PamRN

I've had to buy new clothes several times over as the weight falls off. Though I love buying ever smaller clothes, this costs $$. Some things I barely wear before they are passed on, sometimes I have nothing to wear because nothing is small enough. Holidays/celebrations are harder because we Celebrate with food, and usually since I host most of our family's holidays, I'm a bit stressed over all the work, expense and time, so my band gets tight, and after all I put into it, I can barely eat.

I didn't tell anyone I didn't think could handle it, until I got back. My MIL for instance didn't find out until I'd lost over 50#... she didn't notice til then... I figured I'd tell her when she asked, but not before. I didn't want others to influence mine or my husbands decision. I knew some would express support, some genuine concern, but others might have other motives for discouraging me from losing weight.

I paid $7000 in 2004 for an all inclusive package in Tijuana (surgery, preops, anesthesia, overnight surgery clinic stay, meds, hotel, transportation to and from the clinic/hotel/San Diego airport). No aftercare included, but discounted fills ($150) that I haven't needed yet. I bought my own plane tickets, because the package that included them was $1000 more, and my tickets were only $500. Since Jan of 2005 a passport is now required to get into baja california (mexico). Didn't need one when I went. US prices have come way down since 2004. I called all over the US for price quotes prebanding... it was outrageous then! Also had to jump through a lot of hoops, evals., tests, etc not included in the package. If your BMI is over 35 Mexico will do it at your request. I do think it would be nice to have a local band doc, just for basic follow up care if nothing else.

I didn't lose initially, in fact when I started mushy foods, I regained about 4 pounds. What the others are saying about starvation mode and fluids is true. Heal first, get your fluids in, and don't look for weight loss until you've resumed a more normal diet. After a month I slowly started dropping weight, and now I'm down 94#...some only start losing after they've gotten filled, some lose without fill. Don't be discouraged, you are progressing normally, it's part of the process.

Dr phil's fail safe environment... tried that one too... I just couldn't hang with it. My sweet tooth is much bigger than me. I'd find myself eating one thing after another trying to kill the craving, but until I ate what I wanted, nothing would appease it, so I'd end up eating more trying to stop it than I'd have gotten by just eating a snickers. Preband I didn't eat in really large quantity, I am a grazer, but like many others...my late evening appetite could've taken down a lumber jack.... or at least his big blue ox...cooked slow, a little smokey... oh, sorry... Anyway, the band stopped the evening over-eating since I'm restricted in the early am and late evening. I'm learning to find less evil ways to counter-act the sweet tooth, and I find that for me... Vines thought process works best. Seeing it NOT as something forbidden that I can't have, but as something no good; making it something I just don't want. If I think I have to have something in-house for visiting company...say Aunt Flo... then fine, I have it. I quit the deny myself what I want, and started the 'allow myself whatever I want, and don't I really want something good?' idea, and it's helping a lot. Women are both physically and emotionally complex Dawg, & I'm sure you totally know this. Your woman seems equally as sharp, witty, and potentially axe wielding as the best of us here during especially hormonally challenging times... Does simply providing a fail safe environment work for her as well as it does you? My husband can drop 10 pounds in a month by simply cutting out a lunch treat... we don't function the same, I gain 10 simply thinking about one.

{hugs} Vines, cellulitis is no laughing matter, it is in fact VERY serious. I hope you are being treated with a strong antibiotic, and definitely KEEP THAT LEG UP! Cellulitis can spread so fast, and get into the blood stream causing sepsis. The fever you had was probably you going septic. I wish you continued healing and a great outcome, lord knows you've been through enough lately! Candy, someone told me once that the key to belly dancing was swaying your hips in a figure eight, getting tighter and faster with it as you go... I guess I'm just not coordinated enough for that... my big ole booty gets moving faster than the rest of me, and I'm afraid I'm gonna take out a wall...

bumping so I could find the site again!

Inspired by the free coca-cola calendars link; I thought I'd share some of my favorite sites for coupons and freebies. I have young adult/teenage children, and the only gift I can be sure they wont return is a gift card. There's a site here that offers discounts for gift cards to all their favorite stores. Before I go out and buy anything major, I look to see if there is a discount or coupon offer I can print out or online code I can use to order that item. I love love love to find great deals. I thought maybe some of you might enjoy this info so here you go! http://www.giftcardsagain.com http://www.couponmountain.com http://www.eversave.com http://www102.coolsavings.com http://www.hotcoupons.com http://www.couponsurfer.com http://www.couponcabin.com http://www.couponcraze.com http://www.allonlinecoupons.com http://www.freebiemaniac.com www.FreebieFanatic.com www.thefreesite.com/Free_Samples

That's flippin' hilarious! Makes me giggle just thinking about it. GAWD I wish I lived near Vegas!

I'm a tea tree oil fan. I use it for all things topical and have great results with it. My scars from surgery are nearly nonexistent.

LMAO at kick start!

Hiccups are one of my first indicators that my pouch is full. Once I hiccup I stop eating and drinking.

My music tends to change with my mood. I am always up for rock, but if I'm tired I want soft rock, or country. I like hard rock, metal, R&B, Rap, and alternative when I want to charge my batteries. At home I throw in some bach and beethoven when I'm just relaxing... like when I'm sitting here at LBT What's in my 6 cd player: Mostly self mixed cd's Jack Johnson (my next husband) Lynyrd Skynyrd - Greatest Hits Metallica Linkin Park Kanye West - late registration breaking benjamins fall out boys System of a down YellowCard Natasha Bedenfield Creed Rush POD Rascal Flatts Keith Urban Kenny Wayne Shepherd Kelly Clarkson Jamie Foxx

Illude if you have insurance or medicaid, and can document that all that skin is causing chafing, or rashes or any other of a number of issues your doctor can help you list, you should be able to get a arm, leg and stomach lifts at least covered by your insurance. as for your neck, and maybe even breasts(rash under), it wouldn't hurt to ask while you're at it, it's been known to happen! You look BEAUTIFUL and congratulations on your successes!

I didn't feel a lick of restriction until about a month or so after surgery, and I'm one of the rare cases that got a fill AT surgery. My restriction kicked in after I was totally on solid foods. I didn't even notice it during the liquid/soft foods stages. Then suddenly I had restriciton, and my first PB at about 6 weeks out. It totally shocked me! Some people say fills are that way too, for them. They don't initially feel it, then after days or even a couple of weeks, wham, there it is.

I suppose if you were obese enough to get a band, the band failed, and you hadn't completed the weight loss portion of the band program, you should qualify for a continuation of your journery as a prevention to relapse of obesity. As for bypass...I was gonna do it before I found the band. I'm glad I found the band, because I was scared s#itless about having my intestines cut, BUT I'd still consider it if my band failed me, and I found myself gaining weight. I hated obese me, I was disgusted by my fatself, and I'll do whatever it takes to keep me from ever getting there again. That certainly includes bypass. Could Dr Pleatman be talking about the switch that Geezer Sue is having? (I think it was the Duodenal switch).

I nearly lost it IN my son's tae kwon do class... I jumped up and ran outside, they thought I was a lunatic... made it just to the side of my car before I made my own version of ripe plums from a cannon... the skins got me, and brought up stuff I'd eaten when I was 5 I think... I can't do any type of potato's or pasta, not even a bite, but I can do pretty good size amounts of rice... how weird is that?

I do the crock pot meatballs with ragu spaghetti sauce for work carry-ins. Super easy! They are always all gone at the end of my shift, and the longer they cook the more awesome they taste. I love swedish style too, but I use my food injector to put cream cheese into the center of the meatballs before cooking in a mushroom soup and sour cream sauce.

nope I've been looking since pre banding, no one in IL will touch it. I have the french midband, not the inamed lapband, so finding any US aftercare will be a miracle. I knew that before I chose the midband, and I'm ok with that so far. I'm just always hopeful some thing will change and I'll get lucky to find a US doc who'll decide to take on other bands. I'm ok with the weight I'm at so far, but I'm not at goal yet, I still have at least 45 lbs to go. My eating habits are much better than they were prebanding, but I'm far from a perfect bandster. I think I'll always be a work in progress... at least I'm in the right direction I guess... Jachut I hope your daughter is better!

I finally got my calendar a couple of weeks ago. It's really pretty decent! It's very cute, in a pop/candy kind of way, so I gave it to my teenage daughter. She loves it, and hung it up right away. It only took a month to get it, and it's nicer than I expected! Thanks for the info!

How are you doing with your midband now that you've had it a while? Were you able to find local aftercare?

I still haven't made that second appointment because I've been tanning all winter and they say it works better if you aren't tan... anyone having good results with multiple sessions? I'm wondering if it would be worth it for me to fade and go back.

See?? It's a birth defect, we all start out as girls you know.

ok Ms. Delarla...some time has passed... what's the verdict ? Really works or Rip-off?

I'm going to check that out site out today. I have weeks where I don't lose a pound, and may even go up a couple, but my friends will swear I look like I've lost even more. I'd like to be able to look at measurements during those times to see if it's real or they're imagining things. I seem at this point to be stuck at my current weight with only the same start and stop weight fluctuation points. I am giving serious consideration to getting a fill for the first time in 17 months. Since I'll probably have to go to Tijuana to get it, it's going to take considerable cash and planning on my part. Now I'll need a passport that I didn't have to have in 2004. I'll have to con someone into going with me... another passport... another plane ticket... I think this is going to get pretty expensive! Didn't someone post about a Texas doc that would do mexican band fills?