TamifromAL

Thanks! It feels pretty awesome! I sometimes pull my jeans out of the laundry basket to fold, hold them up, and wonder who left a pair of jeans at our house. It's hard to wrap my mind around the fact that they're mine. Tami

LJM, I'm so sorry. I know you're disappointed, but as shown with my experience, sometimes things were just meant to happen. Right now I'm just miserable with a horrid head cold and raging runs. I can't even begin to imagine if I was recovering from major plastic surgery. One thing I want to caution you about, though. I was really motivated with my eating and exercise when I was preparing for plastic surgery. Once that was no longer in the forefront, I started getting sloppy, and I've put on a few pounds because of it. Please don't let this situation de-motivate you. You are doing an awesome job, please stick with it, and know that the difficulty you're going through is just a delay. (Edit: LJM, I posted this earlier, before I read your blog, and didn't know at that time what happened, and I'm embarrassed to compare your situation to mine. I am so sorry for your loss. Hang in there, darlin'.) Hugs, and best wishes, Tami

I was scheduled for plastic surgery last week, but had to postpone. Now, I'm questioning my decision to have surgery, mainly because I'm worried about gaining weight during recuperation because of inactivity and boredom, and I'm worried about getting off track with exercise, which is a huge priority for me. Can those of you who've gone through this already please share your experiences regarding weight gain (or loss) following plastics? Thanks! The choices I'm listing in the poll are: **I lost weight following plastic surgery. **I temporarily gained weight due to swelling, but lost it within 2-3 months after surgery. **I gained weight after surgery, and I'm still struggling to get it back off, but it was still worth it. **If I had to do it over, I'd skip plastics because of the re-gain. **Other (please explain) Edit to add: forgot to allow for a "have not had plastics" option. Please select "Other", if you'd like to participate in the poll, but have not had plastics. Thanks for your help with this poll! Tami

I'd recommend sticking with the post-op diet required by your doc. They don't want your stomach "churning" with digestion, because the band needs to settle in place to prevent slipping. I know it's hard at this stage, but stick with it! Are you still on Clear liquids? My favorite clear was wonton Soup from a Chinese restaurant. We asked for only the broth, and they gave us two quarts for the price of one. If you're now able to have full liquids, thinned baby foods would probably be fine, but to me they lack flavor. I'd rather take foods designed for adult tastes (like Chunky or creamed soups) and just blend with extra broth, milk, Water, or V-8. I was told that full liquids should be thin enough that it would pass through a straw, but don't use a straw because it can pull in extra air, too. Tami

Just curious...why does Dr. Adams no longer do the surgery? Best wishes for your husband's surgery approval. He's got a huge advantage with you going through this before him, and understanding what it takes to lose the weight! And, by helping him, it will undoubtedly give you the push t get all the way to goal and stay there. Tami

Eugenia, good to hear the brachioplasty went well. Hope you heal quickly! Neal, glad your'e feeling better, too. You guys remember that phrase about things happening for a reason? Well, I woke up this morning, on what would have been my surgery day, with a cold coming on. I'm all stuffy, and have a sore throat. In all probability my surgery would have been postponed anyway. Tami

NEAL!!!!!!!!! Good to hear from you. I'm sorry you had some difficulty, and I seriously hope that cough and congestion pass soon. Let me tell ya, darlin', if you could only feel as good as you look, you'd feel GREAT! (And you soon will!) Tami

Glad to hear Nina's surgery went well, and looking forward to hearing from Neal. Welcome to mommi-hammi, Esmeralda, Kelliebelly, and marypetunia. I'm the non-ps member of the group, since my surgery has been postponed! Esmeralda, just wear something comfortable to the hospital, that fits loosely around the waist. I had planned to wear a sweat suit, with a draw-string waist that could be adjusted. I requested all my prescriptions in liquid form, and *in advance*. My doc was going to mail them to me. I had to stop to get my prescriptions filled after my lap band surgery, and it was a PITA. As far as your fill level, if you've already discussed it with your bariatric surgeon I'd say don't worry about it. As long as you're not too snug now, you'll probably be all right. Personally, I didn't want to give up my fill because I was afraid of gaining due to over-eating from boredom, and lack of activity. Karey & LJM, glad to hear the anxiety level is down. I'm a little blue today, thinking about the fact that my surgery would have been in two days. I put away my arnica, bioflavonols, and bromelaid today. I got a phone call from my original plastic surgeon's office yesterday, telling me that if/when I'm ready to reschedule, that he has made arrangments with another bariatric doc for the two of them to do the surgery in a hospital where they both have privileges so that the bariatric doc can do the port switch. I didn't even ask whether there would be any additional charges, because I'm not sure if I want to involve another bariatric doc. I don't know why that bothers me. I was fine having the plastic surgeon do the switch, but if a bariatric doc is going to be involved, I'd rather it be mine. Plus, when I researched the other bariatric guy, all I kept pulling up was stuff about the gastric bypass, and I wonder how experienced he is with the band. So, for now I'll just wait at least until after the support group meeting this weekend. Hopefully I'll get a little more info from the plastic surgeon who is speaking this month (who I assume is the one affiliated with my bariatric doc). All my best to all of you working out your surgery plans, and those of you waiting patiently to just get to it! Tami

mamadi, I still get hungry, but not as hungry as pre-band. Some docs will tell you to only eat three meals a day. But, I eat 5-6 times a day, small meals or Snacks, and since I eat every 2-3 hours, I certainly don't suffer from too many hunger pangs! Tami

Nana, no wonder, you look mahvelous! Personally, I think the results from a tummy tuck or breast work seem to produce the greatest patient satisfaction. Unfortunately, the lower body lift and the medial thigh lift have limitations for what they can do for the legs. The improvements are more significant in the areas closest to the incision line. If someone (like me) has loose skin further down the legs, you either accept limited results or go with the lateral thigh lift, which comes with significant scarring and an extremely painful and difficult recovery. Tami

Don't know, Karey. I've just put things on hold for right now. We have a plastic surgeon who will be speaking at our lap band support group meeting this Saturday, and I'm going to ask him about the possibility of doing a port replacement during plastic surgery. I'm glad you were able to work that out for your surgery. I post over at Obesity Help, too, and really got slammed because of my port bump. There was a group of people who had the Duodenal Switch surgery who were claiming that lap banders don't get to goal. So, I switched my avatar to my "torso" pic in the pink bathing suit so I could kinda shove it in their faces that, yes, lapbanders can and *do* get to goal weight. One of the DS guys said my pic makes him want to vomit because of the port! As a matter of fact, he said it several times. I got overwhelming support from others on the boards and dozens of PMs. It was all kinda funny, and an awesome opportunity to spread word of the band, and the potential for success without modifying the stomach and intestines, or the life-long potential for nutritional deficiencies that can come from other types of wls. I also got an email from OH asking if I'd be interested in being featured in their magazine. I don't know how that will pan out, but it was an honor to be approached. Looking forward to hearing from Nina and Neal! Tami

Hi everybody! I haven't been in touch, because I'm totally jealous of all of you who are still scheduled for surgery! :thumbup: Just kidding. I've actually kinda come to peace with it. I've just decided to worry about it another day! Just wanted to pop in to say Best Wishes to Nina and Neal. Heal quick! Tami