fiveholts714

Congrats! Sounds like a dream come true. How wonderful and fun.

Surgery is a risk and so is having something implanted in your body - like a lapband, fake heart valve or breast implant. So you've got to do your homework. Write down the benefits and risks side by side on a piece of paper. Decide if any of the risks are "deal busters". If there are no deal busters and the benefits outweigh the risks, you have your answer.

YEAH! You go, legs!

I plan on going to Vegas for my last supper - probably the seafood buffet at the Rio. Of course I like Paris and Belagio too!

I'm not banded yet, but when you lose weight, do your feet shrink? My feet have gotten so wide that I literally can't find any shoes that fit. I will have to go to a specialty store to get them made, but I can't affford it. I am ashamed to say that I usually own one pair of shoes at a time and wear them until they fall apart or stink so bad I have to toss them. Right now I buy cheapies at payless but have to get them 1-2 sizes too big which makes me trip often.

I now have the $$ to put down the deposit and have my band done. I am using Dr. de la Garza in Monterray. My dh can't come because we have 3 little kids and I don't have anyone who can watch them. I'm so sad! :cry I'm also getting scared. I've had surgery before, so that is ok. I am more worried about not being able to eat and eat when I feel bored, down in the dumps, anxious, etc. I have started exercising to relieve my stress and am trying to do deep breathing exercises. My question is: have any of you who have lost a lot of weight have a problem seeing yourself differently? When I was in high school (I am 40 now) I dieted and lost about 35 pounds when I was a senior. I quickly gained it all back and more! But at my graduation, I was the thinnest I had ever been. But I didn't know it. I was looking at pictures and saw a pic of myself the day of graduation. I looked NORMAL. I had no idea I looked that way. I have been really overweight all my life and started dieting as a small child! How could I have not known that I looked normal? I have no memory of looking this way. What if I lose weight but I don't see myself as any different? I'm worried about this, although it sounds dumb. I wish I would have known then what I looked like. Maybe things would have been different...

Yeah ghost band! Maybe it will last for months! I'm glad you are feeling better.

Good for you! 13 pounds is a lot. And it sounds like you are progressing just as expected. I hope I do as well.

I have some problems swallowing food. It's been happening for about 3-4 years now. I have to dirnk a lot at every meal. Meat and bread are really difficult for me. I worry that if i get the band, I will have to drink at meals to get food down but you aren't supposed to drink with meals! Anyone have any advice?

I am so jealous! How great for you!

That's just great! I hope to be posting something like that soon!

you need to speak with your surgeon about this therapist and ask for a second opinion. Really, people do it all the time.

I'm not banded yet, but I plan on using protein drinks so i can heal and not lose as much hair. They also give you long lasting energy, unlike carbs. Plus, if you are exercising you'll need the protein for tissue repair and the drinks are a low fat way of getting it. I worry that I won't be able to swallow meat as well, too. It's a great question!

He sounds insecure. He is probably comfortable with you at this weight and maybe even feels like he is losing his girlfriend/eating buddy. Your relationship with him will definately change when you have the band - like eating out, etc. He is scared. Don't assume the worst. He may just need some extra TLC and for you to tell him outright how important he is to you and how much you need and appreciate his support. He's feeling threatened right now. You are taking this big step that will change your body without him. If you want to keep him as a boyfriend, then don't get mad - give him love and TLC. I have been married 10 years and my dh has asked me half jokingly several times if I am going to find some skinny many and run off after I lose weight (he is heavy). So you certainly aren't the only one with an insecure man!

It seems like with the band you can have a start over any time. Congrats on making that decision.

You are nervous because 1. You are having major surgery 2. You will be making a major life change 3. For most of us, eating is an emotional issue and you may be losing your major coping mechanism I don't have a date yet, but I am already getting nervous, if that helps!

Your insurance company should be abel to give you a written copy of what their criteria is for covering a lap band. It isn't a secret, you are paying for the policy and it is your right to know. If tricare requires you to have complications other then weight, then I'd come up with some knee pain real quick and frequent heart burn! You may these things and realize that they are complications.

I have had 2 pregnancies and 2 c-sections. One with twins! I will definately need my gut done. I'll probably get a breast lift, too. Even when I lose weight I will likely still be chesty. If I had the $$, I'd get it all done. I have been heavy all my life and now that I am 40, I have started wondering what I was really supposed to look like. My body has always been so distorted- what was I supposed to look like?? I feel like there is another me in a parallel universe who is living the life I was supposed to live. Ok, I don't literally believe it, but I have often thought about it.

I know I saw on one of the boards a web site that helps you find doctor's who do fills. Now I can't find it! Why didn't I copy it when I had the chance! Does anyone know what I am talking about??

I haven't but you can file an appeal with your insurance compant- include any written documentation or notes that you took about what the Dr's office told you. You can also file a complaint with your insurance through their Provider Relations office.

I have worked in healthcare my entire career, including for an insuracne company. It's an error. They happen all the time.

Just becasue you had an IV antibiotic doesn't mean that it will work on your sinuses. Different antibiotics are prescribed for different conditions. And, anyone who get a fever after anesthesia if extremely high risk for malignant hypertension. And that is serious! Your anesthesiologist really needs to know this - preop! It is potentially deadly. Yes, you need to call and probbly get a different antibiotic. I am so sorry you have suffered so much. Don't let a sinus infection make you more miserable. Oh, in a previous post you said the nurses took away your blankets to let you shiver off a fever. That is the exact opposite of what should have happened. Shivering increased body temperature and we do anything we can to prevent it in the fevered patient.

Because I don't know how to eat normally.

I am planning on using him and have heard several great things about him.

These are such great ideas! Thanks!