YorkieMama

Thanks for your post - you really have a lot of good information in it. Believe it or not, I live in the Dallas area and was already looking at Dr. Kasdan for when I am ready to move forward with a breast reduction. I still have around 50 pounds to go to get to my goal, and I have lost around 120, so it seems like I am very similar to where you were on your first visit. I don't know how I will ever muster enough courage to go into a plastic surgeon's office and bare all, but I know it needs to be done. I was wearing an "I" cup before my surgery and I am now wearing 38DD. Because I know my body from years of yo-yo dieting, I don't really think that the cup size is going to go down much more. Thanks again for sharing your information. It makes me feel a little better about the idea of going in for a consult - but I do think I will still wait until I am closer to my goal. Sheri

Have you considered trying a different type of mask? I used a CPAP for about two years starting right before my surgery, and I used the nasal pillows mask. I didn't think I could stand to have my whole face covered. I never had any problem with swelling - the only problem I had was that the straps left marks on my face that lasted most of the morning. I hope you get it figured out so that it will work for you. I know that the CPAP made a world of difference for me when I first started it, and I never would have known that I needed it except that my Lapband surgeon sent me for a sleep test. Good Luck! Sheri

Ha! Funny you should ask - I actually exploded the magic bullet one day (at work no less) by mixing a diet root beer. The root beer was actually a lot fizzier than other sodas I used. But if you use a blender there is a lot of extra room. You can always open the soda ahead of time and let it sit, but I never had to do that. I agree about the chicken broth flavor - it was gross. Did your doctors office just give you a variety of flavors or did you get to pick? Mine let me swap out some flavors once I figure out which ones I liked better. Don't get me wrong - nothing is going to make these taste delicious. But in the end, it will all be worth it. Sheri

It might not seem like it now, but you can do it! Does your doctor allow you to have diet drinks during the liquid diet? I also had to do a two-week liquid diet of Optifast. I found that they were easier to drink if I mixed the powder with diet soda instead of Water. For example, I would mix the vanilla flavor with a diet orange soda. I also would add a drop or two of flavored extracts. Do you have any of the tomato Soup Optifast? I actually found that I really liked it and would have it several times a day. Just be sure to mix it with a blender or magic bullet before you heat it. You want to be sure that the powder is all dissolved. The first few days are the worst - once you get through them, the rest of the time will fly by. Good luck! Sheri

Beth - Congratulations on getting a date for your seminar. I had my surgery almost 17 months ago and it was the best thing I ever did for myself. Let me know if you have any questions. I'll be glad to try to answer anything I can. Your username caught my eye - I wonder why??? It looks like we are both southern girls - I live near Dallas. I have two yorkies: a 7-year old boy named Buddy and a 3-year old girl named Prissy. Good luck! Sheri

Froggi - Don't stress out too much over it. Look at it this way - if you do have sleep apnea you will be able to get a CPAP machine and you will feel 1000 times better. I didn't know just how tired I was until I got my CPAP. You might get lucky and only have to do one night - it depends on the lab and the situation. My apnea was severe enough that they woke me up in the middle of the night to put the mask on and then did the titration for the second half of the night. I think they call it a split study. The goop in the hair is a problem - you will definitely want to wash it out in the morning. If you are having other tests done in the hospital that morning you could probably wait until you get home. Try bringing a headband or something that could partially cover it up. I think I got my result the following week - I know I had my CPAP 10 days after the sleep study. Good Luck! Oh - bring your own pillow for sure - it will help you get to sleep. Also, check out www.cpaptalk.com if you want more info on sleep studies.

Congratulations Laura! A new baby is always so exciting, and it looks like you have some ladies here that are even more excited than you are. You guys are such a great group of girls. I hope you don't mind me peeking in on you every now and then even though I'm not really a Shrinking Violet. I have picked up some good advice/ideas from this group over the last year. I guess I have always just been too shy to post until last week. It seems like between all of you there is always something going on here. Thanks for being so open and willing to share!! Sheri

You guys are all so nice! I should have known you would be so welcoming after reading your posts for so long. Judy - Yes, I have two yorkies that are my babies as well. I am single and do not have any children so my dogs have always been my babies. I have a 6-year old named Buddy and a 2-year old named Prissy. We also have a Shih-Tzu named Gidget and I must say that she is much better behaved than the yorkies. Tracy - I don't know about pictures. I did start taking monthly pictures at the beginning (inspired by your example). But then we kind of petered off once the weight loss slowed down some. I say "we" because my sister Cindy also had lapband surgery last summer - her's was in June and she has also lost about 80 pounds. I'll have to see if I have the nerve to post pictures sometime. Terry - I wouldn't consider myself anyone's hero, but thanks for the compliment! We also have a few things in common - I live in Texas, we are very close in age, and I am caring for my mother who was disabled by a stroke several years ago. Jane - Thanks for the welcome! Sheri

I hope you girls don't mind an intruder butting in, but I just had to post to let Tracy know how fabulous that haircut is! It makes your eyes look huge and I really think it makes you look younger. I know you are having issues with your DH, but I think he will change his tune on the hair the second he sees you. As you can see, I have not been much of a poster since joining LBT - I'm more of a lurker. I do read your thread from time to time just because I think you girls are a great group. I was first drawn in by TracyinKS's amazing shrinking woman pictures last summer. Today is actually my bandiversary and I am down 80 pounds, so I would like to thank all of the Shrinking Violets for your inspiration. Sheri

Any chance you are on blood pressure meds? I had this same thing happen to me after several months, particularly when bending over or standing up quickly. It turned out that my blood pressure had gone down and I needed to lower my dosage of the BP meds. There is a thread on here somewhere that talks about it, but I don't remember where I saw it. You've done a great job so far - keep up the good work! Sheri