MacMadame

Yes, the major danger point is the first 2 weeks -- which is why 99% of the docs have you on a liquid diet during this time. Then after that, there is still a chance until somewhere in the 1 to 2 month timeframe (I've heard 1 month, 6 weeks and 2 months). In a study I read with hundreds of sleeve patients, followed for several years, no one had a complication of any sort after 3 months out. So I consider that my "safety" point.

Yeah, and that's part of what bothers me about the show. It's all presented as "see, you can lose weight if you just try" but, first, their lifestyle on the show is completely unrealistic. Second, they are doing stuff we know doesn't work in the long run. So I think it builds up false hope and it also contributes to the bad attitude society has towards WLS. See, those guys on The Biggest Loser can do it. Why can't you? As to whether I'd go on the show? No. Not the least big interested. But I'd love to go on The Amazing Race. I wonder if they'd take me as a WLS patient? I wouldn't be able to do any of the mass eating challenges though.

I don't think it works at all. Working to me is losing a significant percentage of your excess weight and keeping it off for at least 10 years. I bet the majority of the contestants are back to being obese, if not MO in 5 years.

You might want to try posting this in the Complications thread. Most of the people reading "Introductions" aren't that far out. Definitely get it checked out because no restriction after having restriction can be a sign of erosion.

Duplicate post.

Even the worst butchers in Mexico charge more than $5000. That's because the band companies charge them around 3,000 just for the band. Decent lap band doctors start at around 7000-8000 and go up from there. I don't know too many US docs who do it for that price though. But they do it for slightly more than that.

Don't forget to look at ALL four WLS types: Weight-Loss Surgeries Compared

Okay, I found some more info. A typical training plan has you do 2 of the 3 sports each day on a rotating basic. Some have you doing an hour in the morning and an hour in the PM during the week and then 2-3 hours one day on the weekend. Honestly, I can't see myself doing that. That's a lot of time. I also found an article that says anyone who is fit can do a Sprint Triathlon. These are .5 miles of swim, 13k of bike and 3.1k of running. There is one in my area in May that does the biking as Mountain Biking. I lurve mountain biking so I am going to train for that one. I will start out pretty slow though. Right now, I'm worried about strength training because of my incisions. I'm thinking I'll add running to my routine next and also work on finding a place with a pool. Then in Jan, I'll start training in earnest.

Welcome to LBT. Go to your User Control Panel (You'll see a link for User CP on a bar on most pages or it will be under "Links" to set up your profile. Some docs are conservative with fills and it takes a while to get restriction. It should happen eventually though.

Yeah, 35 is the low end. If you have co-morbidities, your insurance should cover it but you probably don't want to drop lower. You will have restrictions on lifting for a month or two, but recovering enough to be up and about shouldn't take too long. As long as you are on pain meds, they won't let you drive. I was a BMI of around 36 on the day of my surgery, but I was self-pay.

Welcome to LBT and congrats on your band.

Congratulations!

There are places in the US who don't charge that much. LapSF charges around 14,000 and we're in one of the highest CoL areas in the country. I bet if you shopped around you could find someone local who is nearer to that price.

There are countries in Europe with tax rates higher than that and no usury or economic rebellion in sight. Again, there are many countries in Europe who are not running away from socialism. I read an article that proposed that high taxes create stability because essential services exist for all. That's a typical European attitude among the Euros I know from my figure skating boards.

I was born in Hawaii. And it wasn't even a state when I was born there. But I'm a US citizen. Oh and my birth certificate looks just like that.

There is some blogger who is into the Fat Acceptance movement. To her, WLS is what traitors to the cause do. But she, herself, is always going back to WW. So I say she's a hypocrite. (Plus, she's also a liar, but I digress.) I believe in being as healthy as you can at the size you are and loving yourself no matter what your size, but that doesn't mean I was just as healthy when I was MO as I am now that I'm only obese. I wasn't healthy and now I'm healthier. That's just common sense.

That's what I want. I've been disappointed in mine. It's hard to get a good workout in the aerobic games. If you run, I bet you are already too advanced for it. (You do run, don't you?) I am going to use it for yoga and, once I'm cleared for it, maybe strength training.

Ask him about blood thinners and what he does for traveling patients. I'm sure he has a protocol of some sort. There are *lots* of things that can be done to minimize blood clots.

Yes, the system is part of the problem. I don't know what a fair amount is, but I know the so-called Fair Tax or Flat Tax is *not* fair. Here's the math that shows why: Where I live, a family of four -- two adults, two kids -- needs about $77,069 to break even. So let's take 3 families: Family A makes $80,000. Family B makes $150,000 and Family C makes $250,000. Family A has $2,931 in disposable income. Family B has $72,931 in disposable income. Family C has $172,931 in disposable income. Now we tax all of them 10% -- the "fair" amount. (It can be any amount, but that one has easy math) Family A pays $8,000 ... so how they no longer have any disposable income and are in the hole -5069 a year. Family B pays 15,000. Instead of 72,931 in disposable income, they now have 57,931. That's still a lot of money, but I bet they feel it. Family C pays 25,000. Instead of 172,931 in disposable income, they have 157,931. IOW, a drop in the bucket. This is why I think any tax system has to have a base, based on CoL in your area and nothing under that base is taxed. How you tax anything over the base, I haven't done the math and I don't really know what is fair. But I don't think it's fair to make the poor pay a disproportionate amount of their disposable income compared to the rich. I say this as someone who makes a lot of money, too. So maybe less taxes for the "rich" (or at least upper middle class) would benefit me personally. But it wouldn't be fair.

Well I joined that site. I'll let you know what they say. I really don't like running either. That's why I don't think I could manage a marathon. But I would put up with the running if there were biking and swimming involved. :sad_smile:

This I whole-heartedly agree with. Society says that MO are lazy and out-of-control and all they need is a little willpower and to push themselves away from the table. But 15 year olds don't get to be 300# and climbing because they go to McDonald's too much and don't get on the treadmill at the gym. There is something very wrong with a person's body to get to that state. That is why obesity is a disease, not a character flaw. At this point in time, the only effective treatment we have for obesity is WLS. Does it work 100%? No. But neither does any medical treatment. To tell people that getting a medical treatment is somehow a poor reflection on their character is really repugnant to me, yet that's what Oprah does.

This is why I think Bob is a better trainer than Jillian. Wow, I had no idea they did crap like that. Whereas I tend avoid the drama-filled ones. My favorites are all about accomplishing things. Though I do watch Big Medicine ... probably because I can relate to the people more.

I believe you! :sad_smile: I was in Fellini land. It's probably very similar. I'm in Dizzyland right now. I tried the "Alpine Pass" workout on the stationary bike. Geez.

So I've always wanted to do something like that. I do hate to run, but I love to bike and swim so I could put up with the running to get the other two. But I have no idea where to begin. Right now I walk around my neighborhood a couple of days a week and bike in the gym 2x a week (30 minutes each, around 5.5 miles, average heart rate 120-ish). I don't swim much at all. There's a pool in our community but they turn off the heat in Oct. and it's tiny and weirdly shaped so it's not good for lap swimming. No pool at the gym (it's the free gym at work). I do other, non-related, exercise as well. I did find this site: BeginnerTriathlete.com - Triathlon Training for Beginners but I don't know how good it is. Is there something like Couch to 5k for the triathlon?

And sometimes walk more than you feel like. An aquaintance of mine died from a blood clot after her surgery. She didn't feel like walking, so she didn't. You have to MOVE YOUR BODY!! It doesn't have to be an official walk outside or in the gym on a treadmill. It can just be walking around the living room every 30 minutes or so. Just don't sit and lay around. My first official walk, I managed to go 2.5 blocks from my house before I had to turn around. But I did it anyway because I've had a blood clot before and they are not fun (assuming they don't kill you).