PrincesaJenE

Well, as I discussed in my blog about my 6th 7th fill my doc said that he felt I was ready for tummy tuck. As you may recall I was shocked. At the time I was 307lbs. I am 293 2 weeks later and still what I feel is way to heavy for an adominoplasty. But I went to the consultation and my doc said that I'm an ideal candidate. He said I would be a bit happier with the results if I lost another 20 lbs of so but that either way I would be very happy. He is going to start the process of gathering all the paperwork for insurance approval which he beleives will cover it. My doc said that insurance covers panniculectomy and not abdominoplasty - he says he does not do just a panniculectomy he always does an abdominoplasty because its about the looks for him and he wouldn't do that to a patient. He will bill for a panniculectomy and do an abdominoplasty. He said the surgery should take out about 10 -15 lbs worth of skin and fat! Yay! I expressed to him my concern about scarring ( I keloid) - he said that he will put quite a bit of focus on making sure the skin heals properly and though he can not guarantee that it will not scar he will take great efforts including special cortizone tape and different creams that he feels will substantially control the scarring. So I'm a happy camper. He said we're gonna shoot for about 3-4 months from now because I have different business trips I need to take in April and May so we're gonna go for late May, early June! I hope late MAY! That will give me 3-4 months to lose about 20 lbs. In 3 months I hope to be able to lose closer to 30 or even 40. Every little bit helps. We'll get together and set the date in about a month! I'm excited and keep trying to imagine my body without this pannus! I need to start saving up now - the insurance won't cover the whole new wardrobe I'll need! :thumbup::rolleyes2:

Well, as I discussed in my blog about my 6th 7th fill my doc said that he felt I was ready for tummy tuck. As you may recall I was shocked. At the time I was 307lbs. I am 293 2 weeks later and still what I feel is way to heavy for an adominoplasty. But I went to the consultation and my doc said that I'm an ideal candidate. He said I would be a bit happier with the results if I lost another 20 lbs of so but that either way I would be very happy. He is going to start the process of gathering all the paperwork for insurance approval which he beleives will cover it. My doc said that insurance covers panniculectomy and not abdominoplasty - he says he does not do just a panniculectomy he always does an abdominoplasty because its about the looks for him and he wouldn't do that to a patient. He will bill for a panniculectomy and do an abdominoplasty. He said the surgery should take out about 10 -15 lbs worth of skin and fat! Yay! I expressed to him my concern about scarring ( I keloid) - he said that he will put quite a bit of focus on making sure the skin heals properly and though he can not guarantee that it will not scar he will take great efforts including special cortizone tape and different creams that he feels will substantially control the scarring. So I'm a happy camper. He said we're gonna shoot for about 3-4 months from now because I have different business trips I need to take in April and May so we're gonna go for late May, early June! I hope late MAY! That will give me 3-4 months to lose about 20 lbs. In 3 months I hope to be able to lose closer to 30 or even 40. Every little bit helps. We'll get together and set the date in about a month! I'm excited and keep trying to imagine my body without this pannus! I need to start saving up now - the insurance won't cover the whole new wardrobe I'll need! :thumbup::biggrin:

Well I had my first unfill. Since my last fill on 2/10/10 where I got .4 ccs in my band - I've been STRUGGLING. I would go for days where I could barely keep anything down. At first it was mostly just the morning and early afternoon - but usually by late evening I could eat. I figured I was just getting used the the band and I was losing weight like CRAZY! My thought process was, losing weigh so quickly my band would quickly become loose and thus I just need to wait out the tightness of the band. I tried to just stick to soups, Hot tea, water, but it got to the point where I could keep down nothing and was throwing up 5 to sometimes 9 or 10 times a day. I started waking up in the middle of the night coughing up stomach acid. I read about throwing up so much causing acid reflux - with this information and going 4 straight days not keep ANYTHING down I knew that I needed an unfil :-( . So I called my doc. He got me in this past Saturday. In just over 2 weeks I had lost 14 lbs ! I lose about 5-8 lbs a month so I was floored with the 14 lbs. My doc unfilled me 6 whole CC's - to put this in perspective my last two fills I got .4 ccs each time. 6 CCS removed takes me back down to about 6 months post surgery and since thens I've lost like 40 lbs so that impacts it as well. My doc said that I needed to rest a bit - he said I will be able to eat like normal so I need to be careful. I dread gaining any of these 14 lbs loss - I needed that burst! It brought me under 300 lbs which was definitely a milestone. He's going to have me back in in 9 days for a fill and I can't imagine gaining too much in those few days - but the idea of water weight scares me. I will be okay with no more than 4 lbs - I'll be sad for any more than that. Don't want to get back to over 300 - NEVER AGAIN. I ate pretty sparingly today and yesterday. I did kinda test my band today and was happy with the result - I can't eat like "normal". I ate 1/2 of a burger - and a little dessert. Normal would have been to eat the whole burger, and all of the dessert plus 3-4 glasses of strawberry lemonade (I had water :rolleyes2:). It was interesting though - I've become used to eating so little food that I forgot about how heavy your stomach feels after eating. A cup or so of food does not feel heavy but 2 or 3 cups can really weigh right on your midsection - never really noticed that before. So, we'll see how this goes :thumbup:. Wish me luck!

Well I had my first unfill. Since my last fill on 2/10/10 where I got .4 ccs in my band - I've been STRUGGLING. I would go for days where I could barely keep anything down. At first it was mostly just the morning and early afternoon - but usually by late evening I could eat. I figured I was just getting used the the band and I was losing weight like CRAZY! My thought process was, losing weigh so quickly my band would quickly become loose and thus I just need to wait out the tightness of the band. I tried to just stick to soups, Hot tea, water, but it got to the point where I could keep down nothing and was throwing up 5 to sometimes 9 or 10 times a day. I started waking up in the middle of the night coughing up stomach acid. I read about throwing up so much causing acid reflux - with this information and going 4 straight days not keep ANYTHING down I knew that I needed an unfil :-( . So I called my doc. He got me in this past Saturday. In just over 2 weeks I had lost 14 lbs ! I lose about 5-8 lbs a month so I was floored with the 14 lbs. My doc unfilled me 6 whole CC's - to put this in perspective my last two fills I got .4 ccs each time. 6 CCS removed takes me back down to about 6 months post surgery and since thens I've lost like 40 lbs so that impacts it as well. My doc said that I needed to rest a bit - he said I will be able to eat like normal so I need to be careful. I dread gaining any of these 14 lbs loss - I needed that burst! It brought me under 300 lbs which was definitely a milestone. He's going to have me back in in 9 days for a fill and I can't imagine gaining too much in those few days - but the idea of water weight scares me. I will be okay with no more than 4 lbs - I'll be sad for any more than that. Don't want to get back to over 300 - NEVER AGAIN. I ate pretty sparingly today and yesterday. I did kinda test my band today and was happy with the result - I can't eat like "normal". I ate 1/2 of a burger - and a little dessert. Normal would have been to eat the whole burger, and all of the dessert plus 3-4 glasses of strawberry lemonade (I had water :biggrin:). It was interesting though - I've become used to eating so little food that I forgot about how heavy your stomach feels after eating. A cup or so of food does not feel heavy but 2 or 3 cups can really weigh right on your midsection - never really noticed that before. So, we'll see how this goes :thumbup:. Wish me luck!

I went to a my doctor today for a routine fill and he began feelin around my hips and upper thighs. He said, "I can feel your bone". He said that he thinks I'm ready for abdominoplasty. I was like (because I couldn't beleive what I was hearing) "how much more weight do you think I need to lose?". He said, I think you're ready now. At the most maybe another 20 lbs, but I really think you're ready now. I was shocked. I was banded a year ago (2/13/09) and have only lost just over 65lbs (I was hoping to have lost closer to 100). Does this sound right? A abdominoplasty at 300 lbs? Really? Has anyone ever heard of this? I would think it would look weird. I have another 100+ lbs to lose - would I need another then? My mother who is a nurse said she once observed an abdominoplasty of someone who was far hevier than I where they removed 60+ lbs of skin and fat from her stomach. The prospect is exciting but 'm confused. I thought I would need to be near or at my goal weight. Please let me know what you all think.

I went to a my doctor today for a routine fill and he began feelin around my hips and upper thighs. He said, "I can feel your bone". He said that he thinks I'm ready for abdominoplasty. I was like (because I couldn't beleive what I was hearing) "how much more weight do you think I need to lose?". He said, I think you're ready now. At the most maybe another 20 lbs, but I really think you're ready now. I was shocked. I was banded a year ago (2/13/09) and have only lost just over 65lbs (I was hoping to have lost closer to 100). Does this sound right? A abdominoplasty at 300 lbs? Really? Has anyone ever heard of this? I would think it would look weird. I have another 100+ lbs to lose - would I need another then? My mother who is a nurse said she once observed an abdominoplasty of someone who was far hevier than I where they removed 60+ lbs of skin and fat from her stomach. The prospect is exciting but 'm confused. I thought I would need to be near or at my goal weight. Please let me know what you all think.

WHAT DOES PB MEAN - someone PLEASE EXPLAIN! In detail - I've been wondering this for a year. As for vomiting - I went for about 8 months after being banded never having vomited. Then one day - it happened. Like someone earlier said - did not have to put my finger down my throat just happened. My stomach suddenly curled and there it was. Probably over the next couple of months it happened 2-3 more times. But it was always clearly because I ate WAY to fast. I sometimes forget that I have the band and on the way to work in an attempt to eat breakfast every morning I'll scarf down breakfast in the car - no good. I got a fill on 1/16 and the vomiting became way more frequent - But I learned that I could not try to eat what I usually eat for breakfast. My stomach had to work up to a meal. I think this is what they are talking about when they say your band is " tighter in the morning". If I ate yogurt or something really creamy and smooth and in small amounts for breakfast, lunch I could eat something with a little more weight, and then for dinner I could eat steak or anything - an my portions were also pretty good sized (a cup to a cup and a half). I also noticed that I HAD TO EAT BREAKFAST. Breakfast was my way of loosening up my stomach. The longer between meals - dinner the night before and my first meal the next day - the increased likelihood that I would vomit. So, I MADE myself eat SOMETHING for breakfast. If I did not eat breakfast - then my first meal would have to be something really light - no harder than a banana, and I could only eat a few bites at that. I said all that to say - you may just need to be a little more regimented and structured on how you eat, when you eat, and what you eat. Hope that this helps.

Thank you atgoalgal for your advice. I ended up getting the fill last tuesday - .4cc. I have been super tight since - I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing. This fill I've really had to make some changes in the way I eat - which may or may not be a good thing - I'm still trying to decide. The first few days I was having a really hard time getting anything down - I was afraid that I might be too tight. Even by evening I was having a hard time. I've never had to do liquids after a fill but I resigned myself to liquids. I had some chicken soup and I first started with the broth then tried some of the chicken. I actually got it down. I was reading some other posts here on lapbandtalk and one person recommended to someone who was having trouble getting her first bite down to drink tea or something hot before eating - that there may be some mucus kinda clogging the path. I tried this and its make it a lot easier to get things down. I can still eat just a little - which is good! But I can get it down! This week I've lost 5 lbs! Yikes. Probably an anomaly - at the most I should be losing about 3lbs per week. But its a good little jumpstart. Sure it will taper off this next week. Again, thanks for your advice.

Thanks for your responses. I'm still in shock but have spent the last week really trying to research this. I have my consultation on next wednesday (a week an half from now). Probably then all my questions and concerns will be answered. Ohm, I was banded at my largest weight - so all my extra skin is due to the 71lbs I've lost since being banded a year ago. I've been really looking a lot at my body since this revelation. I've really noticed that a lot of my weight is in fact in my belly. I'm tall so I've always held weight realy well. More very curvy - but my lower belly is really the problem area. As I've lost weight - even before talk of the tummy tuck - I had really reveled at the fact that just under my breasts I had really gain some definition and shape - there is hip bone there. I'm actually quite lucky in the way my body is shaped from looking at all the abdominoplasty photos. I have a fairly smooth physique in the stomach, waist, and hips areas until it comes to the pannus - that's really the problem areas. As I've looked through pics of abdominoplasties I've seen some shapes similiar to mine - I don't think they are quite as big, but comparable. Either way this goes - if he tells me that I have to lose another 20 or even 50 lbs at my consultation before I can have it done that's still exciting. That means perhaps in the next 6 months or so - I was thinking I'd have to lose ALL my weight before having this done which is another 100 lbs. If with the tummy tuck they take 15-20 lbs of fat and skin that will also propel me towards my weight loss goal and losing that big flap will be a huge boost in my appearance. Yay - I can't help but be excited. I just hope I don't get dissapointed at this consultation. Has ANYONE else out there had a similiar experience. To give this some relativity - I'm about 1/2 way to my goal weight. Any comments, suggestions, concerns, or questions I should ask my doc are welcomed. I realy love lapbandtalk. Thank you all in advance for your help.

NO WORRIES! My first fill went really badly and after 30 minutes, over 10 sticks, and many tears - we decided to try again in 2 weeks. My doc had warned me at the time of the surgery that because of scar tissue they had placed the port deep. If you want to hear the details read my blogs about my first couple of fills. It gets much, much better. I must say that the anxiety of my first attempted fill experience plagues me though. Everytime I go in I pray and pray that it goes well. It has - and it keeps getting easier and easier. I think you'll be A-ok. To be honest - reading your post makes me feel better about my experience.

No - today is my bandiversary and I can say there has never been one day in the last year that I've regretted the band. Not one! The first 3 days after my surgery I did struggle through - but dude I HAD JUST HAD SURGERY! Honestly, I feel like the band is not even there - I just eat less and stay full longer. I can't feel the band. For me there have been no negative consequences to the band - none at all - except for some difficult fills initially. NEVER REGRET IT. My only regret it that I didn't have it done like 10 years ago. Wasted my 20s being fat!

Well, today makes one year! Yay! I remember just getting out of surgery thinking you just gotta make it through the hard part - like a year from now, everything will be good. Just keep thinking about a year from now! Well here we are - one year later. Let's chat about what has transpired over the last year. Well as of a few minutes ago I've lost 69 lbs! Yay! Now had you asked me how much i would have lost a year ago - I would have said at least 100 lbs or more. I must say - though I am very happy with my weight loss - I am a little dissapointed. I had hoped to lose a lot more - a lot faster. I remember being 2 months out - having lost 20 lbs and well on my way to that 100 lb year end goal - reading blogs of people who had lost 100 lbs in 10 months thinking that's gonna be me soon! It has not been me. I feel like I'm just in the transition from feeling circus freak obese (I'm sure I'm not circus freak obese), but I am quite large and on top of that I'm 5'11 - which just makes me an unusually large woman. So, I've transitioned from feeling circus freak huge to just normal fat. Which has been great. I still weigh just over 300 lbs - 303 to be exact. It would be nice on my bandiversary to say that I'm under 300 - that would be a nice benchmark. Anyhoo, some other changes. Am going to the gym regularly a minimum of 3x a week. Minimum - often 4 x and sometimes 5x. Its become a total habit. My clothes have changed - though there are no clothes that I just absoultely positively CAN'T wear anymore - they are definitely way too loose on me. I have clothes that I started out a year ago and could not squeeze in to at all - that are now too big for me. That's awesome. I've raided the too small for me clothes box in the garage and many of those are now too big as well. I feel better, have more energy etc., etc. I'm currently awaiting an appt to consult with my Plastic Surgeon for a tummy tuck - that's awesome. Things are well. Things are good! Things are very good. I must say this is, thus far, the best decision I've ever made. Just imagine how I'll feel in another year! :frown:

Well, today makes one year! Yay! I remember just getting out of surgery thinking you just gotta make it through the hard part - like a year from now, everything will be good. Just keep thinking about a year from now! Well here we are - one year later. Let's chat about what has transpired over the last year. Well as of a few minutes ago I've lost 69 lbs! Yay! Now had you asked me how much i would have lost a year ago - I would have said at least 100 lbs or more. I must say - though I am very happy with my weight loss - I am a little dissapointed. I had hoped to lose a lot more - a lot faster. I remember being 2 months out - having lost 20 lbs and well on my way to that 100 lb year end goal - reading blogs of people who had lost 100 lbs in 10 months thinking that's gonna be me soon! It has not been me. I feel like I'm just in the transition from feeling circus freak obese (I'm sure I'm not circus freak obese), but I am quite large and on top of that I'm 5'11 - which just makes me an unusually large woman. So, I've transitioned from feeling circus freak huge to just normal fat. Which has been great. I still weigh just over 300 lbs - 303 to be exact. It would be nice on my bandiversary to say that I'm under 300 - that would be a nice benchmark. Anyhoo, some other changes. Am going to the gym regularly a minimum of 3x a week. Minimum - often 4 x and sometimes 5x. Its become a total habit. My clothes have changed - though there are no clothes that I just absoultely positively CAN'T wear anymore - they are definitely way too loose on me. I have clothes that I started out a year ago and could not squeeze in to at all - that are now too big for me. That's awesome. I've raided the too small for me clothes box in the garage and many of those are now too big as well. I feel better, have more energy etc., etc. I'm currently awaiting an appt to consult with my Plastic Surgeon for a tummy tuck - that's awesome. Things are well. Things are good! Things are very good. I must say this is, thus far, the best decision I've ever made. Just imagine how I'll feel in another year! :confused: