DevilMayKare

I WISH I had vision loss--then part of the surgery might have been covered. My upper lids didn't droop all that much. I went to the PS because of the dark circles & bags under my eyes. It wasn't even really an age thing so much as I ALWAYS looked tired. Sometimes I would be feeling really good and then see myself in the mirror & think "Oh! You must be tired!" Then I would FEEL tired. The PS "analyzed" my face (quite an experience in itself) and sugguested I would get a better outcome with the upper lid done also --it wasn't that much more getting them both at once-- so I decided I might as well MAX out the Visa. What I didn't expect since I had this done it is SO much more fun to put on eye makeup. I've only worn eyemakeup for special occasions for years. Now it makes quite a difference and it's fun to play with the colors. Oh and this is weird... because of the foot surgery I gained weight after the blepharoplasty but when people saw me they would kind of loooook at me and ask, "Have you lost weight?" They couldn't place why I looked better--but they could tell there was an improvement so they would assume I was thinner. THis must have happened at least half a dozen times! Funny, uh?

Yes, I try to tell my sons I'm a goddess all the time. They don't seem to get it tho. Thanks Vera. Yep it's pretty bad for a couple of weeks but WELL worth it! I've kinda got it in my head to get a TT & lipo the January. If Muffinbirdie comes thru with good reviews I'll probably try her doc in TJ. It'd be cool to schedule something at the same time w/ some other Lapbanders. We could get a suite or something and share nursing expenses. What's your time frame and have you got a PS picked out? (I figure January because it's cool enough to wear that "girdle" & after all the Xmas goings'on.)

Well I had to step on and off the scale 3X to get it to behave. It finally gave up and gave me a pound off. (Or maybe that was in the middle of a jump/lean?) Anyway--I'm TAKIN' IT! Down 1.

ROTFLOL!!!

Hi Penni, Is it possible to put the after UNDER the before? It almost hurts to see my "now" self so close to that painful state! But really, whatever you want to do. They're for LBT's enjoyment. Yeah, the strings were very weird. Not everyone has to have this. The doc mentioned something about "might have to attach strings" but I didn't really know what he was talking about. Most people have to have tape under their eyes for about 10 days. I dunno...5 days of strings or 10 days of tape. Oh and all that red turned DEEP PURPLE a couple of days later. It took about 2 more weeks for there to be no bruising. I seem to bruise easily tho. I know people who've had this done who didn't bruise at all.

OH sorry, that's REALLY big! Maybe a kind moderator could cut it down for me?

Okay, here's me 6 mos later...Xmas 04. Sorry I don't think a picture exists w/o me smiling so you can't really see what my eyes look like w/o grin creases. But, I think you can see there is quite a dif from surgery pics!

Well, I didn't have to be "opened" for the band--but I did have an emergency C-section 20 years ago and it did take awhile to recover from. My best advice is to walk as much as possible--about 20 minutes after taking pain meds. I don't know how similar the wounds are, but just walking around the house in circles seems to be good for circulation and healing for most abdominal surgeries. ...and try not to do anything that will make you sneeze!

I've really enjoyed Dr Pleatman's posts also. He's given us some good information. And I'd love to hear what any other Doctor had to say. As far as I'm concerned we cannot have TOO much information. It would be interesting to hear what Dr Lopez had to say about the events cited w/ his patients, but I'm sure he couldn't address the issue because of legal ramifications. I am in a business where I have to be very careful what I say because of legal issues and I would advise everyone to keep in mind that there is advice some professionals might, personally, want to give but cannot because of the liability. But as far as negative experiences with doctors--I think it is very important that we share them here--especially with doctors out of the country. The fact that any bad experience with them is likely to result in negative publicity and therefore loss of income can only act as a deterrent. I believe ALL doctors are going to have some bad outcomes with ANY surgery eventually. It's how they follow up on those problems and whether or not they tried to make it right that really matters to me.

Yes, I remember that "OMIGOD WHAT HAVE I DONE TO MYSELF" feeling. Last August I had my eyes done (upper & lower lids) and there's nothing quite like looking at your swollen face with two black stitched-up eyes! Actually I didn't really intend to have any "work" done this early in the game, but I found out I had to have foot surgery and when the podiatrist said I'd need to take 2 wks off work I decided I wasn't likely to be able to afford that much time off again anytime soon so I ended up going to a plastic surgeon and scheduled the eye surgery. The foot surgery was w/ Kaiser and I didn't want them to cancel it so I told them NOTHING about my intended eye job. My foot surgery was the first of the day (7 a.m.) 2 days after my eye surgery and they were quite surprised when I walked in all swollen and bruised! I had my PS write on a prescription that it was ok for me to have the foot surgery. When the nurse asked if the foot surgeon knew I'd just had PS, I just handed her the doc's note. No one said anything to me about it after that. Kind of amazing how much credibility you can get JUST by having a doctor's okay. Anyway, recovering from both at the same time really worked out pretty well. Pain killers handled both the eye and the foot pain but the whole experience is blurred together. And after the healing it was totally magical to look in the mirror and recognize my eyes from 15-20 years ago! It's one of the best things I ever did for myself. Believe me, the pain will pass and you are going to be SOOOOO HAPPY you did this! (I'll try to find some B&A pics to post tomorrow) Maybe this thread should be moved to the PS section?

Well just think about THE (after) PICTURES we are all waiting for over in the PS section! Ya don't wanna add a new potbelly to the photo do ya? STOP "EATING LIKE A PIG" and focus on your beautiful new and $$$expensive$$$ body! We're all waiting for the inspiration and everyone knows the best way to be inspired is to inspire. Now SHOW US!!

YUCK!! Bet we aren't going to be seeing that on menus anytime soon!

Not necessarily. I don't know how to say this without sounding unhappy--or just terribly ungrateful for the gift of life... but not necessarily. I'm not the least afraid of death, while I am terrified of a few other things. I could say a lot here... but who would want to read all that?! Someday perhaps we'll meet and have a good ol talk.

Omigosh--I forgot about that one!! That stuff was SOOOOO HORRIBLE!! Wasn't it made out of--cow's bone marrow or something? I remember having to hold my nose to gulp down the 4 ounces or whatever it was. And often I would start to gag anyway. I think they stopped that diet because people were dying, didn't they? (But just because I 'member it, don't think I'm going along w/ the "old-timer" jazz, dearie. lol)

To quote the most darling DeLarla... "... tons of us already tried Nutrisystem and many other expensive and useless diets. Save your money and be patient. Just my opinion." That got me thinking of all the things I have tried over the years. I was wondering if anyone can beat me for crazy weight loss schemes? Here are my 2 most over-the-top: 1) Having my jaws wired for 2 months. (Actually, they just wire your teeth shut. Worked pretty well, only I started to go crazy not being able to brush my teeth... oh, and the "mumbling" got to be a bit much!) 2) Going to the Shick Center (now defunct). Oh my...I paid a fortune for the whole treatment, but couldn't take the torture after 3 weeks. And I DO mean torture. They "desensitize" you to your "problem" foods. Here's what they did to get me over french fries... After having me take a handfull and SQUEEEEZE the grease out of them they sat me in front of a full-length mirror, hooked me to electrodes and had me watch myself while I stuffed handfulls of fries in my mouth chewing WHILE being SHOCKED, having fish emulsion sprayed in my face and being yelled at by the "counselor." Okay--let's see if anyone can top that for self-abuse? (BTW it was years before I could enjoy a fry again.)

My biggest fear is when I get there I'll just look OLD. That's why--for ME--I'm trying to focus more on what my inside looks like. ....NOT that I also don't have every intention of saving up for some PS!

No doubt in my mind you know more than she does. In a perfect world only fat people would have credibility in these things, cuz anyone who has dieted as much as most of us have has learned a FEW things along the way. A skinny person who thinks they know about dieting is like a deaf person who reads a musical and thinks they can carry a tune. (Or something like that...) But what I wanted to say... a strange observation I have had over the years is that if I stay on 800 cals for any length of time my metab just shuts down. To lose consistently I NEED an avg of 1200 cals a day--AND EXERCISE. I eat 12-1400 cals, RUN on the elliptical 20 minutes every morning and walk 40 minutes EVERY night & I'm consistently losing 2-3 pounds a week. I already know after I've lost another 10 I'm going to need to increase my workout time or intensity. On 800 cals I absolutely would not have the energy to exercise this much. Ms. Moon--I say bend over and give your nutritionist the BIG MOON!!

Yep...fish emulsion really needs to be EXPERIENCED to know what we're talking about. After my french fry desensity I threw up in the parking lot. Those counselors...you really had to wonder what kind of person takes a job like that. I paid however much it was you had to pay upfront (ALOT) but while driving to my 4th visit (envisioning what was to come) I couldn't stop crying, finally turned the car around and never went back. I think the Schick WL plan died for lack of "word of mouth." So many of these things rely on at least SOME referrals. Sure can't imagine referring a FRIEND there! But DeLarla if I'm your alter ego, am I THE GOOD DeLarla, or the BAD DeLarla? P.S. thanks for correcting my spelling. I knew there was another c in there somewhere!

<...My mind's picture of me has always been distorted, whether it was from a temporary but horrific case of poison oak, or the things that other people told me was reality. > WHY O WHY is it so much easier to believe the bad things people tell us than the good? Vines, I am sure you have had people tell you that you are beautiful and sexy. You're such a powerhouse--how could they not? I look at your picture and can so easily imagine you kicking ass in judo. NOT sexy? I seriously doubt it. And I seriously doubt that there weren't any guys who expressed that. But what do we remember and what do we allow to shape our self-perception? Usually the bad stuff. What do I remember more... my wedding vows with the man who thought I was beautiful enough to marry him, or my mother's words: "No one wants to watch a bride waddle up the aisle."??? (I'm divorced, so I suppose those vows HAVE left my head! lol) <If I change the picture I see in my mind, perhaps I can change my reality.> Maybe... whatever works for you IS my mantra, but I don't think you are going to change your reality if you give the bad things more credance than the good. <I was banded for purely physical vanity. Well, that and the fear of a lingering death from resperatory failure. 100% of my other attempts at weight loss were purely based on physical desire on my part. Vanity again.> Yeah, but life IS vanity so it's hard to escape ! You know why I got banded? Because of pointlessness, hopelessness--existential ennui. I don't know if losing weight will ultimately make me feel different, but getting banded seemed like a good step to take before I did something REALLY drastic. Oh, but I didn't really mean to get into that. (Please don't get the idea I'm depressed--I'm not at all. It's a practical take on my personal existence.) But now about vanity and souls and the state of our physical beings... at what point are we satisfied? Does being thin do it? Because I've lost over thirty pounds and can already see the new lines in my face. If I'm skinny but look 20 years older am I going to feel good about it? Doubt it. Somewhere in this it seems like I'm going to have to attain some sort of acceptance of my soul. Is a "light" spirit more easily celebrated than a "heavy" one? I guess we'll see, uh? I am not going to re-read this msg. Let me know if it makes any sense.

oH MAN! I gotta get OUT (and STAYOUT!!!) of this thread! You guys are making me huuuuuuuungry. (shoot! It's been awhile since I've had a twinkie craving.)

Oh my. What a horrible thing for someone to do to their kid! I'm so sorry they did that to you. I remember taking a bottle of aspirin in 5th grade after my mother told me she was embarrassed to be seen with me. I think it was the same mindset that I would feel so bad I would change my behaviors. And as far as families go, mine was relatively good. But regarding visualizing our "thin" selves... since thin or fat, short or tall we're all going to end up as wrinkled old hags (or...what's the masculine form of "hag"??) in the end, perhaps we should visualize our souls. I don't mean in any sort of religious way--but in a fundamental recognition of who we are. Maybe because I only know people on this forum thru words in cyberspace I have a very distinct "picture" of some "essences" on here. Vines, your indomitable, generous spirit comes bounding thru. If you could see your "Soul" (for lack of a better term) in my mind's eye you would surely smile.

Get a box of twinkies, cut each twink into 3, arrange on plate with fancy toothpicks piercing each one. I promise you there won't be any left!

I agree. The first 3 days are the hardest, after that it is so much easier I didn't want to cheat because I knew the hunger pangs would be back. You CAN do it! Keep your hands and mouth busy, drink a lot of Water and get some nice teas. We'll all send some sympathy pains your way!

A diet where you eat only hot dogs! Oh man, I almost choked on a blueberry when I read that! You know what's the craziest thing about when I went to Shick? At the time I was in my twenties in college and a whopping 145 pounds! Yes, my disgustingly fat body to myself at 23 is my fantasy goal weight now! I really looked fine--I just didn't look great in a bikini. Thank God I have no desire to wear a bikini these days!