lilith

Okay, this will sound stupid, but has anyone ever lost too much weight on the pre-op diet? I have to do the six months supervised by my PCP - she put me on phentermine (again) which does cause me to lose weight, but it never stays off. I've actually lost 6 lbs in the last week and I'm scared I'm going to lose too much and not qualify... I think I'll still be fat enough but if the insurance company sees that I can lose weight on the phentermine will they deny my lapband??? Help!

I have to say that I've had a hard week, my son was hospitalized, my daughter is sick, and I feel like crud, lol BUT I still went to vote! And yes, I voted for Obama. The most important thing is to get out and vote regardless of who you are voting for. I can put up with anyone's views as long as they are a part of the process, it's those that complain for four years and didn't even bother to go stand in line that I can't tolerate. So no matter what the out come, let's just hope for a better America in the near future!

I know what you mean, I can't even take a shower without needing a break! I won't be able to submit until April... it sucks for sure!

White tongue sounds like Thrush - I don't know if that's common after banding, (I haven't been banded yet) but I have had Thrush from antibiotics. I would say call your doctor and if you are allowed eat yogurt!

I haven't had my band yet but I've had several tummy surgeries and always had the gas and pain (especially under my shoulder blades where the gas settled). The walking definitely helps along with sleep propped UP! They always told me laying flat was what let the gas get trapped, so if you can prop yourself up on some pillows at night. Hope you feel better soon!

When I'm not scared to death I am! lol

Just remember it when I'm 40 hrs away and am in the same boat! lol - I can't wait to hear how wonderful you do when you come out. :-)

I haven't had my surgery yet but I think that is normal, I think if you weren't scared THAT would be odd! You are making a major commitment to yourself, the fact that you are scared just means you realize what an important step you are taking. Good luck and hang in there, you are doing what's right for you and your health!

I haven't had my band surgery yet but the day I came home from having my hysterectomy (3 days after surgery) I had gained 27 lbs! It was all fluid from the swelling but I nearly fell on the floor! I would take everyone's advice and stay away from the scale until your follow up - don't drive yourself crazy!

Welcome! I'm about 5 1/2 months out too, hoping to be banded in April!

You have to figure that we live in a society where at least twice a week they have a segment on the news showing fat people walking down the street, putting food in their mouths, etc. I always hold my breath and hope I don't see myself! I've never seen them do a story that way on ANY other group of people. It's the way it is, if you are fat you don't have the same rights as the rest of society, some how, at some point, we crossed the line and became "less than human" in the eyes of the majority. Does that need to change, yes, are most people willing to fight for the change, no. If that woman bothered you to the point that you are uncomfortable to work with her, than nail her ass to the wall. Only you can decide what's worth your time and effort.

Thank you for the information! I had laser treatment for hair removal in the past and blistered quit badly, (it got better with each treatment but the hair grew back anyway... ) is that the same type of laser?

That's so funny! Maybe since she gained weight she thinks it makes her a part of some fat chick sisterhood - if she says anything like that again I would just ask her if she wants me to find out if we can get a two for one deal!

Is she thin or overweight? I could take the comment if she is overweight but if she is thin I would probably sit on her, lol.

Hi Dr. Schulman, Does laser treatment help with stretch marks? Either red or white? Thank you!

You're right. We have remote controls for everything from the TV to the garage door but for some reason WLS is ridiculed for being "easy". I think (hope) it will be viewed differently in another decade. Why can't people understand that it's just another weight loss tool and not a magic cure? We still have to eat right, exercise and everything else that someone without WLS would have to do, PLUS we made the decison to have surgery on top of that... I want to know what the easy part is???

I nursed all three of mine, the first one I covered up, the second one, I tried to cover up, by the third one, I really didn't care! But by then I was good at hiding it, and I wore shirts that made it easy. Most embarrassing BF moment - I was in home depot and had my son on my hip while I talked to the saleman about a storm door, I look down and realize my son has unbuttoned my shirt and removed my breast from my bra without me even noticing... I slowly backed away while keeping eye contact and got the heck out of there as fast as I could! He got weaned right then! Worst BF moment - same kid, I was breastfeeding him when we, him, my oldest daughter, and myself all got the chickenpox! I wanted to stop nursing but the ped convinced me he needed it more then than ever..... it was miserable! I remember crying while I nursed him, poor little guy, he was as gentle as he could be.

Hi Donna, Yes, she is. And she says she's jealous, but I think she's convinced herself that since she is being honest with me and saying she's jealous it's okay to say any nasty thing to me that pops into her head. She keeps telling me not to expect people to pat me on the back, what she doesn't get is I don't expect her to pat me on the back, but I do expect her to respect my decision and support me as her friend.

This is sooo true! I just had this conversation with my "best friend" yesterday. She told me she doesn't care what I say I'm taking the easy way out, which I think is crap but I couldn't win that argument with her so I said fine, let's say it is easy, so what?! It's just like child birth, the first time you think you want to go natural because it makes you less of a woman if you take the drugs, but guess what, no one ever shows up with a trophy! If you can find a tool that makes your goals easier to reach GRAB IT! And as for Oprah she should do a show on the positive outcomes of WLS, a few years back she did a show on it that scared me out of thinking I would ever travel down this road. She actually looked like she was really interested in it, I think if she weren't in the spotlight she would have done it already.

Thank you for your reply. I guess I'll hope for the best! I spoke to a friend yesterday who lost a good deal of weight without WLS and she still ended up with loose skin. So I guess it doesn't matter....

I haven't had my band yet but I have had several surgeries for endometriosis and a hysterectomy, I had a lot of shoulder pain after each, it was due to the gas they use to "float" your intestines and other organs out of the way. They always told me to sleep propped up so the gas wouldn't settle under my shoulder blades... Hope you are feeling better soon!

Thanks, again! Life should be easier, eh? lol

Is there any way to tell how elastic your skin is? I know this is sort of a silly question... but I was really set on this surgery until I had an hour lecture from a friend about how I'm going to hate myself when I have hanging skin vs the curves I have now, I'm 33, I've had 3 children and most of my weight is in my bottom and legs, I'm 5'5" and 254 currently. Thanks for any advice...

Well, two things don't help - one she's been skinny her whole life and really doesn't get it... two, I had told her that lapband patients lose slower therefore don't have as many skin issues as bypass patients and when the doctor addressed that he said it really doesn't work that way, that it just depends on the person so that lit her fire to think I'm wrong and she's right... blah. Anywho, I appreciate your response!!!

Thanks, Slim! Now I'm being bumbed out because I just came home from my info session (have not seen surgeon yet) and the whole way home my friend (who is a nurse and attended with me) gave me a lecture about how if it was her she would rather look like I do now vs having hanging skin... she has two friends who have had the bypass surgery in the last year and are having horrible skin issues. So I guess I'm just bummed out at this point.