Wendell Edwards

Pretty much ALL celebrities and politicians!

Hi, what you are describing falls into the catagory of bulimia. I recommend you talk to a qualified medical professional or counselor about this.

I remember how angry i became whenever someone with good intentions mentioned to me that I should lose weight. It wasn't until I decided for myself that Lap-Band was the way to go that I would listen.

I donated mine to the Aberdeen clothing bank. The clothing bank is run by the same folks who do the Aberdeen food bank.

The Lap-Band was FDA approved in 2001, so it is unlikely you will find anyone in the USA that has been banded before that time, unless they were in the FDA trials.

I hope to have the surgery before the end of this year. I have been thought the 6-month nutritional consult for my insurance. I read a lot about people out there that start to eat less before their surgery. I have continued to live my life the same way I always have. In fact, last night I went to a buffet. I just want to hear if others out there who are now banded did the same thing. Did you continue to eat like normal until you were put on your pre-op diet? I know I did. If you did, do you regret it? Not really. I am just wondering if I am going to be shocked after I have the surgery and realize at that moment that I cannot eat the same ever again. Well, you have had a lot of time to assimilate that reality, haven't you? Also, the VOLUME will change, but few other things will. I could make it easier on myself and start to eat less but I keep thinking that these are the last times of my life that I will be able to eat as much as I want. That seems to be a common misconception. Since the band gives you less capacity, you will still eat as much as you want, you will just want less, since you will be full much sooner. Its sick and twisted but that is the way my mind works. I don't want to give up the food until I am forced to. Frankly, that thought pattern concerns me. The Lap-Band REQUIRES behavior modification to work, and that behavior modification is under your control. If you want to be FORCED to comply, you might want to reconsider banding for a more invasive surgery like RNY. I just want to know there were others out there like me who are now banded. Hopefully the band will change my mentality A coimmon phrase is they band your STOMACH, not your BRAIN. YOU have the power to change, but you must accept the requirement to change. and I will not depend on food so much. Help!

I think that what he is doing goes way beyond not being supportive. Does he understand that eating right now could cause you SERIOUS problems, up to and possibly including death? (In extreme cases) I recommend you let him know that it's not helpful and not funny that he is trying to sabotage your operation.

If you can get some help for the week after surgery, you might want to arrange it. I agree with you, it's going to be a lot easier to care for him if you are taking care of you too.

I felt like a speedbump or a semi-trailor truck! Sounds like you are doing GREAT! :clap2::clap2::clap2::clap2:

I have enormous feet. I keep HOPING they will shrink, but no luck so far. I HAVE heard of people losing sizes in their feet, but it has not happened to me.

Dr. Neal rerquires two days of full fluids after every fill to allow swelling to go down.

Brecause the band is pressing on muscle tissue after the residual fat-pad melts.

Congratulations! I did the 2-2-2 post-op diet. 2 weeks clear fluids, 2 weeks full fluids, 2 weeks mushies before my initial fill at 6 weeks out. If I had my choice of bands now, I would get the AP band.

1) the scar from the surgery, is it permanent? Yes Or after a few years does it go away? Or will it always be there, just not as noticable as before?? It depends on your unique body. 2)after loosing so much weight in short period of time, does your skin tend to sag? It depends on your unique body. Or is the excesses skin where its noticeable? It depends on your unique body. Everybody is different. 3)I'm pretty sure all of have these... well, do the stretch marks ever go away? Nope. Well, not in MY experience. You may be different.

You're welcome!

:clap2::clap2::clap2::clap2:Congratulations!!!:clap2::clap2::clap2::clap2:

:clap2::clap2::clap2::clap2:Congratulations!!:clap2::clap2::clap2::clap2:

All of us are lifetime failures at dieting and keeping off weight. That reality makes us question whether or not the Lap-Band will work for us, when we have failed so many times before. The Lap-Band is DIFFERENT, because it puts a physical LIMIT on how much we can hurt ourselves. Also, anyone who isn't nervous about having MAJOR SURGERY is very unusual.

Thank you.

I really am doing some heavy thinking. I wonder what it is to be a 100lbs. lighter than I am now. One word: "Bitchin!" I just want to be healthy and I have this food obsession. I USED to be like that Let’s just say it is a need to eat out of nervousness or just something to do. I USED to be that way. I don’t know what snapped when, but I do know that my life is all about food. I USED to be that way. It would be a good thing if I was not the weight I was now and my body metabolized everything I ate. Then I would be just fine. But it is not that way and I have been struggling for a long time. I struggled for 38 years before I realized that the concept of "Dieting" is fatally flawed. Diets do not and never have worked. Here are some of my fears as listed below: *No more soda…funny as it may seem, but I love diet coke I drank an average of 8 liters of diet Pepsi per day for decades. I very seldom drink soda now, because the pressure that builds up in the small stomach is very uncomfortable for me. *No more Beer….dam that would be an upset I can't relate to that one. Beer would cause a lot of pressure too. *No more bread…so I hear that white bread is like eating a football (not good) Look, different people have different tolerances for different foods post-op. I can eat bread IF I chew it very well, some can, some cannot. *Tossing my cookies due to blockage PBing as it is called I have a fear of throwing up…or any variation of that (phobia of mine) You can minimize barfing by taking tiny bites, chewing well, not drinking for a time after eating and learning your new full signal. Until you learn those things, you might barf more than usual, but you WILL learn to NOT do those things. *The unknown and change…I am not one whom takes well to sudden change, but can deal with it when prompted. Life itself is an unknown. Whether the unknown is terrifying or exhilerating is a choice based on a person's perspective. What if the band does not work and I am sick as a result? Fewer than 2% of people have major issues with the Lap-Band. The worst case scenario would be you have it removed. I don’t know….well…I guess I do know. What I am doing now is not the solution. Just the fact that you recognize the futility of doing what you have been doing means you are ready. I am obsessed with food and I have failed at every attempt of keeping weight off. Every person I know who is banded has been the same as you. I was, and so was everybody else. We were ALL expert failures at losing weight and keeping it off. If I keep on going the way I am I will have serious problems. Yes, you will. Sooner or later you will have a very serious illness that might kill you, incapacitate you or make you an invalid, but I'm sure you know that already. I also feel that the way I treat others has a lot to do with my self esteem. It is shot and I feel like whoopla. I am less depressed when I sit and wallow in my comfort food only to temporarily make me happy. It is a vicious circle because the food only makes me feel like more of a lump of crap when I stand on the scale and see the numbers turn like a slot machine. I surround my life around food. I do admit…but I want it to change. Then change it. Radical thought, isn't it? I want other things to make me happy as I am only 37 years old and have a long life to live. I guess discussing my fears on this board is making me think even more. Reading the success and what you have done to improve your lives just makes me think. Can I be another success story…can I…can I???? Only if you WANT IT BAD ENOUGH TO CHANGE.

Hi, Inamed told me on the telephone that the overwhelming majority of slips were caused by REPEATED, SEVERE vomiting. They said that the symptoms of a slip are either a sudden, UNEXPLAINABLE loss of restriction, or a sudden, UNEXPLAINABLE severe obstruction. My doc says 2 full days of fluids following ANY PB, fill or vomit. The ONE TIME that I did NOT follow that instruction is the one time that I got a full obstruction, which was the most serious complication that I have had. If you are deeply concerned, call the doctor and get a fluoroscopic exam with barium swallow to verify the band's placement. Personally, I think you are fine, but I am not a doctor.

Encouragement: The operation, while uncomfortable for most, is not that bad. Take the pain medications and it won't be so bad. Advice: Take before & during pictures. Most people who are morbidly obese do not like having their picture taken. They avoid the camera because the photographs don't lie. That fact can be put to good use before and during your weight loss. Simply put, the best way to document weight loss is not a scale graph of pounds lost, or a size chart of inches lost. The best way to document weight loss is to take photographs before and during the process. I advise people setting out on this journey to take three initial pictures. The recommendations that I give are these: 1. Take three views, front, side and back (That means you need a automatic timer camera or a friend to help you) 2. Take the pictures in the same place every time. A doorway is a great choice, because it helps put a known quantity into the picture. Other good places are in front of a fireplace or another known point of reference. 3. Take the pictures while wearing form-fitting clothes. A swimsuit is IDEAL. 4. Take the pictures with the same camera, and make sure you are standing the same distance from the camera every time. That's why a doorway helps. You can line yourself up in the doorway and use a measuring tape to find the distance to the camera. 5. Take that same set of pictures every month. Front, back and side views. Wear the same clothes and make sure the distance to the camera is the same. 6. Have the "Before" pictures printed out, and tape them to your refrigerator. 7. Have the latest set of pictures printed out, and tape those next to the "Before" pictures. In doing this, you mind has irrefutable PROOF that what you are doing IS WORKING. People frequently do NOT "See" their weight loss, and they become frustrated, perhaps by a scale weight that is not moving, even though their body size is reducing at an amazing rate. This is a great way to "See" your weight loss. The best way to document weight loss is to take photographs before and during the process.

:clap2::clap2::clap2::clap2:Congratulations!!!:clap2::clap2::clap2::clap2:

Weight loss is like a staircase, it's drop, then stop, drop, then stop. Of course, looking at the weight loss that way is looking in the short term, as opposed to looking at things from the perspective of the long term. Bearing that in mind, the math will be accurate in the long run.