Fanny Adams

Oh wow! That's a big NSV!! Good for you!! You should feel very proud of yourself.

My turn! Wow it feels good to post pics I'm not ashamed of... (Sorry about the full screen pics but the attachment thingy kept giving me error messages Before @ 275lb: Today @ 215lb:

Why are you making an appointment for the psych, Sunwyse? I thought it was only our US friends that had to jump through that hoop for their insurance. I didn't know there were any insurance companies in Aus that were requiring that. Or are you just going for your own benefit, not because it's part of the requirement? If so, good for you, they are very useful and most of us have issues around food that could benefit from some professional advice.

Our Medicare and insurance system is just so different to folk outside of Aus, that I didn't think this was worthwhile asking in the plastic surgery forum. I'm only part way into my journey and have a long way to go, but I know I'm going to need a major boob lift and tummy tuck when I get to goal. I just spoke with my insurance agency on Friday and they've said basically if Medicare accepts the surgery as medically necessary and pays their share, then my insurance covers the balance, no questions asked. This is a darned sight easier than the runaround dramas that our US friends have to go through, but I'm still left wondering how do I go about proving "medical necessity"? If I just go for the pannelectomy, I've heard that I need to be able to establish a history of rashes and infections under the flappy belly, so does that mean I should start going to the doc now and getting that history recorded? It might take a bit of a stretch too, as I used to get lots of them but not so much now that I've stopped trying to prevent them with Nappy Rash powders. I found those powders were the worst ever in inducing the fungus and rashes - should I start using them again to bring on the rashes, so I will get approved? Are rashes enough to warrant the breast lift? Coz I used to get sweat rashes so badly that I have full half moon circles of scarring underneath each boob, but again, now that I've stopped the powders, these don't occur half as much. I'm not sure I could stand to bring those on again, even if it would save the money - they SUCKED!!! What other ways have people used to get Medicare to accept a boob lift as a medical necessity? Or can't it be done? Is the pannelectomy the only one they'll go for, or have some people been able to get the full tummy tuck or lower body lift?

Heheh - I guess so! I was reading the title of the thread and thinking "Interesting article? As interesting as "Why it's lighter outside in the daytime than at night" or "Why a diet of icecream and KFC makes you fat"" It just seems a no-brainer that running burns more calories than walking - because it takes so much more effort!! Which is probably why I don't do it, coz I'm a lazy sod :teeth_smile: *edits* Ok, this time I read the article and I guess the idea about equal calories is pretty prevalent out there. It doesn't make any sense to me though - I KNOW I work harder when I run (which I am still avoiding whenever possible, hehe) so it would never have occurred to me to think walking would burn the same.

Wicked! There's hope for me yet! Thanks, Chickie!

Congrats on your achievements Danni! Whoohoo! Way to go, girl!

Can I ask what medical grounds they gave for the TT? I think my GP would be cooperative but I'm not sure that I really have any grounds, other than cosmetic, but if there is anything that a slightly...let's say creative way of presenting the case might help, I'd like to know :teeth_smile:

Hi and welcome Ange. Don't worry too much about the surgery. Complications are really very rare. You have to remember that forums like this will not represent the true percentages as many successful people don't post and those with complications tend to gravitate here, so it is weighted to show a higher rate than it really is. I've had a lot of surgeries in my life and this was the easiest one by far. Just take it easy, follow the guidelines and you won't regret it. I know I haven't regretted it for a moment - best thing I ever did for myself.

"So next time someone says to you, Oh its great you like to run but you're wasting your time. Walking burns more fat." Huh?? I'm no athlete and have even been slacking off in the walking department, let alone run, but who the heck thinks walking burns more calories than running? I have to admit I was thinking "Gee, Jachut, that's a bit of a 'der freddy' statement, isn't it?" until I saw that line of yours. Obviously some people have said it to you but where on earth would they get that idea from?

My doctor didn't insist upon giving up but he highly recommended it. He explained it in terms of healing and recovery time. Smokers have diminished oxygen supplies in their blood because the carbon monoxide (amongst other things) is bonding with the haemoglobin, instead of oxygen. This makes healing slower and the chances of infections and skin necrosis on scar areas higher - all scary things. I couldn't face the idea of giving up entirely but I could cope with the thought of it being temporary. I used Patches for the two weeks leading up to the surgery and was genuinely surprised at how well they worked. I kept them up for 2 weeks after the surgery too, but have gradually slipped back into smoking. I haven't made the mental transition yet that says "I WANT to give up" so it's not happening long term, but I am also finding that I am smoking less now than before (about half). I also found that the patches really helped control the hunger pangs when on the pre-op diet and in the post-op phase. I have a hard time telling the difference between "I'm hungry" and "I want a cigarette", so having the patches also worked to kill some of the hunger pangs beforehand, and having the band is helping to kill some of the smoking cravings afterwards.

Well done for telling your story. I think that there is something cathartic about putting it out there, that does us good, no matter what our story is. I know it was one of the first titles that drew my eye when I came to this board last October, but it was months before I posted in this thread. I circled around it a lot and came in to start, only to chicken out and leave. I thought about my answer for a long time before I felt comfortable enough to respond, even though I was spouting off left, right and centre in other threads. It is an awesome question that, if taken seriously, cuts right to the heart of the matter and can be the inspiration for some deep reflections and self-insight.

Fabulous post, shinyhappymommy! It's good to see the positive stories coming back again. I think the positive/negative thing on the boards goes in waves but I much prefer the positive times! My story is much the same - losing slowly but steadily, ecstatic with my progress which is right on plan, really enjoying eating small solid well balanced meals without huge struggles with hunger, had great support from everyone around me, haven't regretted my choice for a moment! I can relate to your comment about not wanting to brag, too. Sometimes it feels like if you post about your successes, all you are doing for those who are struggling is rubbing their noses in it, so we refrain. But we need to remember that people are using this site to investigate their options and they want to hear the positives and the success stories too!

Well I don't have little kids, so I didn't have to face the problem of whether or not to pick them up every day, but I do have small grandchildren and I know I held off from doing that for a couple of weeks. When I wanted to cuddle, I would sit down and get them on my lap, rather than bend over and pick them up. Not sure if this is an option for you, but I think you should try to take it easy as far as you can. They say you can be back at work within a week, and if you are not doing a physically demanding job, that's probably true. However, it will take several weeks before you are FULLY healed, even if most of the pain and swelling has gone fairly quickly. I'd give myself the best possible chance to heal properly by taking it easy on anything that will stress the abdomen for at least 4 weeks or so. If that's not always possible, just be as careful as you can be and take things slowly.

Thanks for the input everyone. I'm really struggling with this, because I have never known myself to be petty and jealous like this before, but it does seem to be a problem now. I know that I really am happy for my friend, and happy for others when I hear about their losses, so I'm just slapping myself when I hear that nasty voice and telling it to go away. I hope it works soon, because I really don't like this new feature of mine. To be completely honest, it's not just with my friend. It's happening anywhere I hear about weightloss. I read other people's tickers and if they've lost more than me, I'm jealous, if they've lost less, I feel smug. If someone has started their journey from a lower scale point than I'm currently at, I think "Bitch, don't tell me how fat and disgusting you felt when you started! I'm celebrating just getting to that point and I think I look good!". These are horrible, nasty thoughts and I'm really not like that!! I don't get it at all and I wish it would stop! *slaps self* *sighs* Maybe I'm just PMSing and really letting it get to me at the moment *checks calendar* I have heard that weight loss releases lots of hormones back into your system and can make you really moody for a while - maybe that's what it is? If so, I hope my body adjusts itself soon because I don't like this. *edits* Removed a bit that was just unnecessary and might upset others, which I didn't want to happen because I know I didn't mean it. :teeth_smile:

My understanding (which may or may not be right) is that erosion is when the band starts to "eat into" and wear away the wall of your stomach. Think of wearing a wristband too tight, or the way a really tight wedding ring eats into your finger or a too-tight collar on a cat or dog will eat into their neck. As far as I know, the major cause is having the band too tight or overeating constantly and putting extra pressure on the band. This is different from slippage, which is where part of the stomach from below the band slips up through it and then swells up, closing your stoma. That is usually caused by the band becoming detached from where it was stitched to your stomach wall, usually from excessive vomiting causing the stiches to tear loose. Apparently erosion often doesn't have that many symptoms until it has progressed quite a way and become quite serious. If it wears all the way through the stomach, it can be very dangerous and often requires having the band removed altogether. Slippage is more easily detected (pain, acid reflux and not being able to swallow water) and is also more easily fixed (if caught early, a liquid diet until the swelling goes down can make it slip back down on its own, or a simple readjustment surgery if it has gone further).

Hi and welcome, Carmen. You'll find that there are quite a few nurses and members of the medical profession in here, so you are not alone. There's also a lot of information and support to be found, so take some time and poke about the different forums and threads. I've been on the journey from first decision to now for almost a year and I have to say, I haven't regretted it for a single instant. You'll find a lot of different and sometimes conflicting advice in here. That's fine, it's just because everyone is different and we all approach our issues in different ways. From my short term perspective, the only advice that I would offer is to relax, don't stress yourself or pressure yourself to be "the biggest loser", learn all you can about the band and how it's meant to work and then just let your body make its natural adjustments downwards as the band restricts your portions and the absence of hunger lets you make healthy choices. It's not the fastest way to get to goal, but it is a pleasant one!

I'm glad you said this because I hadn't seen anywhere where anyone had answered Denise's question about positions. Doggy is by far the easiest when you want a little manual stimulation to go with things (and the combination of the two is why that's my favourite! ). Whether it's him doing the reacharound, you doing it yourself, by hand or with a vibe, that position gives you the easiest access. Try it Denise, I think you'll like it :wink2:.

Yay for you, lellow! :wink2: The journey begins!

Whoohoo lellow! Today is your big day! Wishing you all the very best for an easy time and speedy recovery.

I absolutely love all the Non-Scale Victory threads around but I'd like to have a scale victory one too - where we can Celebrate the milestone goals that we reach along the way. I'll start! :thumbup: (you knew that was coming, didn't you?) This morning the scales showed me the magic number 99.9kg! That's the first time I've been under 100kg in I honestly don't know how long, but it must be at least 10 years. I have no idea when I went over 100kg, coz I stopped getting on scales somewhere around 80kg in about 1993 and was shocked to my core when I finally stood on one in 2003 and discovered I was about 110kg. I yo-yo dieted my way from there up to 122kg, and once managed to get down to 102kg for a single magical day, but it all crept back on and I started this journey at my highest ever of 125kg. I VOW I will NEVER be over 100kg AGAIN!!

Oh wow, Stephanie! That's an awesome one!! Good for you!

Dolphin, you've lost 24lb in only 2 months, 2 & half if you include the pre-op time. You're doing fabulously - better than I did and you are losing at ABOVE the average rate. Some people will have lost more than 50lb at the 3 month mark but they are very much the exception, not the rule. Your achievement is excellent and well on track. I know it's hard at the beginning, because in spite of the many times we tell ourselves "this isn't a miracle cure", I think deep down we are all secretly hoping that it will be just that. When everything is new, you are really focussed on the daily reward of the scale and when you don't get that every day, it gets frustrating. Try not to let it get you down and just take a longer term view. In a couple more months, that number will have doubled and you could easily be 48lb down, then 60lb, and so on. I felt very much like you for the first 2 to 3 months - frustrated, worried that it wasn't working, unable to give myself credit for the numbers that I was achieving, but as time goes by, I am becoming more and more relaxed about things. I am only losing at around 4-6lb a month at the moment and guess what? I am FINE with that! After 7 months, that has added up to nearly 60lb and that's a BIG chunk! I have confidence now that the losses will continue, slowly but surely, steadily drifting downwards. I think part of the panic at the beginning of the journey is because we are used to doing "quick loss" diets where we aim to shed 10's of pounds as fast as we can. In the back of our minds, we know that the wonderful ride down is only short-lived, so we want to get down as far as we can before it all falls apart and we start the horrible climb upwards again. THAT DOESN'T HAVE TO HAPPEN THIS TIME!! You can lose slowly - if you stick to the rules, the losses will continue! If you are only halfway sticking to them, you won't regain! As long as you use this tool for portion control and don't start stuffing your face with chocolates and icecream, THE JOURNEY DOESN'T STOP TILL YOU GET TO GOAL! Think about it for a while - that is a wonderful feeling of relief when it really sinks in.

The bit about the tubing caught my eye, Chickie, but I don't know the background. Do you have a separate thread with the details? I am interested to see if this is the same problem that I am having (kink in my tubing), and might be going in for surgery sometime in September to correct. I think it will be a fairly minor procedure and it isn't bothering me at the moment (not interfering with fills), so I'm not even sure I'm going to worry about getting it done. Here's a link to my story: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f78/kink-my-tubing-63672/