SpecialK

Okay Scrappy Friend -- so we aren't perfect at this but we weren't before WLS so did we have this nirvana idea in our head because we lost weight so fast that we would not fail? This is so helpful tracking the Long Term Progress over Time for Lapband versus RNY and I now understand even more so how those folks if they got off track, could gain all their weight back if they stretched their pouch out and were not one who had dumping from sweets. I am understanding more and more everyday what a Lifetime commitment really means. Maybe those of you who have been married a long time can appreciate more than me who is single,never married, that when you made a lifetime commitment to your spouse, you never thought there would be those hard days. Some make it for the long haul by just keep working at it, appreciating how far they have come, others, keep looking for the initial rush or feeling of happiness that may be hard to keep duplicating every day.

I have so much respect now for my bariatric nurse coordinator who has kept her weight off for something like 7+ years with RNY.

Stay warm to all. We are due to get hit again in Ohio with more significant snow again. Not sure where they will pile it up when they plow it, there are piles in parking lots that are something like 8 feet high, I've got some piles easy coming close to 3-4 feet high at my house.

Spring, please come soon!

Fortunately that 1lb or so was disappearing over the weekend so that gave me peace. Just need to keep putting one foot in front of the others and walk to my goal and not look back!

Yes, that's right, just snow flurries so I'll definitely be at the mall for our get together.

Went in the wrong direction this week by getting into Valentine candy I supposedly bought for others....

Name -Starting Wt .......Goal/End Wt 2010 .CurrentWeight-

SpecialK.............232.2.........155...................229.7

Scrappy_friend....149............135...................145

LadyRoz.............220............190...................210

Valentine candy -- stay away! I thought I could handle having some candy around and the idea was it would be for a bridal shower but then I dug into it on Tuesday when I got stressed out, kept nibbling away on Weds and it was depressing finding I gained this week at my weekly weigh in and it was all my own fault. Clearly not going to be buying candy for anyone or whatever tempting things without leaving them locked in the trunk of the car!

Anyway, Happy Valentines Day to all out there in LapBand Land.

Hello to all my snowbound Columbus lapband friends...okay so it isn't that bad but I still think we should check in here on Saturday before noon-ish to see what the weather holds for us if the next storm comes thru and makes for more shoveling out.

I have one and it just has Gastric Band, No Blind NG and a phone # for emergency contact - that easily fit on the 3 lines I was allotted.

Okay I am going stir crazy with all this snow. More today, more tonight, and more coming tomorrow. Yikes.

See posting

http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f21775/recommend-mid-ohio-surgical-associates-wls-bariatric-surgeons-109727/#post1410948

See posting

http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f21775/recommend-mid-ohio-surgical-associates-wls-bariatric-surgeons-109727/#post1410948

I highly recommend the bariatric surgeons that practice together as Mid Ohio Surgical Associates and their practice is at the Mt. Carmel West hospital. I had surgery with Dr. Price and then have had my follow up care with Dr. Miller and Dr. Choban on occasion. I like all three very well.

I participate in Mt. Carmel's Bariatric Support group and both RNY and Lapband patients alike have good things to say about all three surgeons, the bariatric nurse coordinator and the bariatric nutrition counselor.

Okay, I started this thread and now I'll "put it to bed" officially as I now realize for me that 2010 minutes wasn't going to be that big of a challenge. This past weekend I did 6 hours of heavy exercise pushing a snow blower and shoveling snow so that is 240 minutes in one day. I'm way over 2010 minutes for 2010 and Valentines Day isn't even here. Will have to keep challenging myself on exercise in other ways.

Lynn-- yes, it looked like the Wash DC/Delaware area got it even worse than Ohio and PA. I did my shoveling in 2 hour batches and was pretty tired today. Just taking it easy. Amazing what we can do with less weight stressing our joints.

I weighed in yesterday a.m. and had a .2 gain but weighed this a.m. and was down 2 lbs so that's what I am counting! I saw a new number this morning I haven't seen for more than 10+ years!

Also I am getting excited now about my PS surgeon consult on Feb 15 for BR and brachioplasty combination. I feel like I probably have at least 4lb breasts on each side and at least 1 lb of skin/fat extra on each arm so maybe between all of that I will peel off another 5 lbs from that alone and get more mobility to keep exercising.

Name -Starting Wt .......Goal/End Wt 2010 .CurrentWeight-

SpecialK.............232.2.........155...................228

Scrappy_friend....149............135...................145

LadyRoz.............220............190...................210

Yes I don't know what HCG is either? I am getting alot of exercise here now and have started slowing but steady losing now even with a few food hiccups so exercise is the key for me to keep losing.

Lots of exercise today shoveling snow in Ohio - I bet I easily have 20" out there right now on my driveway! I shoveled a good 10" last night and I'm working on the second 10" that fell overnight now. Gotta get out and get my hair colored -- I have my priorities and covering my gray hair is one of them!

Mimi -- thanks for posting and sharing you had BR and brachioplasty combination. Did they do the two procedures together on same day? outpatient? Would you do them together again if you had to do it over? Did the surgeon charge you just the incremental cost of the surgery for the arms and then you had 1 operating room, 1 anesthesia, 1 office visits set, etc? Trying to figure out if I can get a price break on the brachioplasty cost by combining with BR that insurance will cover when it excludes covering brachioplasty. I need both surgeries for sure. I totally agree with you statement that you have to look in the mirror and decide what you want to live with. My arms are something I definitely cannot live with. My breasts have always been a problem but I didn't act on changing it due to my overall overweight and obesity situation.

Hope you will post some answers to my questions here?

Any change you would be willing to share the cost for each surgery? in a Private Message? Thanks.

I would listen to your heart!!!! When you look in the mirror can you accept any of the areas recommended to be operated on? Remember, the price you pay for PS is scar formation. I am 4 weeks post op breast reduction and lift and arm reduction. The scars are significant and will take a year to finish remodeling. I couldn't stand to look at my floppy arms or droopy breasts and decided I would deal with the scars. Post op I have no regrets.

Best wishes with your decision making. It is good you are not rushing into anything and are asking for opinions.

You may even get a 4th opinion!!!!

Mimi

Yankeerobin - thanks for posting your experience specifically with Breast Reduction. I have an appointment on Feb 15 with a Plastic Surgeon in the Columbus area that came highly recommended to me - a woman surgeon. I am going through the process of getting a medically necessary recommendation from my PCP - she wrote the letter and gave it to me right while I was in the office! Fabulous. That coupled with the size of my breasts -- 42G now down from 52DDD -- so I would love to be a C cup!!! I have never not known the pain of large breasts and am looking forward to having a chance to be more physically active.

I am also considering having my brachioplasty done on my arms (it is self-pay) to see if I can combine two surgeries together for 1 anesthesia fee, 1 hospital OR cost, follow up doctor visits, etc. since all of that would be covered by my Aetna insurance and then mostly just pay the surgeon extra cost for the additional surgery time/procedure. We'll see what she says. I figure if I am going to be bandaged up on the top, I would like to try to do them together.

Anybody else do BR and Brachioplasty together?

I have another year to go before I can get insurance approval for panniculectomy - and then I plan to pay to upgrade to abdominoplasty (out of pocket extra) at that point. My goal is to lose about 50 lbs this year before going forward with that surgery. I have not lost more in the top even though I am losing around the band size for my bra. I don't think (or at least I hope) my PS won't ask me to wait for 6 months for BR to see what else I lose. That would be disappointing and if she did, I definitely will get a second opinion.

I am on Year 2 of my longer journey too because I want to lose a total of 200 lbs - at -125 now and coming up on my 2nd bandiversary on March 17 - about a month now. By my 3 year anniversary, I am trying to be in Onederland for sure but I'd like to try to lose 1 lb per week approximately in 2010. Lost 3.4 in January so I am very happy with that. I was still dealing with work stress things that have dramatically improved since mid-January now.

I am going to the gym at work and also the gym after work when I don't go in the day at work. Trying to do something each day. Sunday and friend and I did mall walking and that was fun - we not only did the upper level and lower level mall but we zipped in and out of all the big anchor stores like Sears, Penney, Macy, etc. so we got to do some window shopping while we did our exercise! An hour passed pretty quick doing that.

P.S. I did birthday celebration splurging on food so that is not a good thing to confess - clearly I still have a problem with food and have to continue to be diligent.

LadyRoz - a walk for MS - can you tell more details, date, location and I will gladly see if we can get more walkers.

I took my measurements yesterday on Feb 1 and had done it on Jan 1 -- so once a month I am going to see if I am losing inches as well as pounds now because I sometimes get discouraged. So, here is what I found:

Bust - lost 1" in my band size around my upper body not counting the chest/breasts - so those ab crunches I am doing is helping!!!

Upper Arms - lost 1" so that upper body free weight training is helping!

Neck - lost 1" so yes, still losing in that area --really feels bony now! No fat pad left at all I can feel.

Thighs - the largest part of my upper leg went down 1.5" -- so yes, all that Elliptical Trainer and Treadmill walking is still helping.

Hips -- no change as this is where my flabby tummy/skin is and it seems hopeless for now.

Waist - I must have not measured right as it said I went up 1.5" and that isn't possible so I'll recheck on March 1 on that.

So, I recommend you take measurements and write them down with a date so you can have an alternative to the scale to see. Even if you are fluctuating on weight up and down, you may see your measurements losing or stable and that counts for sure!

Name -Starting Wt .......Goal/End Wt 2010 ..CurrentWeight-

SpecialK.............232.2.........155...................229.4

Scrappy_friend....149............135...................145

LadyRoz.............220............190...................216

I finally broke into the 220s! Yea!! Lost again this week, slow and steady wins the race -- my personal race that is.

I'm in the new puppy bunch, too!

I got him in a round about way after my ex bought him and then decided he didn't want him, but I am just crazy about him. He's a little miniature pinscher and so full of energy! He gives me a lot of smiles....when he's not pissing me off...he's a busy little guy!

My last fill has put me at a really interesting restriction point. I really think I'm on the border of being too tight, I have to be super careful.....but that's what it's about. I've dropped three pounds in the two weeks since the fill, I'm happy with that.....nine more to go to my doctor's goal for me! I'm going to make it, which totally amazes me and is something I never thought I could do!

Harley, congratulations for being so close to your goal. You are set to join the Century Club of 100 lb losers any day!

He is just under a year old now but we love him to death! We took him for a picture with Santa because the donations at the Pet Store went to a rescue shelter. Ahhhhh

Hi ladies! ... yes, it seems we have no male lapbanders any more among us. I lost again this a.m. when I weighed in. Can't tell you how much happier I am now that I am losing, slowly, but surely, and I know it is from careful eating and exercise and the lack of work stress now.

Liz -- I found that my local Community Center offered evening Water aerobics classes and I took those for several years and enjoyed them. I don't know if you live close enough to something like that but give it a try. Second, I joined Urban Active Fitness gym a year ago and they offer Water aerobics classes in the evenings after work and the exercise classes of all kinds are included in my monthly gym membership fee so that is a bargain. I now don't sign up and pay extra for the Community Center classes, even though I loved that instructor, because the free classes are available at the gym.

I just wish I could find some place around here that offers water aerobics at a decent time like evenings or weekends...not during the day when I'm at work!!!

NurseNiki -- so wonderful to see your Ticker at Goal and Below!! Congratulations girl!

I'm still working on my weight loss journey day by day. My goal is to lose 1 lb a week for 2010 and so far I'm doing okay at that with -2.9 lbs in January so far.

My new project at work is so much better, gives me a hopeful outlook to get up each morning instead of dreading work. I believe the work situation I was in was holding me back on losing weight last year so that is a real bummer but things are better.