parisshel

Thank you for this interesting and different perspective. I hope many preops who are "on the fence" will read it. Most of us came to our surgeries with the firm conviction that this would work, so your take on how you got from A to Z is all the more impressive. And truly underscores the idea of taking weight loss a pound at a time. Agree with the above poster about back issues. As I've written all this month, I'm currently in excruciating pain from a couple of disks which have slipped out of place and are pressing on a spinal nerve. My weight---high or low--has nothing to do with this particular issue; I've had this problem since high school, and my grandmother also had the same. It would always drive me nuts when a doctor would say "If you would just lose weight, you wouldn't have back problems." As we all know, not every ailment in the universe is related to excess weight, nor are they cured by losing weight. If only it were that easy! Now you are getting yourself all fixed up and ready to enjoy even more your life at a good weight. Well done on making the band work, despite your initial mindset. You show us all that one doesn't need to be The Biggest Cheerleader to get this thing going, and that is a great message for preops to read.

Agree...would like to be interacting with a +50 group as well. Not that there is anything wrong with the younger set, I just don't have the same challenges--pregnancy, for example--and would welcome dialogue with others doing the midlife thing. You've done really well and are working hard! Well done! It's great your husband is on board as well. My boyfriend should be on board but isn't...at least not anymore...and that really is a major annoyance for me. Anyway, I'm 54 and grateful for my band. Whoever says one can't lose weight at midlife is wrong, or just looking for an excuse not to put the work into it.

Sending pain relief thoughts your way.

I checked out poshmark but unfortunately it's limited to the USA. Otherwise it's a fantastic idea!

Your surgery-induced gas pain will end. Unfortunately, your lapband gas will never end. In other words, you will pass gas like you've never passed gas before. Forever. Veteran bandsters joke about it often, because really, that's all you can do. Buy a dog and blame it on him, but be prepared.

Jamilyne--you have raised an important and essential point regarding obesity and societal prejudice. Yes, it is indeed discrimination to single out a fat person and imply, covertly or overtly, that they would not be capable of high job performance. (Unless that person is an Olympic athlete competing in a sport that requires slimness to perform.) I have zero skin in this game politically speaking, but as an educational exercise, why don't we subtitute "African American", "Jewish," or "Hispanic" in this discourse and see how insane and non-sensical this line of thinking is? "Oh, he'd better lighten his skin, it's common knowledge that Blacks are lazy and we don't want a lazy President." "Oh, he'd better convert to Protestantism; everybody knows Jews are insular and will favor their own people." "Oh, his Hispanic origins will be a major obstacle in doing his Presidential duties so he's not a viable candidate." THERE IS NO REASON WHY AN OBESE PERSON WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO PERFORM WELL AS POTUS. While there are many obese people who have obesity-related illnesses once the obesity catches up with them, there are also---and I'm sure we all know some of these--people who live long lives while also being obese. The fact Gov. Christie has a high BMI is not predictive that he will keel over while serving the country. I'll wager a bet that, with his daily agenda as it is currently, he's more active that many on this forum, and more active than the overall population, certainly the population sharing his BMI. I agree very much with jamilyn about how inappropriate, indeed, hurtful many of the comments on this thread are. We are the last people who should be discriminating against the obese. We should have enormous empathy, and actually admiration, for someone as overweight as Gov. Christie who it out there doing public service. I am certain that society's fat-discrimination held me back professionally when I was younger and not yet working in my chosen field. Now an academic at one of America's most prestigious public universities, I'm grateful that I work in a field where my colleagues are educated to a degree that they would never pre-suppose that because I [was] fat, I was stupid, lazy, doomed to die while on the job, or many of the other comments I'm reading on this thread and in the media regarding Christie. Had my hiring committee looked upon me as I'm seeing people look upon Gov. Christie, I would never be educating America's best and brightest and turning them out into the global marketplace with a heightened sensitivity to other cultures and lifeways. That includes people whose weight is aesthetically unpleasing, but whose minds are just as sharp and analytical as those with more-pleasing exteriors. I have over 25 years experience in my position, most of those years fat, and (to my knowledge) I never died while on the job. Lastly, I hope very much that "Tikvah" will grow into his/her username (a Hebrew term which means "hope"), and that he/she will gain a kinder perspective for those whose paths differ from ours. We are all tied together here, despite our differing choices regarding our surgeries, and I sense that we all have vivid memories of a time or times where we were subject to fat discrimination. Let us be the Hope, Tikvah, that we carry a different message and that others will model us.

I didn't know esophageal spasms can effect anything other than the esophagus. I had esophageal spasms from an overfill, and they presented themselves quite differently than what the poster is describing. Mine were truly spasms at the point on the band placement (mid-sternum, between the breasts) and were truly spasms...not pain such as the poster describes, no nausea, but a seizing up, an unbearable tightness, with a de-clenching...all within a couple of seconds. A quick unfill and all was fine. But I didn't realize that the term "esophageal spasms" covered other symptoms as well.

Did you see him on New Girl? I wonder if they really filmed it at Paisley Park. I've seen him twice in concert...in 2009 he performed inside one of Paris' museums and it was fantastic! Then in 2010 he did a concert in a huge stadium in Paris...Maceo Parker was one of the surprises of that evening. Man I love Maceo...and Maceo AND Prince? Gett off!

I'm in Europe as well and am trying to find a place to sell my clothing, too. Like you, I have all nice brands, evening clothes, business attire, etc, size 20-22 (US sizes). Let me know if you find a place in the UK or on the Continent where we can resell. I've got boxes and boxes under my bed!

Hmmm...could be the post-op diet, which doesn't offer much in the way of taste. Or some residual medications used during the banding that have a side effect which you are tasting. I know some medications can make your mouth taste like tin. BTW; love that Prince song. Now that's going to be my earworm for today!

Initially at work I didn't tell anyone. Apparently they all thought I'd gone in for a facelift!!! (Am I that vain?) But now I tell everybody who remarks on my weight loss. (Not that a lot of people do, unfortunately.) But I'm just so happy and such a WLS believer that I love to testify as to its efficacity. Still, a facelift? Really?

Oh yeah...I hear you. You know you how women say "OMG I'm so old; when I look in the mirror I see my mother!"? Well, when I look in the mirror, I see my grandmother. I'm 54, had two babies via c-section and of course knew intellectually that having carried so much weight for so long, and at my age, my skin was not going to return to its original size. But still...the visual is really ugly. Everything is just so wobbly and cellulite-ridden...things I didn't see when it was all plumped out with fat. My solution? I'm not going under the knife again...the risk/benefit is not convincing enough for me. So I dress well, and lingerie is my friend in the bedroom. No complaints from the BF there.

He started at over 400 pounds? Wow...he either photographs well, or he carries his weight well. Not that he ever looked svelte, but he certainly didn't look over 400 pounds to me. 100 pounds down in a year is awesome, and I'm sure he is feeling fantastic and more mobile.

This is a very timely thread for me, as I've been laid up most of this month with a compressed disk, so to the original poster, I feel your pain...unfortunately. I've had disk issues before, but have been painfree for about 7 years, thankfully, but then this month my problematic disks slipped. I'm 11 months post-op, which makes a little difference in that my band has been in place for a bit. This is slightly in my favor in terms of ibuprofen or Diclofenac-taking, as the initial postop inflammation is a thing of the past. After getting no relieve from Tylenol with Codeine--which I took for three weeks, and which did nothing for the pain but did constipate me greatly!!!--I spoke with my surgeon to get his permission to take an NSAID. My GP said that my pain was not going to subside unless I treated it with an antiinflammatory. My surgeon said not to take any NSAID, especially Diclofenac (which my GP had prescribed to me in suppository form, thinking it would be less harmful to my stomach). He said if I must take an antiinflammatory, I need to get my band unfilled as all NSAIDs cause the stomach to swell, and irritation/ulcers/band erosion can be a consequence. Well, I cannot get to the radiologist's to get my band unfilled---as those with back issues know, when the pain is acute, you cannot lift your legs to walk and there is no way I could get into a car, let alone up on a table to get an unfill. I can barely make it to the bathroom, and that is only on crutches, clenching my jaw, and making agreements with myself such as "just shuffle to the toilet. Breath. The pain will pass." You know the drill ;-( So I weighed the benefit/risk. I have to get out of this acute pain state, and the only way to do it is by taking an NSAID. Since Diclofenac is especially strong, I will start with Advil in a liquid form, 400 mg 4 times/day. If that doesn't get my inflammation down, I'll step it up to the Diclofenac 100 mg but I'm holding out for now. At the same time, I'm protecting my stomach lining with Nexium (you can also use Prilosec) to offset, hopefully, any irritation. So far so good. My pain is down from a 10/10 to a 9/10 right now. And no stomach ache so far. As gowalking has beautifully stated, sometimes you have no choice. I am willing to risk an ulcer and stomach irritation because I need to take care of my kids, get back to work, not be holding the walls because my pain is so excruciating. Hopefully the Nexium will keep my stomach lining intact, but if not, I'll deal with the consequences later. Just get me walking again. You must talk to your surgeon. I have joint disease and needed both hip and knee replacement surgery....which was why I had the lapband surgery as I was too heavy to have a good outcome. With all the pain and inflammation, I was on NSAIDS just as you...in order to function. I was even on Diclofenac 100 mgs. which is more potent than ibuprofen. Was it a risk? Yes. But did I have another choice? No. Any medication you consider is based on risk/benefit and only your doctor can help determine what is best for you. Oh...and just so you know, I had both hips replaced in October....my knees are much better because of the hips being aligned properly...and I've been off all NSAIDS since getting home from rehab. Good luck. I hope you get the surgery and have success in your weight loss journey.

For me, it is important to know, and it's easy for me to know because I walk out of the radiologist's office with my xray and report of the fill procedure. That said, am I wrong in assuming that you have the right to view all of your medical information? Isn't this a law in the USA? The larger picture here, to me, is this dynamic of "Medical Professional As God" va. the naive patient who doesn't need to know what the Doctor deems non-essential information. That kind of dynamic would very much annoy me.

Sorry you are going through this. Please have them rule out (or diagnose, if this is the case) gall bladder.

My main go to diet was Weight Watchers. I think I did 14 iterations of Weight Watchers, if I count all the enrollment booklets I've saved. I know I first went as a 14 year old. As I stood in line in 2012 as a 53 year old, to enroll for the 15th time, having gained back by that September all the weigh I'd lost from my January 1st enrollment, I shook my head and realized that this was never going to work longterm. Why? BECAUSE I ALWAYS GOT HUNGRY eventually. That was the day I started researching WLS. My first consult was on October 11th 2012, and I was banded March 20, 2013. What a good decision I made. Take away, or dim down, my hunger...that's what makes my band work for me. Traditional diets do not do that, no matter how many Soups you eat, or large salads you stuff yourself with in an attempt to make it from meal to meal. My hunger would be there, reved up and waiting, and it only took one little deviation from the WW Program to make me throw in the towel.

I'm sorry this has been your experience and your regret is entirely justifiable. Would you consider getting your band removed? Remember, you aren't "stuck" with the band, and you could have it taken out which would resolve the physical problems associated with it that you address. I hope you feel better soon.

Haha. My kids think it's hilarious I love One Direction. Until we were seated behind Niall on a flight from LAX to Heathrow. 12 hours with that young man, so charming I wanted to adopt him. Now they don't laugh at me anymore and they thank their mom for her excellent plane-seat selection skills.

Tonight...before you go in tomorrow, take a moment to write down all the reasons why you decided to opt for WLS. Write down how you are feeling right now, physically and mentally, the good and the bad, but concentrate on what has led you to this decision...health obstacles, social constraints, professional challenges, vanity...anything and everything you can think of. Keep this document. Pull it out from time to time as you move down the scale, especially when the honeymoon period of the surgery wanes and you go through periods of weight plateaus or less-motivation. This document will be a precious piece for you to refer back to as you Celebrate your bandiversaries and your transformation. Wishing you the best for a smooth and uneventful banding and recovery.

When I was too tight, I did indeed undo my bra just not to feel so confined. Not sure if it helped really, but at least psychologically I felt like I was being proactive.

Hee hee! This is a great compliment, and one my BF gave me one night. . I guess he'd know, since he's always looking at it.

Here's my take on hair falling out. I don't believe it is a result of WLS or diet related (if you are getting in all your dailys). My sense is hair falling out is a consequence from having had anesthesia, which stops everything in your body (including the hair growth cycle) temporarily. I say this because I experienced hair loss following ankle surgery as well as following WLS. When I brought it up with the orthopedic surgeon, he told me all patients who have had anesthesia will notice their hair falling out for a couple of months following the surgery--whatever the surgery. I'm interested to read if anyone else who has had a general anesthesia for a non-WLS operation had hair loss as well. In any case, the loss will not be forever. I lost hair from month 2 through about month 7 post op, (no big deal for me because I have masses of hair). It stopped after that. I did have to buy a lot of Drano, however

What a fantastic proposal you've created. (Is it normal that we can only view 11 out of the 24 frames?) Are you a WLS patient? I'm curious to know what prompted you to use this as your capstone project. In any case, it seems terrific and I'm sure will complement the current apps available. I'll be following your creation...and good luck. The preliminary storyboard looks quite promising.

Ha ha ha! I say "I HEARD THAT" a lot with my daughters, too. What? Do they think I'm deaf?