NewSho

Misfortune: Sorry for your very scary experience. I can relate as I also had a near fatal illness just after my banding five years ago. This happened right here in the 'States, during the LapBand's US trials. So I certainly understand how horrifying it is to have a procedure you hope will improve your health, only to have it endanger your health. Although there was no medical/surgical negligence proven in my case, these complications can forever affect your life. Five years later I'm still recovering and trying to make myself a personal success story after all. But be aware that you may feel that those around you (even those that love you) may silently or not-so-silently blame your decision for surgery for your complications. It's unfair but it happens. Be stronger than the ignorance of those around you. So just concentrate on your healing and recovery. Frankly, whether you get sick following a surgery or if you develop or inherit a disease, any type of serious illness just sucks. Someone asked about the clinic that banded you. Was your surgeon's name Dr. Huacuz, by any chance? The Molding clinic is a Mexican clinic that has been discussed at length on this website. Here is another thread that discusses the Molding Clinic and Dr. Huacuz. Good Luck on your continued recovery, and we are all pulling for you. Happy Band (and Life) Journeys To All...

Oh my g-d, I thought the same thing, I'll succeed. I totally understand the horror of weight gain, but you do NOT look 20# heavier in the 265# pic than you did in the 245# pic. Seriously. I would bet that your lean-muscle-mass has increased, and your total percentage of body fat decreased overall. So definitely the 20# weight gain is not reflected in the photos we see. And yes there is tons of overall improvement from the pre-op pic, which I'm sure you can see. Happy Band And Life Journeys To All...

What a horrible experience. The examples of fat prejudice just keep going and going but I have been the victim (I don't have a victim mentality, but in this case - I was a victim) of it myself. A few years ago, I was walking through an upscale mall carrying a shopping bag. Some truant little juveniles were sitting around and commenting on shoppers who were walking back and forth. As I passed them, one sang out loudly "I can eat it all !" as the other youths laughed. (I was (of course) dieting at the time and was then wearing a size 14, and I'm relatively tall. But it was clear they were definitely talking about me, and I was mortified. That phrase, it turns out, was part of some parody song (by some two-bit Weird Al Yankovic wannabe back in the day). If I find the song lyrics I'll post them and you'll see how offensive it was. Bottom line: there are stupid, sad little farts out there who have no self worth so they take it out on others. They should all be sentenced to one year wearing a fat suit so they learn what it's like to have to endure what overweight and obese people live with daily. Sad but true. Happy Band And Life Journeys To All...

Bless your heart, Audrey - When my mother passed, it was the most profound event of my life. Since her death, I've fought my weight constantly since then. I wish I would have had a tool like the Lap-Band then so I wouldn't have been so quick to use food as a tool for coping with pain. So it's inspirational to see you continue your incredible weight loss, rather than gain like I ultimately did. Your journey isn't an easy one, but I'm sure you'll succeed. Continued good luck - and you have my total sympathy for your deep loss.

Hello! I always suggest that you give your PCP a brief outline listing relevant information that may or may not be in your medical file or chat. Basically you want to include Some details on your medical conditions that relate to obesity (diabetes, high blood pressure, shortness of breath, etc etc), something about previous diet attempts that you've tried mention of how long you've been fighting your weight. any known family history of obesity and related diseases (diabetes, hypertension, etc) the overall (medical) effect that obesity has on your health For sample letters I suggest you go to Obesity Help's PCP Letters page - insurance message board. Another good resource to list general information that should be included with the letter is here. Good luck to you on your Insurance process - it's hard work, but worth it in the end. Happy Band (And Life) Journeys To All...

:clap2: CONGRATULATIONS :clap2: Happy Band (and Life) Journeys To All...

Your opinions are needed: I've been revising my thoughts on what a reasonable goal weight or goal weight range, would be. How did you decide? For example, I've quite publicly struggled just to nudge my BMI under 30 so I'd no longer be 'obese'. OK, cool, got that one done, I'm at a BMI of 29 and some change, but I'm no where near being where I want to be. But how do we decide where that is? I am still well, not obese, but still overweight. I look a lot better, but want to look GREAT. From my original LapBand surgeon's goal - I would have been like 20# from what he considered to be a goal weight. Don't get me wrong, I would be delighted to lose 20 more pounds, but this man didn't think I'd even get near that weight. Granted I've been banded a zillion years (OK, five) and I've crawled to get toward goal. So even back when I was 10# heavier than my current weight, he felt like I looked great, and would probably not lose any more weight with the band. We disagreed on that point. Now, I have a new fill doctor who thinks I might be able to get closer to the Finish Line, and I'm losing again. But he's left it up to me to determine what that is. Help!:phanvan A BMI of 25 would no longer be overweight, but just 'normal weight.' To get to a BMI of 25 I'd need to lose like 30# more pounds. Honestly I don't know if my body would let me peel off 30 more - but that would take me to my lightest weight as an adult. I'd be officially very thin - I don't even know what size but I'd be a serious single digit then. If I got to that weight, and was still healthy, oh goodness, I'd be in total shock. :faint: So I'd sure like to know if other people set their goal weights based on when they thought they looked good, their high school graduation weight or a number a doctor set. Does anyone use BMI charts to help them decide? Is anyone else aiming for a "normal weight range" or am I being ridiculous? Weigh in (pun intended) with your thoughts: Did you pick a number, a clothes size, or a BMI or range - for your goal? Tell us. Happy Band (And Life) Journeys To All...

Exactly! I am definitely big-boned, large-framed - all that! Or as Cartman from "South Park" would say, "I'm festively plump!" Happy Band (And Life) Journeys To All...<!-- / message --><!-- sig -->

I'm loving the Taco Bell part of this quote - was I the only one who caught this? Hilarious. Failure? None of you even come close. Oh please, if we measure failure by pounds gained/lost then I'd win the North American Disgruntled Failure Trophy. As we now know, I've been officially banded for more than five years - since the US FDA Clinical Trials. And only just in the last month did my BMI now dip down low enough again for me to be considered 'overweight' and not obese. That's almost comical. But still I don't let ANYONE label me a failure with the band - its a device and devices fail. I don't let myself fail, I go down fighting. If anything, Inamed, my surgeons and anyone who knows my medical history - all admit the band failed me for years. To recap: Just after being banded I lost weight spectacularly and then immediately suffered nearly every known and unknown medical complication before there was a protocol, treatment or a faintest idea how to handle it. This was way back in the pioneer days of 2001 before approval. And it was complications like you wouldn't believe. Come on, a near-fatal disease, organ failure and more? And still yet I was still technically banded - never filled, mind you, but still banded. The doctors didn't know what they were doing, somehow manage to pierce/knock/stab the stupid band whilst trying to figure out how to save me (or it, I was never sure) but what did it matter, since I never got a chance to get it filled anyway. Failure? How to ensure failure is to never fill a patient as long as they keep losing on their own. Ever. Back then, during the FDA pre-approval you only got filled if you didn't lose weight after the band was placed, I was losing - so they rewarded me with never filling the band. So I had to work harder to lose weight with no restriction. Nice system, eh? No wonder the FDA Trial stats were so mediocre. ) Seriously I never once had a fill - not once - until they filled it just to check and see if it would hold and to realize it was leaking. So I toted around 'a nothing' on my stomach for years. Not connected, not able to hold Fluid - but still there. And people wonder why I considered myself unbanded? They wonder why I call my band the Silicone Freeloader?:phanvan Failure? Another way to ensure your patient becomes a Banded (or virtually unbanded failure)? Try this one. After I get sick, they put me on prescription steroids and then a wacky high-calorie/low phosphorus dietary regimen that manages to put almost every pound back on. Takes time, mind you, but the weight came back on, in time. Jeez Louise, Inamed ought to put me in the stupid brochure - with a quote "Person to have band longest in US in face of impossible situations." It was like I wasn't banded, except for that pesky near fatal illness. OK, the band stayed in (in whatever condition it was) and I recovered - but the scary thing was that THEY DIDN'T KNOW what the heck was wrong with me. And yet I got to be re-banded in a "Less-prone-to-kill-you-outright-we-swear-well-we-think" surgery over a year ago - this time featuring the newer, Lower Profile access port and tubing. Even my own original surgeon had me pretending to be newly banded after I had the band repair, because he realized I had not one single normal post op moment of help during the FDA Trial. And that's the truth. See this is why I should be allowed to subtract those unworking band years from my years of banding, and not pummel myself for being banded so long without success. He wanted me to feel like I could virtually start over - except in my mind, the clock has been ticking and I've got every right to put the pedal to the metal to get me across the Finish Line to weight loss success. After all this, I've been: called (on this very forum) 'negative about the band' (I'm actually haven't been that bad, but if I was, I deserved to be negative!), a naysayer, anti-Lapband, and repeatedly people have repeatedly questioned my credibility about the band. That's funny, ask Inamed - my serial numbers definitely check out, and no one could make this story up even if you paid them. But I always say that although LapBanding is certainly not perfect now, it's much better now than in the pioneer days of US banding. But to paraphrase the old Jack Nicholson movie, "(People) can't handle the truth." So if people think five years of BUD ( Banding Under Duress) makes me a failure, they can think it. But they are wrong. My band is (fingers crossed, knock wood, spit a full moon or whatever the heck works) working and for the first time I've actually seen incremental weight loss. And I deserve any bit of success I'm experiencing now that I'm losing - I've literally gone through blood, sweat, and tears for every ounce lost. Does that make me disgruntled? If so, so you guys aren't close. I'm more disgruntled with the band (to hear some folks tell it) than all of you are without your bands. DeLarla, and the other FU's - of course you guys are fabulous. I am too, at any weight. (I can just dress better with less weight, but I'm fabulous either way.) You have every right to say it, feel it and broadcast it. Let me join you. What the heck, I wasn't that fat before the band (my Pre Op BMI was well below 40, more like upper 30's) and five years later I've whiddled myself down to a BMI under 30. So even if obesity - or slow loss of obesity - defines failure, I'll still never let myself be labelled as what I don't consider myself to be. But Guess what - newbie, veteran, or in between: everyone's band journey is different. I realized that early on, and I definitely try to reinforce that concept. Each and every post I make on this forum is ends with me wishing people luck on the banded - or de-banded - or unbanded journeys. It's sincere, even if their comments about what I say are not positive. Their comments don't affect me - I'm doing what I can to make this Silicone Freeloader works for me. I take no prisoners and accept no half-steps towards my goal of getting to a lower weight. If they don't like it: Good luck. The world's most stunningly fabulous Band Failure has better things to do! I never thought that. I read the dedicated forum because there are some great quotes, ideas and inspirations there. Doesn't matter the band status, to me. Yes, I'm less likely to think the newly banded have experienced the lengths and breadths of a band journey - but that doesn't make their opinions less valid. But as for being Disgruntled - I've never even seen a hint of that here among the FU (no don't be offended, it's what I call the Forcibly Unbanded). I've seen the most positive, upbeat, while still realistic - attitudes among the F.U. than I've seen around in a while. It ain't from here that the negativity seems to be spreading. And believe me, people who point fingers and sit in judgment are doing so out of ignorance. You're reading my journal, honey! You already know my take on it. My nickname for it, Silicone Freeloader says it all. Only now is it earning its keep, and this sucker owes me big! I suspect that sadly there are a lot of Failures in Progress around, and not just in this forum. It's the nature of the beast, but the Forcibly Unbanded aren't any more prone than any other online denizens. Oh, please. None of you qualify. I'm no longer a Closet Veteran bandster, I'm out of the closet and feel no failure on my part. Hopefully others will feel empowered too. As always, Happy Band (and Life) Journeys To All...

Oops. I always rave about how cute Dr Rumbaut (he's not my surgeon, but besides being a world-class and internationally respected LapBand surgeon - he's GORGEOUS) is but I usually forget to attach pictures. Happy Band (And Life) Journeys To All...

OMG (Oh My Gawd!) JINX! JINX! JINX! Donna was replying at the exact same time - it looks like her answers (which are always inspirational) pretty much mirror mine. Just remember we both hit SUBMIT at the same time - I wasn't trying to duplicate her comments. :-) But listen to her too: if for no other reason than the fact that she has the cutest LapBand surgeon in all creation! Happy Band (And Life) Journeys To All...

Hello and Welcome! That's a very common question. Once you are FULLY healed from surgery, you might find you can tolerate a glass of wine or a mixed drink or two. I'm single also and I like to go out on weekend with my friends too. Luckily, my banded friends (I have a bunch) can all drink a bit. With our surgeons' knowledge.:party:We still have fun but we tend to split one appetizer or two instead of ordering a bunch of food with our drinks - so we drink much less. Some RnY/GastricBypass patients have trouble with alcohol, but most LapBanders can take a drink here or there in moderation. Remember that any carbonated beverage (like beer or soda) can be very difficult to deal with. MOST IMPORTANTLY because you eat less, the band might well cause you to feel "buzzed" a whole bunch faster than you did before you were banding. Too much booze is just worthless and counterproductive though - it's carbs and calories that do your body no real good if you over-indulge. :sick But you can still have fun! LapBand scarring isn't as bad as old-school, "open" surgery with the one long scar. There are usually 4 or 5 mini scars. The scars are not large - most are shorter than the length of the first section of your index finger. See that first 1/3 of your finger? My longer scar is shorter than that. But if you look at this thread right here on this forum you can see actual pictures of the scars. Check the thread out here I didn't have this issue. I was tired, tired, tired of being obese. I wanted the surgery as soon as I learned more and did my research. I mean, I've eaten anything and everything I ever wanted - from junk food to caviar. What would I be missing? If you don't mind me elaborating, I'll try to address your question fully. Being banded changes your life but it doesn't mean you're automatically going to have to give up eating and enjoying foods. Quite the opposite. So for me, the pay off of being thinner, fitting in hipper fashion clothing brands, and the thought of going out with my friends to parties and clubs and not being the heaviest girl there :paranoid - those FAR outweighed me wondering about what I'd ever be able to eat. Basically I don't eat THAT much differently than I did before. I rarely eat any empty carbs and starches so fried potatoes, biscuits, doughy breads or soft breads don't even tempt me. I don't even reach into bread baskets at restaurants anymore cuz if I eat a couple of bites of any doughy soft breads then it makes me too full to eat anything else! I'd rather eat real, solid foods so I limit stuff like that. I already didn'tt eat meat or pork so skipping hamburgers and hot dogs was NOT an issue. But as someone who eats almost every dinner out (I am single & many of my pals are too) I have yet to miss a meal, or not be able to find something "band-friendly" to eat on the menu. I eat smaller portions or just eat appetizers for my entree. I have one glass of wine (instead of several drinks and a bunch of shots - come on, you've done it ) but other than that, my eating is not much different, I'm just eating less of what I eat. So hopefully this is helpful. If you choose LapBanding you'll never be bored on this very interesting journey. Good Luck to you! Happy Band (And Life) Journeys To All...

I agree with the other Bandsters. Yes, you can "slime" even when your band is unfilled. If your band was truly filled at the surgery point, you would definitely know it. I think what you experienced was not that uncommon - so you just got an early indication of how fickle the band can be! Tuna is one of those things that some Bandsters have a bit of trouble with. It's a good source of protein but right after banding it might pose a challenge. Some long term banded folk can't take the chunks or flakes in tuna even after some time. As you get more filled, you might have to alter how you each it, even with the pinches. I tolerate it fine but I also eat mine with a bit of lubrication (low fat mayo or Miracle Whip, etc) since I have some fill. Happy Band (and Life) Journeys To All...

Now that's a good point, LoveCats. (I love your name it reminds me of The Cure song and I love 80s British pop music ) I think I do better when I set smaller, mini-goals but for this new doctor, I understand him wanting me to set realistic overall goals. I will keep working on this, and everyone is invited to keep offering opinions! Happy Band (and Life) Journeys To All....

OK, maybe I'm just not getting a couple of these: Is this a married thing? Now realize that I'm single but if my (hypothetical) husband volunteered to me that I looked fat in ANYTHING without being asked, then I'd want to kick him in his hypothetical rear end. Why would that make me happy? Again, I'm single and childless. Can one adult "burp" another adult ? I've never asked anyone in my life to help me burp. Early in my banding, I have done a "Bandster" dance if things seem as if they were going to get stuck but rarely now. I mean, to burp a baby you lay them over your shoulder, correct? If any man tried to put me over his shoulder - he might get his shoulder dislocated. :paranoid I'm still a solid gal. I just don't get it, sorry. But it's a nice list and I'm sure people will add others to it! Happy Band (and Life) Journeys To All...

Wow, these are some great insights. I see quite a few of us are relying on Height/Weight charts but I like the comment (by waterlily) about the fact that our muscle/bone mass is heavier after having to accommodate carrying more mass when were obese. This is something to definitely think about. Even now, without a doubt, my leg muscles are stronger and thicker for having to haul around all that body weight for years. So it stands to reason that even at a certain size, I might weigh more than someone who had never been obese. I know I want to get to a single digit size, if I possibly can. I say I'd like to get to a USA Size 10 (which looks good on me since I'm relatively tall with long legs) but if I could actually get myself down to a Juniors Size 9 (which is VERY different from a Misses sizes 10) then I'd have a whole expanded series of fashion options. But what is most important is that I find a healthy, safe size that I can maintain. If I pick some size I can only winnow down to one time (or for one month) then I haven't done myself any favors. I appreciate everyone's continued opinions and insights. Happy Band (And Life) Journeys To All...

I do not cook ever - as a rule, but even this seems like it's quick and easy. Realizing that it might not taste quite the same as pan fried, I'll try it one day and report back. Hopefully others will give their reviews also. And the Freezer-strength bags should do it, Donna, but I'm sure the Ziploc (or Glad) people will gladly provide details. Happy Band (And Life) Journeys To All...

Picardy3? I assumed it was for Jean-Luc Picard (like the captain of "Star Trek Next Generation" ) When I worked in IT, I was always a Geek Goddess - as in, Goddess to the Geeks... Gosh, I wonder if that means I really am one... (*faints*) :faint: ________________________________________ Oh and for me, mine is easy. I'm Sho, and I hope with Banding (and some work) that I'll be the same, but yet, All New! Therefore, New Sho. Plus I think that becoming a non-obese person is kind of like stepping on a new stage or putting on a whole new show. So it's a double meaning! Happy Band (And Life ) Journeys To All....

{ Nykee, It's kind of like the Groucho saying, eh? Groucho Marx always said he'd never belong to a club that would accept him as a member. } Anyway, Magsi: I must say, this is an issue that lots of us grapple with. If everyone (not just plus size people, but all of us) could easily find the person that is right for us, then there wouldn't be a Match*com or an e*Harmony or any of those sites. But, I absolutely feel that being Plus Size adds a whole another weight (excuse the phrase) to the issue. Without a doubt, in this country, one is inundated with the message that to "Be Happy, Be Successful, or Be Loved - one has to be of normal weight (or even better, just under normal weight)." Plus Sized people are nearly absent from prime time TV , and especially plus sized women. (There was one actress, Sara Rue who was the star of a show that the TV execs pointedly called "Less Than Perfect" - yeah, yeah, we got it. Even she has lost quite a bit of weight assumably to conform to Hollywood standards.) So the message is clear: being overweight is like being invisible. In many higher-end dating/matchmaking services they will clearly explain that it's nearly impossible to match up plus sized clients, particularly female ones. So if you think that current fashion, current music videos, current magazines and articles are any indication of what we think is important in this country - then we can definitely say that being overweight makes dating more difficult. It does. I know that when I walk into a party or a club, that walking in at my previous weight is nothing like what it will probably be like to walk in now, or what it could be like to walk in at my goal weight. It doesn't mean I'll hold my head higher or lower, but I have always noticed a difference in the response I get from men, depending upon my weight. Does it mean I am more outgoing at a lower weight and men respond to that? Maybe so. But sadly there are always those who judge books by their covers. A lot of them are men. If they miss out on us, then THEY have missed out - but it isn't easy either way. Happy Band (And Life ) Journeys To All....

Hippie to Hippo? OMG, Donna, you are hilarious! Now self-deprecating humour is not just my specialty, I see you love it too. Hey Hippie Hollow - isn't that near Austin? Some Past or Current Texans in the house? Happy Band (And Life ) Journeys To All....

Bambi SunnyJugs

Just an FYI: The FDA is very close to approving the LapBand as a treatment for GERD and Reflux. Apparently the Lower stomach/Upper Stomach combo that occurs after banding goes a long way to preventing/decreasing GERD symptoms in those who suffered with it before banding. I've never been diagnosed with GERD but before banding I never bought a Rolaids or Tums before either (yet I keep them in my purse now) but I do like a good meal! Anyway, just wanted to include this. Happy Band (And Life) Journeys To All...

So I made it home. I was bummed because I had to be hospitalized for a Fibroid Removal (I didn't know I had them but my plastic surgeon found them when I had my Tummy Tuck with Muscle Repair). That meant yet another scar (as if I don't have enough:rolleyes: ) plus the OB/Gyn was going to re-open the abdominal muscles that I had just had tightened during my Tummy Tuck a few months back. The fibroids were too big to be removed laproscopically or vaginally (sorry to be graphic) so it meant another abdominal surgery. But, it's over. I'm back home, thankfully. (And I'm grateful for laptops too!) It's like 3-2-1-0. Three days in the hospital (although I got to stay in the VIP ward but still the hospital is the hospital, even when it's plush), two pounds of fibroids removed (freeloader!), and one rather long C-section scar. And zero signs of cancer were found, all were benign.All the little freeloaders were removed and all organs were left intact after all. One bright spot was that my plastic surgeon joined my OB/Gyn in the surgery also (fair enough since he found them) and he made the incisions and closed up for me. He was also able to tighten my ab muscles up a bit so I won't sag down where the fibroids were removed. I am going to try to think of it as a Mini Tummy Tuck rather than a hideously awful gynecological surgery, Anyway, I can't believe the fibroids were almost two pounds worth. Unfortunately due to Fluid retention and post-surgical swelling, I am actually 5 or 6 pounds over my pre-surgical weight. Boo! But I hope this will be an improvement overall. Happy Band (and Life) Journeys To All...

WELCOME BACK! Happy Band (And Life) Journeys To All...

Good for You! :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: Big Congrats. Happy Band (And Life) Journeys To All...