Laura_MD

Okay, it has been a while since I was here but for all you Maryland Bandsters, who still wants to get together? I am in Annapolis frequently now (especially during the legislative session Jan-Apr).

Try using two scoops of protein powder in each shake. It bumps up the protein and makes the shake taste better. I put half of a banana in my shakes to thicken them and make them taste better. It is still liquid and it really fills you up for twice as long.

Hey StefGray, I have been to that group as well and it is pretty good. I wish they met more often (like weekly) because I live on the Eastern Shore and it is not always easy to get over there so more choices would be good. They do have speakers on a regular basis as I understand it though, and I think that is great. My doctor is Kim Steele. She didn't do my surgery though, I switched to her after a problem with my local surgeon that did my band. Who do you see?

three sixty six, I am very sorry that your sister is not being supportive of your life-changing decision. Most of the time, I have found that those who are least supportive or are "against" the surgery are the ones who know the least about it. They are accustomed to hearing about RNY type surgeries and assume that this is pretty close. She is very likely, just scared for you, and unable to express it. Perhaps some additional information will help. I love the book "Weight Loss Surgery for Dummies" because it describes all of the procedures available along with the pros and cons of both. It also goes on to give you supportive information for dealing with friends and family before and after your surgery, and how to deal with things like head hunger, mourning your relationship with food, and all the new attention you get when you start to lose the weight. It was and is my bible for this journey. As for this being the "easy way out", HA! This is anything but easy and I have attached an except from the WLS for Dummies book on that very topic. Perhaps you can forward it to your sister or share some of the info in it with her personally. I am glad that you have your Mother coming to stay with you as you will need some support, more emotional than physical though. The surgery is pretty simple and the incisions are small, all I really felt was like I had just done 150 sit-ups for the first time in a while. I was sore but no real pain, except for the gas. Definitely get the Gas-X, yogurt also helps with that, and this stuff I found on the internet takes the awful smell out of the gas (the better I eat the worse I smell it seems), it's called Nullo (Nullo) and it is a social life saver. I also STRONGLY recommend a stool softener! The combo of the pain meds and having less Water intake while you master the timing of drinking and eating, can reek havoc on your intestines. You don't want a laxative because you will lose vital nutrients too quickly, but a softener will help ensure that you don't have to strain. Straining is always a bad idea, but especially right after abdominal surgery. I have also attached my list of tips and tricks for surgery, and a list of questions and things that I have encountered along the way that might help you prepare. Speaking of preparing, make sure that when you talk to your friends you take the approach that you are "informing" them of your decision (rather than asking for their permission). Sometimes if you leave it open ended, as if asking permission, they feel obligated to respond with their opinion, and since they have not had an opportunity to research it at all, they will rely on what they have heard in the media or 2nd or 3rd hand, and those are not usually the good stories. The result may be that you don't get the positive response that you want and need right now. It would be great if you could have your information packet with you so you can show them pictures and explain how it works and answer their questions. You may even get some questions that you haven't thought of yet, and then you can find the answers together. Be prepared to fully explain your reasons for getting the band too, if they are and always have been thin, you may have to help them understand. Most people who have never had a weight problem, as you know, think that it is just a matter of willpower to eat less and exercise more. We know it is not that simple! Hey, feel free to use some of our success stories too, I will attach my before and after pix for you if you want to use them. I am glad to help in any way I can. I faced the same situation with my family (my friends were great). I have several family members that honestly needed it worse than I did but they were dead set against it. Until I lost the weight that is, now they are lining up, asking me questions, asking for help navigating the process etc. Most of their hesitation was borne from fear for my survival mostly, but some of it was fear that I would actually do well and either look better than them (they would lose their eating buddy) or, if they were thin, that they would no longer have that advantage over me (they would have "competition"). It is strange and most of them didn't even realize what they were so afraid of, until we talked about it. Spouses and significant others are also often threatened by the prospect that you will lose the weight and not "need" or "want" them anymore. They fear that you will meet new "better" people and they will be bygones in your life. People tend to take advantage of, or take for granted, overweight people and we tend to let them. As we gain control of our bodies and our weight, we tend to take more control of the rest of our lives and have less tolerance for those who have taken advantage of us and we actually do "replace" them or outgrow them. I only tell you this to make you mindful of how the people in your life may be feeling as you embark on your journey to the new you, when they like the now you. You probably already know a bunch of this, even if it is just in the back of your mind, but it needs to be in the forefront of your mind as you try to get the buy-in of your friends and family because you really do want their support, even though you have us!:thumbup: OK! I have rambled enough. It all kind of spilled out, but I hope it helps. Here are my attachments, let me know if I forgot anything. Good luck, Laura Clinical Morbid Obesity Fact Sheet.pdf Surgery Tips & Tricks.pdf Lap-Band Questions.pdf The Easy Way Out.pdf

Hi Amy, I had the same experience with a migraine when I had my band. I ended up spending two days in the hospital on a morphine pump because of it. The bright side was that the morphine and the migraine made me forget all about the "pain" from the surgery! I only got it because I had to go off of my blood thinners for the surgery, and when my blood thickens, I invariably get a migraine. Next time you get one, or feel like one is coming on, you might try eating something with a lot of garlic or vinegar (garlic is better) to thin your blood and see if you notice a difference in severity or length of the migraine. Welcome to the losers club!

Cheri52, you don't have to sign up again but if you get an email notice of a new posting and don not visit the thread, you will not be notified of additional postings until you visit the thread again. You may also want to check your junk mail folder to be sure the notice wasn't auto-directed to the junk file.

Obesity Surgery, 16, 673 Correspondence Body Contouring after Weight Loss in Morbid Obesity: Gain in Health and Leap in Psychosocial Functioning To the Editor: The importance of an unsatisfactory body image in causing psychological distress in obese patients has been recently investigated.1 This psychological distress encompasses lack of self-esteem, depression, and tendency to avoid social and sexual relationships. Body contouring following a significant weight loss can re-establish a good psychosocial functioning because of the perception of improved body image. A 31-year-old morbidly obese man presented to my plastic surgery clinic for body contouring. He came accompanied by his mother who held his hand in a protective and sympathetic manner. As routinely occurs with these patients, I started describing the therapeutic path that he should undergo, consisting of a relevant weight loss first, through diet or bariatric surgery, followed by multistep body contouring. 2 While I was explaining this to him, I kept on thinking with human, rather than medical, sympathy about that 31-year-old man’s hand in his mother’s. I could not help feeling sadness for a human being psychologically and socially harmed because of obesity and with little hope of enjoying an emotional, social, sexual and familiar normal life. Years went by, while the patient underwent the routine procedures of both bariatric and plastic surgery. While he was under my care, I could gradually appreciate the progressive gain in body appearance allowed by body contouring. From an empty baglike aspect, a more natural human body was returned to the patient, despite the price of some scars. Plastic surgery procedures also allowed an improvement of the buried penis syndrome, which affects both obese and formerly obese patients’ sexual life.3 Some years after the end of the entire therapeutic process, 9 years after the first consultation at my office, I saw this man for a follow-up. While he was coming to me at the end of a busy clinic, with a heedless glance I happily noticed that his hand was no longer in his mother’s. After a more careful examination, I realized that the woman beside him was far younger than his mother. “I introduce you to my wife” he said “and here is my daughter” he added, caressing his wife’s abdomen. Giacomo Datta, MD, Consultant Plastic Surgeon; Filippo Boriani, MD, Fabrizio D. Obbialero, MD, Maurizio Verga, MD, Residents in Plastic Surgery; Department of Plastic Surgery, University of Turin, Turin, Italy. E-mail: filippo.boriani@fastwebnet.it References 1. Friedman KE, Reichmann SK, Costanzo PR et al. Body image partially mediates the relationship between obesity and psychological distress. Obes Res 2002; 10: 33-41. 2. Datta G, Cravero L, Margara A et al. The plastic surgeon in the treatment of obesity. Obes Surg 2006; 16: 5-11. 3. Fontana D, Rolle L, Ceruti C et al. [False penile shortness][ Article in Italian] Arch Ital Urol Androl 1998; 70, 241-5.

Don, it is not the band that expands, it's you. Your organs and tissue can swell because of the lower air pressure at high altitudes.

BJean, ask your doc how air travel contributes to blood clots. Part of the problem there is the lack of movement, but a huge contributing factor is the inflammation that causes swelling in the extremities and around your organs. I brought this subject up back in January as a warning to fliers because I had heard nothing about it before that and I had just experienced tightening during and after an international flight. Fortunately, I did anticipate some change (because I have had issues in the past with blood clots) and I planned accordingly. What I experienced was about a 2/3 reduction in the amount of food I could eat. How do I know that? I packed my 1 1/2 oz baggies of almonds and craisins, the amount I can normally eat and be satisfied with no problem. When I tried to eat my "trail-mix" mid flight (Philadelphia, PA to Antigua), I could only eat a third of the bag. That restriction stayed for about 1 1/2 -2 days and then I experienced the same on the return trip. Some things to consider in figuring out if your band tightness will be effected: Do you usually experience swelling in your legs and feet or feel bloated post flight? If you do, you are likely subject to inflammation that can cause additional band tightness. [*]How much of your band is filled? If less than half, you may experience some additional, but tolerable, tightness. If you half more than half of your band filled (i.e. 7cc in a 14cc band), you may some issues and it COULD be intolerable. Make sure you find a band doc near you destination, just in case, and bring copies of your records with you. To answer your question in short, flying has the potential to create additional tightness. Plan for the worst, and Celebrate the best and you will win either way.

WayOfLife, your name says it all. You are about to embark an a whole new way of life, of course you are nervous. Like Lana24 said, I'd be more worried if you weren't nervous and scared. It really is a very minor surgery, but I suspect that it isn't the procedure that has you anxious. If you are like most of us you are a little bit concerned about the surgery and scared out of your mind of your life with the band! That's normal too. About a week before my surgery, I started getting really nervous and watching the "Super Obese" series on Discovery Channel and thinking that I should be able to do this myself, why should I have this surgery, what's wrong with me that I can't lose this weight on my own. Then I decided to stop second guessing myself and realized that I NEEDED this procedure because I had tried in the past and I just couldn't do it on my own. Then I went a step further and realized that I deserved this surgery. I deserved to be healthy, and I deserved to LIVE! Most of our lives we have been told that we just need to get off our butts and do some exercises and eat better or eat less and we could lose the weight if we really wanted to. The secret code was that we were choosing to be fat and unhealthy and we weren't deserving people because of it. Well, guess what, it was all a big fat lie! You are worth the effort and you do deserve to be healthy and happy and if this is they vehicle that gets you down that road then jump on board baby and let's ride! Getting banded was the best decision I have ever made for myself in my entire life! I have never regretted it for a single moment, and I will bet that you won't either. Just repeat after me, then repeat until they put you under: I DESERVE THIS & I AM WORTH IT! :thumbup::cool2::thumbup::cool2::wink2::biggrin2::smile2::):thumbup::thumbup: