ALuv82

The answer to the question is easy for me...Yes, yes a thousand times yes it was worth it. But the truth is, just because it was worth it for me, doesn't mean it will be worth it for you. Only you can decide how commited you are. My parents tried to pressure me to have the surgery over 5 years ago and I didn't do it. I wasn't ready then and I don't think I would have experienced the success I have had since beeing banded 6 mos ago (I'm down 70# from 313 to 243 btw). This is not the easy way, it is just a way. You need to be commited to making changes necessary and you can't be the kind of person who gives up when you hit a rough patch which many of us have done time and again in our weight loss attempts. This is forever. Someone above was talking about this only working if your problem is quantity and if you ahve a sweet tooth and just eat the wrong foods, it won't work. I don't agree. I had a problem with quantity AND quality. Now what I can eat is restricted so every time I put something in my mouth I have to decided if it's worth filling my timy stomach with it. I know I can't gorge on candy because I need the room for the quality foods. I still will eat all the foods I loved in the past--pizza, bagels, candy--but only occasionaly and in small portions. I have to prioratize what I eat because I know I can't eat it all. That is enough for me to moderate the quality of what I eat. But again, it's a choice. If yo're not commited, that may not be enough. You don't have to change your whole life and commit to a diet of fish and broccoli every meal for the rest of your life, but you do have to realize that each thing that goes in your mouth is going to count more now than ever. You could still eat a gallon of ice cream every night if you wanted too. You could skip the chicken and carrot sticks for lunch and eat a sleeve of Cookies instead. And you can fail, or you can use this tool to help you make the right decisions and live a healthy, happy, life free of deprevation and dieting. The choice is yours.

My doctor is anti-carbonation but I've given in and started drinking diet soda again. Not like I used to, but once or twice a week. It doesn't bother me at all. I certianly don't keep it in the house or anything, but I will indulge occasionaly.

It's been forever since I've been around--opps. Well, ic an't remember the last time I weighed in, so I don't know what I'm down but I'm 249.2today. Yippe for being under 250. I'm offficially closer to onederland than I am to the 300's.

250.9 this morning. My weight has been all over the last couple of days and will probably change some more soon. First I got a fill last Thurs and I went from 258 down to 253 by Tues, then yesterday I woke up and had my period so I was back up to 255.4. Then since I'm having the procedure to break up my kidney stone I had to drink a whole bottle of magnesium citrate (a laxative--eww) and stop eating after 3PM and now I'm back down to 250.9. They'll probably put my on fluids which means I'll probably be back up to last weeks 258 by tonight.

I had my second fill today—woohoo for more restriction! Not that I was doing too bad with the restriction I had. I can definitely see the difference between how much I can eat now versus how much I used to be able to eat. It’s a world of change. But it’s still not quite to the sweet spot. I can eat more than the recommended portions and I have had no trouble with any food I’ve tried. I can eat bagels, pizza, pasta, rice—no problems. Although when I eat bagels or rolls or anything, I do scoop out the insides. I doubt it would give me trouble even if I ate the whole thing though. I’m almost three months out and I have yet to get stuck or to PB. I would describe the point I’ve been at to be the perfect point if I was at goal and was trying to maintain. It’s like eating like a normal sized person. But sadly, I’m not a normal sized person yet, so I still need a bit more help. So, I went in for my fill. Originally I was scheduled to go in for a fill a week and a half ago but my boss had to go sail away on his boat and I had to change my schedule around to cover for him. So I had to reschedule my appointment. Grr. I tried to move it to my new day off last week but they were already booked so I had to wait till today. I have to tell you, it was an eventful visit. I got to the office and checked in. After about 10 minutes my name was called. The person doing my adjustment today was the new PA. I went in and told her how I was feeling and what I was able to eat and we decided on just a small, 1cc fill. I laid back, she prepped the area over my port and then stuck me with the big needle. It didn’t go in right away so she adjusted the needle around a little trying to get it in the port. She was right there, I could feel it—not a bad feeling, I could just tell that she was hitting the port. But the needle just wouldn’t go in. So she went to find the more experienced PA to help her out. I was left lying on the table with the needle and syringe sticking straight out of me for a few minutes before the two PAs came back. The older PA came over to try and maneuver the needle. She quickly realized the reason the needle wouldn’t go into my port. You see, apparently, my post was angled so that the rubber surface that the needle goes into was angled up towards my head. She said that it was common for the ports to be like that sometimes and that often as you lose weight they will change angles so that they may be more or less tilted. Anyhow, the young PA I guess didn’t realize what a steep angle my port was at and she went straight in. She wound up hitting one of these 4 little divots in the plastic part of the port and the needle was STUCK. They couldn’t get it out. I was told that they may need some forceps to get it out so I was left alone in the exam room once again with a big needle and syringe sticking out of my stomach. I put my hands behind my bed, closed my eyes and decided to take a mini-nap. A few minutes later, the two PAs came back with a surgeon (not one I knew) and he started cracking jokes which I responded to in kind. H came right over to me, gripped the needle and syringe and yanked. Out it came, large, bent needle and all. So, crisis avoided, they re-prepped me and this time the second PA did the adjustment which went smoothly this time around. I got my 1cc and was on my way. I have to say, though, that I’m glad it happened to me. Well, I mean, not “I’m glad it happened to me,” but “I’m glad it happened to me.” The older PA said that it happened to her a few years ago and the person that the needle was stuck in was having their first adjustment—they didn’t come back for another one for 6 months. For me, as a vet I have absolutely no needle phobia, don’t mind being stuck, and understand that no matter how much experience we have, sometimes you have to stick a person (or animal as the case may be) more than once. Personally, I kind of found it amusing more than anything—a little excitement in an otherwise boring day. Plus, I’m sure it was a very nerve wracking experience for the poor PA who was just starting out. At least if it wasn’t going to go smoothly, it was with someone who was able to have a sense of humor about it and not freak out. And hopefully she’ll learn from it so that it doesn’t happen to someone else or if it does, she’ll recognize it and be able to deal with it calmly. And now all I have to do is eat my liquids and mushies for the next 3-4 days and the wait and see if I’ve reached that elusive sweet spot. I can’t wait to see if this fill took. Toodles for now. PS—Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince rocked my socks—even if I did keep thinking “that’s not how it happened in the book.”

258.8 today. I moved out of my parents house and I don't have a scale for my new place yet so I had to weigh myself at the gym (ie fully clothed and after eating) so it's probably a pound or two over what I would have been on the old scale. Either way still lost (finally) so I'm good. I have an appointment today but I don't know if I'm going to get a fill. I haven't been very good at listening to my band these last few weeks so it's hard for me to judge where I'm really at. I don't have trouble eating any food at all. I can eat bagels, pasta, rice, etc... and I can eat fast without getting stuck or PBing but I don't necessarily think that makes me too loose. I think if I really tried harder to pay attention to that "comfortably satisfied feeling" I'd find I was in a better spot that I think. I'll just have to talk to the doc and see what they think I sould do.

259 today--I'm almost back to where I was 2 1/2 weeks ago before my period and my trip to the ER. I never thought it would take this long to get water weight off but I've just been up and down the same 3 pounds since I got those fluids. Maybe I was dehydrated? Oh well. Now I've got a stomach thing going on. If I vomit again I'll probably have to go back to the Dr. and have them empty my band which will make me sad :thumbup: since I'm ni a good spot fill wise. Of course my head has been in a less good place with the weight loss lately. If only I could get the two in sync I'd be set.

I forgot to post yesterday. I was 261. First week since banding that I gained. I'm trying not to get down about it since I know it's water weight and not fat, but it's still sad not to see those smaller numbers. I gained a couple pounds because of my period, then I had to go to the ER for a kidney stone and gained over 6lbs from the IV fluids. I hoped it'd be coming off faster than this, but I just have to be patient. Those smaller numbers are coming soon. I can't wiat to be below 250. Then I'll be over half way to onderland.

I don't and even if they offered it to me I wouldn't take it. Lidocaine burns like a beotch. The fill isn't bad at all.

Last night around 4:30 in the morning, I woke up to go to the bathroom and noticed my lower back hurt a little. I have a history of having back spasms there so at first I thought nothing of it. Then I lay back down and tried to get into my usual comforting positions when by back hurts but it kept getting worse and worse. I also noticed that even though it was the same spot as my back spasms, it didn't feel the same at all...I could stand up straight move around, etc, etc. which I can’t do when I have musculo-skeletal pain there. Regardless of what was causing the pain, it was excrutiating, so much so that I started getting nauseous. I was hoping at this point it was just severe gas pain. I went to the bathroom a couple of times, tried curling up in the fetal position which I find is usually the most comfortable position with gas pain, even took a Vicodin and…nothing. Then I went for a walk around the block (0.7 miles) because moving around is good for getting rid of gas pain. While walking I noticed that that sensation of someone stabbing me repeatedly in the kidney was a tad bit better but my nausea kept getting worse. And then, as soon as I can back, the stabbing feeling returned just as bad—if not worse than—before. Finally I gave in about 2 hours after it started and realized that it probably wasn't gas pain and given the location I was highly suspicious of a kidney stone so it was off to the ER for me. Turns out I was right. Kidney stone was the Dr.’s first suspicion as well when I got there. They hooked me up to fluids, got some blood and urine, and sent me for a CT. They had me drink some contrast (which tasted exactly like Crystal Light) so that in addition to checking for a stone, they could use the contrast to evaluate my stomach and make sure there was no leak or anything else band related that could be the cause. Well, no surprise here, the CT showed a big, honking (5mm) kidney stone. They said under 7mm you can usually pass it on your own, but 5 mm is still very large; and let me tell you—very painful. Although thank the lord (and the Dr.) for the morphine and Toradol because it took my pain from a 9-10 on the pain scale down to almost non-existent. Best meds ever! I really hope they don’t wear off too soon. Finally I was on my way with a couple of prescriptions—Percocet, Motrin and Phenergen. The Phenergen in an anti-emetic (stops vomiting) since I vomited 3 times in the hospital because the pain had gotten so bad. The Percocet and Motrin are for pain. I asked about the Mortin and the Doc said that the bariatric surgeon at their hospital said it was okay, but I decided to call up my Doc’s office to confirm. The PA got on the phone with me and advised me that for a legitimate need like this, it is okay to take Motrin despite the fact that it is an NSAID and NSAIDs increase your chances of developing ulcers, especially in a banded patient when the medicine will be trapped in that small pouch for an extended period of time. She advised that I should follow the medicine with 2 glasses of water to push the pill out of the pouch and into my big stomach. She also said I shouldn’t eat when I take the meds because that would keep the pill trapped longer. Lastly she recommended taking some Mylanta to coat the stomach for protection. I think for today I’ll be sticking with the Percocet, but tomorrow I have to work and sadly I can’t do my job under the influence of narcotics, so the Motrin will have to do. I was also instructed that I should pee into a jug and run it through a strainer every time I pee (fun :eyeroll:) so that I can catch the stone when it finally passes and bring it to the urologist to have it analyzed since there are many different kinds of stones which develop under different kinds of conditions in the body. My urologist appointment in next Tuesday and hopefully this will be over and done with by then and he will tell me that I am healthy and this was just a fluke. And I would just like to mention the bad part about going to the ER (yes besides the long waits, ugly non-closing gowns, bad smell, uncomfortable beds, etc.). The bad part is the 2 liters of fluids they bloused into my veins which made me gain 6.5 pounds between this morning at 6:30 AM and noon when I got home from the hospital. As if I wasn’t already retaining another 2 ½ pounds of water thanks to my monthly visitor. Oh well, I’m sure that weight will be gone in a few days and on the bright side it will be nice to see the scale moving quickly again. Another interesting note about this whole mess…My sister knows an acupuncturist who does some work on helping people quit smoking, etc, and he said he’d be willing to try some stuff with me to help me with weight management issues. Anyhow, I went to my second appointment with him Tuesday and he explained that evaluation of the tongue and the pulse are the main methods of eastern diagnosis. Well, apparently the kidney portion of my pulse (I didn't know pulses had portions but apparently they do) was weak. He wasn’t able to tell me specifically what was wrong with it but he could tell that it was not right. How strange is that? He totally knew something was up with my kidney just from checking my pulse and now, here I am 3 days later with a kidney stone. If that doesn't make me a believer in this stuff, nothing will. Hopefully he’ll be just as good at helping me on my weight-loss journey. And now it’s time for me to give in to the Vicodin, morphine, Clonapin (similar to Valium) and Percocet in my body and go take a nap. Till next time, toodles.

Ooh--scale whore, that's me. I think I weighed myself 4 or 5 times yesterday alone. Of course I weighed myself when I woke up, but then I went to the hospital (wicked, wicked kidney stone) and got 2 liters fo fluids wo when I got home I re-weighed myself and found I'd gained *gulp* 6 1/2 POUNDS. I wanted to cry. So I think I re-weighed every time I peed but it's hardly gone back down at all. It's very depressing. I'm going to be on the scale 16 times a day until that water weight has evaporated :sneaky:

Last night around 4:30 in the morning, I woke up to go to the bathroom and noticed my lower back hurt a little. I have a history of having back spasms there so at first I thought nothing of it. Then I lay back down and tried to get into my usual comforting positions when by back hurts but it kept getting worse and worse. I also noticed that even though it was the same spot as my back spasms, it didn't feel the same at all...I could stand up straight move around, etc, etc. which I can’t do when I have musculo-skeletal pain there. Regardless of what was causing the pain, it was excrutiating, so much so that I started getting nauseous. I was hoping at this point it was just severe gas pain. I went to the bathroom a couple of times, tried curling up in the fetal position which I find is usually the most comfortable position with gas pain, even took a Vicodin and…nothing. Then I went for a walk around the block (0.7 miles) because moving around is good for getting rid of gas pain. While walking I noticed that that sensation of someone stabbing me repeatedly in the kidney was a tad bit better but my nausea kept getting worse. And then, as soon as I can back, the stabbing feeling returned just as bad—if not worse than—before. Finally I gave in about 2 hours after it started and realized that it probably wasn't gas pain and given the location I was highly suspicious of a kidney stone so it was off to the ER for me. Turns out I was right. Kidney stone was the Dr.’s first suspicion as well when I got there. They hooked me up to fluids, got some blood and urine, and sent me for a CT. They had me drink some contrast (which tasted exactly like Crystal Light) so that in addition to checking for a stone, they could use the contrast to evaluate my stomach and make sure there was no leak or anything else band related that could be the cause. Well, no surprise here, the CT showed a big, honking (5mm) kidney stone. They said under 7mm you can usually pass it on your own, but 5 mm is still very large; and let me tell you—very painful. Although thank the lord (and the Dr.) for the morphine and Toradol because it took my pain from a 9-10 on the pain scale down to almost non-existent. Best meds ever! I really hope they don’t wear off too soon. Finally I was on my way with a couple of prescriptions—Percocet, Motrin and Phenergen. The Phenergen in an anti-emetic (stops vomiting) since I vomited 3 times in the hospital because the pain had gotten so bad. The Percocet and Motrin are for pain. I asked about the Mortin and the Doc said that the bariatric surgeon at their hospital said it was okay, but I decided to call up my Doc’s office to confirm. The PA got on the phone with me and advised me that for a legitimate need like this, it is okay to take Motrin despite the fact that it is an NSAID and NSAIDs increase your chances of developing ulcers, especially in a banded patient when the medicine will be trapped in that small pouch for an extended period of time. She advised that I should follow the medicine with 2 glasses of water to push the pill out of the pouch and into my big stomach. She also said I shouldn’t eat when I take the meds because that would keep the pill trapped longer. Lastly she recommended taking some Mylanta to coat the stomach for protection. I think for today I’ll be sticking with the Percocet, but tomorrow I have to work and sadly I can’t do my job under the influence of narcotics, so the Motrin will have to do. I was also instructed that I should pee into a jug and run it through a strainer every time I pee (fun :eyeroll:) so that I can catch the stone when it finally passes and bring it to the urologist to have it analyzed since there are many different kinds of stones which develop under different kinds of conditions in the body. My urologist appointment in next Tuesday and hopefully this will be over and done with by then and he will tell me that I am healthy and this was just a fluke. And I would just like to mention the bad part about going to the ER (yes besides the long waits, ugly non-closing gowns, bad smell, uncomfortable beds, etc.). The bad part is the 2 liters of fluids they bloused into my veins which made me gain 6.5 pounds between this morning at 6:30 AM and noon when I got home from the hospital. As if I wasn’t already retaining another 2 ½ pounds of water thanks to my monthly visitor. Oh well, I’m sure that weight will be gone in a few days and on the bright side it will be nice to see the scale moving quickly again. Another interesting note about this whole mess…My sister knows an acupuncturist who does some work on helping people quit smoking, etc, and he said he’d be willing to try some stuff with me to help me with weight management issues. Anyhow, I went to my second appointment with him Tuesday and he explained that evaluation of the tongue and the pulse are the main methods of eastern diagnosis. Well, apparently the kidney portion of my pulse (I didn't know pulses had portions but apparently they do) was weak. He wasn’t able to tell me specifically what was wrong with it but he could tell that it was not right. How strange is that? He totally knew something was up with my kidney just from checking my pulse and now, here I am 3 days later with a kidney stone. If that doesn't make me a believer in this stuff, nothing will. Hopefully he’ll be just as good at helping me on my weight-loss journey. And now it’s time for me to give in to the Vicodin, morphine, Clonapin (similar to Valium) and Percocet in my body and go take a nap. Till next time, toodles.

A tough day for a weigh-in for me. This morning I was 260 again, so no change. I had lost 2.5# between last Fri and Tues. morning. Then Tuesday afternoon I got my period and gained all 2.5 back. I'm not too worried about that though, it's all bloat and water retention and it should go away when my period's over. Of course right now I'm no where near 260. In the 7 hours since I first weight myself, I went from 260 to 266.5 and I ahven't eatten a morsel unless you count pills and a sip of OJ to get them sown, as food. What I did have was 2 liters of IV fluids and .5 liters of contrast material for a CT. Man, those fluids weight a ton. I'm going to post in my blog about my trip to the ER this morning but for now, long story short--I have a honking, massive, painful kidney stone. Ouch :crying:

So I woke up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom and noticed my lower back hurt a little. I have a history of having back spasms there so atf first I thought nothing of it. Then I lay back down and tried to get into my usual comfortable positions when by back hurts but it kept getting worse and worse. I also noticed that even though it was the same spot as my back spasms, it didn't feel the same at all...I could stand up straight move around, etc, etc. But the pain was excrutiating, so much so I started getting nauseous. I was hoping at this point it was just gas pain. I went to the bathroom a couple fo times, tried curling up i the fetal position which usually helps with that kind of pain-- nothing. Then I went for a walk around the block because moving is good for gas pain. While walking it was a tad bit better but my nausea kept getting worse. Finally I gave in, about 2 hours after it started and realized that it probably wasn't gas pain and given the loction I was highly suspicious of a kidney stone. Turns out I was right. That was their first suspision when I went into the hospital. They hooked me up to fluids, got some blood and urine, and sent me for a CT. They had me drink some contrast which taksed like Crystal Light so that in addition to check for a stone,they could evaluate my stomach and make sure there was no leak or anything else band related that could be the cause. Well, no surprise here, the CT showed a honking (5mm) kidney stone. They said under 7mm you can usually pass it on your own, but 5 mm is still very large. And man was it painful. Altough thank the lord (and the Dr.) for the morphine and Toradol because it took my pain from a 9-10 on the pain scale down to almost non-existant. I really hope it doesn't wear off too soon. Anyhow, the whole point of this very long story is that I was wondering if anyone else has had issues with kidney stones post-op. I haven't heard of it, but I was curious if they could be related due to change in diet or something. I called my Surgeon's office but their out to lunch right now but I'll try 'em again later. Anyone else have any problems with this? PS- I went to an acupunturist who is going to try to help me with weight management. I had my second appointment last Tues and he said that the tongue and the pulse are the main methods of eastern diagnosis. Well, apparently the kidney portion of my pulse (I didn't know pulses had portions but apparently they do) was weak. How strange is that? He totally knew something was up with my kidney just from checking my pulse and now, here I am 3 days later with a kidney stone. If that doesn't make me a believer in this stuff, nothing will.

I used him and I have nothing but good things to say. I've heard good things about other Dr.'s as well, but Dr. Geiss has done about 3000 of these surgeries which is more than anyone else in the north east. The bariatric department is a huge part of the hospital there so everyone knows what they're doing in regards to this procedure when you go in for your surgery. I would highly reccomend him.

I comlpetely disagree. Yes, the mother controls what money she gives the child and what food she buys and brings into the house, but there are plenty of other ways a 14 year old can get food. Saying that the aprent can control what her child eats 100% is a ludicrous as saying that a parent can control if her teen smokes or does drugs or drinks. There are very few parents who supply their children with those addictive substances, and yet there are children all over who use and become addicted to tthem. While a parent can influence the choices their child makes, and severly limit the availability of such substance, if the child winds up becoming an addict, they will find a way to satisfy that addiction. Food is no different. The kid coujld easily get food from friends at school. He could steal money out of his mother or someone elses purse. He could take things at home and sell them for money. These ideas may seem ludicrous, but it happens. If the kid is 55# there is clearly an addiction at play. I don't think the mother is completely blameless, but that does not mean she has not made efforts to control her son's weight.

Another month has passed and it’s time for another weigh-in. Things have slowed down a bit scale-wise but as long as they’re not stopping or going in the wrong direction, I’m happy. Besides, I had another fill 1 ½ weeks ago and I think that will help pick things up again. Not to mention that I’m looking damn hot in my new photos :confused: The inches are coming off too, although I’m getting kind of depressed by my upper arms—or the “double good-byes” as my trainer calls them (because they keep waving good-bye even after you’ve stopped). I just don’t feel like I’m making any progress there no matter how much my trainer tries to whip them into shape. I am resigned to the fact that I will probably need plastic surgery although I was hoping it would only be my stomach and breasts. Now I’m starting to think my arms will need it as well. I guess empty, saggy skin is better than fat-filled, saggy skin though. I’ve upped my usage of Palmer’s Coco Butter to twice daily in hopes that the elastin, collagen and Vitamin E will help my skin maintain some elasticity. Mostly I think I better save my bucks for Dr. 90210. I’ve also noted a few other non-size related things lately. One, I think my hair is starting to fall out. It could just be that I know this is the time it usually happen and it’s all in my head (as opposed to all falling off of my head :thumbup:) but I think it’s real. Luckily I have a lot of very fine hair so losing some extra strands won’t be that noticeable. Otherwise I guess I’ll just have to wait another 3 months for it to grow back even thicker and more luxurious than before. I’ve also noticed that my teeth seem much whiter, no doubt thanks to my Diet Coke abstinence. I guess I can skip that professional whitening now. I’ll put that extra cash in my “bye-bye double good-bye” fund. Pictures are here… http://www.lapbandtalk.com/members/54524-albums3687.html And here are this months stats… Before Weight: 313.4# Chest: 52.5” Waist: 51.5” Hips: 59.5” Thigh: 29.5” Calf: 20” Arm: 21.5” Last Month Weight: 269# Chest: 50" Waist: 45” Hips: 58” Thigh: 28” Calf: 18.25” Arm: 19” Now Weight: 258# Chest: 49" Waist: 43.5” Hips: 57” Thigh: 27.5” Calf: 18.25” Arm: 19.25”

Tomorrow's my 3 month bandaversary...yay! I've lost 55.4# since my pre-op diet a week before surgery. I started at 313.4 and now I'm 258. I can't wait until I et down below 250, then I'm be closer to onderland than to the 300's. I'm down from a size 28 to a 22. I've had 2 fills so far, but 3 adjustments. I was having trouble with mushies so before going to solids I had an unfill. They removed 3.2ccs which was everything they could get out. They said that left me with 0.5ccs. 2 1/2 weeks later everything was going well so I went back in for my first fill--2.5ccs. I felt good after this, still not to my sweet spot but I definitely had restriction. Then 1 1/2 weeks ago I went back for fill #2 and they put another 1 cc in. I now have 4 ccs total in my 10 cc band. I feel like I'm a hairs bredth away fromt he sweet spot. Great restriction, the only problem is that the fullness only last 3 1/2-4 hours instead of 5. Exercise is going well, although that's never been a huge issue for me. I work out 2 times a week with my trainer for an hour. I alos do 30 minutes cardio on those days. I also try to do an additional day of cardio for 1 hour. I did intervals on the treadmill today walking for 5 minutes at a 3.5 then running for 5 minutes at a 5.0 for a full hour. A couple of other things I've noticed...I think I'm starting to lose some of my hair, although I have a lot of very fine hair so a few less strands should not be that noticable. I've also noticed my teeth are whiter, no doubt thanks to my Diet Coke abstinece. I have updated photos on my blog if anyone is interested.

Another month has passed and it’s time for another weigh-in. Things have slowed down a bit scale-wise but as long as they’re not stopping or going in the wrong direction, I’m happy. Besides, I had another fill 1 ½ weeks ago and I think that will help pick things up again. Not to mention that I’m looking damn hot in my new photos The inches are coming off too, although I’m getting kind of depressed by my upper arms—or the “double good-byes” as my trainer calls them (because they keep waving good-bye even after you’ve stopped). I just don’t feel like I’m making any progress there no matter how much my trainer tries to whip them into shape. I am resigned to the fact that I will probably need plastic surgery although I was hoping it would only be my stomach and breasts. Now I’m starting to think my arms will need it as well. I guess empty, saggy skin is better than fat-filled, saggy skin though. I’ve upped my usage of Palmer’s Coco Butter to twice daily in hopes that the elastin, collagen and Vitamin E will help my skin maintain some elasticity. Mostly I think I better save my bucks for Dr. 90210. I’ve also noted a few other non-size related things lately. One, I think my hair is starting to fall out. It could just be that I know this is the time it usually happen and it’s all in my head (as opposed to all falling off of my head :thumbup:) but I think it’s real. Luckily I have a lot of very fine hair so losing some extra strands won’t be that noticeable. Otherwise I guess I’ll just have to wait another 3 months for it to grow back even thicker and more luxurious than before. I’ve also noticed that my teeth seem much whiter, no doubt thanks to my Diet Coke abstinence. I guess I can skip that professional whitening now. I’ll put that extra cash in my “bye-bye double good-bye” fund. Pictures are here… http://www.lapbandtalk.com/members/54524-albums3687.html And here are this months stats… Before Weight: 313.4# Chest: 52.5” Waist: 51.5” Hips: 59.5” Thigh: 29.5” Calf: 20” Arm: 21.5” Last Month Weight: 269# Chest: 50" Waist: 45” Hips: 58” Thigh: 28” Calf: 18.25” Arm: 19” Now Weight: 258# Chest: 49" Waist: 43.5” Hips: 57” Thigh: 27.5” Calf: 18.25” Arm: 19.25”