Cindy C

Honestly, it was the best journey of my life and couldn't have come at a better time. My life was already doing a complete 180 (no pun intended!). After 20 years of my life revolving around my kids, they were finally heading out on their own. My surgery was 9 days after my youngest graduated. So I had nothing to concentrate on but myself. I absolutely loved me able to be self-centered for a change! LOL! Thanks, girls. If I can do this...thrust me, everyone of you can do it too. I'm beginning to think that life begins at 50. (OK>>>51) BTW, I'm 5'9" which is probably why you think I look thinner.

GET RID OF EM!!!! Keeping them implies that you anticipate needing them again some day. Give them away, throw them away, have a bonfire!!!! Just get em out of your house!

HALLELUJAH, SISTER!!!!

I'm 3 years post op and had a fill about 7 weeks ago! Think I'm probably good for a while!

I agree with elcee. You are definitely too tight. As for marys....everyone is different but I absolutely CANNOT eat pork. I don't care how tender or juicy it is it's just not gonna go down. Don't worry about your current plateau. It's normal. I had months in the beginning where I only lost 2 or 3 pounds. Then all of a sudden I would lose 15-20. It catches up. Just keep on doing what you know you should.

Just like everyone else.....Grew up being told "Eat everything on your plate. There are children starving in the world!" (I remember offering to mail it to India.....They weren't amused! LOL!) I got it under control in my late teens/early 20's but then was in a horrible marriage, then a nasty divorce and finally 2 kids to raise with no help from their father. The weight just came and came. But those aren't excuses. There are no excuses! The bottom line is we all got fat because we consumed more calories than we burned. Thank G_d (and Dr. Bhesania) that it's under control again and it's gonna stay there!!!!!!

Good for both of you. You have to do what's right for yourselves. By the time my BMI was where yours is now, I had lost 100 pounds. I wish I had had it done sooner. I never would have ballooned to over 300 lbs if I had. Good luck to you both.

Gas pains are usually in the shoulder blades. The pain your having is from your port. Give it some time to heal. Don't lift anything heavy and be especially careful with bending and twisting.

My rule is, once its too big...ITS OUTTA HERE!!!! I don't care how much I paid for it, how much I liked it or what memories are associated with wearing it! In the beginning I kept boxes in a spare room and threw them in there as I shrunk out of them. I tried having a garage sale...that was a flop. So I loaded them up and donated them to the local "Helping Hands" organization. My best friend is about a size larger than me. From now on if she doesn't want them, they are going in the garbage.

I had my surgery 9 days after my youngest graduated from high school. Bandster Hell didn't stop me from throwing a great big graduation party/pig roast in his honor! No, I could not eat but it didn't bother me in the least. I had fun just socializing with our friends and family. I just had a yogurt or something and a couple cocktails! Can't let the good times pass you by because of food!

You're probably a little swollen. I'm going through the same thing right now. I would (and will) avoid the spicy stuff for a few days and hope the swelling goes down. I really don't want to go get fluid taken out just so I can go back a week later and have it put back in!

Should be about the same as the lean stuff you've been using!

I had 5. 4 were the size of a pencil. The one for the port was quarter size.

That's crazy. If you self pay it's less than $20K. No wonder insurance premiums are so dang high!

I spent a week in Montreal several years ago and found that the French speaking people there were kinda A-holes. They refused to speak English and had a certain arrogance about them. Luckily at the time my French wasn't too bad so I got by. It actually turned out to be a great vacation. Are they lazy? Probably not. I would guess that they just aren't educated properly in the lap band lifestyle. If a doctor said that it doesn't work I would find a different doctor. Maybe you would have better luck in Ottawa or maybe Montpelier.

Sam's Club and Costco have good prices on it. So does Meijer but they are only in Michigan, Indiana and Ohio. Someone told me they got it pretty cheap at Walmart too.

Ice it and be really careful about lifting, bending and twisting. It'll pass!

That doesn't make sense. Beans are really high in protein and salsa has virtually no calories.

I started out with a BMI of 47.8. Now it's 26.4 I had no problem getting BCBS to approve me. In fact it took less than a month! My employer switched to them on 5/1. I found out that they covered lapband so I made an appt for my consultation on 5/15 and had surgery on 6/10!

I would guess having your band removed would be the same as having it put in...just in reverse. But since you have moved, why not try a lapband doctor in Vegas? It can't hurt. As for the shoulder pain, have you gone to a chiropractor? I know alot of people think that chiropractics is voodoo but those are probably the same people that think lapband is a cheaters way out. My chiropractor worked miracles with that pain after my surgery.

Good for both of you! Don't let your communities dictate how you live your lives. You have to do what's right for yourselves. I have this little "Jewish Mother" that, in one breath says "I'm so proud of you. You look so good and so healthy." Then she proceeds to tell me whats in the fridge and "You should eat, Bubelah, eat!" I just bite my tongue and tell her I'm not hungry. What I want to say is "D*** It, Ma, you did this to me once. You're not going to do it again!"

What do we think????? I can't speak for everyone but personally.....I THINK YOUR DOCTOR IS AN ASS!!!!! It's your body and your band and you should know absolutely everything you can about it! It's his responsibility to educate you so you can be as successful as possible.

I had my surgery on a Tuesday and went back the next Monday.

It's very unlikely that it would ever happen.

Whatever it says first thing Tuesday morning!