lellow

I'm glad to hear it all went well for you, Josiebies! I have been offline for a bit but was hoping you would be back and posting when I came on today. I too thought that the lapband surgery was worse in th scheme of things. I'm glad you came out feeling relatively good, I know you were worried about the pain.

Juli, you look great! What a fantastic results for all your hard work!

In Australia, we don't have to jump through the kind of hoops for insurance to pay as you have to in the US. The majority of Heath Insurance companies in Australia cover most of the cost of WLS as long as your BMI is 35+, or 30+ with comorbidities. From the time I decided to have the surgery to the actual date of surgery was 4 weeks. So I would say that in Australia, the majority of us are insurance-pay. Yet we have good success rates here, easily as good as the US.

Lol I only just read your post Jeni. For some reason it didn't come up in my subscribed replies. I just kept pushing myself, I suppose, and I found the more I exercised, the more supple my incisions got! So yeah, I guess I 'girled up' as Juli so aptly put it!! I called my Dr today because I'm a little bit unhappy that my mons area isn't flat enough. It spoils the silhouette imo and I want to speak to him about the amount of lipo he did. I don't think he did enough, but want to hear what he has to say about it. I se him next Wed, so we'll see how it goes. Otherwise, I'm pretty good. Went back to work and by the end of the day am pretty swollen. But I'm glad to be 'back to normal' and the reaction I've gotten from my workmates about my new body has been awesome!

Yay welcome to the flatlands, mrgta! I'm glad to hear you're feeling fine and that not only is your tummy flat but your butt and hips are tiny too! I remember sleeping on my side for the first time 8 days post op and woke up with my hip bone hurting because they'd never not had 'padding' cushioning them before! Lol!

I wore TEDs for the whole week I was in hospital. They refused to let me take them off! I went back to sleeping on my bed, without a wedge pillow, pretty much from day 8 post surgery. I just slept on my side. So I think it's one of those things - some people can't live without some things and others don't find they need them. Though I think a recliner is pretty necessary for the first week post op at least. Not long to go now Josie!

Josiebies, exercising feels good, surprisingly. It 'loosens' the tightness in my incisions and gets the blood flowing in those areas. A lot of the areas that were numb are getting some feeling back now and I'd like to think that it has to do with the increased blood flow. I do think being up and moving helped a lot. But don't forget to rest too!

Jeni, I'm doing great! I am back to normal daily activity and am exercising at 70% now, and increasing every week. I have had to take a few days break this week when I caught a chest cold, or I'd be back to 100%. I don't wear a compression garment anymore, my swelling is almost 90% gone, I can wear jeans again, and except for first thing in the morning, I can't even feel my incisions during the day. I feel so well that I feel guilty for still being on sick leave! Luckily I'm going back to work on Monday. So I think I'm been really lucky, and recovered very well. But even so, I wouldn't be game to go back for more surgery so soon! I think I have a pretty good pain tolerance, but damn, girl, you put me to shame!

You're amazing, Jeni! Good luck for Phase 2!

mrgta, it's almost time! I know it's scary but you will love the results, and in a month, you'll feel pretty good about it all. I look forward to seeing photos! I'll be thinking of you tomorrow.

To be honest, reading what you're eating now, I think you have plenty of restriction. When I'm well restricted, I can only eat slight more than a fistful of food. No more than that. You also have to be careful about not getting so tight that your caloric intake falls too much. You want to be able to eat veg, meat, a bit of carbs, and feel full for hours after. Pushing to get tighter when you're struggling to eat more than 1/2 cup of food is not necessary, and can lead to more complications that you need. PBing can cause inflammation and can sometimes lead to getting unfilled. Or worse, a slip. So if you've got good restriction now, I say enjoy it. If the restriction eases (as it does sometimes as you lose weight) only THEN look at another small fill.

Lol Jacqui, I was watching the Biggest Loser Australia finale too last night and I was oohing and aahing at how great everyone looked, when my hubby thought it pertinent to remind me that I've lost as much as some of the contestants too!

Booked myself for another fill on the 8th of May. I have decided that I DO NOT LIKE only having a teeniest bit of restriction!

It's every page.

Yes I could feel it right after surgery, and now it sticks out. :thumbup:

Marriage isn't a strictly religious term though. If a heterosexual couple have a secular, civil ceremony, they're still considered married, aren't they? They are here in Australia. So to say that marriage is a solely religious instituition is technically incorrect. You are NOT only 'married' if you marry in church. If marriage is used as a term to describe the civil union of hetero couples, then it's reasonable to expect that gay couple expect that their civil unions to also be called 'marriage'. It's a word used to describe the marital contract between two people, and the religious don't have exclusive rights to the word.

Yay on your own thread, Josiebies! I have to admit, being in hospital for the first week after surgery meant that I actually didn't need a lot. I never ended up getting a toilet riser and I didn't use the wedge pillow I got. Though I imagine if I'd come home straight away, I'd at least need the wedge pillow for the first week, if not a recliner. I did however love having a chair in the shower, and that's something I'd say was my essential! You're on the countdown now! You'll be in flatlands before you know it!

Wow, not long to go for you, Sue! Josiebies, you've got to take pics of yourself for us at the wedding. :smile2:

Aw jack&kota, you and I have lost about the same amount in the same timeframe. I just had less to lose, so got to goal sooner, is all. You're doing great, and I'm sure you'll be there before our first bandiversary! I too think I would look better with a thigh lift, but I think I'm stopping here with the PS. I'm pretty happy and can live with my thighs. What I'm not terribly pleased about is my lack of restriction though. I am not gaining, but I am still hungry between meals, and when I eat, I can easily eat double of what I used to. I'm seriously considering booking in for another small fill. josiebies, I'm only doing 15mins on my bike where I used to do 40mins before. The plan is to increase it by 5 minutes every week until I'm back to my pre-PS routine. I'm still fit enough to do 40mins I reckon, but I don't want to overdo it either. When I overdo it, I swell. And I hate swelling! I reckon you're going to look amazing for your daughter's wedding! You'll be healed and toned and gorgeous, I'm sure of it!

Well, had my 2nd post op appt with my PS today and he's very happy with my results. He's removed all the dressings and I can wean myself off my compression garment over the next week or so. There is no Fluid under my skin, all my incisions are closed and healed, most of my scabbing has fallen off, and my swelling is down 90%. He's happy for me to return to exercise slowly (which I've already started anyway) and has cleared me to return to work in a week. He doesn't need to see me again for 3 weeks, and unless something drastic happens, that will be the last time I'll need to see him! I've attached new pics to my private album of my torso minus the dressings, and you can now see the remnants of my butterfly tattoos around my new belly button! ETA Forgot to mention that I got completely refilled on Wed, but still don't have the kind of restriction I had pre-surgery. I will give it a few weeks and if my hunger remains, may ask for a little more fill. Though my lapband dr believes that it may be a good idea for me to stay a little 'loose', I don't want to gain if I can help it.

Juli, I hope the pain subsides for you soon matey. I guess having had less surgery (just a belt lipectomy with a vertical incision) I have had it easier than you. It's wise to warn others that they should be aware of the pain factor. I think that's something anyone looking at this should be prepared for. That way, if they don't have too much discomfort, they can consider themselves lucky. I'm sorry to hear about the seromas. My last drain site leaked for a few days then stopped, and no seromas have formed. Hopefully your Fluid build up eases. And how is your back? Are you more upright yet?