Lanette

They may be tight.....but darn it they are ON and zipped!! WHOO HOO! I never in a million years thought I would be able to get into them. I bought them over a year ago and gave them to my tiny sister and told her that I hoped to someday get them back. Well tonight, I casually asked what size they were and said that it would still be a while. Well, she sent them home to me and I thought "what the heck!" and low and behold they fit! When I say "happy dance" I mean...."wake up the whole freakin' house and jumping up and down" kind of dancing! LOL! A few before's....just for the record. me and my BFF at a concert.

Well, it has been a bit of a slow start for me on this one. I stalled out at 177 and then went up and down between there and 179 since posting this. Today I am at 176.2 so I'm hoping the scales are finally moving again. as of right now, 11.2 to go before Halloween.

Had my 6 month check up today. My 6 month surgiversary is actually still 8 days away though. So here are some stats for the first 6 months. At surgery consult, Doc set my goal at 80% of total excess weight (total =113, 80% =90). Hit the 80% mark but my personal goal is 100% of my excess weight to get to my healthy BMI. I am really hoping to hit the personal goal by Christmas or 9 months. For those of you that have hit these marks, how hard was it to get those final 20 lb off? Did you have to work harder? So far, mine has all still "fallen" off without me having to really work at it. I'm going to try to post some pics to this thread in a few days.

Honestly, this made me cry. Part of the reason I wanted to have the sleeve is to be more active with my kids. My son's school has a 5k every year and last year he asked if I would run it with him in 2012 (April). I couldn't have even walked it before, much less ran it! I am doing c25k now and loving it. My sweetest NSV of all time is going to be crossing that finish line with my little man. So glad you got to experience that with your son and thankful that you shared it with us.

Girl! You are smokin'!! I love the outfit and need to take some fashion tips from you. I have never felt that trendy and realized today at the mall that I seriously need to branch out. You look amazing and have so much to be proud of!

At 7 weeks out, my dietary restrictions were gone so it was "whatever you can tolerate". That said, I am the WORST about remembering ANYTHING, but I will list a few of my fav's below. I will say that I was still really sticking to Protein at this point. String cheese sticks, pepperoni stix, salmon, shrimp, lunch meat/cheese roll ups, Fage greek yogurt (w/ fruit mixed in....couldn't stand the plain any way I tried it), chicken salad, tuna salad, eggs, eggs, eggs! I ate boiled eggs, fried eggs, scrambled eggs, deviled eggs....(picture Forest Gump talking about shrimp...tee hee). Eggs were my friend during this stage and thankfully they agreed with me b/c I loved them. Now that said, I did eat anything else I wanted in moderation and just tried little bits and pieces of what hubby and kids had (after I had eaten my protein) mainly to see what I could tolerate. Slowly came to realize that there wasn't a lot that I couldn't have. Just came down to getting in protein and Water and then making sure I was stopping when satisfied and not getting stuffed.

What a GREAT post. I'm going to reply, but just had to say you rock for taking the time to post such a thorough list!! It's posts like this that just make me realize what a great resource this community is for all of us.

This is a pic of my lap on the airplane last week. No more extentions for me. This is a pic of me in my "new" jeans (bought 6 months ago and never really thought I would be in them. I have NEVER had a "gap" before and about cried when I could see daylight. May be TMI, but had to share w/ people that can appreciate this type of NSV.

Screen Name........starting weight..........current weight..........goal........lb to goal Lanette...............177.8.......................177.8................165.....................12.8 This will take me to within 10lb of my final goal. It's a little slower going these days so I'm hoping I can hit this!

I started adding mine back in at about a month out. I was having some constipation issues and had never had that issue previously. Like a previous poster said.....it is a diuretic and it works like a charm or me. I have not had any issues at all as far as Acid Reflux and I'm not even on a PPI. I will say though that I am very careful about getting my water in AND I'm only having about 4-6 oz of coffee daily. I used to use a big mug or get a "venti" where now I'm using my fancy "cup and saucer" cups from my china set since their smaller. I do add flavored liquid creamer and that is my one big vice that I haven't given up.

I am under a different BCBS, but just letting you know that I never did receive my coverage info in writing. I asked multiple times for a written policy but they would only tell me the Bariatric coverage on the phone. I did get a letter stating that I was pre approved after surgeon submitted codes, etc. However it never listed amounts covered, etc. Very frustrating. Our company policy books only say that it is covered but doesn't go into any details so you have to call to find out. I'm a black and white kind of girl though and like to see it in writing, so that was a tough one for me.

one word.....CLOTHES! Shopping is WAY more fun these days.

The first few months, I described the full feeling as "needing to loosen my bra"! I kept saying that everyone else might need to loosen their belt but I was the odd ball that felt like my bra was tight. Now (5 months out) it's more of a traditional full feeling. I try to stop at "content" and not get to "stuffed". However that "stuffed" feeling feels like I am full up to my throat. Not a pleasant feeling and I try to avoid it.

When your sister in law that hasn't seen you in months (lives out of state) walks past and didn't reognize you. Also, when you actually default to going into the "normal" stall in the public bathroom instead of the handicap stall.

Wow!!! You look amazing!!! Great job!

Not sure how old your kiddos are, but for me I will NEVER forget the moment my 8 year old son hugged me and said "mom!!!! My hands touch when I hug you now!!" and my 4 year old daughter told me "you're a little momma now!". Still makes me tear up even now. They still hug me all the time to make sure I'm still shrinking. I know it is scary, but trust me when I tell you that you ARE doing this or your family as well as yourself. I have so much more energy now and take them on bike rides, etc. I'm the "fun" momma now instead of the tired momma. Just hang in there and try to let yourself focus on the excitement of it. Get yourself a goal outfit and hang that puppy in a place where you'll see it every day. my ONLY regret is that I didn't have this done years ago!!

I honestly don't understand what you're trying to say here? I also take vitamins and B12 daily and never said anything about that. I only replied because I thought you were being judgemental of me mentioning soft drinks and you ended your reply to me with talking about how people go back to their old ways and regain. I was in no way being judgemental of you, but I did feel that my original reply must have needed clarification if it made people think I'm falling off the wagon and going back to my old habits. Sorry if my reply was offensive. It was not intended to be judgemental or offensive at all.

Dasme, I honestly haven't missed carbonation that much, but have had a few sips of ginger ale after letting it sit out for a while so it's not quite as fizzy. The original poster was asking what we "can" eat when fully healed. My surgeon had a strict plan during the healing process, but our meal plan after that was pretty much anything you can tolerate, with a focus on Protein. I'm sure that the original poster's surgeon is going to give their plan, and it sounded like they already knew the normal restrictions but I thought they were looking for what we "can" eat, so I wanted them to know that not everyone gets sick from an occasional sip of soda. While I can eat "whatever I want" that doesn't mean that I do. I was simply answering the question and letting them know that I haven't had trouble digesting anything. I am still losing an average of 2-3 lb per week, so even though I'm not super strict or counting carbs, I am still getting the results I had hoped for. I focus on protein first and eat a fraction of what I did in my old life. I don't think it would be physically possible to go back to my old eating habits.

Jane- just wanted to clarify that the things posted (including flying issues and mucus thing) were on the handout from the LapBand surgeon at the meeting...not anything I came up with. I know there are lots of people that have no issues with flying, but there were at least 3 in the room (out of about 20-25) that had problems with flying. What I was meaning was that b/c I fly so much for work that it wasn't a risk I was willing to take. The only thing I know about the mucus thing was that everyone was giving their "home remedies" for what they use to clear them. It all sounded very 'normal' to them, which was what was so sad to me. I'm glad to hear that you didn't have these issues. I just copied the questions word for word and put as many comments as I could remember in hopes that it would prevent even one person from having to go through these side effects or even worse, a revision. Thanks so much for sharing your experiences with the group.

Awesome!! Can't wait to get my new one soon. Off topic, but I had no idea that you had to wait to get your license in other states. We get ours same day in Arkansas.

Count me in! let's see who all replies and we can find a location that works for everyone.

Anything I want. I haven't found anything yet that my sleeve won't tolerate, just less of it. Like everyone else....focus on Protein and Water but I do not deprive myself of much and I'm still averaging 2-3 lbs a week. Man oh man, I LOVE MY SLEEVE! Just a few listed above....salads, nuts, steak, fruit, etc. All have been fine for me. I do OCCASIONALLY drink carbonated beverage, but not with a meal and I drink very slowly and small quantity. I have even had some coconut, but I don't over do it.

Wishes - What is "AdBlock" and how do we do it?" Thanks! I'm fed up with them as well. The mobile site on iPad used to not show the ads that have always shown up on the right side of the regular web site version, but the new ads that are in the posts are showing up even on the iPad. Very frustrating when you are using a datacard to now have to use my data usage to pull down images of ads that I don't want in the first place. I honestly think I would rather pay a few dollars a month to be on the boards just to not put up with the ads. At least they could give us the option.

Warning.. this is a very long post b/c it lists questions discussed at a LapBand support group meeting. I have been meaning to post this forever but have never taken the time to type it up. I will SHOUT IT FROM THE ROOFTOPS to anyone that will listen. So for any of you that are weighing the options between LapBand and Vertical Sleeve (OR KNOW ANYONE that is!) please read this first! Shortly after having my VSG surgery, a friend of mine (that was recently banded) invited me to a WLS support group meeting. I specifically asked if it was for all types of WLS and the meeting coordinator assured her that it was. Well, when we showed up, I quickly realized that while they are open to all types of WLS patients, it is being put on by a surgeon's office that only does LapBand and everyone there was a LB patient except for me. That said, the topic for the evening was "Lap Band Lingo" and there was a handout with 18 common questions regarding Lap Bands. I was shocked to find out that the things we were discussing were NOT "complications" but everyday occurrences for most of these people. I was the only person in the room that had not thrown up and MOST of them said they throw up on a regular basis. I am going to share this list of questions from the handout below in hopes that it will be informative and eye opening to others the way it was to me. The people that I know who have had lap band are seriously struggling. I have lost more; my restriction is CONSISTANT....which is a HUGE deal that I had never thought of. They are constantly dealing with the "up and down" of needing a fill or unfill, etc. and depending on how tight their band is they may not be able to eat AT ALL or else they may be able to eat like they used to. Personally, I am not okay with that. I need a new lifestyle and to know what to expect. They still have to go to their surgeon.....A LOT. After I'm done with my post op visits.....it is Hasta La Vista baby! I never have to go back again if I don't want to b/c mine is forever and I have not had one complication. One last thing before I get to the list. After the class, I stayed after and talked to the Office Manager lady because I genuinely wanted to know why a doctor would NOT offer both options when CLEARLY there are MAJOR advantages to the sleeve. After much "beating around the bush" she made a comment that will forever stick with me. She said "Well, we have thought about offering the sleeve, but we have SUCH a SUCCESSFUL LapBand practice that we have decided to just stay with that." Here's the bottom line.....every time you have to go in for an adjustment to your band, fill/unfill, etc., or there is a follow up surgery to fix something they are billing like crazy. They know that if they offer VSG, there are very few subsequent opportunities for billing. Here is the information from the Handout. 1. A. What is Morning Band? (Discussion included the fact that most people have a tighter band when they wake up in the morning. A number of people mentioned that they had to drink warm fluids before they could get anything down. Many said that if they tried to eat while still too tight, they would throw up.) B. What is Night Cough? This question was not on original list but came up as a follow up question after discussing "Morning Band" (This one seriously made me sick to my stomach and still does now. They basically described that if they lay down with food still in their pouches, it will come back up and can potentially get into their lungs. They talked about waking up at night and coughing like crazy and coughing bile up, etc. One lady said that she woke up with STOMACH BILE COMING OUT HER NOSE!!!!) 2. What is Mucus Plug or Jelly Fish, and how do I deal with it? (They described because the hole at the bottom of the pouch is so small (about the size of a straw) that any drainage, post nasal drip, etc. would sometimes cause the equivalent of a Mucus Plug to clog the opening. They gave a recipe that included drinking warm lemon juice as the cure for this. Gagging now just thinking about it.) 3. How do I know I am too tight and need an Unfill? (Okay, this is the one where I wanted to stand up in the middle of the room and scream "Do you people not know there is a better way!!" They talked about how when you are already feeling "tight" due to stress, flying, having just been filled, etc. that the simple fact that you are already feeling tight can make you get more stressed and cause it to be tighter. They talked about people having to get unfilled before flying and that their surgeon had taken their entire office staff for a long weekend to his family beach house in Cabo San Lucas and that when they got off the plane that one of the girls was so tight that she was constantly throwing up. He had to "unfill" her while in Cabo. BIG FACT TO KEEP IN MIND!!! Every time these people are getting unfilled, they have to start their diet plan over. After every fill, they have to do liquids for 48 hours, then softs, etc. NO WAY JOSE'!!! It was all I could do to get through my early stages. The thought of reliving that again and again makes me shudder! Also, many will tell you that once you find your "sweet spot" (see #8) the fills/unfills stop. That may be true, BUT my friends who had their surgeries BEFORE mine (mine was 3/28/11) are still struggling with this constantly. One of them just had to get an unfill last week b/c she couldn't keep anything down and was dehydrated. Now she will have to get slow fills again to get back to a good level of restriction for her.) 4. What is Mega Esophagus? (Let me start by saying that we CAN get this as well....so this is not just a Band issue. However, because our stomachs are longer and our openings are "normal size" and not the size of a straw, it is a lot less likely. Basically if we eat too much and feel like our food is coming back up our throat on a consistent basis, we CAN stretch our esophagus. However, if they eat things that they are not digesting well (long list for the group in the room) their food will sit in that little pouch a LOT longer b/c it can't get on out that tiny little opening. So, if they are full to the brim and stretching their esophagus, it's going to keep stretching a lot longer. I HAVE felt on two occasions that I have pushed my limit and had food "up to the brim" and knew that I had overdone it. However within 20-30 minutes, I had digested enough that I felt "normal" again.) 5. Why do I need to keep getting Fills? (Okay, this is the one where I finally couldn't keep my mouth shut. This lady is describing how the band is tight around the stomach and the stomach will "thin itself out" in order to make that opening bigger to allow more food to pass through. So then they tighten up the band again to reduce the size of the opening and have restriction again (back to that inconsistent restriction issue). So naturally, my question to her is "What happens when you keep doing this year after year after year??? Isn't that stomach lining eventually going to get too thin and erode?" She said that it is made to be able to get very thin and then quickly moved on to question number 6 (which we moved past quickly b/c it wasn't a much better topic.) 6. What happens to saline in my band and how do I check it? (I was too frustrated with #5 that I honestly can't even remember what the lady said. I vaguely remember them discussing the fact that it does slowly leak (however a VERY minor amount b/c in all honesty it is a VERY small amount that is in the band anyway). 7. What is Protein and how much do I need of it? (Answers to this were same as for us.) 8. Am I in the Sweet Spot/ Green Zone/ Happy Place? (See #3. In a room of about 20-25 people, only 2 said they were in their "sweet spot". Most were still getting adjustments regularly b/c of inconsistent losing and restriction. This "green zone" is when their bodies are "happy" and losing regularly with fairly consistent restriction and not feeling that they need filled or unfilled.) 9. What are the LapBand Food Categories? (These were their food stages (Clear Liquids, full liquids, soft mushies, regular foods and the final stage was regular foods WITH BREAD). They made a BIG deal of not skipping that last stage. And of course me, who was Miss "no carb passes these lips" at that time was thinking NO WAY. I still don't really understand the instance about making sure they were able to eat bread so maybe some former LapBanders on here can fill in that blank.) 10. Why do crunch carbohydrates go down when meat won't? (Discussed "sliders" as opposed to dense protein. Good discussion that applies to us as well.) 11. What is a Carbohydrate and does my body need them? (Nutrition 101 and it was a good discussion that applies to us as well. No LB specific material in that one.) 12. Gas is to a car like _______is to the body? (Pretty sure the answer was food???But I can't remember. Was already planning my "talking points" for my post class discussion with this lady.) 13. I can eat more at different times of day or different days, how do I know I need a Fill or not? (They discussed the difference in what they consider normal fluctuations in restriction aka "Morning Band", etc. and when they are truly not getting enough restriction and need a fill. I just love that we never have to worry about this.) 14. I am flying or having an operation, do I need an Unfill? (I do not remember the answer to the operation part, but as for flying I was thinking about the fact that I fly ALL THE TIME for work and that alone would have kept me from doing this. I would have been TICKED if no one had told me this was a possibility before surgery. There were a number of people in the room that DO get too tight when flying and do get unfilled before flying. It does not apply to all, but I guess you would have to make sure that there is a surgeon you trust in the city where you are going the first time in order to test it out. Scary if you ask me.) 15. I ate a sandwich for lunch, then stressed out, why am I so tight? (I was shocked to learn about the impact that stress can have on your restriction. There were stories about people who went out to lunch and then got pulled over by a cop on the way back to the office and b/c they were nervous they through up everything and then once that has started they usually can't get it settled back down and have to go get unfilled. I lead a very high stress, fast paced life and I don't think I could handle this.) 16. Do I need to take Vitamins and why? Same as for us...nothing LB specific discussed. 17. Can I take Multi Vitamins and Calcium together? Same as for us...nothing LB specific discussed. 18. Do I need to exercise? Same as for us....nothing LB specific discussed.