Rockin' Robyn

I am not Canadian, but I will weigh in on this one, as the topic is becoming more and more of an importance to me as I slowly melt away:) I always thought at the beginning of this journey....I'll never have PS. After all, I'm not a vain person. I just wanted to feel good about myself and look good in my clothes. However, now that I have lost almost 170 pounds...it was foolish of me to think that I could ever look good with all this extra skin. Just think about it....I don't mean to be gross, but this is the way I look at it. If you think of a 170 pound person and think of all the skin they have on their body....then take away their entire body away besides their skin....that is a massive about of skin. People, just think about it....skin doesn't just go away. Yes some shrinking MAY occur, but not with most. The problem now is that I am so proud of myself for the huge accomplishment. But I have this overwhelming desire to "FINISH" the job I started. I feel like I won't be completely there until I have some major work. I literally have 7 inches of skin hanging on each arm when I stick my arms out straight....and on my abdomen, it looks like I am a skinny person wearing an innertube underneath my clothes around my lower abdomen. I have lost a lot of weight, but the skin is hanging 6+ inches. And mind you I'm a very healthy 32 year old person....I just grew a ton of skin being so overweight all those years, and now there is no where for it to go. Do I look better? YES, of course. Do I feel better, ABSOLUTELY! Do I want PS? NO! I'm scared to death of it....but do I need it? Without a doubt yes! Not only for aesthetic reasons....but to finish out the race that I started on 18 months ago. Just my 2 cents;)

Thanks Angela! I felt amazing on the cruise. It was so fun to dress up in so many clothes that I had been waiting to wear, that actually fit me! It makes all the difference in the world in how you carry yourself in them. Definitely need the skin reduction thing though.....late spring/early summer I'm hoping to look into at least the arms, then maybe tummy in the fall. Want to lose another 35 pounds before the TT. You can have the dress when I'm through....but when it is too small for me???? LOL, you are too cute! Would love to chat sometime....PM or call me. Thanks for resizing the pics! You're the best:p

Holy Moly-those pics I just posted are huge....help Angela

Hi Girls!!! I am back from my cruise....WOWOWOWOW!!! It was the best experience of my life. I am already on line looking at when we can go again. The food was amazing! Even though I couldn't eat as much as I wanted to, I still grazed a lot. With all the tropical drinks etc, I only gained 2 pounds, which I was so happy with. I'll post more later....I'm trying to download all my pics right now. Hopefully I can post some later. Angela, I'm so sorry you are so tight. Dr Hoehn gave me only 1/4 of a cc on the last fill. I told him before hand what I wanted and that I wanted to "ease" into it at this stage. He actually made the comment that he was glad I wanted to be conservative. Hmmm..... I am so glad I had heard your stories of being so tight and associating it with the Humidity. I was able to eat like a horse the first night of the cruise....then the next morning when we landed in Cozumel, I PB'd on coffee. I was sooooo perplexed for a while, then it popped into my head what you had said before about the humidity. I just took it easy and didnt really eat or drink much out on the beach (which was a bummer), but then by later in the evening after being back on the air conditioned boat for while, I was fine.....still tighter, but not ultra restricted like I was outside in the heat. Hope you all are doing well and having a great new year. I'll post again soon! Angela-Did anything get mentioned about your gallbladder at Hoehn's office?

Okay...here's the nurse in me again.....Suppose you put it off and put it off....then oops....a pregnancy accidentally comes along (which tends to flare up a gall bladder even more). Then you CANT have the surgery without a) causing some sort of risk to the pregnancy, or you have to wait many months enduring excrutiating pain causing a needless miserable pregnancy because they prefer not to operate on an abdomen while there is a baby still in it???? Of course...worst case scenario....but I have seen it happen over and over! CALLLLLLLLLLLLLLL them Sista!!!!

ANGELA!!!! Don't make me come hurt you! Simply call Billie and tell her you want an ultrasound of your gallbladder. Dr Hoehn would be the one that would need to do the removal anyway. Don't wait for your physical. There is no need to endure any sort of pain like that (rocking in the middle of the night can't be fun). CALL HIM!!!!:kiss2: :kiss2:

No souveniers for me....unless I hook up with some Caribbean man while I'm there (hehe)....just kidding. Hubby has been 'fixed'...remember, it was part of the deal of me having the lap-band surgery. Where is your pain located? My gallbladder pain was VERY atypical as well. In fact, I still would not have believed I needed my gallbladder out if I hadn't seen all the stones on the ultrasound screen myself.

I think it's in my ticker...like 22 days. Our ship sails on Jan 6th, but we are leaving on the 5th. Still haven't gotten our passports, but I called today and they reassured me that they were mailed out today. I'm starting to get really excited. I went and bought a pair of knee high-high heel brown leather boots(anything higher than 1/4 inch is high for me:D ) to go with this cute dress I bought at Dillards (you know, the supposed size 12:p ). Then I also found a formal that I like that is a floor length dark purple color. Then I also found a black velvet form fitting top and velvet pant set. The arms are trimmed with a fringe of black feathers. Totally not me, but very cute. I'm finding as I lose more weight, even though my chest is sagging, the tops I am finding myself buying are more low cut than I ever thought I would wear...hmmmm?????:welldone2: Whatcha want? I heard of a cool idea of taking baggies along and collecting a bag of sand from each beach in each port you go to, then layer the sand in a very large pretty vase of some sort in your living area. I think I'm gonna do that. Oh it's so frustrating and weird at times.....Did I mention that 2 days ago, my iced tea was making me feel like I was going to PB, then last night I ate an entire Taco salad from Taco Bell along with a small Diet Dr Pepper.....ARGHHHH!!!

I didn't eat like a horse during pregnancy and I gained 86 pounds! I don't quite understand the whole concept either of being "deflated" during pregnancy...because I have taken care of MANY gastric bypass patients who become pregnant, and it's not like they can get their procedure reversed....hmmmm...... I think if I were prego post banding, I would be tempted to reject getting an unfill, unless I were puking my guts out all the time thus increasing my risk for causing problems with the band.....but then again, people who are not banded puke their guts out early in pregnancy NORMALLY....so I don't know. Glad I won't have to worry about it, although I feel kind of bad lately because Jack is OBSESSED with asking me repeatedly for a baby brother or sister.....one thing he definitely won't be getting for Christmas;)

BTW Holli- Whatever happened to your friend who had the slipped band with emergency removal..... Also, FYI....I took care of my first "pregnant" lap-band patient today. It was so stupid because her OBGYN was admitting her for get this "heartburn" and "nausea and vomiting".......I just laughed my butt off! Hello, she had a lap band + she was pregnant. They were doing this whole huge work-up on her and giving her all of these unnecessary medications. I was just thinking to myself how uneducated some of these doctors are. Get a clue....she needs to be unfilled. Not only do we already often have N/V and heartburn with pregnancy, but put a baby in there pushing and putting pressure on an already swollen band and of course that will happen (she had never gotten an unfill when she found out she was prego). I don't know, I just found it pretty hilarious and thought it didn't warrant hospitalization. Interesting:rolleyes:

Okay Holli- What about me???? I wanna go shopping too!!!:bandit I have bought the cutest clothes for the cruise.... I'll make sure and take pics of me in everything. Funny-my hubby is on a crash diet prior to us leaving because he can't fit in any of his suit pants. He has only been on a diet for a week, and already he has lost 8 pounds and can fit in everything that was too tight last week!!! Disgusting! I guess that's what happens when you only have 20-25 pounds to lose and you lose 30% of your excess in one week! (sigh).... Still playing the 1 pound a week (maybe) game... Cate-I was wondering when you would pop back up I've missed you, and think of you often. Diane-sorry I won't be able to come to your party....I'll be grooving with the motion of the ocean:D Angela-I'm curious to hear about the twist...hmmm....good twist or bad twist????

Hi Susan- I too am from KC. Good Luck with your approval process. PM me if you want any info on who I went to etc. Making the decision to be banded was the hardest part for me Hope everything goes very smoothly with your insurance/physician choices etc. Good Luck! Robyn

I did them on my own at my doctors office prior to receiving the letter because I began feeling "weird". Everything was fine though...so I never faxed Hoehn the lab results, and they never really pursued asking for them. Happy Turkey Day.....:hungry:(as I whisper to myself....."Just a tablespoon of everything....Just a tablespoon of everything:eek: )

WOW ANGELA:clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: Those pics are amazing!!! You're awesome!

You are too funny:p But, I know EXACTLY what you mean:rolleyes:

I still think we should plan a group trip to the PS office :grouphug: I am hating my stomach right now. As I am "settling" into my body at my lower weight, my skin seems to be sagging more and more every day. I never thought of myself as a vain person....but its just yucky. Even more so than when the skin was filled with fat I think. I would like to plan on possibly having my 3rd and 4th upper arm cut off next summer, along with a possible breast lift since they would already be in that same general vacinity. As much as I would love to have my tummy done next summer too, I just don't think I have lost enough yet to get it cut off. Problem with the arm lift is I hear you are literally out of commission for 6 weeks because you have to lay down with your arms above your head as much as possible to prevent swelling. Holli-If she was PB'ing a lot, that had to be more of the cause of the problem, then the cough could have just been a symptom that exacerbated the slip. That would have to be some pretty violent coughing to cause a slip I would think. Did she ever tell you how much she PB'd? I still struggle with the whole restriction thing. Example, today I PB'd on 3 bites of ice cream at lunch time.....then had 1/2 a bowl of soup, a full side salad, and 1/4 cup ice cream for dinner. I just can't seem to get it right. I know I shouldn't be PB'ing at all, but if I get my 1/4 cc removed, I'm right back at pretty much being wide open again.... Anytime you want to get together, I'm game. I'll be pretty busy actually after Christmas with the cruise and all. Just let me know.

I'm still here.....mostly lurking lately. I'm working A LOT....hubby and I have a pact to pay off our debts (including the $20,000 loan we got for my surgery) by the end of next year. Therefore, I seem to be too tired to post lately:bored !! Doing okay....I'm pretty tight right now, but then again just depends on the day. I'm dropping about a pound a week now, sometimes two if I'm lucky. Not at all fast, but I remain optimistic since I'm in losing mode and not gaining mode. Then again, in all fairness....I'm not really trying to lose right now (meaning I'm not being good and healthy 100% of the time). So in actuality I can't complain. Need to kick my butt into gear though, as I would like to lose my last 14 pounds to get to my pre-cruise goal:p Holli....I can't believe that happened to your friend!! Hadn't she been banded well over a year and had lost over 100 pounds???? That sucks! Is she in total disbelief? I just have a feeling that might be me someday...I've just always had that feeling from the very beginning-that I probably won't have this thing forever.....I guess because of all the junk that happened to me early on. I wonder if she PB'd a lot? Any other details? I have been meaning to post on here lately...just haven't had a whole lot to say:biggrin1: I really wanted to go to the support group meeting this month, mostly just to see you guys and Billie, but my Dad is coming into town for this weird "surprise" visit from Houston that night.....so maybe for the December meeting???? Would like to see you guys again. Seems like it's been a while. Anybody heard from Cynthia or Cate lately?

I too play violin for my church. Hubby is a professional violist with a major Symphony.

I used to be a size 34-36:eek: Now I'm a size 18 and loving it....I would be happy with myself right now if I, like someone else mentioned, didn't have all this extra hanging skin to stuff into my clothes!! Sometimes I just look in the mirror and imagine how many sizes smaller I will be someday when I get the excess skin removed. Massive change I'm sure! My goal however is to be the same size as the AVERAGE American woman....Size 14;)

I too can still eat pizza, but only ONE small piece of pizza (about a 1/10 of a large pizza). I too used to eat about 6-7 pieces of deep dish pizza at one setting, so I am always amazed when I feel like I am about to explode after eating one small piece. Like others have said, I can only eat the very thin crust that is baked and is extra crispy, almost like a cracker thin crust (I never used to like pizza this way before, but at least I can eat one piece once in a while if I submit to eating this way:rolleyes: ). I also have to take it very slow, and cut each bite into eraser size bites. I can eat whatever toppings on it if I eat it like this.

I too am from the KC area, and am a nurse. You have to remember that KU is a 'Teaching facility'. Having worked at another nearby teaching hospital in town, I have witnessed many many questionable things-due mainly to two things: 1) They are always looking to cut costs because they do not typically draw the "paying customers" if you know what I mean, AND....2) A lot of the care they provide are from residents (Yes they are technically doctors, but not allowed to practice on their own yet). This creates a lot of unethical practice, questionable methods, and sometimes downright dangerous things are 'allowed' to occur unsupervised/unbenownced to their superiors. My suggestion would be that you AT LEAST call the operator at KU and simply ask to speak to the 'infection control department'. They are the ones that are going to WANT to know about this, believe me. Then, you need to make a report with the patient advocate office. They are the ones that investigate/look into patient complaints throughout the facility. I would totally recommend you to Dr. Hoehn in KC, as he is absolutely wonderful. But I think I have heard that he like so many others, doesn't perform fills on patients who have had their bands placed elsewhere. Good Luck to you, and please DO NOT let this go. Not only for the safety of yourself, but for the safety of another one of the patients out there who may not know any better and ends up with a huge infection, or even worse.

We have a good friend who has a handy-man/remodeling business. I had never seen his work until recently when they bought a house up the street from us. They have gutted the whole house and he has remodeled every nook and cranny and it looks amazing. He has put in hardwood, tile, granite, slate, put in EVERY single light fixture, electrical, plus painting. I am closer with his wife, but he is a great guy. I have her cell phone, but I'll call her tomorrow and then pass the number along to you via PM.

It's about a half mile from Town Center Plaza...close to the Sprint Campus. Let's see I think that is like 119th and Metcalf area?? I'll look it up on-line.

Okay...here's my type A (take charge) personality coming out again, but somebody's gotta do it right?? How about tomorrow night at 7:30 at Cheesecake Factory in Overland Park (I can't be there until 7:15 at the earliest, Diane has to put her little one to bed, and Holli has a meeting at 6) Sooooo.....All those in favor say I .......all those opposed (make another suggestion:rolleyes: ) Love ya'll!!:kiss2:

I work at Overland Park Regional on Thursday until 7:15, so if we could meet maybe somewhere in OP that would be good for me....Also, I'll probably be a little hungry after working all day, so if we could maybe do a place that does food and drinks that would be good . How about Cheesecake Factory in OP? I'm up for anything though. Funny you mentioned this today Wheets, because I was laying in bed this morning thinking to myself "I should post today and ask if anyone wants to get together again sometime soon". :mad: I guess it's true, great minds think alike!