kareyquilts

Thanks! Keep thinking about it. I am about 10 pounds from my goal weight. It's a big decision. According to my doc's bio he helped pione the sleeve gastrectomy at the University of Pittsburgh. I have not been able to ask him how many he has done yet. Won't see him again for a month.

Susan: Good luck with the liquid diet. I found it easier to not watch TV. I never think about the blasted food commercials until you are on liquids than everything looks good! Wishing you the best! Looking forward to following your journey.

Well, I'm ready for round two! (I had a tummy tuck, lipo and breast lift 6 months ago). I just had my two week pre-op appointment with my plastic surgeon today. My journey is almost complete. I wanted to have lost my last 10 pounds but other than that, I'm almost done with this wieght loss adventure that started a little over two years ago. I'm going to have my arms done, lipo of the thighs, a thigh and butt lift and an anchor revision to my tummy tuck. My doc is estimating about 6 hours for the surgery. I'm very nervous, but excited too. I will post some before pictures soon. So, come along and share my experience. Hopefully, we'll learn from one another!

I really appreciate everyone's well wishes. I am experiencing a lot of nausea since the fluid was taken out of the band. I don't know why, but I guess I will cope. I am really trying to decide how to proceed. My children and friends think that I can maintain my weight without the band (my husband isn't so sure). I want to think that, but I know that the stats aren't in my favor. My orthopediac doctor had a very nice conversation with me today. He said that I have been on a great journey and the culmination of this journey would be having the confidence in myself to maintain my weight without the band. I had expressed to him that I thought there was something inherently wrong with me that I had let myself get so heavy in the first place. He said that I should not let fear rule me, that I was obviously not average and could do it if I would give myself the gift of believing in myself. I have thought about that all day and went to the bookstore and purchased a book about Mindful Eating by a doctor who practices Zen buddism. This is how I look at it. Having over 2/3rd's of your stomach removed is like someone with the breast cancer gene having a mastectomy when they don't have breast cancer, but are worried that they might get it and have seen people they care about die of breast cancer. The question is: Is she acting out of fear or being proactive and taking care of her health? This is what I need to decide for myself. I don't look at it as a simple matter of self control. I have a lot of self control, but that only goes so far. What do all of you think? I could really really use some feedback here? If you lost your band what would you do?

Congratulations on the drains. You begin to feel human again once they're gone!

Lori: Thanks for your kind thoughts. Frangi: Have you decided for sure if your going ahead with the thigh lift?

lellow: You're going to great. I've never heard of staphysagria before. Is it a homepathic remedy?

I had my arms done too and I was shocked when I came out of the OR and I couldn't even feed myself. The arms feel so heavy! Of course that doesn't last for very long, thank goodness! I have mixed feelings about them, too. I like that they are so much smaller, but I'm really not crazy about the scars. Oh well! Glad you're doing so well. It really is life altering!

I'm wondering about a couple issues that some of the experienced sleevers might be able to answer. After the initial liquid diet can you take pills and vitamins again? What about fiber? I tend to get constipation and try and eat alot of fiber. Thanks.

Wassa: Just read your thread on how to pick a Mexican doc. What a service you have provided to others. I'm feeling very overwhelmed at this point. I guess I have a lot to discuss with my doctor, who said he would do the revision surgery for free. I don't know his track record, etc. I called his office but the receptionist had no idea how many sleeves he'd done. She told me to look on their website for information. I want to have my game plan before I go in for my fluro in 6 weeks to see if I'm still slipped. I'm feeing a lot of anxiety right now. I've got remind myself to breath! Since having my unfill, my appetite has come back with a vengeance, so I am even more determined to get the help that I need. If I need to go to Mexico and feel that is the best care, than that is what I am going to do. I really appreciate the support I feel here and am looking forward to following eveyone's journey! Peace!

Oregondaisy: I believe it will be about the same time as your scheduled for. My ob doc said that one of her patients had 3 lapbands and is in a class action law suit against the makers of the band because of nausea and problems with the band. Has anyone heard of this? I tried to google it and find out more information, but didn't get far.

I'm so glad that I found this thread! I will be following your journey closely. I just found out that I have slipped for the second time and will probably get the sleeve. My doc offered to fix the slip but 2 lapbands is enough for me. I'm sick of all the problems. I have followed the rules and still having problems. Life doesn't seem fair sometimes. It's reassuring to get in touch with others who are going down the same path. That is what I really appreciated about lapband talk from the beginning. A feeling of community. Anyway, I'm wishing the best. I believe I'll be a few weeks after you.

Miram: I totally understand your feeling of being done. That is why I'm lagging on the thighs. Just don't know if I want to go through it again, but I really really hate my thighs. Right now, I'm having problems with my band again! Just had fluro on Wednesday and it looks like my band has slipped again. They took out all the fluid and will recheck in 6 weeks. Doc didn't give me much hope about my band and said I wasn't a good canidate for a new one, since I have had 2 slips. He suggested I go solo or consider getting the gastric sleeve. I am so bummed and so scared to gain any weight back. Having 2/3rds of my stomach removed really freaks me out, but that is probably the route I will take. It just sucks. I have been very vigilant about following all the rules, etc. Oh well, I guess there are alot bigger problems in the world than mine. As far as your wedding goes, you just need to do it! Don't get bogged down in the details. Have fun and enjoy it, there is no right or wrong to it and you won't make everyone happy no matter what you do! Take care and heal.

Mimin: How the heck are you doing? You are becoming a plastic surgery queen! How are the wedding plans? I think I will get my thighs done in the fall. Glad to hear that yours went well!

I saw my band doctor today and he looked at my band under floro. My band has slipped. I will probably have to have surgery in about 6 weeks. They took all the fluid out of the band today and will look at it again in 6 weeks to see if the stomach just dilated to the side. He doesn't want to place another band, after 2 slips. He did talk to me about the gastric sleeve as an alternative. I am so bummed out! I don't understand why this happened to me AGAIN! Doc said that there is probably something about my anatomy. That some people just have slips and are not good canidates for the band. Well it would be nice if they figured that out first! I was going to get my inner thighs done, but I guess that is on the back burner now!

Congratulations! Nice to have it over and think about the recovery. You're going to love your new body!

I'm getting excited for you. You are going to love it!

Whatever happened to Becky, who shared your thread? She had the medial thigh lift and her after pictures were great. I too, would like feedback on this! I say you need to once again, trust your surgeon!

Love shoes! Happy Shopping!

lellow: You really should take before pictures. I still look at mine to reassure myself that I look better and that the pain was well worth it. It's especially helpful right after the surgery. You don't have to share them with everyone else, thought it would be helpful to others.

You're looking great! Thanks for sharing!

Lynn: I would love to see some pics also. Glad to hear that you are pleased and would do it all over again. I'm meeting with my ps next Wednesday and will get his recommendations. Glad you're still doing well!

Deep breathing is very helpful! Sounds like your getting organized and that is a good thing!

Frangi: Yes, I did have lipo around the knee area. It looks much better than it did. From some view points, it almost looks concave, but when standing the knees look much thinner. It's been 4 months and the area is still a little tender. I sleep on my side and I have to put a pillow between my legs so my knees don't touch. It's not unbearable or anything like that, it's just tender. I would do it again and wish that lipo would fix the rest of my legs!

That's great. I'm definetly wearing board shorts with my bathing suit, but maybe by next summer!