lellow

There you go bindi! Your achievement is pretty amazing and you have much to be proud of!

my colleague has had 3 kids, went from a 16 to an 8 and yet her skin is as tight as a teenager's. I, only the other hand, have had four kids, lost 60lbs and look like my lower body has melted into a pool of skin.

Hmm interesting choices in the poll. Had to pick the one that was closest to the truth, which is that no I didn't find that anyone post band was snobbish to me pre-band. But personally I don't know you well enough dan2001xj to say that it's because post-banders don't like you that you're feeling differently. :thumbup:

Observation? I don't think the amount of time you had to wait means anything when it comes to whether you're successful or not. Not from those I've observed on this forum. And I am also aware that there are hundreds of thousands of successful banders who don't post on these forums, so it's not even like we're a true representative group. I know people tend to post when they're having problems, and not when things are going well, so you're going to find a demographic skewed towards complications in forums like these. My GP suggested the band to me 6 months prior to my surgery, I dismissed it thinking I wouldn't want surgery to try to fix my weight problem. Then something significant happened to someone in my family, and that night I decided I was going to get banded after all. From that day to the day I got banded: 1 month. And having lost approx 7-10lbs a month consistently, I think I personally am proof that it's not about how long you wait.

I've just made my Valentine's Day challenge goal as of this morning: Starting weight: 169.7lbs Goal: 159lbs Today 158.6lbs Well done everyone for your losses! Any loss is less weight than you had 6 weeks ago, so be proud of every single lb gone! So, what's our next challenge going to be? Lol!

bindi, what's probably happened is that your experience with the egg has caused the area around your band to get irritated and swollen. You're probably finding that everything you eat now isn't going down because that area needs to subside a bit. Try going to liquids for a few days - if Optifast is too thick, thin it down a bit, and sip very slowly. Also pineapply juice works absolute wonders for me whenever I get a stuck episode. And I've definitely had episodes like the one you've experienced. No, it doesn't automatically mean your band has slipped. Just be very careful for a few days, and ease yourself very slowly back to solids over the course of the week. If you experience any pain though, ask your Dr to check it out.

I told my DH that for my 40th (next year) I'd want some smartlipo for my chin. I wonder if they'll do it in that area?

slimmy, I'm having a torso lift in April with Dr Allbrook. Will let you know how I go.

I'm pretty sure that the copius amounts of make-up that chick is wearing is unnatural.

I called about donating blood, but because I am having blood collected for my surgery in April, I can't donate. I have a few bags of clothes packed up to drop off at the collection point at work though, and we've made a donation through red cross. I want to do more, but don't know where to start.

Almost everyone who has been banded went through those first 4-6 weeks of hell where you're absolutely starving, and wondering if the band was worth it. Then you get fills and the band starts to work like it's supposed to. And no, it doesn't take 6 months to work. I was filled roughly every 4-6 weeks, am just over 6 months out and I'm almost at goal. The good thing about spacing your fills out is you get used to the level of restriction before you're made tighter. It's the best way, IMO, of ensuring you don't feel too tight too fast. BTW twisties are a definite temptation for me too! It's done now, nothing you can do about it. Maybe just try not to have it in the house much for a while? Lol!

Ro I've been glued to the TV too - the footage has been heartbreaking. I have been in tears too many times to count over the last few days. Bug hugs mate - I totally get wanting to camp in front of the TV with chocolate.

Hi all, Last week: 73.5kgs (161.7lbs) This week: 72.8kgs (160.2lbs) Loss of 0.7kgs (1.5lbs) I am going to see my Dr today, but am still not sure if I will ask for a fill. I'm only 2.8kgs from goal now, with plastic surgery expected to take 4-5kgs of skin off (taking me lower than the goal weight my Dr set). I've actually reduced my exercise routine from 4 times a week to 3 times a week to try to stabilise in weight, so am not sure a fill is what I need right now. Either way, will speak to my Dr and see what he says. Hope everyone had a good week!

I found that most of the people who were banded at the same time I was generally had their first fill after 4 weeks.

I've had 5 fills and not one problem ever. Each time, I barely felt it, each time it was over before I even realised it was being done. Also the pain of a teeny tiny needle is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING compared to the pain you went through to actually have this surgery. And the band only works (99% of the time) with fills that will get you to the point of restriction. The fills are the easiest part of the whole thing!

My family Dr suggested it 6 months prior to when I decided to do it. It was actually my younger brother, who's been diagnosed with diabetes, finding out that his wife was pregnant, and knowing he's concerned that because of his illness, he will not see the child into adulthood, that made me eventually decide to bite the bullet and do it.

Juli, I keep swinging between the two!! Lol! Today I'm excited. Probably because I developed a lovely red raw rash under my stomache folds and am hating this overhang at the moment. My DH is taking some time off to make sure that my baby doesn't jump on me too much once I'm out of hospital, but my Dr reckons that because my insurance is 100% covering my hospital costs, it might be worth me staying a full week in hospital recovering, and I'm tending to agree. I've also warned the husband that I won't be able to drive, shop, do the laundry, cook or anything else for about 4 weeks, and he promises me he's prepared for it (I hope so!!) I am worried about the pain though. My Dr assures me that he'll make sure I'm as comfortable as I can be, to the best of his ability, but still. :thumbdown: I was also wondering about the other stuff, like should I get a granny nightie? A recliner? What will I need? What will I wish I got? You know, all the usual questions! We should compare notes!!

Juli, my thread is here: Lellow and the Torso Lift. I'm having it done here in Perth, Western Australia, by the cosmetic and reconstructive surgeon my bariatric surgeon recommended. :thumbdown: I'll be keeping tabs on you as well - it sounds like our surgery is very similar!

This month marks my 6 month bandiversary, so would like to Celebrate by sharing some progress pics! I am having a body lift in 2 months, to take care of the fair amount of excess skin around my hips, waist and back left over from my weight loss and previous pregnancies. I hope that on my one-year bandiversary, I'll be able to post pics of me most of the way healed from the plastic surgery. :thumbup: Before pics: 3 weeks pre-op Today: 55lbs lost, 5.3lbs to the goal set by my Dr.

Congratulations Juli! I am having a body lift with a vertical incison and a mons lift too. I was tossing up about getting a thigh lift as well, but my PS wants to see how much of my thighs the body lift reduces first. My surgery is on the 2nd of April, so I'll be right there along-side you!

was also thinking this morning about how I only eat about 1 and 1/2 cups of food these days - and that, plus exercise, has helped me lose 55lbs so far. And yet there is NO WAY I could have lived my whole life trying to eat less than 2 cups of food a day without the band, so, no, 'eating a little less, dangit' wouldn't have worked for me. I needed to eat a lot less - so little in fact that my husband frequently notes that my 3yo eats much more than me. Why is it that I should expected to do that on my own? It would be just as difficult for someone like me to eat so little without the band as it would be for someone who is 200lbs + overweight. So to me, if the only way you'll get to a healthy weight range is to eat less than 2 cups of food a day, hell, you're a great candidate for the band, no matter what you weigh.