She Smiles

I have been using a skin firming cream and a shea butter lotions specifically for stretch marks since a couple of weeks before my surgery. I haven't used it for long enough yet to tell if it will benefit me long term, but my skin is definitely smoother and feels a bit more taut. I'm also interested in any other things people have tried and found any success with too, as I have a lot of stretch marks on my lower stomach and am most fearful of developing an over hanging apron!

synicalchick, what is skin brushing? I'm interested in anything that might help my skin end up looking better!!

I agree, hang in there, after your first fill you will probably have some restriction (but not a lot). Try to remember that this is a process and it takes time for it to kick in and do its thing the way its intended. As for not feeling your port, I have lost 2 dress sizes and over 30 pounds. I STILL can't feel my port, don't let that concern you, its in there somewhere and the Dr will be able to find it when he needs to.

So this morning I got on my scales to see that I have reached the first goal that I set myself - under 100kgs (220 pounds)!!! The scales read at 99.8 kilos WOO!! :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :clap2:

I've lost less than 1 pound since my first fill on the 18th December. The rest of my weight I lost either before when I was on Optifast or just after my surgery when I was on liquids. I lost maybe 2 pounds when I first went onto pureed foods. I go for an intense walk for half an hour 5 or 6 days a week and I think I am making fairly good food choices. I am going to try to get in for another fill in January when my surgeon gets back from his Xmas holidays. I'm feeling like its a uphill battle right now, I just want to crack the "under 100kgs" (220 pounds) and I just can't!!! :cry

Today I thought I would hit the shops and see if I could get anything in the after Christmas sales. I don't really want to spend too much money on new clothes, because I am hoping that they won't fit me for long, and that it will end up being a waste if I buy a whole new wardrobe at each new size I fit into. Anyway I went to David Jones (Australians will know the store) to the bigger girls section, where I have bought most of my casual clothes over the years, they make funkier type t-shirts and tops and pants for us younger crowd. So I was rummaging through a table of tshirts that were on sale. I used to fit into a XL from there so I thought I would try a Large, why not, I thought I've lost a big of weight?!?! It was WAY too big! So then I tried a Medium! Still a little too big, given a couple of weeks, it would no doubt be swimming on me. So I bought a SMALL!!! Its a tighter fit than I would have worn at my biggest, but heck, I have a waist and hips again (As opposed to being a big beachball shape!) So I am going to show off my curves. I guess the next step from here is to start shopping in the "normal" sized section, size 16, here I come!! :clap2:

I know! Albeit it was a plus sized small, but darnit, it was a SMALL all the same! My face was like this --> lol

I was in the most pain, just couldn't get comfortable at all and was SUPER depressed about food on day 4 and 5 and was up pacing around in the middle of the night crying and talking to myself lol. I'm really not nuts, but for those couple of days I wondered what the heck I had gotten myself into. Several days later I felt totally fine!

They remove gall stone laporoscopically (there was a woman in the next hospital bed who had this done when I got my band). You could say you had that done, perhaps Or you could wear a rash vest and tell them you are super sun conscious? We all know how harsh our Australian sun is! Good luck!

Destiny's Child are pretty motivating for me when I am walking! Good beat and liberating lyrics to hehe

Ahh I see! I will try my luck at one of the bigger chemists in the city tomorrow Thanks!

Thanks Becky, I'm not sure why a prescription is needed for paracetamol though, do you think if I went into the chemist and asked for it, I might be able to get it? Or is it something that the chemist has to make up specially?

I had to wear compression stockings the day of, and day after surgery to avoid blood clots, but thats all.

I did exactly that. My original date was the 18 Dec. When I went to see my surgeon for my last pre op consult, he said he could fit me in on the 22nd November, which was only 2 weeks after. I jumped at the chance. I just wanted to get it done ASAP, I figured that way I would be 4 weeks ahead of myself if I took the earlier date. If you can organise your family logistically to cater for the earlier date and you are mentally and emotionally prepared, then go for it. Your new life starts the day you leave the hospital!!

No worries, glad to help I was given a heads up by my nutritionist that it might be an issue, so it was about 3 days before I decided I needed to take some action. Even now, my bowel movements are a lot less (even though I am eating a lot more veggies than I was before), so if I go a couple of days with out any action, I have some benefiber and its all sorted with in a couple of hours....

Mix some benfiber into your liquids. Or try some pear or prune juice if you want to try something more natural. Both of these options helped me and it was such a releif after they worked lol!

I would head back to the surgeon and explain the situation just as you have here in your post. He/She might have thought that the fill you had would be sufficient, but you can never tell until it has "settled" and you have lived with it for a while. From what you have said, it sounds like you could do with a little bit more cos the band isn't acting the way its intended to.

Thanks Jack and Suzy. I am feeling rather chuffed with myself hehe NSV = non scale victory

THis is just my 2 cents....you could get a small unfill (maybe .1 or .2cc) and see if that makes any difference to the vomiting, you'd probably still have a fair bit of restriction, and would be able to eat a small amount, as is intended when the band is installed. I totally understand your desire to get down to your target weight, heck thats why we are all here , and I am sorry if I sound like I am lecturing, I'm not intending to do that at all. However, you may not realise that not only are you risking your band (it could slip with the vomiting), but you are risking your health too, you need SOME food or your body will go into starvation mode and you won't lose any more weight, its a defence mehcanism our bodies use to keep all the calories it can when its being starved. Please please speak to your surgeon. If you have proper restriction, are eating properly and exercising, there is no reason why you won't be able to get down to your goal weight. *hugs* look after your self.

Congrats! Its one of the hardest things I ever did, but I too quit last new years after 12 years of smoking. I found that by telling everyone I was going to quit, I kind of "forced" myself to, because I didn't want to be a failure! I've been having cravings this past week, which has been weird, but I am putting it down to the new good/better foods I am eating (or something haha). My Dr and my surgeon both said to me when I told them I had quit - YOU REALISE YOU CAN NEVER EVER SMOKE AGAIN, NOT EVEN A PUFF. EVER. And I never ever will, thats all it will take for me to go back again, I know that. Its such an addictive habit with so many negative repercusions and not really any good ones! Well done on overcoming that, and stay strong - the rest of your life starts now!! :clap2:

They do the stitching pretty darn fast, maybe I can get them over to take in some of my pants that are getting too big for me hahahaha :bananapartyhat:

What an awesome effort! Well done! I don't think I have been a size 10 since I was about 12 years old!

Holy dooley that is awesome (I'm not squeamish at all! hehe). Aren't those little laproscopic robotic "hands" nifty!!

I have had one fill and felt a little bit of restriction for a few days. Now I can eat anything and a lot more than I woud like to be eating, thats for sure. I haven't lost any weight in the last week and a half *sigh*. The earliest I can get in for another fill is the 17th, so I am trying to make the best food choices I can, but its hard when I have discovered I can eat anything!

Mine is a 10cc.