marineliebe

B I K I N I !!!! lol thats kinda my biggest goal right now....bikini and then go somewhere fabulous and hot like hawaii or on a cruz! or maybe alstraila! :thumbup: Or maybe New York to go on a giant shoping spree! who knows, but I'll have to do somthing good!

hey thanks! i've moved onto normal foods now, i'm trying to get excersise in and whatnot. sometimes i get hungry at night tho...any tips? you have had AMAZING success!! what all did you do?

ooooh yes i too think this all the time! sometimes i just wish i could fast forward time 6 months ahead and be thinner already!! right now i hate running into ppl from high school or old jobs etc. its like man, why couldn't i have fun into you 6 months from now!! oh well, i guess we just all have to hope we will run into them again 1 year from now and then we can see the reactions!

I too just realized that I now have less than 100lbs to lose! and it makes the whole things seem like its actually possible. 2 digets! but...i still have a long while to go.

my highest weight was 265 and i'm 5'5''....almost 20lbs down woohoo!

Ryan I also am behind you 100%. I don't think that you would be on here at your age if you didn't need the band. I'm sure you are mature enough to know what you are getting yourself into, and I give you tons of luck and support!! I hope everything works out for you. This is somthing you can do! Keep us updated on your progress! And Bel, you are a HUGE insperation to everyone on here!! The fact that you not only lost all your weight but have kept it off for 7 years is amazing and I hope I have as much success as you did!!

there really isn't much of a difference between 16 and 18. I don't think 2 years is enough to say you should or shoulnd't be allowed a band because your *gasp only 16* if someone is 16 and needs the band, then fine. if someone is 18 and needs the band, fine again. i don't think that a two year difference is enough to say "your digusting to be fat at 16" and should have to wait 2 years. IMHO

i paid $17,300 at Northwest Weight Loss Surgery in Everett Washington. That includes fills for 1 year, and any surgery that might have to be done if anything goes wrong for 2 years.

I shelled out $17,000 to have my surgery, if I can make some of that back by sharing my experience's with others I see nothing wrong with that! $500 could buy me some new clothes in a smaller size, which I can't afford b/c I'm paying off my surgery lol!

Hi Amanda! Well, I'll tell you a little of my story, since we are pretty close in age (I'm 22). I just was banded last week, on May 20th. My pre-op weight was 265, like yours, and I'm 5'5". I'm still in my recovery stage of the band but so far I feel pretty good about my decision. There were a few days there right after surgery where I was thinking "what have I done?!?" But I think thats pretty normal. So far I have lost 10lbs. I'm still on my liquid stage (my doc requires me to be on liquids for one week after surgery), but tomorrow I start my mushy stage. Thats where I can start adding in mushy foods like mashed potatoes and cottage cheese and oatmeal. I can already notice my face getting slimmer, and it has really given me hope. I did write a long winded post about my time right after surgery and its posted in the "post-op questions" board right at the top in a section about your surgery stories. Like I said, I'm only a week out, but I do think this will be one of the best things I could ever do for myself (I was self pay). I know it will be hard, there is no getting around that, the Lap Band takes work and dedication. I hope you make the right choice for you, and feel free to message me with any questions! Good Luck!

I think that you should sit him down one on one and tell him straight up that you don't want him to bring home ice cream and potato chips. Tell him that when he has done that in the past it has sabotaged your weight loss attempts and that you truly want to succeed this time. If it then seems like he has a problem with that, ask him why! No one should have a problem with you losing weight and becoming healthier. If he cares about you, he should support you and thats the truth. He is more than welcome to eat whatever he wants, but he should have the respect to not do it in front of you, seeing as in the past this is what has made you fail. I think that if you tell him this (sweetly of course ) he will understand.

Hey All, It REALLy helped me out to hear everyone elses stories about their banding expearence, so I thought I would share mine as well in hopes it will help others who are going later this month! I got up around 6am today and left the house at 6:30am, I had packed a bag the night before with all my meds, a blanket, an extra shirt, some Water and a pillow. I arrived at the surgery clinic (I was banded at North West Weight Loss Surgery) about 8:20 (I was a little early). I sat next to a nice man in the waiting room and chatted with him for a bit, he had been banded about 13 months ago and had lost 100lbs. His wife was being banded while he was waiting. After he left to be with his wife when she was out of surgery, I was given some papers to sign and read over. Then I was taken back into the pre-op room where I changed into a gown, robe and socks. They gave me a nice bag to put my extra clothes in and a thing of chap stick. Then I came back out and they had me sit in this sort of recliner chair thing and gave me a blanket. Then they gave me a shot in my thigh to prevent blood clots, I think that was the worst part of the whole procedure, I don't like needles and the shot stung for about 5 min after I got it. After that I had to wait a little while as the surgery before me was running a little behind. Then my surgen came out and chatted with me and my dad for a bit and asked if we had any questions. After that I had my IV put in, which actually hurt less than the shot because he put some numbing medication on my hand before. After the IV was in, they got me up and I walked into the OR. I layed down on the table and they put some meds in my IV and put an oxygen mask on me, I remember looking at the nurse and her telling me I was going to be fine and thats the last thing I remembered. I woke up as they were rolling me back into a recovery room, I was pretty groggy but came out of it well. (I started singing Gwen Stefani) They brought my dad to me and gave me some water to start sipping on. They would come and check my vitals every 15min to 1/2 hour or so. They asked how my pain was and I decided I could use a pain shot, so they gave me some, I think it was called dafiral or somehing? It started with a D at any rate. I stayed i bed for about 2 and 1/2 hours, then they had me get up and walk about and I went to the bathroom. I was then lead to the "step down room" where I was in another recliner type chair. I sat there for about another 1/2 hour and was given my discharge instructions. Then I changed into my comfy clothes and my dad brought the car around. The nurse helped me out and I pretty much feel asleep the second I got into the car. So I don't really remember the car ride home. Once I got home I had some chicken broth and soup and took a nap. Then one of my girlfriends came to see me and we watched a movie togther. I would get up about once an hour and do a few laps up and down the hall, I found it really helped with getting the gas out...or at least trying to get it out. My friend left, and I started watching the Heros DVDs and another girlfriend came over and watched a few episodes with me. My dad went out to get me some straws and juce and my friend left (around 10pm) I had some more soup and some juice. (My sweet dad also brought me back a giant princess balloon and a stuffed animal to make me feel better). I found its a lot easier to drink water/juice with a straw. As the night has gone on, I've been getting more sore, mostly on my port, I think this is because the numbing medicine they gave me in my tummy is wearing off. All in all, I feel pretty good, a little uncomfortable and sore, my best advice right now is to keep up on the pain meds BEFORE you feel like you need them, if you take them every 2-3 hours you won't really feel the pain, at least i'm not. So thats pretty much my story, I'm not looking forward to tomorrow, I've heard the second day is the worst!! Good luck to all of you upcomming bandsters! Marine

I totally agree! carnation instant breakfast is my fav! I usualy get the ones that come in the bottle (not powder) and i mix the chocolate with ice and half a banana, sooooo good!!! or mixed with frozen cherries, thats good too.

i don't know if my pain was really bad, or if i just have a low pain tolerance. but today is the first day i have been really cutting back on the loratab they gave me. i've only taken it once today. i hope tomorrow i won't need it at all.

congrats! i was banded on may 20th too! I'm also feeling a lot better today than I have been feeling. I think i'm finally getting over the hump! Good luck with your band, how are you doing with the post-op diet?

i like a heating pad, although i can't put it directly on my port site or it starts to itch/hurt a little. its fine on the other incisions though. i think the heating pad helps get rid of the gas, I'm not sure now but i was having a really bad time with the gas and someone suggested a heating pad and i started using it and i feel like it really helps!

^ ^ ^ Good advice...as for my aditional 2 cents, is there a support group for bandsters near you that you can go to? Its great to have this board, but sometimes you really need help face to face. The place where I got banded has monthly support groups (I just got banded and havn't gone yet, but I intended to). Just being able to look a person in the eyes and hear what they are going though, and even get a hug from someone whos been there!! (I'm more than happy to send you a virtual hug as well...*hug*!!! :thumbup: Even the fact that you were able to get on here and type out what you were feeling, that can help work out a lot of emotions, so you may already be feeling better b/c you were able to get it all out! Just know that we all have faith in you! :cursing:

things are still going pretty good...i'm in some pain/soreness but thats to be expected. the worst part is the GAS!!! i think i'm having a hard time getting it out of my system! it wakes me up a few tiems a nigh and i have to get up and walk around for a bit before i can go back to sleep. i also feel it whenever i "eat" (soup or shake) it like bubbles up after i swallow. i hope this gets better, i'm day 4 post op now and i have to say that each day has been getting better, but i'm still not 100% by any means. i would say i'm at about 65% I'm supposed to go to a good friends bday tomorrow, but at this rate i think i'm going to have to pass. we will see how i'm feeling tomorrow. :cursing:

i'm having the same issues! it seems like half the time it is actual hunger, and half the time its gas. my gas has been really bad tho. and it seems like its even worse after i eat. anyone else had this? sometimes i stand up when i eat (broth with a spoon, or sip on a protein shake) and that helps a little. but honestly i'm starting to worry if this is what its always going to feel like when i eat? am I always going to have those "bubble" like feelings of gas when stuff goes down? its like bad indegestion which hurts in my chest. anyone else expeariencing this?

good luck michelle!! you'll do great!

so i'm sitting here the day before my surgery, and what show is on my favorite channel? Big Medicine, and not just one show, its a marathon. Its actually calming my nerves to watch all these people have weight loss surgery, i can SEE what may go on after surgery in recovery, how the surgery is done, and how much weight they are losing. I also thought it was interesting that the doctors (its a father and son), their daughter/sister has the lap band. if anyones up and has TLC check it out! lap band here i come!! woo hoo!