Time to love me

Welcome home Tink and congrats! I hope your recovery goes well for you. I can't really give advice on the swelling from this surgery, because I am not banded yet. I can tell you that every time I"ve had surgery on the abdomen area, I've always had some sort of swelling. Best of luck to you

Yes, I agree with Rene. Just to add, If you had recent blood work, EKG or any other test that's required, you might be able to get a copy of those results and use those, instead of taken them again. It has to be within six months (some allow a year). Also, I did not have to have a sleep test or stress test. For me, I didn't have any medical reasons to have this done. But your Dr. may still have you do it. All Dr.'s are different. Like Rene said, get your weight history together. I got advice from a lady whom was already banded, so what I did was gather history from youth to adulthood. I then put what diet or exercise program I used, start weight, how long I was on the diet & how long it took me to gain the weight back. Example: Age 20 Weight Watchers: 7-8 months, start weight 180, lost 20 pounds and gained 30 back within 6 months. Also, I went to WW, curves and any other program I used and got all my history from them. I then handed all this info. into my surgeons office and they submitted it to the insurance company, along with a letter from my PCP (primary care doctor). One last thing (my PCP had me do this).. just in case the insurance company denies you and wants you to go on a supervised weight mangagement plan, make an appt. every month with your PCP and make sure you have them note it as a weight related appt. and when you go, just do a weigh in and tell the dr. that you have been eating a healthy diet to try to lose some weight (have him/her give you a list of healthy foods to eat while dieting,he'll have to note this in your file). This will give you a head start and also count for a supervised diet with many insurance companies. I have to say that I do not have my date set for surgery yet, but I have been in contact with my insurance company and I spoke with the person handeling my case to make sure all my info. was accurate. She complimented me on how organized I was with the info. and told me it was very detailed, that I most likely will have no issues with being approved. I gave them everything they needed and then some so that they won't have much to kick back and say I need this and that and this and that. On top of that.. at my surgeons office they do meetings in groups of 4 and out of the 4 I am the first to go because I have everything all done. One of the other ladies is now waiting until Jan. just to see the Dr. I went in Sept. and I have an appt. on Nov. 2nd. So go prepared with you test results, if you have any and all the info. you can get. It may save you a step down the line. Best of luck to you!

I'm sorry to hear that you had a tough time. Thank God that you were in the hospital while this all came about. I would have been sitting at home thinking that it was gas pains or something and put it off until the next day. It's great to know that you're doing so much better. May the pounds start to fall so that you can be a happier & healthier you.

You may have missed Road Queens comment.

I was told the same as the others at my info. seminar. Also, I did find the info. below at one of the lab band websites. At this time, there are no known reasons to suggest that the band should be replaced or removed at some point unless a complication occurs or you do not lose weight. It is difficult, though, to say whether the band will stay in place for the rest of your life. It may need to be removed or replaced at some point. Removing the device requires a surgical procedure. That procedure will have all the related risks and possible complications that come with surgery. The risk of some complications, such as erosions and infection, increase with any added procedure.

Great job Robyn, keep those pounds falling. Have a great weekend with your family. With all that weight loss, they may not notice you. :banana

As you know, I'm not banded yet. BUT when my Grandfather had to crush pills, we put it in pudding,yogurt or milk shakes. He loved the milk shake because it went down quickly and we could make it any flavor he loved. Hope this helps. I know you're worried about the extra caloires, but you'd only have to have a small amount to swallow. Try the yogurt and Protein mix.

I had that feeling after both surgeries I had in the abdomen area. My Dr. told me that it's a combo of things like the nerve damage, pain & gas. Doesn't mean that is what your problem is, but it's something to think about. I hope things get better quickly, hang in there.

Maria, Don't beat yourself up over this. I'm sure everyone, at one point, has either cheated on a diet or has thought of cheating. (I have.. many times). Just pick yourself up, dust yourself off and start all over again. I know that 5 scoops was a bit over board but I believe when you deprive yourself from having a snack once in awhile, you will over eat when you finally break down and eat what ever it is you wanted. Maybe you should add a frozen yogurt or something else you may like into your food plan, once in awhile, as a 'treat". I know once I added my "treat" to the plan, I did not cheat as much. Best of luck to you!!! I know it's hard but try to think positive and put this mishap behind you.

Of course I have many of the same wishes as you all do. But I do have one burning thought in my mind. I want to go to my High School reunion as the skinny chick and then see the girls who were skinny in high school be the "chubby ones".... hmm can't wait.

~LOL You are too funny~ Sex toys and lingerie <perk> Hmm maybe I'll wake the hubby up. LOL Anyhow, you're not going to die anytime too damn soon! This will all work out for you.

YEAHHHH!!! Any bit of exercise helps! Good for you, keep it up. :rambo

**Lisa,** I'm sorry to hear that all this is happening to you. I wish you strength, love and hope. Please do get the xrays done and have them looked at by a bariatric doctor, don't take no chances. I don't quite understand why some Dr's in the U.S. have issues with helping patients that were banded in Mexico. They are still going to make money off your visits, if it's a money thing. But really.. Lisa... you made a great point. What if you did have a leak? How can a practice turn you down in a situation like that? I know you can go to the emergency room,but it's just the point. Good luck with what ever you plan on doing. Lets pray that you have no erosion and that everything will be okay. Do your best to stay positive. *JUST A BIT OF INFO.* It is not my intention to change the focus of this thread, so please don't take it this way. I just wanted to elaborate on something that was brought up and to add info. that may be helpful. I have a intrathecal pump port in my belly for back pain & So I know what you're talking about when it comes to the radiologists not finding things that they are not familiar with. My Dr. said it's a sad thing, but it's very important that I see what a defect is, just in case he isn't around & something happens to me. I need to be informed about my situation because a lot of Dr.'s have no idea what this pump is or does. My Dr. was in Greece & I had severe leakage from my incision, I went to the ER, the Dr's were setting me up for emergency surgery to have the port & lead to my back taken out. They told me that the drug in my port was leaking into my system & I could die. (This is what radiology reports had shown them) Thank God my Dr. checked in before all this started because come to find out.. the leakage was just saline. The funny thing is, the port only holds 4cc's of Fluid & the amount of saline coming out was so bad that my pants were soaked in ten minutes after a dressing change, thus it could not be the drug. The ER Dr's should have ruled it out. On top of that the Dr. should have known that if the dose of dilaudid that I'm on was coming out that fast in my body, I wouldn't even be able to breathe, I'd be dead in minutes (the port has an alarm you can hear if something is wrong). At this point I was scared to death & I found all that I could pertaining to my pump & researched it. Sorry this is long winded, what I'm trying to get at is that we should know what a defect or erosion looks like so we can recognize what could be wrong, or to educate a Dr. or radiologist who has no idea what to look for as far as erosion in our particuliar situations. Maybe they'd call for another opinion. In my case.. I could have been on the operating table due to a Dr. not having the knowledge about my pump. Next time you're at your band Dr. ask if they have a picure of what erosion, slipped or defected bands look like,on xray, it could help you out somewhere down the line. I meet with the surgeon doing my band on the 2nd of Nov. and I plan on asking him. From what I learned already, he does have pictures.

Lynn**** congrats sweetie! I am so proud of you. Is this something you came up with or did the doctor measure you before surgery and then again at this appt.? Either way, it's a great idea. I can't wait to see how much more comes off after you first fill, if you need one. My appt. is coming soon and I'll PM you and let you know what's going on. I thank you for all your support and info. that you have given me.

I have to say that you have a great attitude. With all that has happened with you, I'd be a wreck. You are handeling things amazingly. You have reminded me that I should count my blessings more often. Best of luck to you! On a lighter note... Dec. is not too far away.

*******Robyn******* I'm so happy to hear that you are home. I know everything has been tough for you lately, just hang in there. In time, I'm sure it will get better. I'm so proud of you! All these things that are happening to your body could be many things. If they dont go away,within a reasonable time, then maybe you should see your doctor again. By the way.. there is NOTHING wrong with the new hobby that you and your husband share.:Bunny

I was a police officer for years, I might agree with your statement. Our town has those speed devices. We used them on our school buses. What we have is a metal stop that goes under the gas pedal, by having this, it only allows the bus to accelerate so much.

Bumping for Jini and newbies.

http://www.lapbandtalk.com/showthread.php?t=10035 Jini, I'm not sure if this link will work once I post this message to you, so I will bump the thread to the first page, just in case. We seemed to have a lot of response from this thread. I know that it helped me a great deal. When I started this thread, I had so many mixed emotions and the responses were from both closet and open bandsters. Good luck, I'm sure with all the support here, you will get all your answers.

Candysmooch,You took the thoughts right out of my head! I was wondering about the husband issue as well. Micki, I'm so sorry to see so much is going on in your life right now. Please try to stay positive and strong. You will get through this. ((((hugs)))). We all have our days when we eat too much or don't eat the right thing. When you wake up in the morning pick yourself up, dust yourself off and start a new day. In my opinion, I also think 2 years is a long time to go without a intimate relationship. I'd be sexually frustrated right now, which would send me in a tail spin. I can only go so long without getting some. I'm also thinking why your husband is pushing away from you, sexually. I'm hoping he isn't punishing you for being over weight. I mean does he have a weight you need to get at before he'd be intimate? Or Is this really uncomfortable for the both of you, due to your size? I'm just curious, yet, it's really none of my business. Like candysmooch said, if you don't want to share with us It's understandable. I guess I'm also asking, is your husband supportive to you? Any way I hope you don't find my post rude or insensitive to your situation, it is not my intention. Best of luck to you and you will find away to get through all this, stay strong.

I don't smoke but I was asked by my doctor if I did smoke and I asked why, thinking he heard something in my lungs or my exam was abnormal. Anyhow, he told me that he refuses to operate on anyone who doesn't stop smoking two months before the surgery. I thought this was a standard thing for everyone. Well, good luck! I'm sure it must be just as hard as losing weight. I could not imagine losing weight and quitting smoking at the same time. That seems like a double edge sword to me.

Great post! My movie is Schindler's List and famous leader is Bill clinton.

Lil Angel I'm sending prayers your way! I hope you are able to go ahead with your surgery without any delay. Good luck and let us know how things work out.

Tropicana, In my first post I was talking about the bon fire I had and the people there were saying how WLS was the easy way out, basically made me feel like a piece of fat lard all night with the constant battering of fat people and WLS. (Did they not notice that there was only one fat person there? ME!) Anyhow, In my opinion, you have every right to think it's the easy way out or that it is not the easy way. I feel the band does make it easier for someone to lose weight, it's a tool not a miracle. At the same time, it's not the easy way out because you have to do the work to lose the weight. You still have to make better food choices and you still have to eat in smaller portions. This is hard for a lot of people, if it wasn't then we wouldn't have such a struggle to lose weight. What I'm trying to get at is that it doesn't matter if it is the easy way out or not. You still will be healthier once you lose the weight. So go to weight watchers, do the atkins, hop on south beach or just get the band. In the end, you lose weight. I just feel that the chances of re-gaining the weight on the lapband are far less than going on the diets I've mentioned. I don't know about anyone else, but I've tried all those diets more than once and lost many pounds but always gained it back and then some. This time, when I lose the weight from the band, I'll keep it off. So don't be so down on the fact that you feel it's the easy way out. WHO CARES! People can say that it's the easy way to go, but in the end it doesn't matter because you are helping yourself become a better/healthier you.

The doctor I'm using for surgery also told me that diet soda would be okay 8-12 months after the surgery, if I was able to tolerate it. He said that the first 18-24 months are the most important because you will most likely lose the most weight with in that time and soda isn't the ideal drink when you're trying to lose weight.