Sharpie

my face first, then boobs.. but I am happy to lose some of them.. I have had to wear expensive bras for years..wide straps , etc. my shoulders hurt constantly.. now I am going down in size and I have a drawer full of bras that I have kept through the years.. so I think I am down to a 38 C.. looking forward to 34 B

asked my daughter who was a x-ray tech before she became a radiation therapist.. she says the band should not show up... but it's a good idea to tell the tech....

Hey, I live near Lake City.. actually about 20 miles -in McAlpin.. I had my band in January ..I can recommend a good surgeon in Gainesville...We also have a monthly support meeting I believe it's the 2nd Monday.. at the Lake City Medical Center 7 PM.. if you need to contact me.. my email is: charhorse@msn.com I think you are on the right path.. I am much older than you but I am very happy I had the band.. I have lost 45 lbs. so far and feel like a new person....

Scorpio if you're offended by my comments than you are way too sensitive.. I am not impressed with anyone's ancestry... We Americans are a mixed bag and I stated that people who come to our Country and like to complain or bash us need to go back to where they came from.. I stand by that statement so if you are offended that's too bad... Perhaps some of the European Countries you have been to have had good medical care.. I have not been to all.. just the U.K. and Germany... didn't find either particulary progressive..I still have not received an answer from you regarding why the affluent Europeans always come to the U.S. when they need specialized medical care... it's a logical question don't you think? maybe you don't have the answer.. to Vincereautmori: sorry we are suspicious but we have spammers who come on this site to stir trouble then disappear.. I hope you find your best option to your weight problem.. Best of Luck.

You and Ralph have done a good job.. you look great...

keep a heating pad on your back or shoulder.. I had left shoulder pain fromm gas and the heating pad helped alot... walking is a great way to relieve it as well.. like everyone says it will get better .. You will be on your journey to good health soon. take care

why are you offended? are you someone who has come to our Country and complains? as a matter of fact I am Native American descent.. so see ya later ... people are amazing and so thin skinned these days.. I still say if the Europeans are so great why do they come here for medical care? no answer for that? I think we had the best health care in the world.. but we will soon be another socialized medical country and will have to wait for surgeries and treatments like in other countries.. I have a friend who is from the U.K. she had to wait 6 months for Gallbladder surgery.. she was so sick.. doesn't matter I will take the USA any day....so sue me...

Oh if you had surgery in the U.K. I wonder if they didn't stich it right? but according to some on here they are so much better than U.S. surgeons.. I hope whatever is wrong you find an answer.. I'm like Missy doubt it could be in your bowels.. if so, you need to sue your surgeon..

If they receive such excellent care why do the rich ones come here? I have customers in Canada who hate their medical system.. just different strokes for different folks.. I think the U.S. has educated way more European Dr.'s than any country so gotta figure we have something they want...It's like people who come here because they want to improve their lives then spend the rest of the time bashing the U.S... all of them need to go back to their own Country if they dislike it here.

okay according to the profile on vinceor whatever their name is they have lost 316 lbs.. ??? very suspicious... I don't mind open discussions and opinions however I want to make sure we are getting a real persons opinion not some made up character... spammer? who knows... I just get tired of the constant negative stuff..

I would say Europe is usually way behind us in any medical issue.. that is why most affluent Europeans come to the U.S. for good medical care.. and yes they are mostly socialized medicine which will be our fate if Obamacare stays the law of the land..(praying it is repealed) but in the meantime I will stick to my U.S. doctors and 5% failure rate is pretty good...

I was told no straws too but I am gonna ask if that was for the early weeks after surgery... It would be nice sometimes to drink my smoothie with a straw but if my doc says no than I won't do it...

I also had the band after attending several seminars and discussed with other weight loss surgical patients.. I had some with bypass and some with sleeves and a few with the band in the group.. the banded folks seemed to have less complications.. sleeve is more radical than what I wanted.. by pass was out of the question for me.. I have a friend who had to have radiation and chemo and had a band, they emptied her band, she had her treatment without losing a ton of weight which is what they wanted to avoid...God forbid anyone should have to have treatment for cancer or any other serious illness and not be able to control their weight... I know that the by pass and sleeve people lose faster but the ones that I talked to did not look or feel healthy... so after that, I dec.ided to go with the band

The worse thing you can do is compare yourself to anyone else.. the sleeve is a different type of surgery and may allow the patient to lose quickly but I have several in my support group who have had the sleeve and they have difficulty with malapsorption and dumping... I am sure not everyone who had the sleeve is the same either... concentrate on healing and don't worry about # of lbs..

track your calories.. make sure you are not eating more than the 1 cup of food at each meal, get your protein in and lots of water. the band will not necessarily make you lose weight.. it's a tool to help you eat smaller amounts and keep you satisfied longer... myfitnesspal.com will work for tracking calories.. you would be surprised how that will help you...

very nice anniversary Terry ... my husband of 37 years has always been pretty good with gifts til the last few years.. we just don't need much.. he does do flowers sometimes and used to do candy but that of course is not going to happen now.. we buy each other weed eaters and stuff like that now.. not romantic but practical.. at 15 years we were way more romantic and I was way cuter.. lol

call your Dr. it looks infected from the photo.. you don't want that getting worse...

Teens are pretty selfish.. they aren't concerned with our health just how much "fun" they have. I wouldn't worry much about those comments.. they don't understand the struggle especially if she is a size 3... You might remind your family that you would like to stay around for them and that is why you are trying to do something about your health... but once you start losing I am sure they will be happy for you.. My grandchildren who are teens noticed recently my 40 lb loss.. and they are really happy for me... hang in there..

You have the will power to quit smoking and determination to start exercise.. You now have to get the "want" power as CG says... you can do this.. at your age you have a lifetime ahead of you to live healthy... Continue on your path and your body will thank you.

banded Jan 2013, have lost 40 lbs so far.. I feel great.. I track my calories and have started to work out 3 days a week... Thanks to everyone who contributes their experiences and encouragement on this board...

My nutritionist and Dr. said 1 cup 3 x a day .. I have a 1 cup bowl and a small plate that has a portion area for protein, carbs, veg's (non carb) I doubt I could eat 2 cups of green beans after eating my protein.. I also use My Fitness Pal.. it really helps keep me in check.. my weight loss isn't fast but I feel really good and am steadily losing... Good Luck to you on your journey...

I did not get a fill until 6 weeks out ... I didn't have much hunger until week 6.. then I got a small fill .. I have only had one more fill since surgery I am now 1.8 cc in my band.. I probably won't get a fill on my next visit cause I am not hungry.. my 1 cup of food keeps me happy for 4 hours... we are all different though so it depends... don't be in a hurry to get a big fill.. sometimes that is worse than no fill from what I can tell. My Dr. says if you can't eat a 1/2 sandwhich and some potatoe salad (as an example) than you don't need a fill...

If you have a high enough bmi and/or co morbidalities.. (diabetes, etc.) it shouldn'ttake too long.. I had medicare and bc/bs of fla. it was a few months by the time I had psych evaluation, referral from my primary etc.

the nausea is probably from anesthetic... I experienced that in the hospital.. they finally gave me a suppository for that.. it also sometimes happens if you are on pain meds.. some of them make people sick.. I got off of the pain med as soon as I could went to Tylenol liquid... I felt the same the first week like "what was I thinking?" but now I know it was the right decision for me... good luck sweetie.. you will feel a lot different when you start dropping pounds and sizes...

You are young.... I turned 66 in Dec. and had my band surgery on Jan 15... My Dr. says he would rather have older patients because "they get it" .. they have a better success rate because of some maturity and the desire to change their health... I have not felt this good in many years.. I have tons of energy.. am working out daily, riding my horse again and enjoying shopping with my granddaughters... you won't be sorry.. my health has also improved greatly..off of diabetic meds. cholesterol getting better and blood pressure improved... plus I get to shop for new clothes..