lellow
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Everything posted by lellow
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I lost the ring my husband bought me on our honeymoon. I knew it was loose but it couldn't get resized so I just left it. One day I noticed it was gone! Couldn't tell you where or when I lost it. I now wear tubing on my engagement ring to keep it tight against my finger (and to hold my wedding ring in!) but I do need to get them re-sized properly!
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Lol! I know! Only seems like a little while ago we were all watching each other go in for surgery! I'll take new pics soon, I promise. My weight's low at the moment (130lbs) so I too am thinking I need my boobs done!! Lol! Very jealous of you!
Will PM you when I get the photos up.
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You shouldn't have an issue with communion wafers. They virtually melt in your mouth, so they won't get stuck or anything. Leave it in your mouth until it's mushy, then swallow. I had communion less than a week after my operation.
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Jus thought I'd add that the jeans I wear now are a size smaller than the smallest jeans in that pic, but I don't have the bigger jeans anymore (have gone with my love to goodwill!) so can't take another picture! Lol! -
Where does your goal put you
lellow replied to mominkansas's topic in POST-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
My Dr also said I was 'perfect' at a BMI of 27. But I lost more and got to a BMI of 23, and guess what, I did look too skinny and a bit gaunt. I'm up to a BMI of 24 now and it looks better, and it's a weight that both me and my Dr now agree is a good weight for me. And yet I probably looked fine at a BMI of 27 too. I agree about sometimes getting too hung up on the whole BMI thing, because it doesn't take into account someone's build. I am in the high end of a healthy BMI now and yet I'm a Australian size 8 now (US size 4). -
Hi! It's so funny when people tell me I'm an inspiration, because not long ago I was exactly in the same place you're in now - just banded and a little worried that it wouldn't work for me! It's nice though to speak to another Perth girl as there are so few of us who regularly use this site.
Fanny is a great chick (met her IRL) and she and I had the same band surgeon and plastic surgeon. Our band surgeon was Steve Watson and our plastic surgeon was Bruce Allbrook. And yes, Bruce is here in Perth. I had my surgery in SJOG Murdoch, and Fanny had hers in Hollywood Hospital. Bruce is a bit of a legend, to be honest!
Happy to chat about any other questions you have! I'm sure you'll have great success with the band - us Aussies seem to do well with it!
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Babe, for the fill that got me to my sweet spot, I had a similar thing happen. I called my Dr's office and they told me I needed to be on liquids only for a couple of days to let things settle. As you approach restriction, the swelling associated with getting a fill will have much more of an impact that earlier fills. After 3 days of liquids, it settled, and I was tight, but I could eat again (albeit very slowly and softer foods). Go back to Clear Liquids for a day, then full iquids for another day, then pureed foods for the 3rd day. If by day 4 you're still struggling to get liquids down, your Dr may be the best person to speak to.
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I'm Asian and I find I have real trouble with broccolli in Chinese food. I don't eat celery either. Rice is another thing I can't eat when it comes to Chinese food. I'm fine with Japanese rice and Arborio, but something about Jasmine or Basmati makes it hard for me to tolerate. But there are heaps of other kinds of Chinese you should be able to eat. Avoid the chewy/fibrous stuff and you should be okay.
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Your Goal Weight... How is it calculated?
lellow replied to che4u's topic in LAP-BAND Surgery Forums
My DR set my 'goal' to a weight that was a BMI of 27 (or 70kgs). In his opinion, that's a healthy weight for women of my height (5ft 4in). But I believe that at 70kgs, I was still a little too heavy. I got down to 61kgs but that was a little too thin IMO (despite it being a BMI of 23). Unlike Jachut, when I lose, I lose my bum and boobs first , so I ended up looking like a skinny little boy - all straight up and down and no curves. So now I'm about 63-4kg and happy with it. My Dr now even agrees that this seems like the 'right' weight for me. You can still see my ribs, but I have a bum and boobs now! So I think setting a goal weight should be just that - something to strive to but not necessarily the end point. By all means, have something to aspire to, but once you get there, find out what weight works for you, and that'll be your 'maintenance' weight. -
Not Stuck... but irritated. Help :/
lellow replied to mellabella78's topic in POST-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
yep, I've had that. Differently things work for different people but for me, I find sipping on pineapple juice helps eleviate that feeling. If that doesn't work then unfortunately only time will help! -
How does WL eventually stop when you reach goal?
lellow replied to mominkansas's topic in POST-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
I got to goal, and then passed it by 19 lbs and started to look a little gaunt. So I stopped exercising as much. Plus as months passed, I didn't feel as 'tight' as I used to be. So I ate more and my weight stabilised. I still get the occasional fill if I'm getting too loose but I've probably only had a couple of small fills since hitting goal (and refilling after my plastic surgery) You can keep going and lose more if that's what you want to do, because only you know what the weight looks like on you. I am now about 8-10lbs more than at my lowest recorded weight (so still 8-11lbs under goal), which actually puts me on the high end of 'normal' BMI. But I actually think I look better now than when I was thinner. I actually have some boobs and bum! So really nothing much happens when you get to goal. If you want to maintain that weight, you eat more and exercise less. If you want to go lower, you carry on doing what you're doing now! -
I'm not sure how I did so well.
I guess I followed the band rules from day one, meaning that in my 'losing' phase, I generally only ate a cup of healthy food when I was hungry (as in stomach growling hungry). Then once a week, I'd let myself 'go' a little and a 'bad food' like fried chicken. That way I never really felt 'deprived'.I got fills religiously too, every month until I got good restriction.
And I exercised. 3 times a week minimum for 40 mins (until I was sweating up a storm), without fail.
And by doing the above things, I consistently lost 7-10lbs a month until I got to my goal. Once at goal, I found that I didn't need to exercise like crazy or constantly watch what I eat to keep the weight off.
And I too was worried I wouldn't be successful. But put your mind to it, and you'll find that success will likely happen for you. It does for most lapbanders!
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Fear of inability to breathe
lellow replied to ladykcusa's topic in PRE-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
Nope it doesn't restrict your ability to breathe if you get stuck. -
Hi and thanks for your lovely comment on my photo. I have been banded almost 18 months now and I lost all of my excess weight in 7 months. I went on to lose a little bit more after hitting goal and my BMI is now 23, which is perfect for me.
I probably didn't notice a difference for a long time, but other people started to notice after I'd lost probably about 20lbs. I'm sure in a month or so everyone will start to see the difference in you!
Good luck and I wish you all the success in the world. The band has been a Godsend for me, I hope it is for you too!
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Hey Fanny, I'm so glad I went to see you too! I've been hanging out all day to get online to let you know how good it was to actually finally meet you! I can tell you first hand that Fanny looks great guys! You wouldn't think she just had surgery 3 days ago! Lol! And I am green with envy over her new boobs! Fanny, we've got to catch up when I get back from hols. Until then, take care, rest up and be fabulous!
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wondering how eating is like a year later... a little scared?
lellow replied to heidsz's topic in POST-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
Heidsz, I'm in maintenance mode too (sx was 16 months ago and I've maintained for about 6 months) and have to say that I eat much like Jachut now - like a 'normal' small eater. No one even notices that I eat differently to them now. So I don't necessarily think this will be the way you will live your life forever more. -
Hi eyeinthesky, I am in maintenance mode (not trying to lose anymore) and I have so far needed a small 'top up' fill every 5 months or so. In fact I got one last Friday. My weight has been stable for over 6 months but lately I noticed I was able to eat more, was taking a long time to get full (sometimes I DIDN'T get full even, and had to stop myself from eating more than I should have) and then in the last month, I put on 2kgs (about 5lbs). So I went back to see my Dr and got a 0.25ml fill. It seems to have done the trick, and I'm feeling restriction again, and have already lost 2 of those 5lbs. So if you're not feeling a good level of restriction anymore, go get another fill. The band is there for you to use it, so use it well.
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Aw I missed wishing you luck before you left, Fanny! But remember you're in my thoughts and Dr Allbrook is a genius, so I know you're in good hands! If you manage to log on and feel like a visitor, I've got some time off this Wed and would love to come see you! (You're in Murdoch SJOG, right?). We can compare notes. :thumbup: Sweet dreams, matey. When you wake, you'll be waking to a brand new you!
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Fanny, I'm having the same argument about my weight with the lb dr - Dr Bowater. He thought that at a BMI of 23, I was too skinny. But my band is loose now and I can eat just about anything, and I'm struggling to not gain, but he won't fill me anymore because I'm still technically within a normal BMI range (which he thinks is too low). But in the meantime, I've gained 2 kgs in 2 months. Not good. So I have made another appt with him for this arvo, and I'm going to crack it with him if he doesn't give me a fill. Hell, I've got a band, let me use it FFS. As for your surgery, you're going to love the new bod, hun, I know you will! I still can't believe that I can see my hip bones, my ribs, my feet! And with implants, you're going to be smokin'! I wish I'd gotten some, but my DH reckons he's happy with my boobs still, so I guess I can't complain. Not long now!
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I was a BMI of 37 when I first called my surgeon, BMI of 35 on the day of surgery, and was at a BMI of 25 within 7 months of being banded. It worked really well for me, being a low BMIer. I'm glad I did it when my BMI was still under 40, because the way I was headed, it wasn't going to be under 40 for long.
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WTG xavier! I remember saying that you'd soon be an inspiration for others and I was right! Glad to hear you're getting the fills you need and are back on track with the weight loss. I too recently had a fill, just because my appetite was returning and I was having to work a little more than usual to maintain. But the fill did the trick and now I'm back to maintaining easily again. Always a work in progress, aren't we? Lol!
I don't visit much this site much anymore but I'm glad I did today because your avatar put a smile on my face. You're doing fabulously, matey! Your avatar proves it!
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Anyone get banded with a BMI below 40?
lellow replied to bennigancat's topic in LAP-BAND Surgery Forums
Jachut, I'd say you look pretty damned good overall and I don't know if trading the bit of sag you have for a whole torso full of scars would be a good exchange. For me, it was worth it because I had 3.5kgs of excess skin hanging over my pubis and bum, but I've seen your stomache and IMO removing the sagging skin you have isn't worth the massive scars, never mind the cost. I can't wear a bikini ever again (Not that I could before, mind you!). You still look great in one! -
Anyone get banded with a BMI below 40?
lellow replied to bennigancat's topic in LAP-BAND Surgery Forums
My BMI was 37 when I called the surgeon for the first time, and 35 on the day of surgery. I had no co-morbidities but had a significant familial history of heart disease and type 2 diabetes. The band has been wonderful for me. I lost 100% of my excess weight in 7 months, had a body lift to remove my excess skin, then went on to lose another 19lbs in the months that followed. -
At what point did you start getting excited about your weight loss?
lellow replied to HolliJ's topic in LAP-BAND Surgery Forums
I get that. I didn't get excited until I went past the point where I could always get to on my own with diet and exercise. For me it was the 86kg mark. When I first went lower than that weight, I was pretty chuffed. After that, it seemed like my goal was achieveable, and then when I got to goal, it was a bit of an anti-climax because I guess I had started to believe it was absolutely going to happen. So when it happened, it was no big deal. The next time I got excited was when I got to 62kgs (8kgs under goal). That's less than I weighed than when I was 18, and got me to a (clothing) size that I have not been in size I was 14. That was very exciting for me. I hover around that weight now, and that's the weight I'm happiest at. -
Emma, My surgeon was Dr Bruce Allbrook - I would recommend him in a second, he is a genius! Google him, he's easy enough to find. He did an amazing job on my body lift. My entire surgery cost about $26k, but I only paid about $16k out of pocket after Medicare and PHI chipped in. If you're only after a tummy tuck, it will probably set you back about $6-8k out of pocket. Dr Allbrook provided me with Medicare item numbers for the reconstructive aspects of my surgery, I was the one who decided to go the 'whole hog' and have a lower body lift, which is why it cost as much as it did. But I don't regret a cent.