faithmd

Quite often after a large weight loss women need a lift with implants. It's quite common. A suggestion for you is to google/yahoo weight loss breast lift or weight loss mastopexy (the technical term). You might want to throw in the word implant. You should get quite a few hits and be able to see many pictures of before and after shots. I suggest you add the term weight loss because mastopexy is very different for someone who has lost a lot of weight.

Gilly, I posted on your other thread.

July 4th Challenge Week 7 Name.............................Starting….Current…...Goal….....To Go losingjusme..(Christine)......317...........305 .............295...........10 tann.............(Tammy)........257.......... 235..............232......... ..03 juliegeraci..........................232.......... 232..............220...........12 Josette..............................340.......... 329..............315...........14 Inner_me.....(Chris).......... ..306...........296 .............280...........16 Elisabethsew..(Elisabeth).. .281....... ...271 .............260...........11 Waterlily1072...(Nicole)...... 278..... .....272 .............252...........20 Libra..(Angela)................... 230...........221........... ..205...........16 Lapbandit……...............… .208……….206……..…..185…….....21 RidinMyHDDream.(Carol).. ..281..........276 .............256............20 FaithMD........................ .. 341.5........324..............310.. .........14 Okay, the scale is moving again.

A good starting place is on obesityhelp.com and then search in Michigan. There are many listed there along with patient reviews of the surgeon as well as the facility they operate in. If you have BCBS (I think I saw on another thread that you do) and can get the surgery covered at Port Huron Hospital with Drs Boutt and Bhesenia, I'd go there. They are VERY experienced, have wonderful follow-up and as far as I've been able to tell, have no hidden fees. The Beaumont doctors all charge some sort of "support group" or "follow-up" fees that they don't tell you about until after your consult. Dr. Pleatman, while good, also charges a large fee, these fees are NOT covered by your insurance and are out-of-pocket for you. Hurley Medical Center in Flint has a decent program with nice surgeons, the office staff can be a bit much to deal with, and the office wait time is sometimes long, but I was impressed in my conversations with two of the surgeons there. Someone here has been to Henry Ford with Dr. Genaw and had a good experience there. I don't know many who have been banded at Barix, so I can't speak to them. Good luck!

Welcome! Use the Search feature on the blue toolbar above this thread and then click on Advanced Search. The on the left type pregnant or pregnancy or baby or any term that you can think of that would relate to pregnancy (not all at once, of course). Then click on the box below it and select thread titles only. You will find MANY MANY MANY threads here with fantastic information about people's experiences with pregnancy and the band. I do hope this helps! My surgeon also says no pregnancy for two years after WLS. He has you sign a paper stating that you understand their reccommendations not to get pregnant. I'm sure it's to cover them in case you have a slip, etc. while pregnant.

Hello Careypea! There is an entire Food forum here with recipes in the threads. Check it out, there's loads of good stuff there!

I hear ya. I can honestly say I have NO idea when the last time (intercourse) was. At LEAST 2 years. I have a "toy chest" the size of a steamer trunk. I don't really like them. I'd prefer the real thing. Ah well.

I'm sorry to see Lepez deleted her/his post. I'd have been very interested to see what she/he wrote. My marriage is a strong one and my husband and I are the best of friends, but there is hardly any "intimacy" in our lives. And yes, I do get frustrated. But I am thankful that I have a husband who I know loves me beyond anything I've known before, and I have my best friend. I guess some years down the road when "it" doesn't wrk anymore, other couples whose relationships are based on sex might run into problems. I've already been there (no intimacy-but not because it doesn't work), done that, got the T-shirt.

Yooper, Hurley chooses to use staples for closure. They've apparently only had one possible infection in all their years of bariatric surgery. So they have stuck with the staples. If you react to the staples and know it, they will close you with suture, but on the skin it will not be a dissolvable suture, and it will likely be a 0-0 and heavy. I asked for steri-strips or preferably "glue" but they said nope (I really wanted less scarring). So I'll be having the sutures. Staples make me itch like the dickens.

The suggestion is usually when you are tight is to drink warm fluids, it decreases the restriction.

(Shaking my head) This video is NOT about wishing the war would end or bringing up how unnecessary the war may be. There always has been and always will be war. This is a sad fact of life. This video is about SUPPORTING our troops. She may be only 15, but she gets it, our troops feel forgotten, we are so busy protesting it and saying it's wrong and it shouldn't be happening. I may agree that in retrospect it was a bad choice to go in. But we did, nothing can change that. What we can change is how our troops feel about the treatment and support (or lack of) that they are getting. Where are the pro-troop rallies? Where are the porches and railings draped with red, white and blue buntings and fans ? Where can I find streets lined with trees tied with yellow ribbons? Anyone else out there have an American flag flying proudly on the front of their house (or on a pole)? What happened to the "Support our Troops" magnets everyone used to have on their cars? I saw them at Walmart on CLEARANCE the other day! Sad, shameful...

I'm unsure what the "Gastric Bypass Sleeve" is. I know what the Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy is, but I've never heard of the "Bypass" Sleeve. Is this what you mean? Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy (VSG) - Learn About Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy If so, then I'm totally lost as to why your surgeon would suggest a purely restrictive procedure as the Sleeve, and then suggest that you could add another restriction on top of it later (Band). If I were so set on the band (and I am) I wouldn't have the sleeve first. It seems much less risky and better for you to have the Band first and then if it doesn't take, consider the Sleeve or DS or Bypass later.

Hi kimmom! Welcome! I would suggest that you click on the Search link on the blue toolbar near the top of the page, then click on advanced search and then on the left side of the page, type the word expect in the box, then using the pull down arrow, select: Thread titles only. There are 28 threads here with the word expect in them. I was going to list some, but there are too many. I suggest this because if you are like me, when I have a question, I want answers now. This place is full of wonderful info! Have a look around. I'm sure you'll get some good answers to this thread, but for your peace of mind, take alook at what others have said. Hope this helps!

Here's a link to Dr. Curry's Forum that describes it. Trace W. Curry, M.D. :: View topic - New AP band

Jane, congrats on the surgery date!!! And to answer your question, you just DO IT! I've come to the conclusion that I can do ANYTHING if I know that at the end I'll be healthier and will have a marvelous tool to help me in my journey. It's only a couple of weeks out of your life. You CAN do this!

I agree about the doc's needing to be more infomative about what they place. Some do tell you imdeiately. I am going to ask for the box my band comes in for a "keepsake." That way I'll know for sure what I've got as soon as I'm awake enough to read it.

What a cool link!

Hello annie, Mmmmmmm Dilaudid! That's GREAT stuff! Here's some links to more info about it: APRIME Medical & Surgical Supplies | NEWS Advanced Platform (AP) Band Information - Band2gether.net (b2g) Lap-band Support Forums Trace W. Curry, M.D. :: View topic - New AP band

I appreciate your point, tanderson. I do. I guess my frustration came (when we were sitting there writing all of this in for an hour) was that I made it a point to discuss all of this at each and every visit. I made it a point to mention when I started walking three days a week for thirty minutes. I mentioned when I cut the simple carbs out of my diet. I discussed when I started logging my food. She simply didn't include that in her notes. So adding late entries to me was simply righting an error. But again, you do have a good point. And certainly "creating" entries would seem somewhat...wrong. Though I also see the other side of it, if I've been fat for years and each year at my visit with my PCP we work on it, I know that I've met the insurance's basic requirements. I also see where writing something that never happened is very risky.

Christina, First: WELCOME! Second: I haven't been banded yet but from my extensive research on the band, I have learned that for most folks they say it should take you about 1/2 hour to eat. Longer in the beginning. Some nutritionists will say put the fork down and wait minutes (how many depends on the "nut" or nutritionist) between bites. You will want to savor the food you eat as the portions are smaller, and you must take very small bites and chew really well so that the food you do eat doesn't get "caught" or "stuck" in the new opening created by the band down into your stomach. But the longer you take to eat, the fuller you feel on less food. Third: Many people here have said that some of the foods they liked pre-band they just don't want or crave post-band. It's frequently foods that are bad for you, and sodas which you shouldn't have anymore, either. Don't know why that is, but it does happen. For me the bypass (RNY) is not the right choice. If it is for you, then I say go for it. But I just don't want to have lengths of bowel removed and my stomach cut and stitched back together again. Many folks who have RNY (as well as some bandsters) do regain some weight down the road. But if I have the band, I can just start over again with restriction and recommit myself. With the RNY, your body does eventually get used to the malabsorption and malnutrition created by the surgery and then your options are limited. Lots of former RNY patients then get the LapBand on top of the RNY. Sure, there are some LapBand patients that don't succeed with the band and later choose to have the RNY or DS or Gastric Sleeve. It does work both ways, but I would much rather try the least invasive option first. Realizing that it is not magic, it will not cause me to be malnourished like the RNY, I won't magically lose weight, I will have to work with the band, I will have to make better food choices and I'll have to get up and MOVE. I also know that the band will need adjusting from time to time and in the beginning I will NOT have restriction until probably my second, may be my third, possibly my fourth fill and my first one won't be for six weeks after my surgery. I know that I will have to change my habits (I've already started). But it IS possible and it is SOOO much healthier for you in the long run (unless you have significant co-morbidities and HAVE to get the weight off FAST, then I would go get the RNY without hesitation). I don't want to be a slave to food anymore, many Bandsters say they feel freed of that now. You can only eat a limited amount of food so you want to make sure it is good food. I also want to on occasion have a piece of cheesecake to celebrate something or a chocolate at Christmastime. If I had the RNY, then I would likely become uncomfortable and "dump" after that cheesecake, or chocolate, or even a glass of wine. Take care, hope this has helped.

Tann: Thanks for the advice! I do appreciate all I can get. For my official pre-op diet I'm to do something that may even be worse than Optifast, it's a totally liquid diet for two weeks (both pre-op and post-op) from a company called BetterMD.net. It includes shakes, puddings and Soups...ugh. Molly: Thanks! Inner Me: congrats on the 10lbs!

I agree, Terri. I'd want to wait it out, too. If you can wait to see if the swelling goes down, then I say by all means, wait. I would not suggest someone go through another surgical procedure if the possibility existed that the swelling could go down enough to start taking in fluids and nutrition. But if the surgeon came in and basically said that s/he doesn't believe it will and that the band is too tight, that is when I'd be digging my heels in and requesting that s/he eat the entire cost. Betsyjane, WELL SAID!

Hello! Here's a link to an entire forum (the FAQ and reference forum here at LBT) that is full of useful information, and your question just happens to be one of the threads there. Hope this helps! http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f73/

Not in your case, Renee, in mine. Never add anything unless you write a separately dated and signed note. The patient, a third-party payer, or a plaintiff’s attorney may have obtained a copy of the patient’s original records. The entry date for ink or type can be accurately determined retrospectively, and any alteration after the fact will seriously compromise the defense of your case. Nope, it ISN'T fraud. It was MY MD writing in HER own office notes adding LATE ENTRIES to her OWN notes. Looking at your quote below, it does not apply in this case. I am the patient, I sat there with her and had my journal with me of what I did each month and what we had discussed, it just hadn't made it into the record. By writing the date and time and "Late Entry" or "Late Addendum" it is just fine to add to a note. No third party payor had been sent copies of the records yet (because we were making sure what was needed in there was there BEFORE sending them to the third party payor). And what attorney? What defense of what case? I wouldn't be suing my PCP for anything relating to my weight loss visits. From the American Health Information Management Association (ahima.org), THE authority (in the US) on medical documentation (thedoctors.com is a medical malpractice insurance company website): Handling Omissions in Documentation At times it will be necessary to make an entry that is late (out of sequence) or provide additional documentation to supplement entries previously written. Making a Late Entry When a pertinent entry was missed or not written in a timely manner, a late entry should be used to record the information in the medical record. Identify the new entry as a "late entry" Enter the current date and time – do not try to give the appearance that the entry was made on a previous date or an earlier time. Identify or refer to the date and incident for which late entry is written If the late entry is used to document an omission, validate the source of additional information as much as possible (where did you get information to write late entry). For example, use of supporting documentation on other facility worksheets or forms. When using late entries document as soon as possible. There is not a time limit to writing a late entry, however, the more time that passes the less reliable the entry becomes. Entering an Addendum An addendum is another type of late entry that is used to provide additional information in conjunction with a previous entry. With this type of correction, a previous note has been made and the addendum provides additional information to address a specific situation or incident. With an addendum, additional information is provided, but would not be used to document information that was forgotten or written in error. When making an addendum -- Document the current date and time. Write "addendum" and state the reason for the addendum referring back to the original entry. Identify any sources of information used to support the addendum. When writing an addendum, complete it as soon after the original note as possible. [*]Entering a Clarification Another type of late entry is the use of a clarification note. A clarification is written to avoid incorrect interpretation of information that has been previously documented. For example, after reading an entry there is a concern that the entry could be misinterpreted. To make a clarification entry – Document the current date and time. Write "clarification", state the reason and refer back to the entry being clarified. Identify any sources of information used to support the clarification. When writing a clarification note, complete it as soon after the original entry as possible.

Regarding liquid diets for two weeks: It may be longer than that. I don't know what your doctors reccs are, but some folks are on liquids for two weeks pre-op and two to four weeks post-op. But I can do ANYTHING if I know when the end will be. After all, it is only four to six weeks out of my LIFE. It won't kill me. It will be beneficial for my HEALTH. I think we all worry about the loose skin, but I ask you, would you rather have loose skin, or 100lbs or more of fat on your body? Would you rather have some loose skin (and you can always get plastic surgery), or possibly a heart attack, or diabetes or back pain or joint problems? Do you want to be able to climb a flight or two of stairs without being totally out of breath? Sorry for being so direct, but lately I've been into tough love. Sometimes I think we need it, I know I do. PACUPatty, YES YOU DO (have another diet in you)! You CAN do this! You have GOT to! This is the start of a new life for you. Get off your toosh and get it done! Don't think of it as a diet, think of it as changes in your life. I refuse to call it a diet, I say I've made some small changes before banding and they've made 44lbs of difference so far. I've given up (well, I've backslid a bit-so I only lost 3 lbs this month) simple carbs, simple sugars, starches like white potatoes (I eat sweet potatoes) and rice and milk. I try to eat steel cut oats, whole grain breads, use soy milk on my Kashi in the morning, I avoid battered fried foods. I log EVERY bite of food I eat on fitday.com (there's many more, thedailyplate.com, calorieking.com, sparkpeople.com and they are free). I don't "count" calories in that I don't limit myself to a certain number per day. But just seeing what I've eaten seems to help keep me from going over about 2200. I log all liquids, too. Can be loads of hidden calories there. I try to eat like a bandster already (I don't want the shock of how I'll have to change after banding). Of course my portions are not bandster-sized, but I eat with baby utensils to force myself to take tiny bites, I eat Protein first then veggies, then if I have room I eat carbs/fruits. I try not to drink with my meals (I won't be able to down the line), I chew, chew, chew. I gave up carbonated beverages in January and caffeine in December. It sounds like a lot, but it really has been pretty painless (until this past month and then the potlucks started happening at work). YOU CAN DO IT!