potatie

Hi Apples, Thank you for the advice about pain. I will keep it in mind. Hi Sue, I asked about a take home pain pump and my doctor does not do that. I will have a pain pump while I am in the hospital and after that I am on my oral medication. It looks like it is pretty strong. So I am hoping for the best. I am worried about the moving part. :closedeyes: Katie K.

Hi Special K, Thank you for the kind words. I did work hard, just like everyone else on our page. congrats on resolving the reflux. I just got mine under control finally I am able to sleep through the night. :seeya: Hi Brandnewlisa, I hear you about the HR girl thing. I am in HR as well. I have old pictures posted from last year and people are always asking me who that person in the picture was. They can not believe that it was me even from a year ago. I wonder what they will say after I have surgery? He He ha ha

Thank you to both Skinnyjeans and Apples2 for kind words. I am getting excited. I can not wait for the improved me. I am not looking towards the pain. My doctors feel that the pain should be less than my ovarian cycst removal that I had last year. So that is a positive.

So I had the pre-op yesterday and I am ready for November 6, 2009. I am soo excited I will no longer have muffin top. YEAH!!!

Hi Skinnysue, I just had my pre-op yesterday for a full tummy tuck and a mons lift. I am not getting unfilled. My band doctor told me that if I need one, I will be in the hospital and they would do it then. I am a little restricted because I am coming off of a cold, but my last fill was in August. So we will see. My doctor's told me that they would rather keep us filled if we can because then we do not have to worry about gain weight while trying to heal from major surgery, as long as we can get all of the food in and keep it in. :thumbup: Good luck to you and be sure to ask your doctor. :crying: Katie K.

Hi Scrappy, The 130 is what doctors say would put me at 22 BMI. That to me is a little scary. Thank you for the well wishes. Hi Christine. I would also be thrilled to have only gained 16 lbs being completly unfilled. Congrats go out to you!!! Sometimes it is the NSV that are more important than what the scale says. :thumbdown:

Hi Ellen, I am seeing Dr. Keith Page with Virgina Mason. He does see patients at the Federal Way campus or in downtown Seattle. He is the head of faculty of Plastic Surgery for Virgina Mason. I am having surgery with him on November 6, 2009. My pre-op is 10/20/09. His office staff are really nice as well.

Thank you Christine and Lynn for your well wishes. I am hoping that I can get over my cold before Tuesday. I am taking Emergen-c and comtrex. I am beginning to feel better. :thumbdown: Also Christine, keep your chin up and move forward everyday. Positive thoughts to myself have really helped on the days that I felt that I was not successful. You will get to the place that you want to be. Everyone is different. Try not to compare yourself to others. That is the thing that I really have taken to heart. I was having a hard time coming to grips with the fact that my doctors want me down to 130lbs. I am working on myself to be ok and accept myself if I do not get their goal. My own personal goal is have a BMI under the 25 range. Lynn, Good luck with your revision. When did you know that you would need a revision? Katie K.

Hi, Know how you both feel. There is a picture that is out there with myself and now people are asking if that was really me, but now that I am 167lbs people are seeming not to remember the old me. I am sad because this year I will not be in the yearly photo because I will be on a LOA for my PS. Oh well. :scared2:

Hi Christine, I hear you about the monthly thing. I can not wait for this week to be over so I can go back to feel "normal" again. I can not wait. I have my PS pre-op next Tuesday 10/20/09. My friend is going to take my pre-op pictures. So I will post them once I get them. I am soo surprized that I am still losing weight. I would have never ever thought in a million years that I would have successful weight loss. It is still weird getting used to the new me. I am still having some head issues with the new body size. At times I do not want to believe that this is me and that I am not in a dream. :thumbup:

Ok I am now getting nervous. I am 1 month out as of today. I get to go to pre-op on 10/20. So I am beginning my question list. I want to make sure I get all of my questions answered prior. :thumbup: I was so excited on my consult that I forgot to ask a few questions.

Hi Scrappy, I know what you mean. I have been really working on accepting myself and not placing blame when I eat things that I know I should not. I figured that I must start accepting myself if I want to be "normal". That has been one of the hardest parts is not beating myself up everytime I want to have a sweet or dessert. I know now that with the band I will eat way less than what I used to and I know that I will not eat sweets everyday. So it is learning to be accepting of yourself. The head game is so much harder for myself than anything. I am the same with you scrappy. If I do not have sweets in the house then I do not want them, but out in public I have a very hard time controlling myself. I feel that I times I have mastered the head game thing and bam I am back where I was pre-band. So I have work the program all over again. :bored: Katie K.

Thanks Mimi. :biggrin:

Hi Mini, You now will be a mini. :thumbup: You look great. I hope I look half as good as you when I am done with surgery on November 6, 2009. Yes I am counting down. :smile2: Katie

Thank you Mimi and Shalee, I am really thinking about it. I am going to have to make a few calls. Otherwise I am going to need everyone and their dog to push the legs down to get up. :thumbup:

Hi Skinnyjeans, Thank you for posting on my thread. It looks like we are close together in having our surgery. I can not wait to hear about your progress. Katie K.

Hi lessofm3, I was just approved for a panniculectomy and a mons lift. I am paying out of pocket for the upper abdominalplasy. I kept documenting that I had skin issues every time I went into a doctor's visit. Every fill this was documented. I even had a perscription that was powder. I also had it documented that I was unable to run due to the excess skin and unable to perform certain yoga poses. I told the complete truth even the part that I do not feel good about myself because of the excess skin. I was approved within a week. That was when the clinical and pictures were sent in. I was 17 months post op with 148lb down when I saw the ps. Now I am down 158lb with hopes of another 10-20 before surgery on November 6, 2009. Good luck. Right now I would worry about the weight loss journey and when you get to the point that YOU feel that YOU need PS you will know and go from there. :mad: Katie K.

So now my count down begins. Today was day number 59 before surgery on November 6. I have researching my surgery and realized that I have a lot more questions to ask my PS. So I will begin the list so I will not forget any. Katie K.

Hi BarbBee, Good luck on your upcoming surgery. Thank you for starting your post. It helps me to prepare for my own surgery. :thumbup: I know you are going to look AWESOME when all is said and done. Katie K.

Hi Mimi, Good luck to you. I will behind you with my surgery in November. Thank you for starting this post so I will know what to expect. :thumbup: GOOD luck YOU WILL LOOK AWESOME!!! Katie

Hi Everyone, I hope everyone is well. I am thrilled that I am now 1lb away from what my driver's license states. :sneaky: When I had it renewed they should have added another 100lbs. So I am excited to say that it is almost true. :sad:

Hi Laura, Thank you for you sharing. I was talking with my health coach about the same thing last night. :biggrin: I am trying wrap my own head around the same thing. My doctor says I should be at 130, but I am really shooting for being the healthy range of BMI for the first time in my life. I do not want to be one of those people who just obsess over a number on the scale. I am working on the head game again. You are right this is a life long journey and not a destination. Katie

Hi Laura, Thank you for your thought. I am planning on taking 5 weeks off. I have a lot of sick pay left and then I will go on short term disability and supplement with vacation. I am lucky because November is a slow time for HR at my store. We do all of the holiday hiring in October. So I am hoping that will be enough time. I could not imagine going back after 2 weeks. I have seen some things on the internet where people were not allowed to drive until the 3rd week post op. Katie

Hi Laura, THANK YOU for being such a huge inspiration. Thank you for sharing your pictures. You are giving me hope and excitment on what I may look like after November 6, 2009. Did your doctor offer the pain the pump or did you have to ask for one? I am thinking that is something I am going to bring up in my pre-op. YOU LOOK AMAZING!!! Keep it up. Now the standard question of how do you feel now about your self in regards to how you felt before surgery and lap band? Katie K.

Hi Mimi, Thank you for your support. I really appreciate it. Hi Nazzy- The insurance that I have is Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield National accounts. They paid for my lap band and I checked to prior to lap band to see if they would cover the skin removal. They are covering the panniculectomy and the mons lift, but I am paying out of pocket for the upper adominalplastey. That will cost $4750. Thank goodness my dad is helping out with some of the cost. The way that I had the procedure approved was the documentation of skin rashes and issues ever since surgery with lap band. I even have a powder perscription for the rashes. Then I also had over a 100 lb weight loss and pictures to prove. I also had doctor documentation that my life was limited due to the over hanging skin, such as I am unable to run without getting nausous and I am unable to do a lot of yoga poses. Hi Josie, I am not sure if I am having any lipo, we did not discuss it at the first appointment. I am going to ask at the pre-op. He told me that I will look good after, but not like a super model. I am fine with that. :cool2: Thank you for being excited with me. I need all of the support I can get. My husband just had lap band surgery, but does not really understand the PS side of the journey. So we will see how everything goes. I can not believe it is September already. That means that November 6, 2009 will be here in no time. :tt1: I can not wait. Katie