TheGh0st

Karey - on PS - FIGHT for the PAIN PUMP. From what I've read on other threads and experienced myself it really seems to help ease the recovery. If he won't do it don't try to ease off the pain pill too soon. They prescribe them for a reason so use them. New Years Challenge / Resolution - OK All if I'm going to join in on this I'm going to have to cave and be honest with myself as well as the rest of you. When I had my TT I weight 173 shortly after the TT I managed to hit 163 on the scale but as of this morning with no clothes on I weighed in at 180 even. I realize there may still be some swelling at this point but there is NO WAY that all 17 pounds of that is swelling. I've been desperate for a fill for over a month but can no longer use that as an excuse to eat like a horse. On a positive note I was able to swap fill appts with another gal her locally so I could get in this week instead of having to wait another 2 weeks. Unfortunately my husband veto'd (sp?) the YMCA as it was a bit pricey for our current budget. So I'm going to check out another gym near my work and see if they might have a better rate. Until then I'm going to go back to the old tried and true Protein, Protein, Protein. And see if I can't knock these pounds back down. I really want to be down to the 150's by March as well.

That makes me feel a bit better. I know the whole massage thing is helping keep the scar tissue from building but I just haven't been able to keep it up as much as I thought I should be doing it. I think I could handle 4 min a day, and I have been getting in for an hour massage once a month, wish I could do it once a week but its all I can afford right now.

Happy New Year to all of you out in Bandland as well. And now that the crazies (I mean locals) have finally tapered off with all their gunfire I'm going to sign-off and go to bed. Grrrrr... I may see banning gun ownership from law abiding citizens because of the large number of people killed by guns as dumb as banning cars from everyone because of the even larger number of people that are killed by cars each year. But blankety blank I still wish I could get the idio..(I mean gun safety challenged people) around here to stop thinking New Year's was an excuse to see how many rounds of ammo they can pump into the air at one time. Thank the Lord no one has died from any of the falling bullets so far but I've heard there is a lot of car and roof damage attributed to it each year. And here I am in little old mid-west Kansas City, I can't imagine what LA or NY must sound like. OK rants over. Sorry for hijacking your thread. Good Night

Hi Janie - I can so relate to what you have written. Especially the part about the nagging feeling there is something you need to do which only leads to going to the kitchen for some more food. Heck, over 2 years out and 90+ pounds down there are still days I feel like that but NOT everyday. And there is a big difference in the guilt level associated with falling prey to those old patterns but knowing I am now moving 2 steps foward 1 step back instead of the other way around. Choosing the band is a very personal choice. None of us can make that choice for you. On this site you will find those who have raced to there goals and passed them. Those that feel they are taking a much slower path than they had hoped and a few that the band hasn't seemed to help. Personally I was always able to lose weight on just about any diet for awhile. I just was never able to maintain the lifestyle necessary to keep it off, or to get to that ever elusive goal. The band has definitely helped me. I tend to lose faster when I'm on a kick of following the high-protein regime but don't gain much if any weight back when I don't. This has given me the hope that when I do finally decide I am happy with where I'm at and quit making any attempts to lose the weight I should be able to maintain it much easier than I ever was before. I swear it is a 4-letter word but yes, the band is only a T-O-O-L. For me it was the tool I needed to keep my hunger in check while I tried to learn a new lifestyle and loose my unwanted weight. I wish you nothing but the best no matter what you decide. Good Luck and Much Happiness in the New Year. Oh, and I've also been there done that with the "home-made diaper" I would roll up a paper towel and put it under there or an extra long feminine pad. I also used antiperspirants and occasionally Athletes foot spray when it really got sore.

There are several threads here including my own with some pretty graphic pics. Others I can think of are Spyder, JulieNYC & Puddin. There was also a website I found once on google with some before/after tummy tuck shots though they were a mix of weight loss and just excess skin from life (such as pregnancies).

Yup, I'm not a doc nor do I play one on Lapbandtalk. But IMHO I can't imagine why the prior tummy tuck should be a problem. In fact I'm pretty sure I remember hearing of at least one other bandster out here that had a tummy tuck some years ago after losing some weight then recently was banded after gaining much of it back. Maybe she'll spot this thread and chime in as well.

I'll be watching your thread with interest. Sorry things were so painful at first. Guess I should be gratefull my doc's standard protocol is to hook you up to painpump for the first 3-4 days. I was still sore but at a very manageable level. And if it started to hurt a bit more I could just push a button on the pain pump to send an extra dose.

Hey Steve I'll send you a PM.

OK Julie, but how long are you suppose to be massaging it for? Mine wants me to be doing it twice a day massaging in small circles for one minute then moving along the scar line and doing another minute, etc, etc. It takes me at least 10 minutes to complete and is killing my already sore shoulder. And worse yet at 3 months out he is still wanting me to keep up with the massages. UHGHH!!! I have to admit I haven't been though it has been more like 2-3 times a week for the last month. Please tell me you haven't had to do it for this long.

I am in the Kansas City area so I have no knowledge of these doctors. My only concern would be in your follow up care considering the 6-hour drive you mentioned. Then again 6-hours may not be considered that bad to some people. If you don't think the drive would act as a mental deterrant to your going in for the fills you need and these docs are better than any (if any) that are nearer to you then I say go for it. Just remember this tool can't work if you don't work with your doctor to keep it adjusted.

I'd had my Gallbladder out a couple years before the band and all I remember now from when I had the band placed was that I was absolutely amazed at how much easier the band surgery went. I kept waiting for things to get worse and they never did. I'm not saying there wasn't pain or discomfort, just that it wasn't near as bad as the gallbladder surgery. My only real discomfort was in trying to wear a bra as it rubbed along my port incision. And for both surgeries I was back to work in less than a week. Honestly I think I could have gone back nearly 2 days post surgery. I wouldn't have felt 100% but then I only have a desk job and I have the mind set that if I am well enough to sit on the couch watching telly then I'm well enough to sit at my desk and get paid to look at the computer.

Nancy can back me up on this but I'm pretty sure it is the same as a Lower Body Lift (LBL). As I understand it on a LBL they cut you all the way around the waist. They do it very low across the front just above the pubic line like my Tummy Tuck scar but then the extend the incision all the way around the back until it meets up somewhere near the tailbone I believe.

Julie - What does your father have to say about massaging the scar line? My doc wasn't too big on the creams either and also said not to bother with expensive products like mederma but he did want me to massage a vitamin-E lotion on my scar line twice a day for quite a long time. He says the massaging motion is more important than the lotion and that if done regularly it can help prevent the buildup of scar tissue both on the surface and down deeper. I'm not doing it near as often as he has asked me to now that I am over 2 months out but I definitely think it has helped. My scar line looks and feels no different than if I had just got a surface cut.

quote=Sherrirbgr - Wow!!! You've done great! You've lost 93 lbs! That is awesome! Thanks though it doesn't always feel like I've done well. Especially since I'm still sitting at a weight gain nearly 3 months after my tummy tuck, which should have made me 10 pounds lighter. UGHHH! I think the problem is that when you're 2 years out, and you see all these newbies who have met their goal in less than a year, you just get back in that mindset of "woe is me, I'll never lose this weight!" I know what you mean about beating yourself up. Still sometimes the newbies can also be a good motivator as well. ...which helps you eat that dang Publix chocolate covered brittle, which I swear is CRACK. My "CRACK" was cookie dough icecream but has moved to French Truffles. YUMMM.. the first time I ate one of those I swear I was moaning like I was in the "bedroom". These are nothing like those chocolate flavored wax balls sold by lindt or lindor, these are soft chocolate butter balls rolled in cocoa powder and taste like ambrosia. Lord help me! My only saving grace may be that I've only been able to find them at those temporary Hickory Farm Stores you see around Christmas. I just heard from Dr. Bagnato's office. They want me to come down for an x-ray. I'll call Monday and get it scheduled. What is the X-Ray for? Are you worried you have slipped? Keep us posted.

I like the March deadline as well. My 15th anniversary is March 9th. I stopped by a local YMCA today to look at joining. Have to admit I'm a bit intimidated by the $85/mo family fee. There is also a 24 hour fitness center about 15-20 min away that only cost 14/mo for a 4/day per week contract. My husband already goes there. The problem is it doesn't have childcare and it is 15-20 away from any direction I normally go. The Y on the other hand is just blocks from my sons pre-school and I could stop there in the mornings after I dropped him off and before I went to work. ASSUMMING and that is a BIG assumption, that I could get my sorry butt out of bed early enough to go.

I COMPLETELY agree! Just because someone has been banded for several years does NOT make them an expert. And I take absolutely no offense to your post. I also agree that there are many emergency (and possibley non-emergency for all I know) abdominal surgeries that are performed without a pre-op diet. Still since this is a somewhat "elective" surgery it is still best for us to give the doctors the best working environment possible. After all if he has troubles it is our body he is working on not his own. I have no idea how much cheating on the diet increases the risks it maybe only a little or it maybe more significant. But what is the harm in telling the surgeon who does know and working with him or her to decide if it is an added risk you are willing to take? Ofcourse I believe this whole threads subject is a bit mute at this point as if I remember correctly her surgery was scheduled for yesterday. I would love to hear a follow up though on if she did speak to the doc or not and if the surgery went ahead on schedule. Here's hoping all is well. I look forward to watching her progress on the banded side of life.

OMG Green that is just plain GROSS! I can't believe what animals people can be sometimes.

Lots of Jello. I think I ate so much Jello and made so many different ways I will never want another serving of Jello in my LIFE. but right now it is your friend at least it gives you something to chew. How about sugarfree popsickles? (sp?) If you can have those it helps.

I can definitely relate to the bending over a trash can drooling like some sort of a mad dog. I use to get this quite a bit too. Though I haven't had it happen for a while now. It isn't really sliming as I understand it. I've slimed as well and it was definitely different. In one you are just producing an overload of very watery saliva when I "slime" it is much thicker and more like mucus. I've been told that both are mechanisms you body uses to try to help get food to slide down when it thinks its stuck. And is probably happening because you have enough food (or liquid) in your pouch that some is now sitting above your pouch in the esaphogus (sp?) or what ever that area just above your stomach is called. Only problem with the body reacting that way for us banded folk is it only adds to the problem rather than fixing it. Best option is to try to (1) chew more (2) take smaller sips or swallows (3) and most important, wait between bites or drinks to make sure there is really room for more before you take another bite.

Sherri - I'm right there with you. These holidays have been terrible on my resolve. Doesn't help that I have absolutely no restriction at the moment and all the local fill docs are completely booked. Oh well, I have a fill scheduled in a couple weeks. It just hard working on will-power alone this time of year. PS - Good to see another new "old-timer" from 2005. We should start a thread to help with support for those with the band more than 2 years. Don't get me wrong I love the enthusiasm of the "newbies" they frequently help kick my own lagging motivation up the rear and get me moving again on this path but sometimes it is also good to talk to someone else that understands what I'm going through at this stage of the game.

Welcome Aboard Nancy. It's good to see a new face from the 2005 crowd. Us "old-timers" still need support too.

Whoo Hoo!!! and Hip Hip Hooray!!!

Mimin - You aren't the only one I also ate myself silly over the holidays. My mother made my all time favorite lemon bars and I think I ate well over 10 before one of my nephews broke a glass near the plate of cookies and my sister decided to throw all the cookies away rather than risk one of the kids eating a cookie with a piece of glass on it. All of the kids were crying over the loss insisting they would be carefull to watch for any potential glass. I got to tell you it took everything in me not to cry the same plea. Thankfully my MIL's cookies taste terrible so I didn't over eat near as bad there. Her pies are good and I did have about 1/3 slice of both pumpkin and apple and would have gladly ate more, only pie is a bit harder to sneak-in under my husbands ever watchful eyes.

I'm with the some of the above. I am determined this is going to be my last Weight related New Year's resolution. But alas, my resolution is to finally start some serious exercise as opposed to walking around a mall once or twice a week and calling it exercise. And to lose whatever remaining weight I decide I need to lose. Sorry about being so vague on the second one but I just don't know how I will know what my goal weight will be until I'm finally there. Right now it feels like around 15-20 pounds but I just don't know.

Hip Hip Hooray!! I can't wait to hear what you think of the photographer.