princess_n_thep

Where did you get your band???? In the states for only $7000????? Sounds a bit fishy to me either but as long as you don't have to pay anything for the lawyer, why not try!

I looked into having breast augmentation in Mexico and Costa Rica. As much as I am against going under anestestia in a foreign country again, I am driven by my bank account. ((sighs)) But.... I didn't like the way their boobies looked. I noticed that the spanish surgeons do more pointy or "scoopy" looking boobs and I prefer the more round and full look.

How soon does this happen??? I am using a hair proteinizer and am 6 weeks post band and have had no hair loss. Would I have noticed it by now if it was going to be a side effect for me?

10cm with 4 cc max fill volume. Biocentrics Inamed lap band.

star, You should be excited! And welcome to LBT! I hope you post here often as you go through your journey. I always swear that if I have a question I can always get it answered here through archives or posting!

welcome to the wonderful world of the banded! I am glad you had a great recovery! (although it ain't over till the fat lady sings!) Keep up the good attitude and all should be peachy!

hey, i had real issues with "sneezing" after banding. I thought I had pulled a muscle but it is actually the normal port/surgery pain that was felt. maybe this is what you are feeling???

This may just be one of the hardest decisions you will have to make in your life. Here is just my feeling on it with what you have told me....I am guessing you are about 21 or 22... which means you have been with him since you were 19 or 20. I don't mean to diminish it in any way because of age (coming from me who was married at 17 for the next 8 years). I totally understand matters of the heart and how much it will hurt. But you WILL get through it. You WILL survive. YOU WILL BE BETTER FOR IT!! It will feel like hell at the time but you will flourish eventually. There is so much more for you to experience in life. I understand that you are in love with him but it is obvious that you and him are not the soulmates you once thought you were. Time is ohhh so precious and you should spend it with someone who completes you in every way possible. Just a thought though...Is there a cultural reason behind him wanting to have the entire family together? I agree, you are an independent woman that will be intelligent and educated. You are a woman that is empowered with choice and with reason. It sounds to me, through your posting, that you have the answers already. you have already said what you need to do. It is completely validated and you are correct. My only suggestion is that you do not do it now only because you are just a month away from finishing this year and finals are coming up. I suggest waiting until school lets out then end it quickly and swiftly. Then, maybe take a small summer getaway to visit friends or just to recoop from this past year. You have a brand new future ahead of you. Don't push it away, embrace it. This, of course, is just my 2cents. Re read your post. You already know the answer to the questions and validations you seek. good luck hun.... and remember... what happens to you today shapes and molds you for the future, without the pain of yesterday you can't relish in the promises of the future.

I think I am not the norm... but.... I had the surgery on Wed and was back to work at a desk job by Monday. As for my bike (crotch rocket style, sorry hate harleys), I tried at the 2 week mark but leaning over and the vibration gave me cramps. I tried at the 5 week mark and it was fine to ride but only for a trip to the video store and back. I couldn't imagine going a long haul but then again I don't ride long anyways, I am more of the "hopper".

are you kidding? i would be doing the booty shakin dance all day! (hmmm, that probably would be good exercise, hmmm)

breatheeeeeeeeeeee! It will all be okay desertmom! trust me, you will not be eating the same portions that you did pre band. I am sure all will be okay! Being a ball full of nerves is totally and completely normal. Everyone on this board can attest that I was a total wreck for weeks before my surgery! Take it one day at a time! Everyone here is going to be right there with you for all of it! ... and welcome to LBT! Buckle up and enjoy the ride!!!

I was bottle fed. However, my son was bottle fed and he is definitely NOT obese and will probably never be. I think it has nothing to do with bottle/breast. However, I do believe that the immune system as an infant is better on breast.

Dr. Ortiz/Martinez told me 24 hours of liquids.

That might work!! Maybe INAMED would pay you for advertising if you wore pasties and a g string all day and wrote "INAMED" on your tummy????? Hey, that pregnant girl got it for writing on her tummy, something like $50,000!!

I am sorry you are in such horrible pain. Where is the most of the pain at? Does it feel "inside" or "outside". I didn't get pain medication from my doctor, only liquid tylenol but I didn't have to use it. Maybe there is some type of suppository pain meds? I say if you are in that much pain, have your mom (they are good at this) march down there and in person get this resolved for you! Did you stay in the hospital or was this outpatient? Just take solice in knowing that EACH day you will notice it getting better and better!! Welcome to bandland!

Hi carolyn. Can you tell us a little about yourself in introduction? Welcome to Lap Band Talk!!!!

Okay, been wondering this for awhile. I know that a persons stomach (a muscle as well as an organ) shrinks during dieting which causes less food intake to feel full. Then when you stop dieting you slowly expand your stomach again. SOOOOOOO, my question is to all the veteran bandsters (1 year after banding?) do you feel as if your stomach has "shrunk" naturally and that if someone removed your band completely you would not eat as much as you did when you were at your heaviest? Hence, needing less food to satisfy naturally?

carbonations....I completely gave up soda pop and all carbonated drinks 3 weeks before surgery. I was a HUGE Pepsi drinker but I don't miss it at all and actually feel better for not drinking it! I thought it would be harder, but it was a breeze. (smoking is definitely harder habit to break). My doctor said no to carbonation so I don't really care why, I just don't do it. plus, too many people on here have said it causes discomfort and i just avoid the feeling I guess. As for the NSAID's. I am still not quite sure what exactly it is. What drug in there is bad? Are there prescription meds like that or just over the counter? Is just one time use bad or extended use? (example: having cramps and all a friend has is aleve.. is it bad to take just that once?) I am a fan of Tylenol for any aches and pains. Do sleep aids have NSAID's in them? I need to know what exactly I am looking for!!! (someone help me answer this!!) Alcohol: I don't drink really anyway. Hate beers and wines. If I am anything it is more a strawberry daquiri type girl. Or Amaretto Sours (yummy!). But maybe once or twice a year at most and not to a drunk phase. However, I have a feeling that being friends with Lisa is going to bring out the freak in me while visiting!!! As with drinking before/after meals... it is kinda hard for me to control the before factor since because of my job I can't "plan" my meal time. So, if I have been drinking Water like I am supposed to all day long, sometimes I am eating just after drinking water ("this one is for you Lisa"). As for drinking during... I do order a water with the meal to not get a strange look from the waitress but I don't drink it. Once in a great while I have to take a ultra small sip just to wet my throat but never enough to water anything down. More like a larger swallow of my own spit than a drink. Drinking after... I can have more control about and generally avoid.

Yessssssss!! Woo Hoo! I Will Pm You!

Has anyone had complications with a Mexico surgery and went back to Mexico? IF SO, were you charged over again? Did your original surgeon take care of the problem? Was the problem taken care of? How much did it cost you? (ha ha, I bet lisa is jumping up and down in her seat!)

Hi Cassie, and welcome to LBT! Many people used Mexico as a surgury/pay option (so did I). But FIRST, before you go diving into a surgeon I would research the band itself, how it works, any complications/risks, and the benefits before actually choosing a surgeon. Then, once you have done a ton of research and are sure this is the option for you, then choose a surgeon. Mexico is not the only option for self pay. There are are several people on the board that have self paid in the US. I have seen 12,500-16,000 a lot. I am sure that the people that know where this is will post, hopefully. I think the lowest I have seen was in Utah or Oregon or Texas. This site offers a TON of information and there is a ton of posts in the archives. If you do a search (located in the upper blue bar) you will come up with a lot on each subject you put in. You could literally spend dayssss just on this site! But may I suggest a few more informative sites: http://www.myagb.homestead.com/index.html http://www.inamed.com/products/obesity/us/patient/lapband/faq.html http://www.geocities.com/laylaburd/AGB/laylaslapband.html http://www.geocities.com/michellojackson/NOT_AT_SWEET-SPOT.html http://www.obgyn.net/english/pubs/features/roberta-surg/part-4.htm http://www.sbnsurg.com/lap_band_surgery.htm http://www.uclabariatrics.mednet.ucla.edu/resources/resources_videos.htm (this one has a fairly lengthy video that takes your through lap banding step by step....) I hope you have a fantastic band journey! Good luck!

Yep Penni... I knew it. Very well versed and appropriate response. And always with wayyyyyy more self control than me (for those that don't know I am a bit of a sarcastic lil' b*t#h when crossed but ya'll love me anyways and i thank you for it ).

awwwwwwww babs... you know what your going to get from me???? yep, you guessed it...... THE BOOTY SHAKING DANCE!! (all can join if they want to...) Okay.... hear the beat (boom boom boom)... now feel the beat (tap tap tap).... okay now start the shakin... ((woooooooooot!)) now really get it groovin!!!!!!!!!! ((wooooooo hooooooooo doing the booty shakin dance!!!!!))

yeah, but can they beat a $100 flouro fill price? I haven't seen anyone doing that. I pay $98 for my flight and $100 for the fill and have a 50 minute flight. I fly there in the morning and will fly back at night. So total cost for a fill is only $225 (including everything.....fill, transportation/transfers, food, airfare) I just don't think I will find a US doc that will beat this price and I am a poor (and i mean dirt poor) working girl these days. Maybe when I get back on my feet from the cost of the band itself. (that put a dent in the bank account!) I don't know if Chicago is the same. I do know that those working at Phx WISH center are idgets! And I am now HIGHLY suspect of a $10,500 surgery in Chicago. (I don't trust it) man, i can't believe how long I stayed on the phone either!?!?!?! I guess they were entertaining me in sorts. Plus, they woke me up from my graveyard shift sleep!!! urghhh!

Good luck alatina! We will be thinking of you! yes, we are planning a Vegas bandster bash (do a search for 'vegas bash' and you will see the posts) and would love to have you join us!