BarbBee

I had a lower body lift January 2010 after losing 150+ pounds. I was 47 at the time. Yes, it was a lot of money but for me..emotionally, I can't imagine not having done it. I absolutely hated my flapping skin and it constantly got in the way during exercise. I would have a few other things done if I could afford it but the lower body lift gave me very dramatic results and I am really happy with my decision. The pain is manageable and short lived. The hardest part was no exercise for 6 weeks while healing. You have worked hard ..if this is what you want then do it!! Congratulations on your success!

Fantastic Bill!!!! How inspiring!!!

I had a lower body lift and hell ya it was expensive however I have no regrets. I hated my hanging stomach. It got in the way when I exercised. Made embarrasing clapping noises when I ran. That's not the kind of cheering I wanted to hear!!! When I laid down I felt like I was surrounded in a pool of skin. I absolutely hated how it looked. I worked so hard to lose the weight I did not want to be hauling around 10 pounds of flappy skin forever.. It was the best thing I could have done for my emotional health. I love my firm, healthy, fit body! I'll say it again and believe it YOU ARE WORTH IT!!!!

Wow! Fantastic time on the half!!!! I have done one so far (which I didn't train for...stupid me) and it took me 2:43. Just did an 8k this past weekend and it was great. I will try one more half and seriously train for it next year. I really admire you crazy runner folks doing a full marathon!!!! It amazes me how anyone can run 42K. Have a restful week Bill and ROCK the marathon!

AR all night is exhausting!!! I went through this too. I had almost all of my fill out because of this. I didn't think it was from too tight restriction as I could still eat what I thought was a lot. I had a upper GI barium swallow and got the results today. The doc told me my restriction was almost causing a complete obstruction and the food I ate was sitting in my esophagus and had dilated it. Thus when I laid down the food was sitting in my esophagus and came back up, regardless of the prescription pills to stop acid reflux. I will see how tonight goes. I hope for a good nights sleep. I now have 1.8cc's in a 9 cc band. Luckily I have lost my weight and have maintained for the last 2 years. It still freaks me out to have almost no fill but the damage it was causing had to be stopped. Please folks if you are having acid reflux through the night get some fill out...it will help. The long term damage could be very serious. My doc says my esophogus will return to normal once the swelling subsides and my stomach settles down. Already I can burp better and no pain while eating. Oh joy!! What a relief! Luckily my band has not slipped and is in the correct position. I will now have to be even more diligent about keeping up my exercise and proper portion sizes. Fingers crossed for a full nights sleep! Barb

"If hungry isn't the problem, then eating isn't the solution." Wow! That is one of the most helpful reminders ever!! I agree, a small unfil will help. Ice cream is ok for a rare treat. This journey is not easy...but so worth it!!

Hey fellow Canadians! I'm from Victoria BC. Had band surgery Nov. 26th 2007 and lost 160 pounds in 2 years. Best decision I ever made! All the best on your journey!

I have weighed myself everyday from the start. I bought a small 2 year calendar and record it every day. I see the pattern of my weight loss and now that I am at goal it is neat to look through it. I still weigh myself everyday (morning, after pee, no clothes same time every day) anf have given myself a five pound weight gain limit. If I go over 5 I need to get a tiny fill or up my exercise. Some think it's obsessive to weigh every day but for me it keeps me mindful all the time about my body and what it is doing. I find it helpful. Barb

I totally agree! The band helps with portion control but you decide what goes in your mouth, whether or not you exercise and keep up with fills as needed.. I believe it is a combination of all three that makes you successful at losing weight and keeping it off. If I ignore any of the three the pounds start creeping back on. When I am mindful of all three things the pounds came off and I found it somewhat easy.

Hi All, Wow! Can you believe 3 years have flown by. How is everyone doing? How has life with the band been now that we are into year three? I have been maintaining now for the past year. I would still like to get off the last 5 pounds but my body seems to like it at 140. I am so grateful for my band and having made this decision. I am now healthier than I have ever been in my life. I run, bike and go to bootcamp and it feels great to see/feel my body getting stronger. Living with the band has it's ups and downs ie: fills, too tight, or not enough, dealing with the emotional process around food and body image but i guess thats all part of the journey. Would love to hear others thoughts on life with the band. Barb

You look so happy and healthy!! Congratulations on all the hard work. I am 2.5 year bandster who lost 160 pounds and I totally agree with everything you said. The band is only a tool that helps with portion control. My band does not tell me what to eat or make me go to boot camp 3x a week. WE DO THAT!! Your definition of a successful bandster is spot on! Congrats again, you look amazing! Barb

Re: Nymphs Weight Loss To Date permalink Name................ Lbs Lost........% of wgt lost...........BMI Abbisgood.........53.............23%.............?? Aubrie............65.............%...............31 BandChick64.......104............34.67%..........31.6 Bandpal...........141.46.........50.53%..........23.2 BarbBee...........161............53%.............23.8 Cherlita..........60.............20%.............55 Cindyg............62.............24.5%...........34.5 Close.............50.............20%.............33.1 Firebolt..........73.............30%.............29.2 Foofy.............50.5...........18.5%...........35.5 gabeekeeper.......101............30% ............40.2 Hajohnson1........49.8...........18.2%...........39.8 Hollyberries......113............31%.............36.2 HoppingToIt.......69.............19.7%...........49.1 Huskerette........54.............22%.............30.5 kandiceb..........63.............26%.............27.6 linda.............52.............23%.............29.9 lindseyann2u......115............N/A.............N/A Maincat...........141............46.5%...........22 Mariegabrieleee...86.............40%.............36.9 Melanie1972.......80.............30%.............29.7 MollyBrown........36.............12.5%...........36.5 Momto1plus1.......144............54%.............19.6 NYGirl1...........102............33%.............32.6 plump_princess....57.............22%.............36 QatarPhil.........55.............19%.............32.2 Rachel............63.............%...............28.3 Robin_Bird........132.2.........43.3%............26.3 Sades.............44.8...........19.5%...........33.7 scarecrow.........125............40%.............27.3 Shalee04..........70.............28%.............29.2 Shortgal..........44.5...........20.5%...........32.9 Skinny_Jill.......71.............32.4%...........28.5 Staysee...........70.............20%.............48.4 Stephanie.........67.5...........29%.............25.9 strangeratx.......70.............30%.............27.9 Teresajo..........93.............36%.............27.3 Tmusicmaker123....73.............19%.............48.7 TxArcher..........122............31.5%...........36.7 tyman311..........61.............31%.............28 want2lose.........91.8...........32%.............31 lisawach.........104.0...........29%.............??

Hi Mimi- The silicone gel dressing is a 2" x 12" adhesive silicone tape. I had to buy it from the PS. I got 3 packages and it costs 20.00 each. The strips on my incisions are very narrow..maybe 1/4" directly over the incision. I will post a pic and hopefully it will be big enough to see. The tape is really hard to work as it wants to curl (and is very sticky) once you separate it from the back. The piece that went around my back rolled the first night I had it so I ended up cutting a bigger strip and my hubby put it on for me. He laid 2 strips of medical tape vertically over it to help it stay in place. The gel tape is called Activ'm. I leave it on all the time and the nurse said replace it when it starts to lift. It was put on 6 days ago and seems fine so far. The scar is healing very well and the PS did a great job. The scar line is very thin. My hubby says my back is looking better...not as puckery. So I will just wait and see in a few months what it ends up like. Still swelling and numbness around my lower abdomen especially, and numbness around my back. My bb still looks like a very big cheerio and it goes up and down with swelling. Not going to fuss about that for another 2 months as well. I see the PS again in April. Just a quick note about my exercise. I don't want folks to think I am out there going full tilt on the exercise. My 6 K walk took me over and hour and a half and my 15K bike ride took me 2 hours as I was just pedaling slow and enjoying the day. I am slow as molasses as that's all I can do but it feels good. I was in pretty good shape prior to surgery and did an intense boot camp 2x a week plus jogging and mountain biking several other days a week. Back to work tomorrow! My life as a princess...sleeping in till 9 am is ending! It will be good to get back to a schedule but I am sure i will be pooped by 4:30 at the end of my work day. I popped in to work to take them some muffins and saw my supervisor and he said if I need to leave early that is no problem. My work has been so supportive all the way through my weight loss and surgery. I feel really lucky to have that kind of support. They are all a healthy bunch and fitness is important to them (Police) so they have given me lots of helpful hints and tips as well as encouragement. Here are some pics taken on the 20th- 2 days shy of 5 weeks post op. Chat with you soon. Take care, Barb

Thanks so much for posting your experience. You have shared some really valuable advise for folks to be aware of. I am sure it will help others. You have been through alot! Hope your tummy settles soon and your band can now work the way it is suppose to! Please keep us posted on how you are doing. Take care, Barb