nina874

Hopefully forever.

When I had my TT the surgeon automatically gave wan a rejuvenation, a lift, a little bit of lipo, goddamn she looks good now!

Anne summers Rampant Rabbit, by god that thing will blow your socks off! Never found anything that could compare to it. Ann Summers - Rampant Rabbit Wave - Product_ A friend that I bought one for as a birthday gift described it as 'the present that just keeps on giving'

Well said Chickie!! We all started out the same way we just took different paths to get to the end goal, I cannot see what the big deal is. I distrust anyone who is evangelical about anything, there is very rarely a right or wrong in most things, just different opinions or pathways. I looked at other surgeries and chose the band because it suited ME, not because I felt it was superior in any way.Lets all learn to be more tolerant, and if people want to throw their toys out of their pram........ well, let them.

I dont know the answer to this as I sometimes have similar issues, if I get stuck and then PB the whole thing loosens up and I can eat a big meal....... I do wonder sometimes if what I think of as a stuck is actually my fill level, but then it changes daily ( fookin hourly sometimes!) I did get overfilled a few months ago - wow that was stressful - and ended up in the ER getting an emergency unfill, so I know the difference, and I am not too tight.......hmmm I dont know hon. You definatly need to chew and take your time over a meal, I always try to eat while I am online, that way I have a mouthful, type some have another mouthful.... it slows me right down and stops me from trying to cram too much in. I cannot eat any type of bread, I will get stuck instantly, so there is an element of a learning curve. You have to work out what foods work for you by trial and error. The other thing that helps sometimes is having the first 2 or 3 mouthfuls then stopping and walking around, it feels like the band has to loosen up a touch before I can carry on. Sorry I cant be more help hon.

Ahhh you are in what is affectionately known as 'Bandster Hell' that awful phase when you havent had a fill and you are still on the liquids. Hang in there hon, you will move onto the mushies soon, just keep telling yourself that you only have to go through this for a short time. The good news is that it means you are healing nicely, you tend to get hungrier as the swelling goes down!

I think it is a combination of the fact that certain foods will 'sit' in the pouch for longer then others - I find any form of Protein sits in there pretty well - and the fact that some days you are just looser than others. There was a post recently about womens bands being tighter at certain times of the month, and I for one know that my band reacts to my hormones!

Karey - Wow you are going to look amaaaaazing!! I know that it is a bummer when your family arent behind you, but ultimately they havent walked a mile in your shoes either. I know that my DH isnt thrilled at the thought of me having more tweaking, but whilst I respect his veiws I also aknowledge that it aint his body its mine, and it hasn't been his battle, its been mine. I think that you should start a new thread, that way if you put the procedures in the title anyone that is thinking of getting them done will know where to look! That is a lot of surgery, but they reckon that you can only concentrate on one pain at a time anyway, so why not? Are we going to get a new load of before piccies??? Nina x

PMSL @ Green!!!

Alcohol is fine hon, fizzy wine, larger and champers etc may cause you to feel like you are going to pop (and should be avoided!) but a vodka and orange type drink will be fine! In the Uk they dont tend to fill as tight as they do in the US, I can still chug a drink down if I want to, I have never needed to sip my drinks, and I have still lost the weight. Just be aware that there are SHED LOADS of calories in booze, and as it is a liquid it will just slip down, you can google for the calorie content of drinks -some sites have really good lists- and then just factor it in. Hope this helps and if you need any other info just ask! Nina x

Hi Hon, I have different stats to you and I still had a fair chunk cut off, I think about 4lbs of tummy, but if you look on this forum I have piccies of pre op and I was a different shape. I would say that they will cut a shed load off you hon, that is just excess skin. You are going to have an amazing result if you go with a FTT !! It is so disheartening when you have worked so hard to shift the weight and you are left with a body that you still dont like - but thats why god invented plastic surgeons! I booked my PS before I got my band, I knew that I wanted a FTT, and BOY did it motivate me to get as near to goal as I could, but I was still about 28lb off when I went in,they cut off and sucked out about 10lbs and I am 6lb off goal now and it hasn't affected my results - they just get better!

The best way to tell if you will like/need a LBL is to stand side on to the mirror and get a handful of skin from the back/side of your body and hoick it up! If you cant see much difference to your back, ass and thighs then you probably would be happy with a FTT, if it lifts everything up and you think it looks peachy then go for the LBL! I cant comment on prices or recovery as I had a FTT but if you go onto www.makemeheal.com you will see quite a few people posting in the forums who have had, or are going through LBL at the moment.

Ellen -On the waist front, I lost about 4" instantly, and then I have lost another 2-3 as the swelling has gone down. This is partly why I intend to go back and have some more lard cut out, I sooooo want that coke bottle shape, and a do have a fairly good ass even if I say so myself. On the hotel front I stayed at the Reine Astrid, which isn't cheap, but instead of a room you get a mini apartment, with a lounge area and a kitchen. It worked out at about 150 Euros per night, I stayed on for another 2 weeks after the week in hospital, mainly cos I didn't want to be too far from Pascal if something went wrong (like one of my nips dropping off - no wait, that is the next lot of surgery) I am a 'better than safe than sorry' mentality when it comes to bits of me dropping off. Discuss the pain pump with the anaethetist, but make sure that you dont leave it as an option, or you wont get one, I made that mistake! Be firm and tell her that is the pain relief that you want. I am chatting to another woman who is going out to see Pascal in September for a LBL and have been emailing her tips and hints I will copy and paste the advice I have given her if you want. Have you set a fixed date with him yet? Frangi -Not the BVI unfortunately, I would love to hook up, but I am off to Jamaica!!! Cant wait, I have been to Cuba before, but I have never been somewhere that has the Jamaican vibe, so I am a big bundle of excitement! I have heard that crime can be an issue but , hell I used to live in Manchester (or Gunchetser as it was fondly known) so I am sure that I will be able to keep my nose clean for 8 weeks! My sister loves the Amalphi Coast, I have thought about moving within Europe, but I have to consider the language barrier for the kids. I reckon that if I do 8 weeks a year in the sun I might be content....... I hate the weather here! The place that I live at the moment is very rural and quite isolated from the rest of the UK, but it is very very safe. Are you talking about the Fijian Islands? My sis loved them when she went round the world, she keeps telling me to go there! How come you live out there then? Were you born there, or is it work related?

Ahhh I have been MIA, but life has been good! I have been on holiday to Mexico - worn a bikini - got a tan, and now I am looking forwards to my holiday to the Maldives - getting a deeper tan- and wearing hipster jeans! Its the simple things in life....... :biggrin: Is Mrs Ousooner a happy lady now? Nina x

Well that sounds really gross...... I cant imagine that it helped the nausea any! I hope they find whats causing it hon or you are going to waste away. So what date dya think they are going to give you? I suppose that you are going to have to do it so that you will be ok for Christmas, or is it just me that has to plan everything so that it doesnt interfere with that? How come you are going for a LBL after the TT, are they going to redo the tummy bit, or is it just a butt lift? Nina x

I cant help you with the question, I had a TT at the same time as you but so far (thank god) I have managed to keep losing/maintaining, but I can point yo uin the right direction for an answer. I bet if you go onto www.makemeheal.com there will be people on the TT forum who can help.

Saw it and posted a response. It was mainly about GB but I figured that if someone who had just been/was about to be banded read it they would freak. I put the addy for LBT on there so that people who did freak can come here if they want and see the truth for themselves. I hate sensationalism news.

I 'managed' my mums alchoholism for about 15 years, we tried everything, hiding all the booze, taking her car keys off her, locking her indoors, crying , pleading etc etc etc. The one thing that I never did was stop loving her, which was unfortunate really as I followed AlAnons advice and eventually withdrew all support, thus trying to make her 'hit rock bottom'..... she died 2 weeks later. It would have been a hell of a lot easier if I hadnt loved her so much, and it would have been a hell of a lot easier to deal with the grief if I hadnt been tortured with the knowledge of what had happened in the 2 weeks that I withdrew my support. If you are sure that you brother is going to die and you love him, then I suggest that you try to make the most of the time that you have with him, cherish the sober moments, make sure he cant harm anyone else, make it as difficult as possible for him to get drink, and try to remember that he is your brother and that you love him.

I lost my mum 10 years ago to cirrosis of the liver, after 15 years of living with -as we affectionatly called her - the ninjashebitch from hell. I loved her to pieces and still find it hard to come to terms with it all sometimes. I was given loads of advice including the 'let them hit rock bottom'.....she did.... and then she died. In my experiance the problem with that advice is, after they are gone you are left with the knowledge/guilt/horror that you abandoned them. Just my honest opinion Nina x

Hmmm yup the flight back would be a tad uncomfortable, 10 hours sat in the same position.....let me think... nooooooo!! Whereabouts in the caribbean are you, you lucky devil? I am planning an 8 week trip out there next summer! I dream about moving out there (or anyhere that isnt the UK), I drive my family to distraction moaning about living in the UK, and periodically I come up with insane plans for how we can all move somewhere warm, the kids live in fear of what my next plan will be!

Pinksoprano - Sorry I have hijacked your thread hon, how are you doing? Nina x

PMSL at the 'assuming I survive' comment, nice pragmatic approach hon! Yup Pascal is a sweety, I drove him demented though....lol.... in fact tell him that Mrs Coulson sends him a big hug! I got on really well with him and I liked the fact that he isn't at all condesending. Yes I am very happy with my results so far, I have say that at 6 months out my shape is still improving, you get the initial WOW and then you have to be patient....very very patient! I love Pascal, he calls it as he sees it, which can be a shock, but he is always honest. I am sorry that you had such a negative experiance first time around, you must be gutted (and cash strapped!) - who did you use if you dont mind me asking? I understand why he is going in that order, the LBL can make a big difference to the outer part of the thighs so he will know what he has to work with when you have the thigh lift. His ass work comes highly recommended! Seriously he is better at butts than bellies, and I am very happy with what he did for my belly.I am going to go back and get some more lipo, but that is more because I want a tiny waist than him not doing a good job in the first instance. The hospital is great, but I would say make sure that you INSIST on a pain pump, they can be slack at getting the pain meds to you, when you have a pump you can dose yourself when you need it. I asked for one and they talked me out of it.......big mistake! What hotel are you using for your post-op? Nina x

Hi, I didnt use 'healthier weight', I went with Surgicare, but the Alex in Cheadle is fantastic, I use it for any procedures that I need and I have never had a bad experiance! Nina x

Hi Amanda, I am in the UK, down in Cornwall. I got banded as you can see from my signature in October last year and I am almost at goal now. I had a very stormy relationship with my band in the initial few months, and I found that the weight came off in fits and starts. I have been really slack for the last few months, but I am still maintaining whereas when I did diets in the past at this stage I would have put most of the weight back on! If you have any questions just fire away and I will try to answer them. Nina x

I always gag so I sure hope it doesnt cause slippages!! I also chew gum, in 40 years I have never swallowed a piece so I doubt that I will now - it does make me quite gassy though! LOL I am trying to think have I used a straw, I didnt even know that you werent supposed to! I must have, and it obviously hasnt caused me problems, diet coke I have to say is an entirely different kettle of fish, cant go near the stuff anymore! Nina x