BansterNYC

A few of my key finds to ease post-op recovery: Magic Bullet (mini blender - great for mushies and protein shakes) Purchase it at www.buythebullet.com Liquid Tylenol (Extra Strength) -- I was Percocet as I left the hospital and then switched to this on day 3 after surgery, and only took Percocet at night through night 5. Drink lots of water with Tylenol since it's harsh on your liver. Danon Light & Fit drinkable yogurt - yum!!! Sold in packs of 4. Iso-Pure juice drinks -- available at GNC and comes in 5 flavors. Each juice has 40g of protein... remember that protein promotes healing! This is the best way to get protein in the initial days after surgery. Full protein shakes with milk were too "heavy" for me in the first seven days after surgery. Compression Garment has been a savior! I don't know too many patients that get them, but my surgeon sent me home with one and I wore it for the first 2 weeks because it minimized the pain so much! It held me in so well. I wrapped it tight for night sleeping, and a bit looser for moving around during the day. Here's an example: http://shop.beautysurg.com/<wbr>index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&<wbr>ProdID=5286 Kelo-Cote -- this is the product for scars. Start using 1 week after surgery: http://www.skinstore.com/<wbr>store/product.asp?catID=8975&<wbr>prodID=8977 Also available for about half the price on eBay. I have applied this every morning and night and my scars look great! Arnica Montana -- available at GNC. I took tons of this as it really reduces bruising and has helped heal my scars. Start taking 3 weeks before surgery. Birkshire Bedding -- it's a soft pillow I bought at Bed, Bath & Beyond for $19.99. Just 16"x16" in size... but it helped me sleep! I could not sleep on my stomach for the first 12 nights, so I slept on my side and pushed this pillow on my stomach.... it really eased my pain! Milk of Magnesia - helps with constipation that is brought on by the Rx pain medication. Just 1/2 a dose worked effectively for me. Ben-Gay pads -- large sticky pads you can put on your lower back for pain. I used it on Day 2 and Day 5 for 1 hour each. Really helped, but walking was more effective overall (see below). Walk! Walk! Walk!!! I walked for 3-4 miles per day starting on day 3. Boy did this help! I didn't go at any increased speed, but just normal walking pace. It eased my back pain and a bit of gas pain. My surgeon did not overly promote walking per se, (and said for me to do it if I wanted) but I read about it on so may LBT threads that I knew there was something to it. After I did it on Day 3, I continued through Day 35 because I felt so good. I bought a pedometer at GNC to make measure 3 miles.

Actually, colder weather tends to make our bodies produce more mucus. We swallow the mucus (we do it subconsciously most of the time) and then that "clogs" the band opening. This is also the reason many of us are *tight* in the morning -- all the mucus and saliva our bodies produce at night get swallowed as we sleep and can clog the band area. So, the change in weather may have your body producing more mucus. This may be what's going on. One way to combat it is to have about 1/2 cup of *HOT* Water (hot like you would use for tea). This will flush the mucus through and less likely you'll PB. Also helps in the morning time if you are tight then too. Hope this helps.

I was banded at a low BMI. I wrote about it in this post. http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f17/i-lost-faster-than-gastric-bypass-80988/

Oh - I forgot to mention that I don't do any cardio, well not anymore. I decided to do the lap-band after running 3 marathons with no weight loss! I exercise now, but it's Pilates 4x per week. It helps sculpt my muscles, but it's not a vigorous workout -- I don't even sweat. I decided to have the surgery at this point in my life being just under 30 and wanting to have children in the next few years. My research revealed, and was later confirmed, that the band yields the best results if you wait at least 2 years (and 3 is better) before getting pregnant. I did not want to get even fatter, have a few kids, and a decade later regret that I didn't get the lap-band earlier. My exercise (marathon running) didn't help lower my weight either, it just made me more hungry. With all of that, plus some other factors, I went for the lap-band surgery. I am not trying to brag or anything, but if I can figure out why my weight loss was faster and greater than gastric bypass in the first year -- then maybe I can hold on to that to keep the weight off. This whole time I never thought I lost faster at all. Thought I was pretty normal, lost weight at a normal lap-band pace. I am happy with my choice to get the lap-band. So is it better to get the band when your younger (under 30)? Or with a lower BMI (lower than 40)? Will it yield faster weight loss?

I have lost over 70% of my excess weight, and I lost it in 9 months. I didn't really realize it was over 70% until my surgeon calculated it. He also told me that exceeded the usual pace of gastric bypass patients (WOW!), and far exceeded the usual pace of lap-banders. I also started at a "Low BMI" of 36 and was told I would lose slower than bypass and bandsters with much more to lose. Maybe this motivated me to prove the statistics wrong. This is all interesting to me. I am not sure why I lost faster than others. I have some ideas. Has anyone else been told this? Why do you think you lost fast? Or are not losing fast? Do you know why some lose faster than others?

I live here in NYC, so I certainly prefer NYC. With over 40 million visitors a year, MANY groups have conferences here. Unless there is some DRASTIC cost difference, NYC is by far better than NJ. Also, 2 airports are north of NYC (LaGuardia and JFK). Only Newark Airport is in NJ. If anyone were to fly into the NY airports it's a PAIN to get to NJ. Hands down, it should be NYC. Also, great docs, plastic surgeons, etc are based here in NYC. Easier for them to commit to a conference here. Work with the tourism & Conference Council (it's called something like that) and seek their guidance to help you navigate getting a conference set up.

Yes - I hope to attend.

I picked 135 as my goal weight because that number puts my BMI in the ideal BMI range. <table border="1" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><th class="black_sm">Classification</th><th class="black_sm">BMI</th></tr> <tr><td class="black_sm">Underweight </td><td class="black_sm"><19 </td></tr> <tr><td class="black_sm">Ideal BMI</td><td class="black_sm">19-24.9 </td></tr> <tr><td class="black_sm">Overweight </td><td class="black_sm">25-29.9 </td></tr> <tr><td class="black_sm">Obese</td><td class="black_sm">≥ 30</td></tr> <tr><td class="black_sm">Severely Obese</td><td class="black_sm">≥ 35</td></tr> <tr><td class="black_sm">Morbidly Obese</td><td class="black_sm">≥ 40 </td></tr> <tr><td class="black_sm">Super Obese</td><td class="black_sm">≥ 50</td></tr></tbody></table>

For me, I was a 34 BMI on average, but was up near 36 BMI at the time of surgery. I am also 5'1". After reading your post, I am concerned about your working out so much. I tried diet and exercise to lose my excessive weight -- lots of exercise! I ran 3 marathons in 18 months while also following Weight Watchers. When that didn't work, I decided the lap-band was the best option for me and began exploring the surgery. Around the same time, I began researching why the diet/exercise combo didn't work. I read several health articles that noted exercise actually makes many people hungry and if the body is not fueled with *enough* calories to keep up with the exercise, it will switch into starvation mode. Now - this is one educated thought amongst many when it comes to diet and exercise. However, this resonated with me. However, I knew that completely eliminating exercise would not be a logical option either. 2 months after my surgery, when I was healed enough to get exercising again, I decided to try Pilates.... and fell in love with it! I have been doing it 4x/week at a local Pilates studio since January 2008. Along with the band, my body has completely changed and I have lost weight while also transforming into a strong, ballerina body. You may want to rethink the amount you exercise vs. the calories you take in. You may be keeping yourself at 1lb per week because of it. Also note that with a lower BMI you are going to lose weight slower, but 1lb per week is still good progress. Also at a slower rate, that can be a good thing esp when it comes to lose skin.

I was banded at Mt. Sinai Hospital. Dr. Brian Jacob (baricenter.com) PM me if you'd like to learn more information.

Kat817 is absolutely correct. Body produces mucus when it needs to help food slide through. Many bandsters get the sniffles when they have eaten too much... they feel their nose running, etc. You happen to have several sneezes. You are lucky you have an obvious sign that you've eaten too much! Look at this as a positive thing!