deepinfl

PS..if you are having a problem with irregularity, there is a new product called ALIGN that works wonderfully. Just break it up when you take it. D.

Count your calories, liquids can add up to BIG calories. My friend, Patty was also taking a lot of juices and all. She wasn't losing. Turns out she was taking in a LOT of calories in all those juices. If you need liquids, use Crystal Lite or sugar free Kool-ade, don't do juices for liquid purposes only. Nutrition is a different matter, but quite frankly a lot of juices are not that healthy anyway. Some of them (like lots of apple juices) are just calories. So, my suggestion..count the calories you are taking in a day....D.

I agree with everybody else. Plateaus will happen..but they ARE annoying. Make sure that you aren't cutting your protein down too much though! Sometimes people think they hit a plateau and they should cut down their calories even more...DON'T. Just make sure they are good calories. I drink Myogenix Myolean every single morning (I like Chocolate Peanut Butter) and have for the last 1 1/2 years. I never start the day without it. I started it after my hair started falling out. Solved that problem right away so I'm sold on it. So, hang in there, the plateaus will pass but remember you don't really need a fill unless you are eating too much. The fill is NOT going to make you lose weight. Some people (like my friend) think it does, it doesn't. All it does is help you control your QUANTITY. So, if you are getting a fill just because you are plateauing it's not going to help..UNLESS you are eating too much. But, don't cut back on your proteins!!! Denise

PS..one thing I DID do was to make very very clear that I ALWAYS get sick from anaesthesia..ALWAYS. I must have said that 20 times and they kept telling me they would make sure I did not. Okay, so for the first time EVER whatever they gave me worked and I did NOT get nauseated from the surgery at all. BTW, I know it's unusual, but I also didn't have any pain and I needed NO pain relief!!! When they said what was your pain level, I looked at them and said I don't have ANY. I had a lot from the lapband surgery after I got infected, but this...slight discomfort..NO PAIN. But, that's probably unusual. One note: I started iron pills, heavy doses of protein and vitamins 6 weeks in advance. That way when I lost the blood, and you DO lose a lot of blood with lipo, I did NOT have to have a transfusion. I was the only person there staying in my recovery center that did not have to have a transfusion. So, do your homework beforehand and it will save you a lot afterwards. And, if you don't want a transfusion, take the iron (I can't usually take it because of the runs, but I just put up with it), take the vitamins, take the protein drinks and TELL them you do not want a transfusion unless it's an emergency. D.

I did NOT get a "defill" before my tummy tuck, lipo and thigh lift. I went to Costa Rica on the advice of my bariatric surgeon. It was a GOOD choice. The price was great, the doctors wonderful, the clinic spotless and modern. I am now 3 weeks out and if it wasn't for the "airplane" flu I caught on the way back I would be great! But, I did NOT get a "defill", I could not see the reason, and I was TIGHT. There is swelling to be sure, but I did not notice any difference in my band. The biggest hurdle with the band was actually the PORT because when you wear the compression garment for 5 weeks, the port sticks way up and I have to keep massaging my midriff over so that it sits "down" and behaves itself. Otherwise, it can be a little touchy being squished like that. Good luck!! Denise

Please be sure to keep us updated so we don't keep worrying!!! Good luck!!! D

Well, good for you! I wish that when I had mine it had an overnight stay. I was in and out in just about 4 hours. Too fast and no pain treatment. However, now it's almost 2 years later, I have lost 140 pounds, 5 pounds BELOW my goal and I'm really glad I did! You have the rest of your life ahead of you and it WILL get better!! Good luck to you. Denise

Dr. Lackey no longer does surgery in Sebring. You can go to Dr. Grossbard in Zephyr Hills (Tampa). QUOTE=deepinfl;1259212]Dr. Lackey has moved to an office behind the Lakeshore Mall. Also, my understanding is that he isn't operating in Sebring anymore, but I haven't confirmed that. Somebody just told me that, so take it with a grain of salt. I"m so glad that he did my surgery, it was one of the best things I ever did!!!

Dr. Lackey has moved to an office behind the Lakeshore Mall. Also, my understanding is that he isn't operating in Sebring anymore, but I haven't confirmed that. Somebody just told me that, so take it with a grain of salt. I"m so glad that he did my surgery, it was one of the best things I ever did!!!

Sandie, I hope it turns out to be nothing. I was having a LOT of port pain and tubing, it turns out. The lapband surgeon told me to go to Costa Rica and get a tummy tuck and when they pulled the skin back they could fix the tubing and the port. Well, I did and so far, so good. Only problem is that the tummy tuck is nice and tight (GOOD!) but it makes my port stick out even more..kind of like an alien. :thumbup: Oh well, I think (hope) it will be worth it. Won't really know until I heal well enough to start back to the gym. I think everything was kind of stuck in the fat before and then it had no fat and was just kind of wandering around (the tubing). At least that's the way he explained it. My surgeon said that the port is attached to the abdominal wall with just a couple little sutures. I hope you didn't rip yours!! Denise

I'm sorry that you have had such a bad experience. But, count your blessings in a few things..one thing your insurance paid for it, most of us had to pay for it ourselves and second, based on your BMI on your ticker tape it looks like (like ME!!) you do have a lot to lose and as you do you will feel better than you have for a long time!! You will discover energy, vitality..NEW CLOTHES!!! If you are still on pain meds, is it possible they are giving you a really bad case of DEPRESSION???? That can happen and maybe that's what's happening. Get some GASX strips for the gas and drop down to liquid Tylenol. If it's been a week you are probably ready for that. Meds can have a really bad effect on our bodies sometimes. Get better and I hope every day adds a little more sunshine into your life. I have lost 130 pounds, half my body weight and it was one of the best things I have ever done. (and I had to pay $18,000 +!) My blood pressure is LOW, my cholesterol is LOW, my pulse is LOW..my dress size is LOW!!! woohoo!! It really IS worth it!! If it wasn't you wouldn't have done it in the first place. Take care!! Denise:smile2:

Your pictures look AWESOME! My understanding is that you will still have swelling till 5 months so imagine then because you are WOW! now!!! Are they not making you wear compression garments? Are you getting lympathic massages? Just wondered. Thanks for letting us in on this, that is such an awesome result!!

Go to Costa Rica. I'm going on the advice of my lapband surgeon!! Just do your homework and go some place reputable. You are going to be paying a lot less money.

Good luck!! I'm heading to Costa Rica next week for tummy tuck, lipo on waist, hips and saddlebags and upper thigh lift. Scared but excited! I hope your surgery went really really well!! Denise

I was banded 1 1/2 years ago. I am having similar pains, in fact this is my 3rd "bout" of it. Pain is below left lung, feels like stitch only BAD, trouble breathing. 2nd bout bought me 2 days in the hospital and they said it was "weird" and must be asthma. I kept telling them it felt like my port. Now after all the posts I'm wondering if the tubing is pushed up under my ribcage. I have done the "exercises" that they say make it better, but no. I have had my gallbladder out, the pain was the RIGHT side and my back and it didn't feel anything like this. Gallbladder pain for me, was much worse right after eating, especially fatty foods. This left side pain doesn't seem to be dependent on whether I eat or not. Let me know how you go please.

I guess nobody is answering this thread anymore. Anyway, this is my 3rd bout with this, 2nd time ended up in hospital for 3 days. Couldn't breathe. This week going to a more experienced bariatric surgeon to look.

I know this was awhile ago, but I was wondering if you resolved the problem. I have had this pain off and on but never like this (since the surgery) and never more than a few hours (since surgery). This is the 2nd or 3rd day and I am so short of breath and the pain under my left rib around the port side is incredible. I'm going to stay on liquids a couple of days. I am wondering if I pulled something when I was doing some weights at the gym Friday and Saturday. I was doing twisting with a weighted bar and I'm wondering if I ripped out a suture or stretched it or something. Very painful! My doctor has quit doing lapband surgery in our town due to hospital issues so I'm kind of between the rock and the hard place also. If it lasts a couple more days, I will go to the doctor. I am self-employed and don't have health insurance any more. Sigh. ANYWAY, just wondered what had become of you???

Oh yeah..sometimes it all comes back up. I have learned not to eat potatoes, they always come up, bread, etc. But, some things I can eat one day and not the next. Go figure. Just started to be able to eat lettuce. Wasn't able to before. Why doesn't ICE cream and chocolate come back up, that's what I want to know, hahahha.

Good luck to you. Wait till you get thin enough that you can feel your port through your skin. COOL because then you know you got rid of the abdominal fat. Be sure to get plenty of exercise after your recovery period, it will make that weight just fall off. I lost 120 pounds in 6 months!! That was going to the gym and doing cardio at least 3 days a week for 1 1/2 hours. Then I started running. Now I run AND I do weights because of all the loose skin. It was still one of the best things I have ever done. Good luck on your journey. D.

You are right, I need to detox. It was like that before my band, if I started even 1 M&M then it was a whole bag again and again. I'm like an alcoholic with sweets. It started when I started running half-marathons and they had chocolate after at the end. I thought I EARNED it and ate them and it started the same old patterns. You are definitely right, I definitely need to detox.! THANKS!! D PS..good luck on your goal, you are almost there!! :thumbup:

Is anyone having trouble keeping their weight down AFTER their initial loss to goal? For over a year I never "cheated" once, etc. now I seem to do nothing but crave sweets. I'm trying not to eat them, but my weight is creeping up a bit and it worries me. I can't do this roller coaster thing again! The band is working, I get full quickly but I'm not sure why that I did great and now I am craving all the "bad" stuff. I'm still exercising, etc, but losing the confidence that I had when I first started the lapband life. I thought about getting a fill just to put me "back in the mood", but then I thought that was dumb since it's obviously still working as far as controlling the quantity of what I eat. Anybody have any suggestions on how to get back on the track?

Yes, worse when you breathe. I've been having it off and on after I had the surgery, but sometimes it's definitely worse. The last 3 days have been very bad, haven't been able to run. It may have something to do with the crunches I did at the gym with the weights. I just can't seem to do crunches anymore without it causing a problem. And, Lord knows my stomach NEEDS crunches!! I have a half-marathon in a week and I need this pain to be gone!!!!

My friend had the surgery the same day as me. Actually we became friends at the hospital! Anyway, she is 63. So, go for it!!!

Sometimes I wonder about these doctors! I have terrible side pain off and on and it seems to be about the same time my port is poking out through my skin more than normal. I am on liquids to see if it helps, but it's not..I wonder if it's possible for the band itself to sometimes get tucked or lie next to the lungs and cause irritation. I lift weights at the gym so I'm just wondering if I'm doing something unknowingly. D.