Julie norton

great detailed story James. Thanks for sharing. The car looks like fun too. But will it fit in your shelter?????

Hoping we can have one thread of positive bander stories... With a discussion of fills and solutions. I'm growing weary of frightening scary stories of failed bands. Sigh

No problems here. Happy to say! Banded in 2006. Lost 90lbs. Happy. Healthy. Up / down 5 lb bounce range. Completely satisfied ... ThereARE a few of us happy bandsters around⭐️????

Rarely is the issue of incontinence brought up. I believe it affects a lot of overweight women. Personally, when I was at my heaviest, I dreaded a cough, sneeze or especially a cold. Relied on poise pads for those awful days. I vote for that NSV to be near the top of my list.⭐️

Hoping things calm down with your band. I am going for a fill in October to try to get things just right. I have left it very "loose" for 2 months... I have been healthy and eating right and exercising, but those dang 5 pounds came back and I notice my hunger a bit more... I'll be trying just like you to get my band more dialed in.

I agree about being prepared with snacks. Often the afternoon sneaks up on me and I need to have handy a decent snack. I try to keep protein bars in my purse. Unmeltable. Or beef jerky or a small amount of nuts .... It is water that gets too hot in my car. And I need to be vigilant about enough water.... Daily...still!!

my personal insight was that hospitals are very good at negotiating down the bill to settle it. They want to clear accounts and want money in hand rather than drawn out paymentsGood luck$!

it seems easier to camouflage excess skin than to try and hide....oh...90 pounds. I lived with the skin for years and saved my pennies to deal with it. That was a luxury. Weight loss was for health and a great normal life!

This is the perfect place to share victories and problems. Lots of nice friendly people who have walked that road ahead. Even though every ones journey is individual , there are lots of hints and advice when we reach a fork (ha) in the road. I feel like I'm not alone on my banded trip through life with my cyber friends!

Tailoring can be reasonable. I found one who , for $10 each , tailored 5 pair of my favorite pants. Kinda like I went shopping in my own closet. I got rid of the huge clothes. Ok I kept one pair of stretchy 22's. Just to look at once a year and always remind me! Hard to believe I wore that size now that I am many years banded, Yet there they are .... I feel very grateful I was able to have a healthier smaller sized life for years...

Yes... I get small fills. And wait.. Often for some reason , they enlarge over time. When I have problems toooo often... Not keeping decent food down or like trouble with liquids, I have to adjust it I have no idea why? I just go with my band.. Usually, I get a bit taken out...And wait. Then, the next 3-6 months I start again.. Keeping it a bit under inflated. I do read about a lot of issues. And I want to keep my band a long time. So I try to be very careful. It is a fine balance between fill and overfill for me. I want to have compliance and I want self discipline. That is my banded life !

Welcome to a new and healthier life.???? There is a lot of info on these boards should you want or need to know what others have gone through. I learn something here almost daily and people seem very friendly!

You look great.... And you also look much younger than your pre op pic Amazing. Healthier and younger! Congrats!

To me, that is the old voice in our head. The loop about being too big. Not good enough. Need to lose weight... Etc Trust in the process. You got this. Ignore the naysayers and work your program. You are successful already. One voice cannot change that Best of luck

What a great story ! Unbelievable that many of us got a healthy life after taking a chance on our band. Sharpie. There is food all over the ship at all times of day... And there are stairs all over , and a gym , and places to walk around at each port So it is all about choices. And you made the right ones. Congratulations????

Ok. Just a small pet peeve. And apologies to the newbies. Sometimes I'm reading a thread with advice on diet and exercise and all good WLS guidelines.... Only to look up the poster and find that they are pre- op....I'm glad they have solid advice, but.... My hope is that people have some experience and a bit of WLS life under their belt before telling other post ops how to correct an issue they are having. We are all here to help each other... But not by READING the info a Doc has given you.... This is a long term solution and I'm not closed minded to new ideas, but perhaps pre op could identify that they have a source of info.... NOT real life experience. Just me⭐️

Welcome! There seems to be a lot of questions and answers here... Lots of info at your fingertips. I'm glad to have this site. It helps me on those days I really need it! Best of luck on your new healthier life!

I guess all docs are different. Mine said only walking for week 2-5. Then cardio and abs after week 6 That was in march of this year. Glad I had my TT ... But glad it is in the past!

No babbs. Haven't seen that. I was told to drink in ounces the number of inches you are tall. I am 5'7" so my goal is 67 oz. I still find it a challenge! I have been putting a sprig of mint in my jugs of water. Anything That helps???? I'm just not much on artificial sweeteners like crystal light

And after.

Oops. My before did not capture ALL of me. And there was a lot of fluff there. I feel so much younger and these pics were 10 years apart. 50. Vs. 60!!????Here is a fuller pic

Well I just got some new pics back from my sons wedding.... And found an old one from 2004. Thought I would do a side by side to keep reminding myself to be vigilant And lapbands do work(!) for about 1/2 of us.... Happy banding. And like a lot of us, NO REGRETS

I also suggest edamame pasta. High in protein... Amazingly, being Italian, I do not want or crave pasta products. I'll take it as a gift. I've eaten my share of pasta in my previous life... It was cheap and I was kinda poor. It worked to fill me up...to the tune of 249 lbs! I am thankful to not have issues with my band For almost 9 years.. It scares me a bit when I read of all the complications here. I read in studies 1/2 the banders no longer have their band after 10 years. I am hopeful by keeping it a bit under inflated and not challenging it that I can go on with my healthy life????

Djmohr Enjoy every minute of your visit. You have worked hard daily to ensure that you got the results you wanted. This is just a wonderful moment to savor all you have done for your health.. With a bonus of looking and feeling great????in front of a few naysayers .

Silly me! I thought we had WLS to learn a new, healthier way of living and eating. Seems like this post is about all the old, negative and in the end, unproductive ways to try to change our bodies and our lives! Sigh... Hoping the OP sees some sense in eating light, exercising and drinking 64 oz or so of water... Otherwise.... Seems unproductive in the long run????????