gowalking

I also have swelling in my lower back. It's been 10 months, and I'm not sure if its swelling or fat. I think it might be a little of both....but I don't think I had that before surgery. My surgeon said it could just be that the fat just got pulled down. How long did the swelling last? My swelling was a real complication that caused me a LOT of pain and kept me from working full time for about 4 months post-op. I couldn't lay on my back or sit up in a chair for any extended period of time because of the pain. The only comfortable position was lying on my side. Standing or exercising made the swelling much worse. It was due to the damage to my lymphatic system and the fact that there was only that little 4-inch space for Fluid to travel between the upper and lower halves of my body. It was like a bottle-neck and the fluid would just pool there. The worst of it lasted about 9 months. That was about when I was able to start seriously exercising again. And, like I said, I was only working half-days at work for about 4 months. Thank you Jamie. This is why I know I'm not ready to do this...and may never be. I've had too many surgeries in my life to go through another potentially long recuperation. I don't like the sagging skin, but it's not bad enough to possibly endure these kinds of issues. I may feel differently a couple more years out. If so, I'll look into plastic surgery at that time but I am so sure that this is not the time to go ahead with this no matter how much I wonder what I'd look like with a flat stomach.

Welcome to the forum @mmartin3. I can't speak to the hunger you are feeling because I was lucky enough to have restriction right away though I have read about alot of people who struggle at the beginning. I'm sure you'll get comments that will help you through this part of it.

I also use a pillow. My tailbone has no cushion anymore, it can hurt to sit, and I've been banded 2 1/2 years. I don't know that it ever will go away. I'll deal with it...it's a whole lot better than having a fat a**.

Protein shakes will not give you the satiety you need. You need to eat food, not drink your meals. Can I suggest you try what I did? I followed a weight watchers type of plan. I ate 3 oz. protein, 1/2 cup of veggies and 1/4 cup of carbs for lunch and dinner. Breakfast was often a packet of cream of wheat or oatmeal. Eggs once in a while as well. I tried to stay at around 1,100 calories daily. By following this basic plan, I lost over 150 lbs.

Getting measured is out of your comfort zone but surgery is not? With all due respect, let me please assure you that these women are professionals and have seen it all. I have 'breasticles'. Useless hanging flesh that sits on my chest and not between my legs. I got measured and spent quite alot of money on very good bras. You wouldn't believe how good the girls look sitting in those very expensive boulder holders. Obviously if you want surgery, go for it honey, but don't rule out a way less invasive option.

I'm glad my PCP told me if I got the lapband, I'd only lose 40 lbs. Made me even more determined to go with the surgery I felt more comfortable with and not the one that would help me lose the most amount of weight. And I'm the first to admit that there's something so satisfying when she told me that I weigh less than she does. At this point, I'm probably a good 15 lbs. less than her. Hehehe...

All these threads about the scale, and what we are eating and I'm seeing the words 'good' and 'bad' throughout them. I'm as guilty as anyone else about this but I want to put it out there that eating is not bad. Weighing is not bad. WE are not bad. We might make poor decisions about our food, or we might see weight gain on the scale, but it's not good or bad. It just is. Why is what we weigh and what we eat seen as good or bad. Why do we see ourselves as worthy or unworthy based on our physical appearance. Why am I worthy of the attentions of a man now that I'm thin and didn't feel worthy when I was heavy? Why did I punish myself by wearing horrible clothing and not caring how I looked? I know for me it was like putting lipstick on a pig...but why did I think of myself as a pig? Or a slob? Or a loser? Or lazy? Everytime I think I may not need more therapy, I know I need lots more therapy. I hate how much I despised myself before and I'm scared of how much people admire what I've done in the last two and a half years. I am constantly looking to others to determine my own worth because I still cannot do it on my own. I am moving forward in very unfamiliar territory. I have no fat to hide behind. I can't blame failure on my size anymore. I can't blame rejection on my size, I have to own my life and not look to anything negative to avoid what I do. We have to stop with the good/bad thing. If I eat pizza, it's not good or bad. it just is and doesn't make me good or bad. I want to enjoy food without fearing it. I want to enjoy my life without fearing it. I want to be physically and mentally healthy. I'm working on it, but it's still ahead of me.

You're not alone on this one either. I too went to a 'diet' doctor for mystery shots. At this point, I hope they were just filled with saline and not something else.

My hair before weight loss and then after. I didn't think short would ever look good but it does..and it's so easy to take care of. I also think I hid behind the hair like I hid behind the fat.

Same here. My PCP gave me the name of a group from a center of excellence in bariatric surgery. I saw one doctor specifically based on a friend who used her. I was very comfortable with her and decided to go ahead with this doctor and group. I'm very fortunate in that I live in a major city so finding a doctor wasn't going to be an issue. Good luck!

We are a country of excesses at times...and this is certainly excessive. I agree though...who am I to judge. I don't preach to those who still smoke, and I'm not going to preach to anyone about their food choices. Nope...not going there...

I hate the idea of any more surgery but saw the bariatric surgeon for my regular visit on Friday and showed her the 'golf ball'. She said it wasn't dangerous but I really needed to get it fixed. So...a lower profile port is what I will get along with her stitching it to the muscle so it gets buried deeper. She said it would hurt more to get fills but I don't get any now so I don't care about what might or might not happen. I tried on a dress last week that I couldn't buy because my port was so visible. Will be nice to not have to deal with that anymore. Then she mentioned that she didn't do this too often because most bandsters didn't become as thin as I have. She said there's no fat for the port to be hidden by. I must say, I liked how that sounded.

Good for you for addressing this now. Take yourself to therapy as soon as you can. I lost about 100 lbs. and had major surgery to replace both my hips about a year and a half ago and went to a therapist because I had no idea who the old lady in the mirror was. At that time, my skin was sagging badly, my hair was falling out at an alarming rate, my lower body was swollen beyond belief and I was despondant and lost. I've been in therapy for more than a year and we are working on root causes of the obesity, body image, and all that entails along with self esteem, family dynamics, and all the other parts of what makes us who we are. You're starting to understand that weight loss is not a panacea for your issues. Better you start to work on it now than wait till you are in crisis. Good luck my dear and please keep posting and update us as you continue your journey.

Ayds...boy do I remember that box. My late aunt who was always on some diet or another always kept a box of them on the coffee table...like regular folk who would leave out a box of Hershey's or Russell Stover's. She had me try them...because lord knows, I could have dropped a few lbs. myself even at the tender age of ten. We get the negativity early, don't we? No wonder we have such poor self images...

@@Nikasio, I was only weeks or months away from being wheelchair bound due to joint degeration when I got banded. FF to weight loss and bi-lateral hip replacement and today, I can do almost anything any able bodied person can do. It was a long and painful process to get here, but I walked all over my neighborhood yesterday...up and down stairs as well and didn't have any issues. For me, this is nothing short of a miracle. Here's to hoping you get your miracle as well.

Regardless of the error in the title, the before/after pic you have posted is awesome. Congratulations on being so very successful!

I know head hunger from real hunger because with head hunger, I want to eat sweet stuff, or graze on things like nuts or pretzels. I also know that I'm often in front of the TV when I get the head hunger. Real hunger comes when I'm doing something and I feel hungry and know that it's time to eat. When I have the head hunger, I do something so I can refocus and usually the feeling passes. I've often gone around the corner to get a manicure. Or I go up on the roofdeck with my Ipod. If I cn't get out of the house, I pick up my book, or go online.

I avoided children for this very reason. The only child I didn't avoid was my granddaughter. Either her parents told her explicitly not to say anything to me about my size, or she was one of those kids who didn't really notice. I suspect she never noticed because I didn't see her for more than a year when I was going through my recovery from the hip replacements. When I finally did fly down to see her, I was more than 100 lbs. lighter and she didn't even hesitate when she saw me. She just ran to me and gave me a hug like she always did. I just adored her 'non-reaction'.

I had a NSV today. Wore a long dress with no pantyhose. No chubrub. Wahoo!! Next NSV...went for a cleaning at the dentist and the hygienist was surprised I had all my teeth considering my size. Not sure what one has to do with the other but she just assumed I was small, and always that way. I like that..but it does make me feel like a fake. Gotta mention that to my therapist.

Oh sweetie...my heart breaks for you. How brave of you to post this. My children might have been embarrassed but I'm not sure. What I do know is that they were worried. I'm the only parent they have left since their father passed away and I've since found out that they were very worried that I would die from my obesity. They no longer worry about this and the best best best NSV I probably got was when my youngest asked me to be guardian for my new grandson. That would nave never happened 150 lbs. ago.

I've met nearly all my NSVs so I'll not bother to post them. I just wanted to comment here that whatever you are looking forward to, know that you can have it all. I've been lucky enough that it's happened to me so I know that it can happen to you all as well. Good luck!

For me, a treat is dessert when I eat out. I always eat smart when I go out to dinner. Lean Protein, veggies, and a little bit of carbs. No fried, no heavy sauces, no 'extras' that load on the calories/salt. By doing this, I get to enjoy eating at a restaurant without messing up my meal plan. So, I allow myself a few fork or spoonfuls of some yummy dessert with my coffee. That's my treat without doing damage. If you like Chinese, there are healthier options than fried shrimp. If you want pizza, have one slice with a side salad. Or a burger without the bun. This way you enjoy a treat and don't sabotage your progress.

That's what my bariatric surgeon said this morning after looking at my esophogram. When I asked her about how thin my esophagus was per a comment made by the technician, she laughed and said that they're not used to seeing a normal esophagus. Most of the time because of band tightness, the esophagus swells. Because I am fortunate enough to have no Fluid in the band, mine is normal. I also showed the doctor my 'golf ball' and she said that needed to be revised for sure. So after the summer, I get a port revision to a lower profile version and she will tuck it under the muscle. I will be happy to have it gone. I tried on a dress yesterday and couldn't buy it because the port was really noticible. Happy days and I'm a happy lady thanks to my lapband.

Check with your doctor. Only he or she can advise you.

Sometimes you have to just suck it up and understand it was most likely meant as a compliment. Here's what happened to me. I was out of the office for nearly 8 weeks after my hip surgery. When I came back, I had some new clothes and had dropped additional weight. One of the cab drivers at the train station who had been driving me regularly to the office said to me, 'wow...you're not fat anymore.' Rude? Insensitive? Yes. Meant that way? No. The man was not born in the US and English was not a first language for him. It was a compliment regardless of how it came out and I just had to laugh and take it as one. Believe me...I am so happy that most folks don't say anything anymore about my weight loss. But there will be times that someone will say something because they simply haven't had the opportunity to see you during the process.