Michee

TUMMY TUCK DONE To Celebrate my one year bandiversary I had a Tummy Tuck 2 days ago. I am still wearing a binder and I have some swelling, so it is hard to see the results right now. I will post pics as soon as this binder comes off.

I would stop "discussing" the surgery. What is best for your body is NOT a discussion item, it is YOUR decision. I only told a couple of people about my banding, one was not at all supportive. Luckily I get all the support I need from this forum, and the support is from people who have been through it. The band is the best thing I ever did for myself!!

Susan You and me both, I am having a TT in a few days and I would like to lose a little more weight..........but if I can look that good in a bikini, I am gonna buy the smallest one possible and wear it to work too!!

Hammer You are doing great. You had a problem, came on here to get some ideas about how to solve it, and now you are implementing those ideas. So often I read posts where people ask for advice, but then whine about how it wont work for them. Guess what, they are still FAT. Congratulations on having the humility to admit you needed help, and the courage to make changes. I know you will enjoy FABULOUS success.

Warning to those who found recovery from lapband surgery very painful Do not get a full brazilian wax I have got to say that my first full brazilian was the worst pain I have ever felt. Luckily it is over pretty quickly. On a pain scale, my lapband/hernia surgery was a 2, and my brazilian was a 9.5

When I was diagnosed with diabetes, I was referred to nutritionist, and she said 60g of carbs per day. She also told us to look at the carbs in a food and not the sugar because the carbs total is inclusive of sugar, and other forms of carbs. Most of my carbs come from fruit and veg. I do not eat refined sugar or carbs.

Thanks Valstar! This has been an awesome journey so far. I have been dropping into the Aug 2008 threads. These folks are just starting there journey, and it is going to be amazing to watch ! All of us Crazy Ates have made so many positive changes over this last year. I am very proud of myself, and I am very proud of US. I can honestly say that I am not same person I was one year ago. Instead of being a diabetic with high cholesterol, I am a RUNNER! and a regular gym goer. (I've only ran one 5k race so far, so perhaps I'm taking liberties with the "runner" thing LOL) I feel awesome, and when I look at all your before and after pics, I know that you all look and feel awesome. It's not just the smaller frames, it's the new sparkle in your eyes and smiles!! Crazy Ates Rock !!

Consider consulting with a plastic surgeon. I went for my consult when I was 25 pounds away from goal, I am getting TT next week and will be about 7 pounds from goal. I met with 2 surgeons, and found one I was comfortable with. While this is a great forum for insights and sharing experiences, I would think that only a doctor who has your medical history can answer this for you.

That is a bummer for sure.......... Try to stay positive.........it looks like insurance will pay if you jump through a few hoops. I live in a province where NO insurance covers the band. Yep, I put the entire 16k on my line of credit, will be paid off in about 5 years. Think positive...........this WILL happen.........

Thanks for the info. Darn, I don't think I will be able to make it, and I really LOVE Greek food! I am running a 5k in Toronto in the morning. Will not be able to go home and shower AND make it to Burlington by noon. I am sure you will all have a great time.

Could someone provide the details about the Burlington Luncheon on this site?

Hi Vallin We are Band Twins ! Happy Bandiversary

I had vacation time that had 2 be used, so I was off for 2 weeks. I think it may have been better to go back to work sooner, because it would have helped with the head hunger. During the first few days I found I had to sip really slowly (swelling I guess), basically I would be tired of sipping the broth before I was done. I was so excited to be on the mushy foods. It was like a whole new world !! It is a learning curve for sure, mostly I had to learn about patience. I wanted the weight to be gone in the first week LOL. In the beginning the hardest part for me was seeing others on this board that were losing a lot faster than me. Some people have diarrhea while on the liquids.......liquids in, liquids out. You may want to assess that situation before committing to returning to work on Tues.

Hi Patrick I was banded on August 15, 2007. I felt rough for the firsgot 36 hours after surgery. I had gas pains for almost a week, they got a lot milder each day. I hate being in pain, so I took my pain meds on schedule for the first 48 hours. Honestly, I have felt a lot worse with the flu. Apparently the recovery from a Tummy Tuck (mine is next week) is a lot worse........... You will do fantastic, congratulations on your decision to get banded

You will be fine.............the recovery time is pretty fast, my doc recommended that people banded on Thurs could be back at work on the following monday. The spa holiday sounds a lot better than going to work LOL. You will do fantastic !!

I do believe she was

My first fill was less than 1cc. The nurse put in 0.6. It was explained that it is better to get a small fill, and need a few more than to get too full and have to be unfilled. After reading stories of people who have trouble keeping down Water because they are too tight, I am glad my clinic takes a conservative approach. It took me 4 or 5 fills to get to this restriction. I am going to be completely unfilled next week, because I am having a TT. Funny thing is, I am much more scared of being hungry than I am of the cutting/stitches etc. It sounds like your doc has your best interests in mind. You are gonna do great !

I went to my consult when I was 25 pounds from goal. I am having a TT next week, currently I am 9 pounds away from goal, hopefully I will be 7 away on the surgery day, and they will cut 5 pounds off. Voila......I will be 2 pounds away from goal. I looked into a breast lift, got the quote, but decided to wait on the breast lift. I am thinking I may need a facelift to deal with my now droopy jowls. Doc recommended doing boobs and facial surgery together. I may wait until this time next year for that round of surgery. Congrats on being almost at goal. Good luck with your Plastic Surgeon research

Congratulations August Bandsters I was banded August 2007, just want to say a huge WOOO HOOO to all the August 2008 bandsters. You are in for a wild and wonderful ride, you are going to do things you never thought possible, and you are going to feel so honoured to know the person you will become. Some of you will be saying goodbye to medications, some of you will be saying goodbye to unsupportive friends, most of you will come to embrace and yes even love exercise, all of you will get more renewed energy and hope with every pound and every inch that you lose. The first time someone says, "you need a small right" when you are in clothing store, you will be smiling so wide that you think your lips are ripping. Congratulations on having the courage to change your lives !

I only wore a gown No Cath was told to wear a tampon (for TOM) and to let them know so they could remind me to change it when I got up. (This was a non issue for me since I had a hyster the year before) It sounds like all docs/clinics have personal preferences, calling your own clinic is best, at least you know the broad scope of answers to expect. Good Luck, you are gonna love your band

I am gonna get flamed for sure......... When I buy a gift for my goddaughter or any other child, I am buying something that I want to give to the child. It may be a toy or game that I enjoyed as a child, it may be something weird and new that is not on the list because they've never heard of it, maybe something from a different country, something that will inspire, something that will unleash creativity...........I once bought a camping chair for my niece, (so she could open something) but the real gift was a camping weekend for the 2 of us. I will not buy things that parents say the child NEEDS. If you are the parent, it is your job to by your children what they need. OK rant over...........really bugs me that the word GIFT has lost its meaning in todays society

The not drinking with meals has been a lot easier than I thought. It has become physically difficult. Occasionally I am able to take very small sips right before or during a meal. If I try to "guzzle" a beverage, I end up throwing up. It seems to create some type of a bubble that gets stuck, since there is already food in the pouch. It happened a few times in the beginning, and since it was kinda unpleasant, I dont "guzzle" a glass anymore. You will do fine!

I've got a great idea, instead of picking something from the Toys R Us registry, pay for an etiquette expert to go to the family home and teach the entire family some etiquette. It will be an expensive gift on your part, but I suspect it will be money well spent!

I ran my first race today ! I started working out when I got the band almost one year ago, slowly increasing my workouts in terms of intensity, duration and frequency. In mid june I joined a "learn to run class" at the gym (that was an NSV) Today August 9th 2008, one week shy of my bandiversary I ran my first 5k race. It was the most hills I've tackled when running, and I was aiming to finish in under 45 minutes, I crossed the finish line at 42:30. I was so pumped, you'd think I won the olympics! . Bear in mind that the fastest runner did it in just over 15 minutes, but I dont think they could have been any more pleased with their performance than I was with mine. I love my band

Clear fluids: diet Jello, chicken broth, apple juice. After the surgery I developed an aversion to aspartame so I didnt fancy the diet jello. I really had no appetite the first few days so I was fine on chicken broth and apple juice diluted with Water. Once you go from clear fluids to full fluids you will be able to have cream Soups, and milk