NewSho

CONGRATS! Those are wonderful NSV's indeed. The scale can not measure the pleasure of sitting comfortably in any seat, any where.

That's not enough info for us to help you BandedShopGirl. The questions about your fills/restriction level will better determine our answers. In my experience, people who want to lose, but aren't actively losing - are sometimes doing the following things (I've been guilty, so I'll use "we" on these): We aren't getting regular fills We are underfilled, and aren't experiencing enough restriction We aren't following up with our LapBand surgeon. Big one! If weight loss slows down or stops, we think we've failed, and stop going. We are taking in far too many calories (being under-restricted can lead to this) and not even Protein - which our bodies need to keep lean muscle and burn unneeded flab. Remember, you have to pick up the phone and make that appointment. The surgeon is NOT going to call you, generally. :phanvan So let us know more details, and maybe we can have suggestions. Good Luck.

I admit it. As a single/childless gal, I like to go to Happy Hour with pals. Before surgery I told my doctor I liked a glass of wine with dinner (or an occasional margarita) and he thought it was fine as long as I was mindful of the calories/carbs. It's important to remember that after banding, we eat less, weigh less and will generally feel a "buzz" much quicker than we did before surgery. So moderation is key. Last month, I went to Vegas which is a nonstop eat and drink fest. :hungry: And although I didn't do much in the way of buffets this trip, I didn't miss a drink. And a drink didn't miss me. In fact, it's hard to not drink in Vegas - they practically push those drinks in your hand. (Not to mention the $1.50 margarita coupons they kept giving us! *hiccup* ) So basically I drank wayyyy more than usual. (Hey it's Vegas, we weren't driving,and we did tons and tons of walking, which helped.) Anyway, because I seemed to spend more time at the casinos & shops than at the dining table - I still lost an outstanding 8 lbs over those few days. And I had a ball. :clap2: Good Luck

Nana: I can imagine with your dancing that this is a definite concern, Nana. Sure lots of Bandsters here and on other sites, get theirs replaced just so they have a better silhouette. I think the LP's make a smoother line, without bulging. I got switched to a Lower Profile and it's MUCH better. The procedure itself is quick (less than 1/2 hour, sometimes 20+ minutes) and you're not under anesthesia very long - that means you "come to" quicker and recover much faster. I was in a store 2 hours after getting out of recovery, and felt rested :notagree not groggy. Some Bandsters wait until they get plastics, which makes sense. Since you're planning on PS anyway, that's a perfect time to get those little suckers switched out. During a Tummy Tuck or Abdominoplasty, the port is often moved when the abdomen's skin is reconstructed. (My Plastic Surgeon moved my port during my TT, but I'd already replaced mine with a lower profile. I've lost weight since then, but so far it hasn't migrated back closer to the surface. We'll be looking out for any bulging! :nervous ) I recommend LP's for all PreOp Bandsters (I know many surgeons charge $300 or so more for them but it is, in my opinion, worth it) but they're weren't used very widely back when most of us here, were banded. Nowadays some surgeons only do LP's and I think that's the wave of the future. We Bandsters are so techno-savvy! :clap2: Irish: Most surgeons do NOT require you to be at goal to get a Lower Profile. Lots of time it's done whenever the patient feels self-conscious about the other one, or whenever weight loss has been significant. Perhaps your surgeon is saying 'wait til goal' because he wants to make sure you will be happy with how deep it's placed. That makes sense. Or as I said above, if you ever plan on a Nip or Tuck, get it moved then.

And when I do get them they are usually very mild. Well, I always joke that when I get my hiccup, that means "Check, please!" :bananapartyhat: It's like a gentle signal from my band that the meal is about finished. Usuallly when I get "The Hiccup" that means time to put the fork down. (Now were I to be greedy and keep eating :hungry: after getting that first little hiccup, that means the Band is not going to be happy, and hiccups are going to become more frequent and a bit louder.) Lotsa Bandsters get the hiccups, I think they're really harmless.

Speaking for myself : I've been banded since the dawn of time (feels like :bananapartyhat: ) and I've never paid nor been asked to pay $800-$1000 for a fill under flouro. Fills aren't cheap but in big cities the places to get them tend to be more plentiful, often having more options. And to answer PattyBlueEyes: When all is good in the Band Universe, the insurance covers my fills, and I either pay a Co-Pay (usually $20 or $30) if I've met my deductible. (Even then the most they've ever billed my insurance was for a $425 at hospital, under flouro. I paid $20 CoPay for that. Sometimes I go out-of-network or get fills with a cash band doc. My normal cash price for a fill ranges from $100-$250 depending on whether it's under flouro or not ($100-$150 in office, $200-$250 under flouro). DS is short for Duodenal Switch which is another form of bypass weight loss surgery. We've got a couple of successful Band-to-DS'ers here (like Geezer, Rachele, and others) who can tell you more about this alternative procedure. Oh, and there is tons of information at this website: www.duodenalswitch.com Good Luck on your decision, either way.:bananapartyhat:

YAY! Always great to see inspiring stories with the band.

Wow, great report. Sounds like those in Michigan have an awesome choice for fills there. Thanks.

Are you seeing a theme here? BEACH? Number one, we tend to eat things at the beach/on vacation that we wouldn't eat at home. Number two, lots of Bandsters experience 'tightening' of the band in extreme heat. My band often tightens up if I'm in the sun all day but oh, if I get dehydrated - it will later SUCK that fluid out and I loose fill. It's a vicious cycle so I make SURE I stay hydrated when I'm at the beach, in extreme heat, etc. Keep it up, it gets easier. When the band is well filled, good restriction can't help but lead you to good weight loss. Good Luck.

Telly There are some great suggestions, information and resources on the OH Plastic Surgery Message Forum. You read a lot of good recommendations, experiences, and see lots of results there. Good Luck

Nana: Unfortunately no garment can Tighten skin that hasn't been surgically removed. The reason you sometimes get a garment afterward is to 'give support' to the area that has had surgery - it gives the patient some strength in an area that is weakened. Plus it helps keep post-surgical swelling (which is inevitable) to a more manageable minimum. In fact, after surgery almost all patients are given a medical/surgical garment in the hospital then their individual surgeons may recommend particular garments (Design Veronique garments are often recommended after plastic surgery - they are very pricey but you wear them long enough to get your money's worth. There is also Lipo In A Box which is NOT a substitute for Lipo unfortunately, but can be helpful for PreOps who want to temporarily disguise our flab and for PostOps who are dealing with swelling & circulatory isses after surgery. On the budget end - the Flexees all-in-one under garments (sold in stores, online, at Amazon,etc) are popular with Post Ops. Can any of these mimic the effect of surgery? No. Can any of them help tighten skin? No. But can they be effective as Post Op tools? Yes. This is quite a journey, indeed. Good Luck!

DWagner With this surgery there is no relapse - its a tool we can keep working with as long as we need it. So as you've said, just pick up that phone, make that call, and get a fill. Fills don't "stay" forever and if we try to ride out a fill for months or years, we will struggle at maintaining, and might even gain. So please don't be hard on yourself and get filled (you've probably sweated off a bit of whatever you had as a fill before). Keep us posted.

D'oh! Exactly G-Sue. If 190,000 people had Weight Loss Surgery in the USA last year, then we have an incredible number of us (in the 'States at least) for company, at this "terrible low." New Sho A Permanent Resident of "Terrible Low" ~ Population 190,000 *smile*

D'oh! I got so excited, I forgot to include my e-mail. Band @ AllNewSho.com (of course get rid of spaces) See/chat with all of you soon.

CONGRATS Diva! We're scooting over to make room for you on the *losing* side! :Banane56:

Randy Jackson? Can you believe he's the spokesman for OREO's now. His pic is right on the package (I saw it in the store, STOP THAT! *LOL*) What a crock. Anyway he did have a Lap Fobi Bypass. http://www.cstobesity.com/obesity_news.html

You've got my commitment! :Banane56: I will try, I'm around, I'm not just at goal yet. Doc says 6# more is his conservative goal the wardrobe I aspire to says I need to get down at least 15# or more. But closer to goal, my weight loss has been SLOW. (*sigh*) Needless to say, I won't be going anywhere for a while. You're all stuck with me!:nervous

Hey, there! I'm there too. See me at www.myspace.com/shosays - or add me as a friend, if you like. I'm going to be checking out the cool links posted above. Fun place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there. *LOL* Kidding!

Well, it looks like the TT scar (part of which was reused for my fibroid surgery) is apparently starting to thicken. UPDATE AGAIN 10 DAYS LATER - This darn scar is changing like the weather, LOL. It's actually lighter than the rest of my skin. So it's not really darker like the older parts of the incision, but lighter (I wonder if this reflects the blistering I had from the Steri-Strips tape. I'm definitely allergic to that stuff.) Hopefully this won't be the beginning of keloiding. What's so sad is, the rest of my TT scar was nice and flat. I know Silicone Sheets have worked on flattening new scars but I hadn't heard about it's results on keloiding or pre-keloiding scars. I do worry about what's going to happen when I have the Boob Lift. But if I have to have revision of the TT scar, I'll do it. Maybe when I get the Boob Lift or Lipo on whatever other procedures I need.

I'm not sure if addressing this to those at goal only - will get you the widest response. Obviously many of us are at different points of our journey. But though I'm not at goal yet, but it's getting closer so maybe we can see if you can help. Your post was very brief Why is it you don't eat? Do you not have much of an appetite? Does eating certain food make you nauseous, or give you distress? Are you eating protein first? At goal it's OK to mix in a few more carbs too Most importantly: What's your band size and fill level?If you're being goal, you are probably very tightly restricted, I assuming. But we won't know until you tell us all details. And finally, what does your doctor's office say? Often I notice people at goal sometimes don't visit their surgeons offices much anymore even though that's the only way to make sure you're at the correct restriction level. Is that your case? Let us know!

I guess that's your take. Don't you think lots of other people have LapBanding recommended by their doctors, for the same health reasons? Of course they do. That is not what is medically indicated for Obesity Surgery - nor by international bariatric standards and certainly not the standards utilised here in the 'States. That's ironic. I'm reading your statistics in your signature. If you're aiming to lose 75kg ( 165#) and you call that vanity? Wow, people really do have different viewpoints on this. I would consider you being 165# more than a vanity issue, it would seem to be a health issue. Obviously you felt differently. I've expressed clearly that I had this surgery to look (and secondarily to feel) better. Now in my case I thought 90 extra pounds was affecting my looks. In your case, you came to that realization at the 165# mark. OK, again, difference in viewpoint. No one suggested it or forced it on me. I very dedicatedly got myself approved (initially for RnY bypass) on my own with sheer will. My aim was to lose about 38kg - 40kg (85-90 lbs) or so. Yet I had been so overweight for so long, and was so weary of fighting obesity that I gladly welcome a tool that offered long term solutions. And I consulted with over a half dozen (more, actually) of the top bariatric professionals with both international (and national) outstanding reputations. They agreed to me seeking bypass due to my incredibly long and generally failed diet history. These surgeons were all quite trustworthy and did lengthy consults with me. The consensus was this: surgeons estimated I'd lose approx. 90-100# with the RnY bypass in just over a year or so. Bingo - right where I wanted to be. In fact, with RnY I might lose a bit more than I needed, which could be a welcome change for once. When I expressed interest in the LapBand (which was done in Europe where I used to study & live) my eventual surgeon said'd probably lose about 80# with the LapBand but it would take somewhat longer due to having no malabsorption. It was a brand new method but I was interested. We both agreed that it was a great choice for a single, childless woman. I thought it was worth trading losing 10#-20# less with the LapBand in light of the benefits. What I didn't realize was that many of the things I thought I was avoiding with the bypass (complications) did pop up with the LapBand, and I still lost far more slowly than either me or my LapBand surgeon thought it would take. So hopefully everyone makes the right choice for them, but it's important to realise we all have different aims, goals and beliefts that may affect our choice. It's good to have faith in having made the right choice, but it's still admirable to be objective about the other choices that are out there.

Mary looks great! :clap2: I was also feeling blue about my weight loss slowing down (to a crawl) and feeling under-filled. Plus I don't think pictures make me feel better - I only focus on how much more I need to lose. So although I don't have big-numbers loss like most people here, I guess I'm seeing some progress. Here are my pics: Picture #1 combines two pictures of me wearing the same outfit. The first half is AFTER LapBanding (I'd lost some but no where near now) but before my Tummy Tuck. It's obvious why I needed the TT in that pic! In the second half, I've lost a lot more weight, and I've had the much-needed TT. Picture #2 is current. Whew, even I think I look visibly better, and I'm my worse critic. :phanvan Oh well, I've got LOTS more work to do before I consider myself a Weight Loss success.

Well, I'm having one of those days where I feel underfilled so it always makes me reflect. So the best thing about the LapBand to me is the adjustability, but then the most difficult aspect of the LapBand (for me) can be finding the right 'fill' level. Getting to the "sweet spot" can be quite tiring sometimes. That's one thing that LapBanders deal with at the beginning and it can slow down our loss. While RnY patients are starting right out of the box with fast loss, we are usually dealing with an unfilled band and it often takes quite a few 'fills' for us to get to a good restriction level. Yes I've lost slowly (in my first 9 months, I lost 35-40# or so pounds, much like you...) but it was based on not being well restricted at first. I loved my surgeon and he's absolutely a great surgeon technically and personally - but even with my strong protests I walked around almost a year without good restriction. Getting to that point took me months and months, and I am well aware that if I had gotten the RnY, I would have already been losing then. That's frustrating. As soon as I started getting very good restriction (which for me, was well over 2.0), I started losing more. That took me faster, and then I was chugging right along. After my Tummy Tuck I had some great post-op restriction (it was actually swelling but I was happy to have it and not be hungry) but it dissippated over time and then I lost nearly 1.0 cc of my restriction. Then the loss slowed again. So for me it's simple, the LapBand will only work when the tool is operating properly. Yes I can do my part, but I need the band to be doing it's part. Of course, over time, LapBanders eventually get to their "sweet spot" and they can get to whatever goals they set with some effort. But honestly even as I get to sniffing distance of my goal weight, I'll never bad-mouth the RnY Bypass (or similar methods) because I know those methods (albeit more complex, and more severe surgically) can and do work for most patients. I don't know if I wish I had a RnY but I wish I'd had a faster, easier LapBand journey. So if I'd known the LapBand wasn't going to go smoothly, I would have had RnY probably. I'm still hoping this tool will work for me, but the fill setbacks are annoying. After I get to goal (I'm 6# from my doc's goal for me but I know I need to lose at least 16# or more to get to a decent size), ask me how I feel about it, and maybe my answer will be different. It's a journey, for sure.

What a horrible thing to say! How is this surgery "better" than another Weight Loss Surgery (WLS) ? How are we as LapBanders any better than RnY Bypass patients or DS patients or VGS patients? We are so lucky to have a choice of tools to help us combat obesity but it really gets me mad when we, as obese people, look down on other obese people who chose another method. How are you any different from the judgmental folks who don't have WLS who think any surgery is the 'easy way out?':mad: Don't you think that thin people think we've all "sunk to a terrible low" because we needed any type of surgery to help us out? Honey, we don't get points for picking a user-intensive form like LapBanding when non-obese people sit in judgment of us.:phanvan OMG, how could we not be offended? Apparently not. I'm honestly very surprised at you speaking so insultingly Jachnut. You've always seemed so positive but your negativity and scorn (yes, scorn) for thse who chose Bypass surgery is simply hurtful to me and I haven't even had one (should I say "yet?") I visit a general WLS forum regularly and almost every time I visit, I have to spend time disputing some misinformation or outright lies about the LapBand, usually by an RnY patient who'll say "all LapBanders stay fat" or "They all have to end up getting RnY afterwards if they want to lose any real weight.". And there are far, far more RnY Bypass & DS & even VGSleeve patients who sit in judgment of LapBand surgery and of us, who chose it. So believe me, I hear band-bashing quite a bit. I don't get it. Why not be happy about having found a tool that works for you without all the cheat-beating smugness about which form is better. My LapBand loss has been slow, and sometimes not easy, so I have absolutely no qualms about saying this: If the LapBand doesn't work, I'd get another form of WLS. I don't want a RnY bypass, I hope I don't need one, but if LapBanding fails me, I'd get one. TOMORROW. I want to lose about 16# or 17# more pounds overall. Hopefully a LapBand can get me there, but if anything happens I wouldn't beat myself up, about getting an RnY. I've shed blood, sweat and tears just to lose this much weight with a LapBand. That doesn't make me a better person (and I'm not more patient) than any Bypass patient. Six months ago, when I thought my band has failed because my surgeon told me he believed I'd lost all the weight I'd ever lose with a LapBand, I made an appointment at the city's best RnY surgeon the next week. I wasn't even joking, And that was more than 20# ago, but I knew I wouldn't get the weight off any other way. So even if I only had 40# to 50# more pounds to lose I would have gotten an RnY if the surgeon felt like that was my only way of getting the weight off. Sounds extreme? As a person who's been overweight for many years I'd do anything to fight obesity, and it doesn't mean "I've sunk to a low" or anything. I need help, I'll get it. Period. There by the grace of G-d go you Jachnut. If something happened to your band and banding wasn't an option for you anymore - you could quite possibly regain your weight. Then maybe you would sink to that "terrible low" you speak of so vehemently, and start considering all sorts of options you don't think you would do.:paranoid I hate when RnY patients insult the LapBand. And I am frankly sickened by some of the RnY-bashing I hear on this board, but this might be one of the worse comments I've read. :huggie: Banded or not, Bypassed or not, we should always have respect for anyone fighting obesity.

Congrats! :huggie: We know it isn't when you get to those last few pounds, the fight is really on. (I'm down to about 6# from my doctor's goal, or about 16# from my own goal. And at this point every ounce counts!)