SuzanneG

My doc's pre-op diet was pretty easy. It's a liquid protien drink for Breakfast and lunch (I recommend unjury mixed with sugar free Carnation Instant Breakfast. www.unjury.com Then have a lean and green dinner. Four/Five ounces of lean meat and 1 cup of veggies. It sounds hard, but when you think about needing to shrink your liver so the surgery will be safer, it makes it worth it. Good luck to you!

Morning Tina, Looks like I missed some excitement last night. Glad things are better this morning. Good luck at your appointment. I know how you feel about the drains, they suck. I hope you can get them out. I just have to say, Beth - "troglodytes" Excellent word. You are a great example of how to use the English language.

Tina - Well said! :thumbup:

Georgia, so sorry about your back. I know how frustrating that can be. Here's hoping you'll be up and about soon. Carol, your stuck sounds bad. I think you are doing the right thing postponing your run. I can't imagine how hard that would be after being on liquids. Maybe you could take a walk instead, sort of keep your routine going and get a light workout instead.

Michelle, you sound like a very needy woman, the kind who allows herself to be in an abusive relationship. Maybe that has something to do with your weight. Maybe you'll learn to respect yourself and stand up for yourself when some jackass breaks your heart. You need help, Tina is in a very good place in her life. She's doing the right thing, she's moving on and yes sometimes that requires letting loose a little bit. I know I've been there and I'm not ashamed of it either! It was fun and helped me move on. Go Tina! So sorry about the drains and the fainting! I can't imgine how scary that was. What in the world, did NOBODY hear you fall? Geeze. What did they say about the fainting?

I wouldn't be running at night, but around 7pm, it gets dark around 8 right now. There are fairly long stretches of road with no houses and there is no cell service out there either. It's not a "bad area", just very remote. I do love that run though, it's nice view, quiet and pleasant and mentally, the out and back is so much easier than circles or time on the treadmill. It's just a little too secluded for me to feel safe alone. DH and I ran it Sat morning and really enjoyed it. I think I've just about decided that I will either find someone to run with me or I'll just drive over to DD's neighborhood and run there. The problem with that is that it will add about 30 mins to my total routine and I don't even get started until 7pm. I go to bed between 9 and 10 and get up at 4am. The treadmill has become really hard for me mentally since I completed the C25K. When I was focused on that, I didn't mind it, but once I got to straight running, the boredom really gets the better of me. Even with an iPod.

I am the biggest baby ever and I can tell you that my fills don't hurt. I was more scared than anything, but like Amy said, they are over in a few seconds and you're done. The barrium that my doc uses doesn't taste bad and consistency is much better than that old stuff. They also had me do a swallow test in the hosptial after my surgery, that barium was less desierable than the one he uses for fills, but still wasn't that bad. The one he uses for fills doesn't really taste or bother me in any way.

Jodi, congrats on reaching your goal! Mine seems to stay just out of reach, but I'm not giving up!

I have to agree, he did do an amazing job.

Niterun, you're almost 1/2 way there! Way to go!!

Tina, thanks for the info. Did the lower body lift change your thighs? Mine are terrible and my rear has lots of wrinkles under each cheek. I'm trying to decide which procedure would give me the most bang for my buck if I decide to self pay. I had a preventive mastectomy in Jan 07, so breasts aren't an issue, but I do have a significant bannana roll on each side of my back (under the bra strap). That bothers me the most since they show even through my clothes. You do look amazing!

Carol, good luck tonight and with your run tomorrow. Have you taken your measurements? When I started running, I didn't lose either, but I went down a full size! Now, I'm still about the same weight, but my pants are getting lose again. Hard to believe!

I had 90 pounds to lose and I've lost almost 80 of it so far. I can run 3 miles now and I feel fit and happy. I'm in a size 6, so truth be told, if I never lost another pound, I think I could be OK with that. The others have already posted about the pros and cons of each surgery. Choose what you think will work for you. For me, without question, it was the lapband.

GA - good luck today. Back pain is no joke for sure. I hope he can help you.

Mine cleared up 100%. I was so glad. I thought maybe my bladder was falling because I had a hysterectomy when I was in my 20's, but my doc said it was the weight and he was right. I had 90 pounds to lose and I'm almost at 80 pounds lost now. I do have extra skin, but I don't think it's enough for insurance to pay. I'm going to wait another year before I decide if I want to pay for PS.

Meg - A lot of people commented about my face at first as well. I thought the same thing, but now I suspect I must have lost it from there first. Pappy, I'm pretty sure it took close to 40 pounds for me to change sizes and also for folks to notice. I discovered that people always commented when I would get into a new size, even now they notice when I change to a new size, but not until. Congrats on your weight loss!

Kathy - good for you. So glad you weren't seriously injured. You're an inspiration. Carol - way to go! DH runs with me on the weekend. He never works out at all and can still run circles around me. GA - I hope you're back in action this week! I did my test run this weekend and I ran 3 miles. To add the extra .10, I would have had to run on a dangerous road, so I stopped at exactly the 3 mile point. It took me 38 minutes, so even though that isn't fast, I'm happy with it and I didn't stop or even slow my pace at all. I'm hoping to improve my time by Sat. I'm thinking the excitement of the crowd may help me push my speed a little more. Wish me luck!

Donna, who did your surgery?

Tina, What can I say that hasn't already been said? You look amazing! So what exactly did you have done, I know it was a couple procedures at once. How much of that body is from working out. Your ass looks incredible! Where's the drain in the pics? As for the needle, don't sweat it. I've had that done before, it doesn't feel much different than a fill.

The gum smacking thing has to be number one on my list. I can not get over how many grown adults chew with their mouth open, food and gum. WTH people? Didn't your mother's teach you better? Even worse, the gum CRACKERS. Pahleeeeze!

Hey Ladies, I am over a year out and still have the problem. I'm 5' 4 1/2", but I'm super short waisted and have this problem a lot. You may think you hate the idea, but trust me, you will grow to love low waisted jeans. On the bright side, my port does not hurt when I exercise, only when I ride in a car for a long time or sit slouched down too much for a long time.

Kat - What a story. I am so sorry but glad that you were able to pull through it and move on with your life. Like many others on here, I've had my own experience with domestic violence, but nothing of this degree. Hang tough ladies!

Another favorite of mine is when some says, Can you itch my back? WTH? It's SCRATCH your back because it ITCHES. LOL I love this thread!

I was so nervous for my first fill, I thought I might actually pass out. My fill was done with fluro and I wasn't prepared for the fact that you do it standing up and that really shook me up. They actually put a chair behind me just in case. ha ha Having said that, it was a BREEZE. You can hardly feel the needle, it hurt less than a blood draw or a shot. It's really quick, you walk in, back up to the xray machine, they put a cup of barium in your hand, you may or may not swallow a test drink, then the needle goes in, Fluid in, another drink, if it looks good, the needle comes out and your on your way. If not, he may adjust and have you take another drink. Most of the time, the whole thing takes less than 5 mins! Good luck!

Hi Amy, I had the same problem, still do from time to time. The answer for me was to wear lower waisted jeans. If you are like me, you've probably always worn jeans "at the waist". I thought I could never stand anything that came below my bellybutton, but that darn port turned me into a fan of mid and low rise jeans. Anything that comes to my natural waist will leave me with a sore port area. I'm very short waisted and even stuff like pantyhose can aggravate my port. I now wear even my PJ pants lower on my hips. Kind of funny since I used to tease my daughter about her pants falling off her hips. At first it feels VERY strange, but eventually you grow to love that feeling since it's the most comfortable.