lianna

The scars fade dramatically! I can barely see mine, and I will take them any day over the fat squishy belly I used to have. Stick around this forum and you will learn tons! There is even a thread that shows pics of lapband surgery scars. They dont look any worse than any other laproscopic surgery scars.....like gallbladder for example.

I have heard that the hair loss is a reaction to the body undergoing surgery and the shock of being put under anesthesia and has nothing to do with vitamins, protein, etc... It usually occurs around 3 months after an operation requiring anesthesia, if it is going to happen to you. I dont know if that is accurate, but the theory of vitamin or protein deficiency causing it doesnt fit, since most people supplement like mad if they develop hair loss.

This thread is corrupting me, lol! Not only do I want a TT and lift......now I want Thermage on my face! I am scared my TT will get put off. It was planned for this summer during my vacation, but now it looks like we will be selling our house and moving. Sadly enough I think I may have to wait until after we get moved. It is hard not to get impatient...I think I would fit into a full size smaller with this tummy fat gone. You both look so good I am anxious and impatient!!!

I was never warned against spicy foods. I was told to avoid spicy and highly acidic foods during the healing period.....but not for life. I am in South Texas and most of what I eat is spicy, or served with salsa or jalapenos the side. I havent had any problems with the food or with alcohol.

I also was not sure if this would be right for me, and researched for months. When I was comfortable and secure that this was the right thing for me.....I did it. I am happy to say that I have no regrets.

I had one sticking out of each end of my largest incision. I dabbed some Neosporin on them and covered them with a little bandaid. They took about a week to fall off. To me it looked like fishing line, lol!

I have an early lunch at 11:00 and sometimes around 3 I will have a handful of smoked almonds or piece of cheese to tide me over until dinner. I try to make it something with protein in it so it will actually satisfy me.

I feel fantastic this morning and was thinking about all the positive changes that losing weight brings about! There have been so many "Wow!" moments, but my biggest NSV is a little silly actually.... Being able to wear heels all day without my back, legs, and feet killing me! What is the biggest NSV you have had?

NJChick, I have never seen the way to calculate your protein needs that you just listed! Love it! I shoot for 60ish grams of protein now, which is right on target according to that! Love this board, I just learned something new!

I have 2 cups every morning. Why did your doctor say you cant have coffee? Just curious.

I am literally on the border of Mexico and it is hard to avoid tortillas. I can handle either.....just not for breakfast. Once I reached decent restriction tortillas were no longer an option for me for breakfast, but for lunch or dinner I like the flour or whole wheat ones. No issues there.

160 lbs Still making headway, slowly but surely I will get there. I am going for a tiny fill today. I was at 2.4 in October and went for a fill (to 2.9) and struggled for a week until I went back and he unfilled me to 2 css. I hate the darn fill issues I have. I swell so much I cant tell for a week if it is the fill amount or swelling. I think I will stick with the slow loss and stay at 2ccs forever, lol.

160 lbs Still making headway, slowly but surely I will get there. I am going for a tiny fill today. I was at 2.4 in October and went for a fill (to 2.9) and struggled for a week until I went back and he unfilled me to 2 css. I hate the darn fill issues I have. I swell so much I cant tell for a week if it is the fill amount or swelling. I think I will stick with the slow loss and stay at 2ccs forever, lol.

I have no stickers on my car. One of our friends has a beautiful black Escalade and has a Harley Davidson sticker, a mandela sticker, and an American chopper sticker on the back window, and a rattlesnake rattler and chicken (?) claw hanging from his rearview mirror. For some reason that cracks me up. Kind of like putting the old recliners on the front porch of a $300,000 house, lol. My husband (firefighter) has the firefighter logo, the red thing with the crossed firepicks, on his truck window. Suprisingly it has gotten us out of 3 tickets...I guess there is a feeling of brotherhood among police officers and firefighters. NOT why he has it on his window though, lol.

Ditto. I do liquids/full liquids the rest of the day, soft foods the next, and then resume solids.

Happy Bandiversary!!!!!

The biggest myth is all the "miracle" diet pills. So many empty promises. A lady at work asked me how I was losing the weight and when I told her I had the lapband she looked crestfallen. She said "oh, I thought you were doing it on your own". I really think she wanted me to reveal some easy, effortless, magical thing like "I am taking 3 XYZ pills a day".

Almost exactly what Julie posted above. A typical day: A Protein drink for breakfast, sometimes Quaker Weight control oatmeal. Tuna salad or a Lean Cuisine for lunch. Snack if wanted is usually some fatfree cottage cheese or some almonds. Whatever meat and veggies we have for dinner.

I take liquid Benadryl and liquid Tylenol for allergies and headaches,,,which isnt often. I crush my Metformin and have adjusted to the nasty taste. I just drink something after to make sure it washes through and to get the taste out of my mouth. I dont want to ever take the chance on getting a pill stuck. I had to have antibiotics last year for a sinus infection and my regular MD prescribed liquid, bubble gum flavor, lol.

Actually with a BMI of 38.1 and your health and history you would probably qualify. A BMI of 35 with comorbitities qualifies. It would boil down to whether or not your insurance covers banding.

Wow you ladies reply fast! You have me so wanting this already! I think I will get another opinion. I dont want more than I need, yet if I am going to go through the surgery I want the most out of it I can get. I hope that makes sense. I was above 200 lbs only for a year before surgery and have lost fairly slowly. I am satisfied with most everything but that bubble of tummy (that isnt going away) and my breasts. They look okay in a bra, but are pretty sad without one. They are slightly "empty" on top. I mean empty to the point that laying flat on my back the skin looks puckery. I was stuffing them into DD and am happily back into a D now. I wouldnt mind if they came out lifted and perky and C. Do you lose much actual size in the breast with a lift, or does it just shift the shape?

The band is probably the most effective for volume eaters, because that is exactly what it helps with. The band is not so effective on "head hunger" that many people struggle with. I dont know what to tell you about your fears, because they are valid. However, you do realize the gas pain is a temporary thing post surgery, and the food issues are individual. I can eat meat, chicken, salad, etc... but not bread. Also, there are several thousand registered users on LBT and some people only post when they have a problem, wanting support or even just some empathy. Erosion, slippage, etc.. are not the norm and affect a tiny percentage of bandsters. I knew the stats when I had my surgery and thought the small risk of future issues was worth it. If something happened to my band today and it had to be removed I would not regret it for a second. The last year has really helped me get a grip and refocus on eating healthy, making good choices, and controlling my portions....something I was unable to do before. I felt the same way you do before I had surgery. I spent 4 months trying to do it "on my own" one last time and lost 20 lbs. The second I stopped being diligent and went back to my old habits I gained that 20 back (plus 7). This had been my life cycle for the past 15-20 years (lose, regain, lose, regain) and made me realize I obviously couldnt do it my own and had to try something different. I cant encourage you or discourage from having the lapband. You need to figure out if you think it will be right for you, and worth any possible complications.

Damn, yall both have amazing results! I am so inspired! I have 15 more lbs I want off first, but cant have any surgery done until my summer break anyway. I have only been to one consult and I have a question over it... the doc said I could get away with just apron removal since I have never had children and my ab wall is in good shape. I wonder if I should go ahead and go for the full TT though, just to get the best results. My dilemna is that he says the recovery will be much easier from the apron removal and the full TT would not make that much difference for me. But I really want everything as tight, flat, and small as possible lol!!! Should I get a second opinion, I really like this surgeon and he has done 2 of my friends with amazing results. Plus he is in Mexico and quoted me $6000 for mini TT and breast lift.

Hi Rose! I know your story from OH, I think if your doctor is convinced that it was a superficial boil then you should stop worrying. I know that stress can make the band tight. That is probably what has been going on with you. Let him reposition your port and even if there are some "bad cells" the antibiotics prescribed after the port replacement should take care of it. Try to shake off some of the worry and trust in your doctor. If he is not overly worried, you shouldnt be either. I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers until you get the port repositioned and know that everything is okay.

I agree with Kebsa, but only because it is common to find once we get true restriction that we dont chew near as well as we THINK we do. The best thing for you at this point would probably be to find things that do mush up and dont lose their consistency and flavor. The post op diet is really of short duration, dont start tweaking the rules on it. Find a comprehensive list of allowable mushies and stick with the ones you DO find appetizing. Yogurt, refried beans, mashed potatoes, etc... are already mushies. Blended up and very moist chicken or tuna salad is another good one that doesnt look sick and still tastes great. Hang in there, you can get through the mushies!