Totallytater

McCain for sure! I'm very afraid of what Obama will do to this country.

Just a thought. I flew from NC to Denver to have Dr. Kirshenbaum do my surgery. It was less than $10,000 and I only had to go to Denver once. No pesky psych evaluations and nonsense like that. He is fantastic too.

I personally know two people that have almost died from gastric bypass. One recovered (but she was only 20) and one is still very sick. She is going back and forth to specialists at Duke University Medical Center to try to find out what's going on. They are sure it is related to the surgery but haven't isolated what the problem is yet. She has had to quit working. She has been so sick in the last year that she was not able to work. She feels like she will die if they don't find out what's going on. I have never personally heard of anyone that has been sick like this from the lap band. Good luck in your decision.

When this happens to me I go to the bathroom and stick my finger at the back roof of my mouth to stimulate my gag reflex. Then I throw up a big wad of thick slimy mucous with a little food mixed in. I do this two or three or four times and then I feel great again. It sounds gross but it's not really. It is not like throwing up exactly. There is no gross smell or taste. The mucous and the little bit of food that's stuck has not made it to the stomach yet so it is not mixed with the stomach acids. So it is quick, easy and effective.

I had the same problem. I lost hair like crazy starting a few weeks after surgery until just about 1 month ago. So it was for about 5 months total. But it has stopped now and my hairdresser says I am growing new hair like crazy. He says he's never seen so much new hair at once. I didn't change one thing in my diet. The problem just reversed itself on its own. I think it is just the shock of surgery on your body.

I have been a very bad girl. Eat wrong stuff all the time. But I have still averaged 1 pound per week since December 08. Hey, I'll take it! I never lost 1 pound a week before. If I actually did what I was supposed to do, I'm sure I would be losing any more. Dr K is so great! You have made a great decision on your surgeon.

If I were you I would just forget about the insurance and go to Dr. Kirshenbaum in Denver. He is under $10,000 for everything and you just have to go to Denver once. He is so great I fly back and forth to Denver just to see him for fills. He is the best doctor EVER! Once after my surgery I had to call him on the weekend and he called me right back (I mean like a minute later). He immediately called me in a prescription. And he called the next day (Sunday) to check on me. I have never had that kind of service from a medical professional. He is awesome!!! And my incisions were terrific and my surgery went perfectly.

Yes it's a great idea to change your hair. I did it too. I got a much more stylish cut and made my hair much, much lighter brown with lots of golden brown highlights. 10+ years came off of my age in 2 hours when I made this change. What I did was go to Hairstyles, Celebrity Hair Styles and Haircuts | TheHairStyler.com You pull all of your hair off of your face and take a picture. Then you upload it to this site and you can try hundreds of hairstyles and colors on your face shape. It is very realistic and helped me find the perfect style and color. I took the picture of "me" to my stylist and had him do the exact same thing. It is reasonable. A 3 month membership is less than $15. Another thing this site is good for is to help you find the right style. They have sample face shapes to help you determine whether your face shape (from the picture where you have your hair pulled back) is oval, heart-shaped, etc. Then the site recommends hairstyles that are best for your face shape. I always thought I had a heart-shaped face and found out I had a diamond shaped face. And a diamond shaped face takes a little different ideal hairstyle.

Get rid of all of the easy foods. I find that I can really eat bunches of the following: potato chips, tortilla chips, chex snack mix, Cookies of any type, candy of any type (especially Reese's Cups), cakes, crackers, ice cream, milk shakes, and ALL OTHER TYPES OF JUNK FOODS. I can really pack in the bad stuff. I also find that salads full of slippery, fatterning dressings slide down very easily. But let me eat chicken, or beef, or something healthy and I can only eat 5 to 10 small bites and I feel like I am going to bust. When I am having trouble, I also sometimes resort to drinking low carb slim fast 4 times per day and eating one very small meal of chicken and green Beans. This works well for me.

Lekney, Good luck to you. There is nothing to be ashamed about. Your future lap band will just be a tool for you. A little help to get you on your way. It will not lose weight for you. You will still have to do that on your own. But it keeps you from being so hungry. I got my band in December 07. Sometimes I eat too much for a day. Sometimes I eat too much for a week or two weeks. Then I wrap my head around it and stop eating too much. Right now I am doing a Low Carb Slim fast for breakfast, and for supper, and one before bed. I eat a small lunch. I have to use willpower to do this, because my "head" wants me to eat more. But the band lets me eat this and not be hungry. I used to try to do slim fast before the band and I would literally starve too death. But with the band, I can handle it because I am not hungry. A slim fast will literally hold me for 3 or more hours. That is what the band will do for you. But you will have to do the rest. It is just a tool- nothing to be ashamed about.

Cheap is not always cheap for a reason. I went with Dr. Kirshenbaum in Denver and he was fantastic and under $10,000. I have never regretted my decision to fly into Denver to use him. I also fly in for my fills because using Dr. K is worth the trip. And his fills are free for 3 months and $15 thereafter. I can almost fly to see him for less than getting a local fill. Dr K is the most caring doctor I have ever had contact with in my entire life. If only my regular doctors in NC were even close to as good as Dr K.

Tied, I couldn't get that link to work. Is this the same one? My Mexico Plastic Surgery Journey!

Hi everyone! I haven't been here in awhile either. I am looking forward to the BBQ to meet some of you in person. I already have a fill scheduled for that Friday. I have been really slack lately, eating too much and sitting on my butt too much. I think I probably need a fill right now. But the good news is that people gush all over themselves when they see me. They can't believe how much weight I have lost. I can't help but feel great when they notice. I even had a guy (a good looking one at that) seriously checking me out at the grocery store. That was nice too. This lapband is sure a great thing!

Hope you guys can help me. I am in trouble. My abdomen started hurting yesterday and I realized I hadn't gone to the bathroom in awhile. So I took 2 stool softeners with stimulant laxative last night. Today I have been dying with pain. I went to the bathroom a bunch today, but it hasn't seemed to be enough. It's like the fecal matter from the "bottom" end came out but the backed up stuff in the top of my intestines is still there. I am hurting terribly and am in so much pain I cannot walk upright. I have to bend over a bit. I just took another stool softener (without laxative this time). What can I do to get out of this horrible pain? I know it is just trapped fecal matter and trapped gas. Thanks in advance for your advice. I am really hurting.

Just won the ACC Basketball Tournament today! Hope they will win the NCAA too!!! Go Heels!!!

I also hate to be the bearer of bad news. If you lose 100 pounds I'm practically sure you will need PS, unless maybe you are only 20. I am only at 70+ pounds and I look terrible. The tops of my arms, my belly "flap", my upper legs, and butt look like a baggy melted mess.

shaunni, Thanks for the advice. Again this is gross but the "runs have begun". So I ought to be feeling better in a few hours. I thought I was going to die I was in so much pain. From now on I will take a gentle stool softener every other day, and I hope not to be in this state again.

Everyone I have ever known that got the bypass gained all of their weight back over time. That is what is so nice about the lap band. It is adjustable so it can also help you keep the weight off.

I have bought some really cute costume necklace, earring and bracelet sets. They fit me all the time. Then I buy really cheap v-neck 3/4 sleeve Tshirts in a variety of colors. I buy them a little snug so they last longer. I pair them with black dress pants for work, or cheap jeans or capris. The jewelry makes you look put together and well dressed even if you are wearing a cheap t-shirt. The 3/4 sleeve t-shirts look nicer too and you can wear them in winter or summer

I had my second fill last week and boy can I feel it. It took about 4 days for the fill to really hit me. Now I can only eat maybe 10 bites at most. Sometimes only 5 or 6 bites depending on how heavy the food is. I have learned that when I feel the slightest twing in my belly, the slightest little pressure, I STOP EATING. I have actually discreetly spit out the bite I was chewing into my napkin to avoid swallowing anything else. When you have a good fill, your belly means business. If you challenge your belly, you will hurt BAD. But luckily papaya enzymes really do help.

I self paid too. I actually fly from NC to Colorado for my fills. I have my second one in a few weeks. The thing you have to remember is that a person your size will only lose about a pound per week if you average it over a year. But you have to ask yourself, can I lose 52 pounds by myself over a year? Probaby not. And you have to ask yourself, can you keep your weight loss off without the help of the lap band? Probably not. It will take some time, but it will work. I am giving my self 2 years to lose the rest of my weight. And I am ready.

If your insurance covers it, definitely get the surgery. Don't delay! If you insurance does not cover it, you might should get it anyway- if there is any way you can afford it. Don't put your life on hold anymore. Go for it!

It's not so much that Unjury tastes bad, it SMELLS BAD!! The smell just turns my stomach so much that I cannot stand to drink it. If you are sensitive to smells, Unjury will not be the one for you.

I actually paid cash. But first I charged it on my Airtran Visa (then paid it when the statement came in). I earned enough to fly round trip back to my doctor for a fill just by charging the surgery.

Hi Tar Heel Don! I wish I was in lovely Chapel Hill right now!! I spent 4 lovely years there at UNC. I don't regret my surgery at all, even though I had to self pay and travel to Colorado for a good price. Don't regret it at all. Good luck to you.