the time. I do know what you mean about doing anything to los weight. I'm sure I did myself endless amounts of harm using stackers all those years. It's really bad for your heart.

I can so relate to that, Kacee. I mean I still weight as much right now as I did when I was 6 months pregs with my son but at least its going down!

Hello all, I wanted to write an update to my status. I was banded on the 25th as many of you know and so far it's been a real eye opener. I did not expect to be in as much pain as I was that first week. I thought I'd be able to return to work after a couple days and I ended up having to take the whole week off. So now this is my first week back at work and the only thing that bugs me is sitting at my desk for so many hours at a time straight off. I also work in an ancient Victorian building so we have only staircases and my office is on the second floor, so I'm up and down stairs all day. (good way to get my steps in, I guess) All my surgi-strips are off now and everything is healing quite nicely. I still look like I've gone a few rounds in the ring with my bruising around the long incisions. One of them looks kinda sunken in where they had to put a extra stitch in the muscle wall. I told my doc I hope I don't heal all dented like that but he assures me it won't....hmmmm. The other incisions are completely flat so this one bugs me. I guess the biggest news is so far I've lost 12 pounds. It may be more than that as I started my monthly two days ago so not sure how much Water retention will be there. I only lost 4 pre-op so I was scared things would go slowly. I have two more weeks left on liquids then 3 weeks of mucshies, then on to solids...it feels like forever because I would love to chew something. I do get the odd hunger pain (or head hunger, not sure) but for the most part I just find it challenging enough to keep choking down those damn Protein shakes and Soups. I am managing 2 litres of water a day (yuck) It's more boredom than hunger I think????:bored

Congrats on your loss, you're doing really well! It's a whole new you in progress!

Congrats, ya'll! I know what you mean, I can't wait til it stats showing in the body too. I can hook my bra easier but thats about it. lol

Congrats on your 12 pounds too! Doesn't it just rock to finally see the scale going in the opposite direction?? lol

Ohhhh, Thank you so much! That really means alot. I have been so thrilled to find my cheekbones again. Fun...wow, I hope so. My clients seem to think so becaue I'm certainly getting alot of bookings now for sessions. Ohhh and to Bjean regarding coke.....I know you were joking but despite how it's glorified in movies and such...coke is a terrible terrible drug. not that I think there are any good ones out there. I have been clean for 12 years now but if I see it being used in a movie.....I still go all shivery and can actually taste it.

Hello, oh that made me laugh. I wish I was! I actually didnt really like the ML movie. I guess I just didnt "get it". Thanks for the compliment but really despite how weird I sound I'm like every other person on here...addicted to food and trying to lose weight with this darn ole LB.

It's one in the same..welcome to ketosis. It means your body is doing what it's supposed...getting rid of all that oogly fat. I too started having ketosis a couple days after my surgery and it's still there. I keep brushing my teeth and tongue and also found if I drink peppermint tea that it seems to help with the cleanse from inside out.

Awww thanks so much. That gave me a warm fuzzy. Frog,that truly made me crack up. I'll have to remember that.

Wow, thanks so much. That's very flattering. I wish I was a nurse but the reality is I work in my hubs law firm by day and psychic by night. lol As per having another surgery. The good thing about my TT is that even when I piled weight back on I never really gained anything in that area. There I was at 284 with no tummy, weird huh. I think I may get away with not having another one because I even had a baby with the TT and it didnt affect it at all. I will need some work done on my bum, and thighs and my boobs need doing again. I had them lifted and enlarged at the same time as my TT but a boob job doesnt fare well after several years and tons of weight gains and losses.

I agree, that is a truly fantastic result. Tell us what you're doing!!!

Wow, thats exactly what I meant about recovery, Shelby. It takes everyone different times to heal. It's all very individual and has nothing to do with what kind of person we are or how we personally handle pain. It bugs me when I see people on here criticize others in a offhand way for having pain or not returning to work when 'they' did. What I found with my steri strips is they looked much ickier than they actually were. Most of the matter that was showing thru the strips was all dried goo. I carefuly lifted the strips to see if they actual incision was dried, if so I just took it off and carefully cleaned the area with a mild baby soap and let the air get to it for a couple days. Oxygen is just the greatest thing to aid in healing. I've learned that from my plastic surgeries. After the incisions were fully dried and not goopy looking I started applying A & D ointment (get it at walmart in the baby aisle where the diapers, ointments and wipes are) that I had left over in the cabinet from my son's diaper rash days. As of today even my scabs are gone and it's new skin coming in. That ointment is fantastic.