Wheetsin

No, I don't. My last order with PensXpress was several months ago, so even if I did have something it would be expired. Try googling for the company name + "coupon". When companies send out coupon codes, lots of people will publish them to coupon databases.

First, I am afraid that I have always been my own worst enemy and I will sabotage myself, like I have so many times, into failure. Of course I dont want to fail, I am just fearful that I will. Sabotage with the band is very possible, which is why it's (IMO) so important to be mentally ready for the surgery. You will probably need to see a psychologist (if you'r insurance is paying) before your surgery, and this is the best time to bring this up. They're there to help you find solutions. Second, I am scared to DEATH of vomiting (or PB-ing as I have seen it here). This is a REAL phobia of mine. I would do anything not to vomit, and that is no lie. Stomach flu or no, I just dont do it... This is the #1 reason I wasn't banded sooner. I can't stand to vomit. I've vomitted twice in the last 20+ years, that's how much I can't stand it. So I'll tell you a few thing I'ev learned, that may help. 1. Vomitting is not the same as PBing. Vomitting is when the contents of the stomach are purged. You're bringing up acid, undigested food, etc. PBing, you're only bringing up things in th stoma or higher - no acid, no partially digested good. usually it's just saliva. Sometimes it's saliva and some bit of food that has gotten stuck, and/or anything you've swallowed after being stuck. There's a huge difference there. For example, when you vomit, you get that horrible taste and burn. When you PB, you don't. Vomitting can go on and on... I'm one of the one where when I'm vomitting, the fact that I'm vomitting makes me vomit more... ugh! With PBing, you're done as soon as you're unstuck. For me this usually takes two "yaks". When you vomit, you will have a LOT of stuff coming up, because again, you're down into the contents of the stomach. When you PB, it's probably going to be like a tablespoon. I'ts MUCH closer to a baby spitting up than it is someone vomitting. There are people who have never PBed. You probably won't be one of them (just because statistically... there are so few), but it's really not that bad. It's much less traumatic. The one thing I will say about it, that I didn't "get" pre-op, was that PBs hurt. Not the actual PB/bringing the stick up, but before then, when your body is trying to clear whatever is stuck... most people find this a painful time. Honestly, I will still take the pain over true nausea any day! And third, I am fearful of being alone on this journey. My husband and I live away from both our familes (whom we are extremely close to), and we dont have any friends in the area where we live. I am more out going, but my not so dear husband (lately) is not. Not to mention that my hubby, who should be my biggest support, is not. He hates the idea of WLS. Mind you, he is 6 foot 5 and has never had a weight issue in his life... Help educate your hubby. Mine was against my surgery at first because he was afraid for me. I took him with me to the seminar, and he had a chance to ask some questions. He went with me to the consultation and asked his own questions again, and heard answers to mine. And slowly he started turning around. He sort of lumped all WLS together, and knew there were dangers. Once he learned some of the statistics and specifics about the band, it went from "I really don't want you to do this" to "I want you to do this." He basically didn't "get it," and was able to really open his eyes. He's definitely become one of my greatest advocates. Have your hubby start an account here and voice his fears, questions, concerns, insecurities. We have several spouses here, and lots of bandsters who can emphatize with his situation. Also, many surgeons sponsor support groups. If this is important to you, have that be one of the criteria in your selection process. I'm not big on support groups, but by going I was able to meet a few ladies whom I've come to trust and rely on if I need something.

PensXpress has a few options in the .16 - .18 range. I've used them before and had good luck. I've not tried them, but MARCO has 2 options for .10. Just follow the link and it shoudl take you to their inventory sorted low price to high.

Hi Ailish, I'm not familiar with European surgeons. You may get more information if you post here, a forum we have dedicated to our UK friends. There, you will have the best chance of finding European bandsters who could share what they learned while trying to find a surgeon. You might also want to register on Welcome to LAP-BAND.com. Once you register, you will have access to a surgeon database. I'm not sure if they list European surgeons, but I would guess they do. Also, I have no idea if it's still there, but obesityhelp.com used to have a function where you could search for surgeons by region, and then read reviews people left for the surgeons. I know that US states were included in this, but I'm not sure if it extended to other countries or not.

I'm waiting for Equate or some other generic version of the liquid Tylenol. These guys know they've niched into a market and they're milking it for all it's worth. I buy 5 bottles at a time (it's often out of stock so I like to make sure I have some) and it costs me about $35. A bottle of the liquid gives you 8 oz, so you're right around 1 dollar per dose. So totally worth it when you need the pain relief, don't get me wrong, but the same thing in tablet form costs about 4 cents.

I use the liquid Tylenol (Rapid Blast), but NOT the PM one. There's a PM one in "warm vanilla" or some such nonsense that could eat paint off the walls. If I have a sinus headache, I will do the liquid Tylenol followed by 1/4 or 1/2 dose of liquid Benadryl. There are chewable Tylenol too, "Go Tabs" or something like that. They do work, but man - they're nasty. I only use them when I travel, so that I can pack them in my carry on and don't need to worry about the liquids issue. Oh, there are also dissolve strips Sudafed now. My sinuses are often an issue for me when I fly, but I can't really do pills... and it's a pain to crush something at the airport. I saw these the last time I was looking for some Dimetap or something liquid to help clear my congestion. They worked very well!

Do you have a graphics program like Photoshop or Paintshop Pro? You need an application that will let you adjust layer transparency. If you want to PM me your pictures, I can make it for you.

Oh, I should add- the surgeon, once praised for being so caring & compassionate - totally not that way anymore. I did return to this surgeon for a recent laparascopic procedure I needed. I felt better having a band-area surgery done by someone who knew my band was there. During my consultation for this second surgery, the surgeon said my weightloss was going well. I responded "Yeah, but I've been slacking lately. I need to get back to the gym." The surgeon's response was "Well I can't do that for you, that's not my fault. What do you expect me to do about that, take you there myself?" When I first got home from the hospital after having the second procedure done (about a month and a half ago), one of my incisions was bleeding out in a big way. Like - walking from the car to the door, I left a trail of blood (I didn't notice it until later), and standing in the bedroom just long enough to take my dress off left a blood puddle about the size of an apple. We got the bleeding to stop, but any time I would move, it would start back... and being that still is hard work when you're uncomfortable. My husband called about this and was told, "Well if it doesn't bleed when she's still, tell her not to move." I'm sorry, but since when is "pain when I breathe" fixed by not breathing?? Granted, he called the hospital and not the specific surgeon, but I used to rave about this hospital... I can't do that anymore. They didn't close one of my incisions. This incision hurt, like I was constantly being stung by a bee. When I called to ask them if it was OK that, 2 days after surgery the sheet/gauze covering this incision had come off & tje incision was still wide open, as in I could pull the skin back and see down inside me, I was told - and I quote - "Well yeah, if it came off, then it's probably OK for it to be off." When one of my wounds was sutured, suture was left sticking up out of it. Enough that it was snagging my shirts. THIS was the only reason I used my surgeon's aftercare - I wanted this taken care of. I showed it to the person doing the wound check - it didn't take much, it was VERY clearly visible - and was told I needed to be patient, it would dissolve. WEEKS later it had not dissolved. Then I'm told by no fewer than 3 others in the medical profession that it should have been clipped, and not doing so was unprofessional/lazy. *sigh*

I researched a lot of different surgeons for my band. I had actually selected a surgeon in another state and was in the early stages of paperwork when I was referred to my current surgeon. I changed to the new surgeon because there were a few things I really liked about the program, including: 1. The surgeon did the fills. 2. I could usually get someone to answer my questions, even if it was the someone I didn't want to hear from. 3. The surgeon appeared to be an advocate for the band, vs. a RnY surgeon who does bands if they have to. 4. The comprehensive nature of the surgeon's program. 5. There was a "small program" feel that gave me a sense of security. When you went in, people took the time to talk with you and your questions were heard. Now, most of that has changed. If you go in for a fill, you don't even see the surgeon unless you happen to pass in the hallway. If you do see the surgeon, it's brief and uncomfortable. I've actually had the surgeon leave the room as I was in the middle of asking a question, and have to ask them to please wait until I'm done and can get an answer. They've brought on someone else to do the fills and this person, at least the last time I had a fill, didn't know what they were doing. When the surgeon gave the fill it was "poke, push, done". This new person took over 10 minutes to fill me, and at first was poking the needle in a place where there is no port. I tried telling this person where the port was, and they said "yeah I can feel it over here..." (not where I was pointing). I was once chastized because the surgeon didn't know I had been unfilled (he wasn't there that day), even though he had my medical records in his hand. All he had to do was look. Instead I was asked, "Why did I not know about this?" Umm - because you WEREN'T HERE and haven't bothered looking at my chart yet?? You tell me! The knowledgeable people are either gone, or very hard to get ahold of. Questions are answered generically instead of on a per-person basis like they used to be. It used to be that you could call with a question, be listened to, and then get information/advice based on what you were experiencing. Now it seems like they have an Answer Manual, and when you ask a question they flip to the corresponding page and read what's there. We all know that doesn't work. In fact, the staff that's there now is so uneducated or so uninvolved (or so biased - more to come on that) that I am seeking a 3rd party practice to switch my care over to. So many people (including me) have had such poor experiences with the aftercare staff, it's getting to the point that it's not worth it. At one point I was concerned that I had a complication, and was calling OTHER surgeons because I questioned whether or not I could receive good/unbiased care. (Long story short, a group of us online would talk openly about our opinions and experiences, and complaints. They had someone monitoring this and reporting back, and when we went into the office we would be pulled aside and reprimanded for saying anything negative. One time when I was in the room waiting for the surgeon, a hushed (hello, I can still hear through that thin door) comment was made to the effect of, "This is one of them.") We (when we still went) were openly pointed out during "support" group meetings, and the office staff was encouraging the other banded people to heckle us.How can you trust that you will receive good & unbiased care when that's what you face walking into the office? I saw my band as sort of entering into a contract (so to speak) with the surgeon. I picked this program for a reason, and now those reasons are gone, but I still have my band. I know change happens, but I can't help but feel a little bit like someone ripped the nice, soft carpet out from under me, and now I'm left standing on cold concrete. This sucks.

It will slow down as you have less and less weight to lose. Be happy about a pound in 3 weeks. Seriously! I've lost a pound in... like the last 4 months. Trust me, the grass is greener where you're at.

Very cute. I would never advocate it for a long-term solution, but if you need to lose a good chunk of weight quickly, the induction phase (extended) of the Atkins diet can usually get you there. My BMI was over 50 (there's a thread here dedicated to us!) and all I can say is THANK GOODNESS my surgeon didn't erquire a BMI under 50. Man -- I feel for you there. You're doing great, keep up the super work and you'll be there in no time!

A lot of younger people here end every sentence (or just parts of a sentence) with "know what I mean?" only they kind of slur it out so it sounds more like "gnaw me?" No thanks!

The shelf life of the band is... the same as your life. It is designed to be a lifetime implant. Erosion isn't the band itself eroding, it's specific to breakdown of the organ's integrity. Erosion just kind of happens. One of the things thought to be a significant contributor is being too tight. This would make sense. Another is the surgeon's skill/know-how/preference -- HOW the band is placed. My own thoughts - it seems logical that the type of band you have would also have an impact, but that's just me thinking, nothing that's official or backed up with literature. You could erode 8 months into it, you could erode 20 years from now. It doesn't happen often, at all. But it can happen.

Aquarobics, Water running, resistance swimming... something in the water will be your best bet, because that's one of the only options where impact and pressure on the legs and lower joints is reduced rather than increased. I understand totally that being in a bathing suit isn't something to cheer about. However, there are VERY modest options out there. For example, Junonia (www.junonia.com) carries swim shorts & shirts:

1. Give it time. You've been banded less than a month, and lost almost 30 lbs. There's NOTHING in that to be upset or disgusted by. 2. Understand that fat normally comes off of the abdominal areas last. Most people see noticeable differences in the face, shoulders, arms, and even legs before they see a lick of difference in their stomach, butt, hips. You need to have patience. Know that fat is being lost, but perhaps just not in the one area you're waiting for -- yet. 3. Don't trust the mirror. When drastic change occurs over a period of days, you aren't going to see it every day. You need a way to see it "then and now" rather than "yesterday and today.: Take some pictures (I just posted re: taking pictures naked - it's the best thing you can do - IMO), or even trace your silhouette. Whatever you can do.

Erosion is when the band begins to erode through the organ. Think of a tight piece of string tied around a marshmallow. Over time, it may actually cut into or wear through the skin of the marhmallow. That's erosion.

This may be a good example of what I was trying to say in an earlier post. You don't need a defense, at all, because my intention wasn't to put you in a position where you would need to defend. You proposed a yes/no question, but then asked about two different things. All I meant to say was "my answer will be a little more complicated because there are multiple questions here," I did not mean to say "you need a defense because you posted something that is incorrect."

Seriously question any medical professional who mentions "starvation mode" to you. Never heard of stabbing throat pain. That's weird. Does it happen even when your fine/not getting stuck? IMO - there's no such thing as "the band has done all it can do." Don't get me wrong - I see why people think this. In my wallows of self pity I've thought it myself, but if you still have your band, it has not done all it can do. What it can do is continue to help maintain your portions and proper eating habits. Part of a good post-op program is to keep you motivated. This is why the ones that get my thumbs up do offer support groups (even though I think they're corny), ongoing access to a psychologist, nutritionist, etc.

<p>This is fitting since we're talking about motivation. I accidentally posted this to Before & After, but meant for it to go here.</p> <p> </p> <p>Seriously - if you don't already, and have any means to get it done, take naked pictures. Taking pictures in the same outfit over & over is well and good, but you aren't going to see the differences in your skin and shape.</p> <p> </p> <p>Every month I take pictures in 1) the same outfit from pre-op, 2) the closest I can get to skin tight current outfit, 3) completely naked.</p> <p> </p> <p>For the most part, I have DH take the naked pictures and write them to a VERY secure external & mostly detached hard drive. I can't stand looking at my naked pictures.</p> <p> </p> <p>Nearly 10 years ago, when I was on the upward swing of my extremely fast weight gain, I had hubby take some naked polaroids of me. (Yes kids, there was a day before every household had 15 digital cameras when you either had to take polariod, or risk every mallrat at the photo stand seeing your pictures). Not nearly as fun as it sounds, I promise. This was my way of motivating myself to do something about my increasing weight. Of course, all it really did was make me feel ashamed and disgusted.</p> <p> </p> <p>Tonight while cleaning out some old boxes o' stuff I found those named pictures. And you know what? I'm SOO glad I took them. When I looked at the clothed pictures, I can dismiss it away, always, to some extent. </p> <p> </p> <p>Naked, it is what it is.</p> <p> </p> <p>BTW, this before pic is WAY before. About 8.5 years before I was banded. It's also me about 50 lbs below my highest weight. Cropped for your viewing pleasure, of course. </p> <p> </p> <p></p>

salad is hit or miss for me. I don't remember ever PBing on salad, but I know I've slimed on it. Oh wait, I do remember one salad PB, but I think that was more a chunk of bleu cheese in the dressing. Who knows. It's one of the foods that, pre-op, I couldn't understand how it would go down. I mean - you never really chew it, you crush it at best, and 4 hours later you can have a piece of lettuce come out that had been hiding behind (on) your teeth. How could something like that get through the stoma? I didn't get it. I used to eat salad every day. Now I eat it maybe once every few months. It doesn't do much for me anymore. Salad was always a "healthy" way to shove as much cheese, bleu cheese dressing, bacon bits, chopped egg, and whatever else looked good down my gullet while still telling myself it was "healthy." In reality it's crunchy Water (iceburg anyway).

I'm very happy that they've released that sizing method. (I'm a blue, sz 2 btw... which means "fat and curvy" I'm sure!) I WISH they would follow suit with their dress pants. I still think they have some of the nicer dress pants in plus sizes, but the fits are horrible. I hate(d) Avenue pants, but will still wear them for a VERY BAD reason. You know how you're never supposed to be something just because it's cheap? I'm guilty. The Avenue here tends to sell out of 24+ sizes quickly, and never move anything 22 or under. I'm an 18 in most of their pants, which means I can get just about anything I want at clearance price. It's hard to pass up a $9 pair of cuffed dress slacks! Let's not even get into shoes. VERY sore spot with me. I LOVE shoes. I LOVE the shoes you can go into any store and buy. But I'm an 11 on a good day, 12 on most. This means I can pretty much shop for shoes at Avenue (Cloudwalkers), Payless (ugh!), or online - which I'm reticent to do - hate buying if I can't try it on. Or go into special order, which has its own PITA. Yo, all of you aspiring designers out there, how about some love for the Amazons??

You need your Protein. If you can't stand your current mix, just keep trying until you find one you can work with. One of my favorite mixes is a Wal-Mart cheepy called "Six Star." I think it has one of the better flavors and little after-taste. I prefer their choco but vanilla is ok too. Mix it with a dollop of Peanut Butter or Nutella, or one of the sugar free coffee flavorings (I used to be big on the Kahlua flavor, I'd add a few ice cubes and it wasn't far off from a virgin mudlisde)... mmm. Since you're lactose intolerant, try something like soy milk instead of dairy milk. I think tht Protein drinks mixed with Water are GOD AWFUL, but they're not too bad with milk or soy. Being 3 weeks out you can probably move beyond sips. Surgeons give weird instructions for this. I've looked at 3 surgeons' instructions for drinking, and -- literally -- if you follow the instructions and only sip the amount they tell you to sip, there are physically not enough hours in the day to drink the quantity of water they tell you to drink. Unless you're stopped up, too tight, whatever, water will pretty much funnel right through. Most bandsters sip to a point, then say "fudge it" and drink water as tolerated. The headaches can be from mild dehydration. A LOT of headaches are caused by this, actually -- and when we take our pain killers, we take them with a glass of water, and usually the water does more to relieve the pain than the medication.

D'oh! :doh: This will give you a good idea as to how much people vary. My surgery was a Wednesday. Until that morning, there were two times I felt nervous, for about 5 minutes each. The first was right after I made the appointment, as I was walking out. This sort of "Oh shit I'm really doing this" panic/nervousness hit me. The second was the Saturday before my surgery. I have no idea why nervousness hit, but it did. Then not a hint of anything remotely resembling nervousness until I was in the gown and had to get back into the bed. THAT was hard to do. I had a little panic attack. First time in my life. I had a 2 day pre-op diet. I had planned this big elaborate dinner for my "last meal" but when we got down to it, I didn't give a crap. So my fancy dinner out became BLTs in front of the TV watching a dumb Jackie Chan movie. The night before surgery I went to bed early and slept through the entire night. The next morning I was very aware of what was going on, but not nervous at all. It was more like - going to work, you know? I am very task-oriented, so it was like I was just processing it as something I had to do. I came out of anesthesia very quickly. When asked to rate my pain, I said "like a half." I really felt no pain, but for some reason I thought it would be wrong to say that. Within an hour I had requested to leave, been approved, and was on my way home. I had no gas pain, no ill effects from the anesthesia, etc. (This was my first surgery so I had expected much worse, from the horror stories.) I never had much pain other than the pain from my port area. This hurt when I would move, but I had no pain at all when I was at rest. I had a large stomach/pannus, and found that by supporting the weight of it with my arm, a lot of the pain was relieved. After that, my trips to the potty weren't so bad. Getting up, sitting down, sneezing, hiccups, coughing -- anything moving the abdominal muscles still caused pain but it was completely bearable. I had DH bring a recliner up from his home theater room. This is what I lived in for the first day and a half. Surgery was on a Wed. I pretty much slept off the rest of the day in the recliner, all that night, and until around noon on Thursday. Thursday night was in the recliner too. Friday I made it - very slowly - into my own bed, propped up on a lot of pillows. Friday I also went to Target and walked around, leaning on the cart. Thursday I went to GNC to get more Protein powder since I spilled mine (!), and I felt ok, but I wouldn't advocate going out the next day. By Saturday I felt generally good and we took a car trip out of town to see my parents. Piece of cake from then on, minus the occasional twinge in the port area (this lasted about 5 weeks).

Congratulations! Feels damn fine, doesn't it? Last summer I bought the cutest brown sundress from Old Navy, size 20. I still can't get into the damn thing. Well, I can get in it, but it isn't pretty. DAMN IT I wanted to wear that dress this summer! I'm in some 14/16, mostly 18/20 most places (except Target - they run very small) and this dress isn't even close to fitting. Never tried their jeans/tops/etc. though. Maybe it's a thing with their dresses?

What's a BTDT?