MsButterKup23

Well I am 23lbs from being of "normal" weight for my height. I am at 182. Hard to believe I am not 300lbs anymore. I've been in several stores and found that I am in a solid 8/10 or M/L depending on the maker. I will be 1 year post op on August 9th. I went Monday and had most of my saline taken out of my band because of discomfort. I am determined to lose the last 23lbs by old fashioned willpower and exercise. I would love to end up around 150 which would make me have lost 1/2 my body weight. Plastic surgery is definately in my future, can anyone say full body lift? The doctors have advised me to wait until I have maintained my weight for a year to see how well my skin adjusts and give it a chance to do so on its own. Hubby had his band tightened on Monday and he is having a hard time so please keep him in your thoughts. He is finally realizing what restriction feels like. I will try to post pics soon!

My friend is his office manager. I didn't use him for my surgery, but have heard many great things about him. I know he also does GB. I would consider him one of the best. I'm also very pleased with my doctor in case Dr. B doesn't work out.

Yeah I can relate, Hubby and I used the same doctor who I trust undoubtly but I was ready to hear he was awake and talking. Best of luck to the both of you!

Hubby and I both get them. I'm not sure if they are regular hiccups or not, they seem to happen when we are full and it helps push the food down.

My guess would be high calorie liquids. Anyone else?

Best of luck to everyone! I was hoping to get banded this time last year and I know the frustrations and difficult moments that happen as an early bandster. All you can do is keep a positive attitude, try to find things to do that does not involve food and get more active as the pounds start falling off!! :rant: I'm not on here much and I probably don't have the best advice to give, but I wouldn't mind helping out the newbies. So far the best advice I have heard is: The band will get you there, it's your choice where it is kicking and screaming or if you will enjoy the ride. That was said to me at my first fill and I have enjoyed the full ride thus far.

I admit that I haven't had a chance to read all the responses (past the 1st page) so for the sake of sounding stupid, I can only offer my experience with the band and obesity. I had my daugther in October, 2004. I had my surgery for her, to be the mother I wanted to be. One day the truth just slapped me in the face. I mean I asked my self honestly what were the chances I would lose the 150lbs I needed to lose in order to be at a healthy weight? SLIM TO NONE and more importantly keep it off and stay healthy... probably not a snowball's chance in Dallas this time of year. My insurance company wanted to know what type of programs I've been on and I told them that I tried different diets and nothing worked well enough to get rid of the 150lbs of blubber that had found comfort on my body. I hope every one finds happiness. :rant:

Mine was typical as well. I was there bright and early, didn't get any sleep the night before as I have an INTENSE fear of anesthesia. I spoke with the anestiolgist (sp) about that and made him promise he would tell me what was going on. They couldnt' find a vein so he put it in my wrist (which was not very comfy to say the least). I had to pee they let me stop off at the bathroom before surgery. We went into the OR, I got up on the bed, I remember seeing the anestheiologist putting something in my IV I asked him if that was going to knock me out, he said yes and someone put an oxygen mask on me. Lights out until I woke up. I made the mistake of telling them I had a very low tolerance for pain meds so when I woke up I felt like I had been stabbed and was in an extreme amount of pain. I was moaning and the nurse asked if I was hurting and wanted pain meds in my IV, I said yes and within a minute or two I was feeling good They got me up and walking around then back into bed to take me to xray to check for leaks. Then I went to my room (I had surgery at a hospital) and slept as much as I could even though they came in every hour to check my BP and pulse. They sent me home about 4 pm. Healing was quick and I have no complaints.

I'm 28 and have been overweight for as long as I can remember. I was of average weight in early elementary school, started gaining weight rapidly in 3-5th grade. Middle school was horrible, I graduated high school in 1996 weighing 220. I promised myself I would never get over 250, in 1998 I was at 240-250. I eventually got up over 300 (304ish) before my surgery last August. My weight loss has been very rapid, but I work a very active and stressful job. I'm not sure where I want to stop as far as weight goes. At the moment I am down 108lbs and in a size 10 pants. I still have many emotional issues I feel as if I am still 300lbs. I still go for the size 24's in the back of the rack in the women's section. Nobody seems to understand how I feel. After being morbidly obese for 10 yrs it's hard to realize I am just overweight, not obese. I wish every one the best of luck with weight loss and happiness.

I am not a legal expert and laws vary from state to state. I would advise the cousin to get in contact with a lawyer ASAP. She needs to go for LEGAL custody through court. A judge in their right mind would not give a baby back to someone who is a drug user, has no home and no job. After temporary custody they should be able to go for permanent custody, termination of parental rights then adoption. Please keep us posted.

My surgeon said I should be around 180 by September, at the moment I am 191, so 11 pounds from his goal. I would like to get down to about 160, but we shall see. Congrats on all you who are so close to goal. I plan on having another baby in the next couple years and then having a full body lift and the girls taken care of, I seem to have lost them somewhere along the way. One sister has boobs the other a booty, I got nothing! LOL

Personally I think it depends on the person. I realized that at 300lbs the chances of me dying from an obesity related condition was greater than me being able to lose 150lbs or so and KEEP it off. GB was too drastic for me that's why I chose the band. I've been banded since last August. I've gone from 297 to 191 (106lbs in 10 months), I've lost 16lbs this month. I do have quite a bit more energy now, but I have never been a serious dieter, I believe that my endocrine system and metabolism was never compromised by fad diets and that's one of the reasons the weight is falling off me. I also have a very stressful and physical new job that I started 3 months ago, I am constantly walking (if not running) around for 8 hours a day. I also have been very carefully planning my fills, I realize when I am able to eat too much and get in for a fill ASAP. I don't eat until I am full as I hate that feeling with the band, I stop when I am no longer hungry, but not in pain or discomfortable. And yes, I do drink full blown fountain Coke and have my occasional ice cream sundae and sweets, I am by no means deprived. Everyone has their own experience with the band. I've met people who have been banded 2 years and only lost 30lbs, so it depends on you and how much you put into getting your fills, eating smaller portions and getting up and moving. Best of luck to ya!

Same here..

Not in Michigan, but welcome to the board!!

I am able to tolerate a bite or two of just about anything. I have to know when to stop though. Like most bandsters, bread, dry chicken, breading, tortillas, and cake give me a hard time. But then again that's what got me over 300lbs.

I'm okay with chicken as long as it doesn't have much (if any) breading. I can't handle breading after 2-3 bites. It also has to be moist. I have found if you marinate chicken breasts in the fridge overnight or during the day when you are at work they grill very well and stay moist enough to go down. I can't handle dry chicken, I have to have a sauce.

I've had 4 fills and lost my ability to eat the bread after #2 and the wraps after #2 as well. I have a hard time with tortillas as well so I just gave up on them.

My doctor also says NO to carbonation. I do admit though my favorite drink is a fountain coke. I don't do bottled sodas much because they are too bubbly, but I found that as long as I take it slow as in 1 Coke a day then I have no problems. I can still burp, I just have to be careful. I try never to have more than 1 soda a day (as in NO refills), but on occasion it does happen.

Welcome to bandland!! Our doctor gave us a list as to what we can eat. It included everything we could eat at that particular stage. Did your's give you a list?? Best of luck to you and more than anything enjoy the ride. BTW don't be surprised if you are a little down, a rapid decrease in calories can often cause depression.

I'm sorry to hear about your troubles. Thank God they did all the pre-surgery testing is all I can say. Please keep us posted, I can't wait to welcome you to bandland, you certainly deserve it! (((((HUGS))))

Hubby and I used Dr. Powell, but Hubby had his surgery at SCOR. He was in surgery at 8ish and out around noon. They were even nice enough to give my sis-in-law and myself lunch from the italian place next door. Best of luck to ya!! We have been very pleased with SCOR.

Welcome to bandland and the forum. I wish you the best of luck. I started at 297 and I'm down to 194 in less than a year.

I too researched the topic alot and only found 1 person, the lady from Chicago who's stomach was puncture who died. You must remember to look at the risks involved in staying obese and weight them against the risk of surgery. Obesity kills in higher rates than this surgery. Best of luck to ya!

Finally exactly 20 days early I am at 199!!!! WooooHoooooo!! Sorry no time for scale pics, but it's the first time since middle school I've seen the 1 in front of anything on the scale! It sure beats seeing that 3 that I used to see!!

Congrats you look amazing!!