Candice

I live in Southeast Texas where it is HOT & HUMID! I recently had three friends banded in the last three months and they have had plenty of questions for me. I have been banded for almost 4 years and I try to remember everything I went through as a newly banded person. Now I have a question "4 years" after being banded! My crazy question is: Does anyone notice the barometric pressure changing the day to day restriction? If the barometric pressure is up, my head hurts and my band is tight. If the humidity is down I have less restriction. It's like some of my fill will enter the tubing on low pressure days and I'm less restricted. High pressure days seem to pull my entire fill into the band and I have more restriction. Crazy Huh!

I was banded in October 2005 and have lost 180 pounds total. I'm 5'5" and started at 305#. Now I maintain at 125#. My 12 year old son weighs 115 and his little brother weighs 65. I look at them and realize that I have lost their combined weight. Wow! What an eye opener.

OKAY!!! The BIGGEST piece of advice I can give from my experience is to WAIT UNTIL YOU HAVE QUIT LOSING!!!!! i I asked so many questions when I went to the plastic surgeon the first time. So write them down like I did or you will forget. My

I had my surgery on a Wednesday...rested the next day...went to WalMart on Thursday and went back to work on Monday. NO PROBLEM!

I highly recommend you do that...the second day you will ask yourself what in ther world you have done...but you will get past it. On the tenth day you will begin to feel like yourself again. The stomach muscle reconstruction is the worst part because those muscles spasm for many weeks after surgery and it feels like you have done hundreds of situps each day. The arm tuck is diffucult too because the 4 inchs just above the elbow gets really tight so bare with it and you'll get past the recovery stage.

Being scared of the skin is HUGE...I was scared too! I lost 185 lbs and have had abdominal wall reconstruction, tummy tuck, arms tucked and breast lift in one surgery. You better "know who you are" to subject yourself to that many stitches at one time. It is very painful but on the 10th day you start to feel like you will live through it. I even went back and had a second breast lift and implants for volume a year later after the first round of plastic surgery. I couldn't live with the skin. I called it "melted candle syndrome" because I would look in the mirror and see myself as though I was melting. No amount of exercise will take care of the skin...only surgery!

I want to thank everyone for all the very kind words about my success with lapband...it really helps because I find that even my closest friends are not as happy that I have gone over and above what they thought I would accomplish...plus I have had all the reconstructive plastic surgery and now that there are men commenting it makes them even more jealous...I did the plastic surgery to correct all the skin that didn't seem like it needed to be there..not to grab the attention of a man. Men are a dime a dozen and I don't need one to be happy with myself...a man is only an added bonus to my life...Happiness comes from within! As far as my test results...I haven't heard anything yet but when the lab tech removed the needle my arm continued to bleed and he laughed a little and said "I'm banking on Iron Poor". I will let yall know as soon as I know...Once again, I appreciate the compliments and wish everyone all the success in the world because I know how it has changed my life and my childrens lives.

I did go to the Dr on Wednesday and they took ALOT of blood for iron and thyroid screen...my Dr has been my Dr for a LONG time..he delivered me and knows me well...and after talking about this he even laughed and asked if I was over thinking this like I do everything else and told me to try to ignore it a little bit..told me to push my heater away from me at work and try little things to try to acclimate myself to my daily surrounding better...we had a good laugh out of it and I told him I would try that...the funny thing is that I really have been trying not to stay as bogged down in the Freezing to Death thing and it has helped some...Hahaha!

I was banded in October 2005 weighing in at 305 lbs...I now weigh 120 lbs...I do realize that I have lost 185 pounds but I was not always that big and was not cold natured before I gained the weight...everyone laughs because I am contantly covered up with jackets and shawls but being cold all the time is starting to get old...living in South Texas, we don't have hard winters and during the summer I fight with the family about what temp to keep the A/C on because I am always cold...my circulation has been checked and my thyroid has too..so if anyone might have any suggestions, please let me know!:smile:

I totally agree with all the points you gave, however, you must continue to get those fills. I have been very successful by losing 150 pounds and reaching my overall goal. I have already had a tummy tuck, breast lift and my arms tucked, and continue to fight to keep the weight off. I have learned to maintain by sticking to my regular diet. During the plastic surgery I had my port changed out to a low profile port so it wouldn't stick out anymore. Some of my saline was lost during this change and I was able to eat bread and all the things I had given up, so as soon as I could, I ran back to the doctor and had a fill. I am going again this week because they didn't give me enough. I was at my "SWEET SPOT" before surgery and I want to be back there now that I am heeled up. That sweet spot is exactly that.....it's where you feel at home with your band. You'll know it when you get there. I went through periods when I did not lose a pound for two or three weeks, but it really is your body having to play catch up with the weight loss. Also, you need to make sure you are not doing what I did and eating too little calories. If I didn't eat at least 1000 to 1200 calories of the right foods every day, my body would go into starvation mode and I would stop losing. I would also do an ample cardio and strenth training session at least three times a week to work off enough calories to equal one meal for that day. Don't be so hard on yourself.....that was a huge lesson I learned on this lapband journey.

Hey guys, I'm back. I had my EXTREME MAKEOVER on April 27th and have done way better than I expected. I had TT, Breat Lift and arm lift as out patient surgery and have done very well. The abs are very tight and seem to tighten as the day goes on so I am tired in the evening, but other than that...I am healing and getting ready to go back to work. I still have drains in my stomach, but the fluid retention is slowing and hopefully they will come out tomorrow when I go back for my check up. I was a large C or small D in high school and I must say "They look just like they did in High School". Dr. Long did a fabulous job on all three areas and I can't wait to shop for a new clothes because I am now a size 8 instead of 10/12...and the swelling is still going down. I was off the pain medicine and on Tylenol by the third day and started driving again on the fifth day. I love Dr. Long and I love his medical skills. It's hard to know who to trust when you've never had plastic surgery, but I had a great connection from day one and could tell he was excited to help me finish this journey. I coundn't be more please with the outcome so far and I am not even completely healed. The results are shocking and my closest friend who saw everything before want a business card when I come back so they can go see about their own issues and flaws. Dr. Long does not currently have a website, but they are working on building one. They have asked me to be one of the first set of before and after shots on the site, so look for it in the future.

I do have rashes from time to time, but my insurance just looked at the pics and the considered how much I have lost and basically said "Of course she has skin issues". I was approved!!! I know my ticker says I am still at 162 or something but I am actually down 149 pounds total. I only weigh 145, so they really considered the fact that I have lost more than my actual body weight to approve me. I do have really good insurance even though I fought for 10 months to get the approval for the LapBand. They have pd for all four fills and now reconstructive surgery. I am thankful!!!

Be prepared!Be very very prepared! I set out to meet my goal and did. It is shocking what I look like now. I weigh about 40 pounds less than I did when I got married so my husband doesn't even know the person I am now. My insurance company is paying for the TT but I am paying cash in full for the breast lift and arms. Right at 9,000 for my part. Ouch!!!!But so worth it!!!! I'll get back with you about the pain level and stuff like that after the 27th.

I have Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield. My primary insurance FiServ does not pay for Bariatric treatment or complications of bariatric surgery so I have to depend on my secondary insurance for these treatments. I had a fight on my hands for the LapBand but eventually got it approved. The skin removal was not even a fight. Dr. Long's office sent in the general info and I was approved for the TT right a way. I think it is mostly because I have lost now what I weigh total. Literally 50% lighter than the day I had LapBand on October 12, 2005. I have gone from a 28 to an 8.

I am so excited. Dr. Long's office went ahead and sent in my file to the insurance company for predetermination and I got my approval letter today. I am having TT,Breast lift and my arms done on April 27th. I can't believe I was approved so easily. It took for ever when I was trying to get approved for the lapband. I won't be 18 months out until April 12th, but I will be by the date of my surgery. I was so excited, I was shaking in my shoes. I have called all my family and friends who have supported me and told them and they are excited too!!!!!

I was a 38 DDD when I started out at my highest weight and now I am a 34 DD or 36 DDD, depends on the bra. I have started to buy a little better quality bra from Nordstrom and they really do have better support but It's hard to say what actual size I am because of how much extra skin and how saggy they are. I just know that standing naked and looking down at myself, I could not see my nipples before.....as crazy as it seems, with the last 15 lbs, I can now see my nipples again.....which I really had no idea would happen. It's like they have rolled back up or something. Granted.......I don't like how low they are on my body, but I just know that even with these subtle changes happening to my breast, I want to make for absolute sure that I am at my goal before I pay any amount of money or pain to have them fixed. The surgeon told my sister-in-law that a fluctuation in weight like she had wouldn't make a difference, but it did. I think it really just depends on the person, age, quality of skin, and things like that. It really is a case by case basis.

I really think you should wait to have any plastic surgery done until you are closer to goal. I am now down to 150 lbs at 5'5" from 294, and am very close to my 140-145 goal. I can tell you that my body has made changes I never thought would happen. My breast shrank with the last 15 lbs and actually look better than they did two months ago...so I believe that if I had already had something done, I would have to have it redone at some point. I just know that my sister-in-law had breast lift, implants and TT done all at once when she got down to 200 lbs and needs the TT done again after a 30 lb weight gain and loss. Any kind of weight fluctuation will effect the TT. Her breast didn't seem to change a lot when she put the weight on and then lost it again. I only want to go through that sugery one time!!!

I have to be 18 months from lapband and it wont be 18 months until April. My other doctors are documenting skin rashes and that kind of stuff for me so I'll be ready to get started with the insurance company as soon as I can. I meet all the criteria already, but the anniversary thing. But to answer your question, I do feel very strongly about his ability and will deffinately use him when the insurance company says I can. I hope your wife's case moves right on through quickly. I got enough practice on how to fight the insurance company when I fought for lapband. About 10 months almost to the day. I would say it has paid off, I have gone from 294 the day of surgery to 153 this morning. Keep me posted on your wife's case. I may need some advise on how the insurance thing goes.

I had "FISH BUBBLES" with my LapBand surgery, but I had them with both C Sections, obviously with a much larger inscision, so I didn't worry with the LapBand. I am not sure what that sensation is, but I just chalked it up as some fluid build up under the area. If it is worrying you, don't hesitate to call the nurse and ask. It will put your mind at ease.

Thank you for your reply. My husband and I reeaallly liked him and thought he was sooo down to earth and straight forward with us. We spend well over an hour in my consult and thought he seemed like a good guy. Breast cancer runs thick in my family so implants were not something I really wanted to do but was willing if that's what it took to make them look youthful again. I will be 35 in a couple of weeks and have had saggy breast for ten years. At 24, your breast should look great but after my son was born, they seemed to just never bounce back like some women's breast do. I guess I chalked it up to bad genes, but my mom is in her 60's and still has great breast. Go figure. He said that is was not necessary because my breast tissue is still in great condition, its the skin that makes them sag so bad. He told me the risks of doing a lift and implants in the same surgery that no other doctors have even metioned, so I was thankful for that. He wants to do the reconstruction and tummy and arms all in one surgery, then if six months from then, I'm not happy with my breast, we'll do a small implant for more volume. He assures me that I will love them without the implants. I hope so!

I am shopping for plastic surgeons and went to see Dr. John Long in the Medical Center of Houston. Anyone know him or have used him?

I used him and have had nothing but wonderful things to say about him and all his staff. I believe my experience with the lapband saved my life and I know my entire family and all my friends would agree. You can't go wrong.

I have experienced tightening and loosening every since my third fill. This is when I experienced my first REAL restriction and learned what foods work and what foods don't work. My band is extremely tight during that time of the month and somewhat tight on and off again during the month. I believe that if you eat something that doesn't go down very well, you may experience some swelling around the band that will cause some tighteness that is percieved as restriction and until the swelling goes down, it's hard to eat some of the foods your used to eating. I also believe that during the night all of the saline settles back into the band and during the day some of the saline travels back into the tubing leading to the port causing less restriction later in the day. Breakfast is very hard for me. I really just listen to my body and chose my menu carefully.

To let you know what to expect, a little poke with a small needle right in to the port and they will tape the attached tubing with a suringe to your belly. Then they put you in front of the exray machine (standing upright) and have you swallow a small amount of barium while they inject the saline into the band. This is just to make sure they don't tighten it too tight. It's very simple, in fact, the last fill I had they put a little novicane under the skin to deaden the area so I wouldn't even feel the needle. I didn't have that with my first three fills and I was fine. However, it seems that after being poked there several times kind of makes the skin a little tough. Don't worry, it's over before you know it.

I am alomost to my one year anniversary and have had great results. I am about 30-35 pounds from goal but would be perfectly happy if I didn't lose another pound because I feel great. However, the therapist that did my insurance required psychiatric evaluation leading up to my surgery told me that day "I'll see you after the weight loss". Wasn't sure what she meant by that, but now I know. I can't get the 294 pound woman I was out of my head. I don't recognise myself when I look in the mirror. When I get those size 14 jeans out of the closet, my mind says "those will neeeever go over your fat butt"!!! My rational mind knows that I just had them on three days ago but my critical mind doesn't get that. When I look in the mirror, I can see the results, but weirdly enough when I look at pictures of me I can barely tell the difference from the size 28 I was and the size 14 I am now. These are some of the tricks my mind is playing on me. My DH is affraid that my mind is not catching up with my body and I won't stop the weight loss until I look sick. I know that at 5'5" with two kids, I probably shouldn't weigh less than 135 or I will be too thin. Will I know when enough is enough? How long will it take for my critical mind to accept the new me like my rational mind does:help: