Bawilliams1

It sounds like you have everything covered. I agree, no wheelchair! You will do just fine! I was alone in a hotel room in Mexico for my first week of recovery and I was slow moving, but it was not bad at all. Besides the overwhelming feeling of "tightness" of my skin, the only pain I really felt was a burning sensation along my left side on the incision because I moved a little to fast or stretched a little too far. It lasted just a second and went away. I really wasn't taking my pain meds much at all except at night to help me sleep well. I was amazed at how easy my recovery was going! I know everyone is different, but I just want you to know that you can do it! I wore the stretchy yoga type capri pants too. I went back to work two weeks after the surgery and on Fridays we can wear jeans. Before surgery I was wearing some size 6's and a lot of 8"s. My size 6 jeans are much looser through the tummy and rear end and my 8's are huge. I am 4 weeks post-op today. I am pretty sure that some of my skirts that are 6's are going to be too big.

I have a 4 cc band I have been filled up to 4.4 cc's. That was too tight and he took me down to 4.2 cc's. I had to have my band emptied to have surgery and he only actually got 3.6 cc's out. Apparently I lost .6 cc's. My band will only hold Omnipague. Saline leaks out. Hopefully the Omnipague isn't leaking too! I went back and got filled back up to 2.3 cc's. Next month I will go back and get filled back up to 4.2. Wish me luck! The bands do hold more than what they are supposed to hold.

Same here! My band will not hold saline. I have to have Omnipague or it will leak out before I get home. My fill doc has tested for leaks under x-ray and he never finds one, but we have determined that my band will only hold omnipague. Thank God for omnipague! I am on my second band. The first one slipped. It never leaked and I had no problem with fills. I got a new band and it seemed to leak right away. Is that bad luck or what?

I have been to Dr. Marvin once before. He is okay, but he doesn't have a flouroscopic x-ray machine. Once again, I forgot to tell you that Dr. Maese has a flouro machine and he always takes an x-ray after he fills you. Why don't I just give you his number? 972-842-3911

I forgot to tell you! Dr. Maese charges $200 and you can go back for free within 7 days if you are too tight.

<p>I know it is a ways to drive, but I live in Huntsville, TX and I drive to Ferris (just past Ennis) straight north on I-45 to see Dr. Fred Maese for my fills. I was also banded in Mexico. He is great! I would be happy to give you his contact info if you are interested.</p>

You are going to be just fine! I had a lower body lift aka belt lipectomy and a breast lift with implants on 5/1. I couldn't believe it, but I didn't have much pain at all! The biggest thing I felt was just such an overwhelming tightness when I would stand up. The worst time was first thing in the morning when I would get out of bed. I was able to take care of myself. I was in Mexico in a hotel room for a week and I was just fine. I only took my pain meds at night to help me sleep well. The only advice I have is to follow the doctor's orders and don't over do anything. Rest as much as you can, but get up and move regularly. I got up and went down to the hotel lobby and walked to a pharmacy that was in the hotel. By the time I got back to my room I was tired, but I think it helped me to move around. At times you may feel a little down in the dumps, but in a few weeks you will be amazed at how much you have healed. I am almost 4 weeks post op and I have a ways to go before I will be back to normal, but I feel pretty good and I can do just about anything. I just have to move a little slower and remember that I just had surgery! Good luck and I will be happy to answer any questions that you might have.

I just had a tummy tuck about three and a half weeks ago. How long was it before you felt like all of your swelling was gone? The only place I really think I have much swelling is right above my incision that is directly over my pubic area. It seems to protrude out a little when I stand sideways and look in the mirror. My skin feels tight when I touch it and the skin is also somewhat "shiny". I hope that this is all due to swelling. I am just hoping to find someone else who had a tummy tuck and see if they experienced anything similar. Thanks!

Puddin, I just had a breast lift with implants and a lower body lift on May 1st. How long did it take for aal of the swelling to go away? I mainly just see it right above my incision directly above my pubic area. My lower tummy is sticking out a little more than I like and I assume that it's swelling. It looks like it. I am just over three weeks post op and I am wondering how long until that goes away. Did you notice that your weight dropped a pound or two once your swelling was gone? I have to keep in mind that my implants added about three pounds to my weight. I would love a reply from someone who knows what I just went through. It really wasn't that painful though! Thank God!

I hope he will fill me right back up since we already know what fill level I need to be at. It has taken me 9 fills to get where I am right now. Plus, I am self pay. He's pretty aggressive with his fills and he always does them with a flouroscopic x-ray. As far as what I usually eat, I have gotten into a bad habit of soft foods. I love to eat Honey Bunches of Oats Cereal and cottage cheese with fruit. While cottage cheese is a soft food, I do think it's a great source of Protein. It has 12 grams in 1/2 a cup. Since I have made the decision to really try to change my habits I will probably eat normal food like meat and vegetables. I will just be eating much slower, chewing much longer, and taking tiny bites. Doing that I am sure that I can eat almost anything I want. I won't be trying to eat a cheeseburger from McDonald's or anything like that. I always try to make healthy choices. What kind of things do you eat? With my first band I really got into the habit of standing up and maybe that's why I am doing it again this time. The only difference this time is that so far no matter how tight my band is filled, food still goes through easily if I am standing. With my first band, it didn't matter if I was standing up. When my pouch got full, that was it for a few hours. Most of the time, because I ate too fast or took big bites and didn't chew enough I would end up PB'ing. If I had only taken the time to slow down and do it right I am sure I wouldn't have had that problem. Hindsight is 20/20!

I have a band that is supposed to hold 4.0 cc's. Right now I am filled with 4.2 cc's! I am tight in the morning, but in the evening after I work out I have to really try not to eat too much. I usually get up at 6:00 am. I don't try to drink anything until about 11:00 am. I stand us and sip slow. That is usually not a problem. At lunch I have a smoothie (low cal/low fat). I stand up and drink slow. The smoothie is very thick. That is usually not a problem. At dinner, about 6:30 pm, I can pretty much eat whatever I want and as much as I want if I chew very well and don't eat too fast. I am in the habit of standing up. I know the restriction would probably kick in if I ate sitting down, but I am in the habit of standing and I am afraid of PB'ing and slipping my band. I just can't believe that I can get that much food down even standing up with 4.2 cc's in the band! Maybe I need to start eating more of a variety. I usually stick to the same things and I count my calories so I don't eat too many. That would be so easy to do considering that the band lets it go through so easily in the evening. I haven't really been trying to eat any meat. I get my protein from yogurt, cottage cheese and protein powder. I know those are soft foods, but I am on my second band and I am afraid of PB'ing too much and slipping my band! Does anyone else out there experience what I am going through with the looseness in the evening and the standing up? I am so confused! With my first band I had the same exact size and all that. I never got a fill above 3.0 cc's and that was too tight. It didn't matter what time of day it was or if I stood up. It was tight! Maybe this band is different because I was only 134 when I got the old band removed and the new band put on. Any thoughts out there?

I agree with you. I made a decision yesterday to really make an effort to change my habits. I am having my band loosened in a few weeks to have breast implants and I was thinking that I need to really make a decision about whether or not I am too tight so that when I go back to my fill doctor after the surgery I can tell him to either fill me back to where I am now, or fill me a little less. So I decided last night to just test it out. I sat down at the dinner table with tomato Soup first. Yes, I know that's a liquid, but if the band really is too tight to eat what is normal for a bandster, then I wouldn't be able to get the liquid down. The soup was fine. I really tried to take in small bites and to wait between each bite. I love the Lean Cuisine Brick Oven Style pizzas! So, I cooked one. I cut it into fourths. I was able to eat 1/4 of it taking very small bites and counting each chew. I made sure to chew each bite 30 times and wait in between bites. It took me half an hour, but when I finished instead of trying to eat another piece I decided I was satisfied. I had the last piece of banana bread on my mind! I warmed it and put spray butter on it and I sat down with my tiny fork to eat it. I only ate half of it and decided to put the other half in the fridge for another time. I was so happy! I felt like a light bulb had finally come on over my head! If I sit down, take my time, take tiny bites and chew well I can do this! The only draw back is that if I want to cheat all I have to do is stand up. I don't think there's anything I can do about that. I have 4.2 cc's in a 4.0 cc band. I guess I have a small stomach. That could be a blessing in disguise for special occasions or holidays. I am just going to have to get into the habit of doing the right thing and sitting to eat instead of standing. Now that I have realized what I am supposed to be doing I think I am just fine. I can't expect the band to do all the work. Besides that, it's not like I have a ton of weight to lose. I weighed 136 this morning. I really appreciate all of the input here!

I have always heard that exercise would make you feel tighter. It isn't doing that to me! My doctor says that the 4.0 cc band will hold close to 5.0 cc's. He had me up to 4.4 cc's at my last fill, but the flouro showed that the Fluid wasn't going down so he took me down to 4.2 cc's. It's really weird. I always show good restriction during the flouro, but by the time I get back to solid foods a few days later I am not as tight. I am just thankful that I only weight 137 and I am trying to get to 130. It's not the end of the world that I am having some difficulties. I just don't want my band to slip! I am so terrified of that. I want to keep the band for as long as possible! I was told that it stays in for life, but I keep reading more and more posts fom people saying that a doctor told them that the bands only last 10-15 years. If I can keep the band until I am 48, then I don't think I am going to be nearly as worried then if I had to have it removed than if I had to have it removed now. Sorry to ramble!

I have two different ones that I have every day! chocolate Protein shake 3 T of chocolate Protein powder 6-8 large ice cubes (from ice tray) 1/4 c Calorie Countdown Fat Free Calorie Beverage (skim milk will work) Sweet-n-Low to taste 2 T sugar free Chocolate flavored syrup * you may need to add a little Water or more milk This version is about 150 - 175 calories. You can add about half of a banana, but it will have more calories. strawberry Smoothie 6-8 large ice cubes 1/2 cup Dannon Light N Fit fat free strawberry yogurt 1/4 c Almond Breeze fat free vanilla flavored unsweetened dairy beverage 5-6 frozen whole strawberries sweet-n-low to taste * you may need to add more mil or water This version is about 100 calories! I am going to try something new today. Basically the same thing with vanilla yogurt and about a cup of diet orange drink. I am going for the dreamsicle flavor! You can turn any smoothie into a protein drink/smoothie by adding some chocolate, strawberry or vanilla protein powder. I think they are wonderful!

My "flood gates" are also very much open in the evening after I work out. I have 4.2 cc's in a 4.0 cc capacity band! What the heck? Don't let me scare you! Hopefully this won't happen to you.

Dear Cajun Cutie, I think you should go for the gastric bypass. The only question I have is if you could still have kids. I would think you could. You might have to try to eat more often while you're pregnant and take some liquid supplements. I am 33 and I am approaching my second "bandiversary". It has been a long haul! I am on my second band. The first one slipped. I had it replaced because I was scared of gaining the weight back. I said I would do it all over again and I did. I live every day in fear of my second band slipping. There are so many issues with the band. The adjustments aren't bad physically, but they have taken a big toll on me emotionally. It is so easy to get upset if you don't get the restriction you're hoping for and if it is too tight you are miserable and have to make another tip back to the doctor to get it loosened. Depending on where you live, that could mean a plane ride. I drive three hours to Dallas to get my adjustments. It's also expensive if your insurance doesn't pay. The adjustments can be anywhere from $150 - $600! People up North that have less fill doctors usually pay much more. I have already spent more than it would have cost me to get a gastric bypass, but I was just barely big enough to get the lap band. I went to Mexico for the first one and I gained 7 or 8 pounds before my surgery date to get my BMI up between 33 and 34. You are so young and I agree that you should have a surgery. I have a friend that had gastric bypass and she has had much less of a hassle after the surgery. There are no fills to deal with. I know that there are lots of risks, but it's just my opinion that gastric bypass might be better. I am sure plenty of people will disagree with me and I do think the band is great, but if I had been large enough and insurance had paid, I would have gone with gastric bypass. Good luck! I will be happy to answer any questions that you may have!

Brandy, I felt the same way. I went to a catfish and shrimp all you can eat buffet the evening before I flew out to have my surgery. This may not be the end of eating normally for you though. I know it's different for everyone, but once I got past the liquid and soft food stages I could still eat pretty much normally. It took me three aggressive fills before I really had restriction. So, you might still be able to eat once you get past the post op diet. Some people have restriction before they get a fill, but I didn't. Remember too that you will be able to eat a lot of what you eat now, just in smaller portions. I know it's not the same, but atleast you don't have to giveit up forever. I have a band that is supposed to hold 4.0 cc's and rightnow I have 4.2 cc's in it! In the evening after I work out I can eat a lot. I don't know why, but my band likes to open up in the evening. So, as long as you control yourself you can still enjoy food. I am not saying that your band will do the same thing, but you never know. Just my two cents worth!

The slime is your body's natural reaction to help lube up your throat and I guess your pouch to get the food down. It happens to me all the time. Just be careful and go slow. Stop drinking with your meals because you don't want to stretch your pouch.

I just had a fill about a week ago. I wonder if it's just decided to "kick in"? I didn't notice much of a difference right after the fill, but he only added .2 cc's, so I didn't think anything of it.

First of all, I am terrified that my band slipped. I woke up yesterday morning about 5:00 am with a terrible pain in my chest/band area. It just lasted a second and stopped. Then I felt it again and it went away. I rolled over and went back to sleep. I can't typically drink until around 11:30 or so and yesterday I drank water at 12:30. That was okay. Typically I have good restriction during the day and in the evening after I work out I can eat whatever I want if I take my time. My band just opens up at night for some reason. I have 4.2 cc's in a 9.75 cm band that is supposed to hold 4.0 cc's. I am also filled with omnipague which is thicker than saline because my band leaks if I get filled with regular saline. Lucky me! I was able to eat normally yesterday evening. Nothing seemed strange. I took a deep breath in this morning to see if I felt any soreness in my chest/band area. I would think there would be some soreness if my band slipped. It felt fine. At 11:30 today I tried drinking some iced tea and the first few sips seemed okay. Then a few minutes later I had this horrible stinging/burning sensation in the roof of my mouth and the back of my throat! I have never felt anything like that. I started burping up slime from the tea and I stood up. That helped a little. I spit out a bunch of slime and now it feels like the tea has probably gone through the band. The burning stopped. I got the hiccups. That has stopped now too. I would like to jump in my car and drive to the fill doctor to get a flouro, but he's three hours away. I was just wondering if anyone else ever experienced this? I hope I don't have a slip! I am on my second band. My first band did slip. I am assuming it was my fault for PB'ing too much. I wouldn't think that this band would slip while I was sleeping unless it slipped because it was just too tight on my stomach and it didn't want to hold. I would think that they wouldn't put a band on our stomach that would just move that easily. Who knows? I have to go back to my fill doc on the 27th for a partial unfill becuase I am having surgery on May 1st, but that still 3 weeks away. Anyone out there got an opinion?

I went to Dallas yesterday and got my 9th fill! I now have 4.2 cc's in a 9.75 cm 4.0 cc capacity band! He originally took me up to 4.4 cc's! I freaked out. I knew that was too much. It was. I couldn't get the barrium to go down on the flouro. He took out .2 cc's to get me down to 4.2 cc's. That was just yesterday and I am on liquids, but my tea is going down very slowly right now and I am standing up! Maybe I have finally reached my sweet spot, but I have to go in for a partial unfill at the end of the month because I am having breast augmentation on May 1st! I don't really want an unfill. I will have to be on good behavior for a whole week until I am able to get filled back up! I do have to say that I am looking forward to actually being able to eat some of that yummy food in Mexico where I am having the surgery. I just hope I don't gain weight! I guess on surgery day I won't eat anything at all or very little so maybe that will help out. I will be counting my calories!

If you go to www.yourmakeovers.com, my arm pics and my testimonial are on there. They were the last time I looked. I am wearing an orange spaghetti strap tank top in the pictures. If that doesn't work, then I would be happy to e-mail the pictures to you. About the cost of the breast surgeries, that is why I am going to Mexico! They wanted $7000 to do it here in Texas.

The first doctor I used for my arm lift was Sergio Soberanes. He charged $3500 and you can see him at www.yourmakeovers.com. I am using a different doctor for my breast lift and augmentation. He is charging $4100 and his name is Alejandro L. Gaxiola. His website is www.mexico-direct.com. I don't feel that Dr. Soberanes did a bad job, but my arms didn't turn out quite like I had hoped. I may have had unrealistic expectations. I found Dr. Gaxiola's website and began speaking with his surgery coordinator, Luis. Luis is very nice and he will be picking me up at the airport and taking me to the clinic the day before surgery for my pre-op tests and then taking me to the hotel. The next morning he will pick me up and take me to the hospital and I will spend the night there. Then the next day he will take me back to the hotel to spend one more night. The next day he will take me back to the airport to fly home. All of this is included in the surgery price and he even made my hotel reservations! All of that played a part in my decision to use Dr. Gaxiola this time instead of Dr. Soberanes. I am not saying that I wouldn't go back to Dr. Soberanes, but I want to try Dr. Gaxiola this time. My breasts are really important to me and since I didn't get the results I expected with my arms I went with a different doctor. I am sure that both of these doctors have done a million breast surgeries! Don't get me wrong about my arms! I LOVE them compared to my old ones! I am going to ask Dr. Gaxiola's opinion on how good of a job Dr. Soberanes did on my arms, because like I said, maybe I had unrealistic expectations. I know they can only do so much! Both of these doctors are in Tijuana, Mexico. I found Dr. Soberanes on a link from Dr. Kuri's (lap band surgeon) website and I found Dr. Gaxiola by surfing the web!

I have had 8 fills and I am still not at the Sweet Spot!

I am a pear shaped girl and I have been a C cup for the longest time. I went from 196 lbs down to 132 ish and I am now between a B and C cup. I think I am really a B cup, but I have loose skin that will lop out of the cup if I don't wear a C cup. I had an arm lift to get rid of extra skin on my arms one year ago. I am so excited because i am going to Mexico on April 30th to get a breast lift and breast augmentation. I am going to ask for a small D cup! Can't wait! Oh, I have been a size 8 shoe forever and now I am a 7-1/2.