Katja

Hello Ladies, I had my tummy tuck 10 weeks ago and am now starting to think about doing a breast reduction. I am not afraid of the surgery, but want to ask those of you who have had this procedure a very important question - after you're healed, do you have normal sensations in the breasts? If there is a big problem with numbness, I don't know if I would do the surgery. I worry about this not just for my sex life, but also how it will feel in and out of my bras, bathing suits, etc. Thanks for replying. Katja

Losing, I think you have started what will be a very interesting thread for many of us. I will be following it for a long time to come. I have been overweight my whole life. Even from infancy, I was always big for my age and height. From about the age of 10, the pounds started to really add up. By the time I was 20, I was morbidly obese. I did all the diets. Failed every one of them miserably after good starts. Why am I overweight? I have no idea. If I could have found the answer to that question years ago, I may not have needed to be banded. The answer still eludes me. I will still try to find the answer to that question, but will not let the search or answer change my path. Getting banded was the best thing I could have done for my health and happiness. I am always smiling now. Any pictures that are taken of me show me glowing - not at all like any of my pictures taken over the last 40 years! I hope everyone who gets banded can lose their weight and become as happy as I am now and as happy as I will be at my goal!

Deat WV, Sorry to hear that your insurance company has denied you. Is it just your case or do they not cover any weight loss surgery? I would pin them down. Many docs offer a payment plan. Could your family afford to do this? In the end, it will cost your family less. Your health will get worse. It's only a matter of time. If your policy is like mine, you have deductibles and co-pays. All that money adds up. I would try any and every way to get this wonderful tool. I have been banded 14 months and have lost 75 pounds with it and lost another 30 pounds prior to being banded. I have about 40 pounds yet to lose. I got my tummy tuck last month. I am now the same size as I was when I was 18. Still too big, but a "normal" size now. I know you've tried every diet out there. I sure did - over 40 years worth of failed diets! The band works. I wish it had been available back then. I hope you'll be able to get it and have it work for you! Good Luck to you. I hope that lottery win comes. Our insurance system stinks! Everyone deserves the chance to get and stay healthy. Keep in touch. Let us know how you make out. Katja

When I was banded 14 months ago, I did really well losing without a fill. I lost 30 pounds in those first 8 weeks. My doc and I decided to go without a fill until my losses slowed down. I wound up getting my first fill at the end of 3 months post-op. I agree with you, if the loss is still going well, I see no need to 'rush' getting a fill. Wait until you are no longer happy with your progress.

Hey Everyone! After 14 months being banded and finally having found my sweet spot, this is what a typical day's meals are like for me: Breakfast: 2 cups of coffee 1 cup of yogurt 1 piece of fruit 2-3 prunes on those rare days when I am really hungry in the morning, I will have 1/4 cup granola mixed into my yogurt. Mid Morning Snack: granola bar Lunch: 1 slice very heavy bread with lots of whole grains and little flour in it. this is a very moist bread. 1 tablespoon diet margarine 2 slices deli ham or bologna 2 deli slices of cheese 1 piece of fruit Afternoon Snack: 3 prunes 1 chocolate covered cookie or occasionally a thin slice of cake 1 cup of coffee Dinner: deck of cards sized piece of steak or fish, chicken thigh or a good german wurst. one cup of cooked veggies or a salad with raw veggies and croutons Of course I drink a minimum of 2 liters of water a day. For an extra treat and pick up, I occasionally have a small glass of juice. Sometimes I will have a mini snack about 9 pm. I tend to stay up late due to my many evening activities besides being in the chat room! LOL! The snack may be a couple pretzel sticks, a handful of tostidos or another piece of fruit or 2-3 more prunes. Some days I need to add a little more, others I eat less. It all depends on my activity level. Hope this will help. Katja

I have always had problems with a tendency towards constipation. I have found eating 2 prunes with each meal heals greatly. It takes a few days for them to it soften the BM... You still might not go everyday, but that's okay. Try them, but don't go overboard... they can cause a lot of gas until you're used to them.

Well shame on me for not reading every word of this site... I think it's a horrible joke. Our society today is capable of anything! The reality of something like this occuring grows every day. The sad part is that there will be some who would actually do this....

These people have got to be insane! Implant a band on a 7 day old baby? That is sick! How can you determine that that child will have a weight problem that early? I have always been big, but not from the start... We all know 'big' babies that grow up to be quite thin. My niece had rolls and rolls of fat as an infant. She is now quite thin and lovely. My son was getting rather heavy before he reaching puberty... both sides of the family are rather large. Most of us could use the band. I have been banded. More on that later. My son is now well within weight charts parameters.. I hope the AMA or FDA or whoever can shut down a practice like this one. It's outrageous! This is unnecessarily mutilating helpless children! I am crying for those who will have to suffer this procedure... what will happen to their stomachs down the road? Like I said earlier, I have been banded. I reached my one year with the band last month. This has been the best thing I could have done for myself! But I am 53 years old. I have tried many, many times to lose the weight, but to no avail. I do think older teens who have been overweight since early childhood should be banded, if ALL other methods have been unsuccessful. but only after a good psych exam... not a quick cursory one. I think they should have at least one year of therapy afterwards. This is a major life altering change... I am not sure if most would be mature enough to handle it... Look at all the difficulties WE have as adults dealing with it... I sincerely hope that these infants will have someone to stand up for them against this inappropriate 'medical care'. THIS IS JUST WRONG! Katja

Hi there! I put a thread on here months ago, waiting for other American banders in Germany. I was so happy I went through the other threads again and found you guys today. It's a shame you didn't see my thread... we could have gotten together sooner! I am in the Stuttgart area. I was banded here July 30, 2007. It was and still is a great experience at the Bad Canstatt hospital where it was done. All the docs are super! Prof. Hesse is the best! After I was banded, found out that this hospital has the best reputation for Lap Bands in all of Germany. I can understand why! They have Tri-care patients too. (My hubby is civi contractor.) I don't know if you'd want to travel to Stuttgart, but they are good. My last fill was done before the antiseptic spray is dry! Is Prof. Weiner a German doc at at German hospital? Do you guys have a support group on base? Do you ever come in the LBT chat room? I'm there a lot and would love to chat with you! Katja

Franni, I am so very happy for you and your hubby! What wonderful news! You'll love being a mommie, especially after having to wait so long to become one. We had to wait 17 years for our son... long before the band was available. Congrats again and I'll see you in the chat room! Katja

Hi All! It's great to see more people joining our little 'band' of banders! I was banded July 30, 2007. Losing slowly, but steadily. You can see pics of my progress on my profile, if you'd like to. I sing in a couple choruses, direct one and coach a barbershop quartet. Those guys are my biggest supporters! Every rehearsal I get more and more compliments! I love it! I also do solo work with the choruses and sing at weddings. They are so much fun to do. Learned to play French horn in a brass choir three years ago and now teach the people in our group their brass.. trumpets, fluegelhorns, tenor horns, trombones and tubas... I always wanted to be a music teacher... maybe I'll get back to college someday and get my degree! Let's keeps this group going and recruit! Katja

Dear Di! How awful that your sons are not supporting you as they should be! You can't let them get to you. You have made a wise decision to get the help you need to become healthier. Do the band for yourself! YOU are the only one you have to please about it! Please keep in touch. I'll be happy to help you any way I may. Lapbandtalk can give you all the support you need. We are here to help one another... Good Luck on your journey to a new and healthy you! Katja

I am so sorry to hear that so many have trouble getting their fills. I either am the luckiest bander when it comes to fills or the doctors at my hospital are magical..... My port is located over my ribs, in front, under the breast on the left side. It sits exactly where the bra-band rides. It is just below the skin. I have had 5 fills so far in the almost one year that I have my band. The doctors don't always use the fluoroscope. Even when they do, it's after they have inserted the fill needle - without numbing me. There has been only one time where the doc didn't get it on the first try - it took 2 times... not bad at all. The needle stick is almost painless as he only has to get through the skin to get to the port. I have sometimes wished my port was located elsewhere because it does stick out a little when I lay down.... but after hearing all these problems with fills, I think I am very happy the way I am! Had to share my experience with you. Not everyone has a hard time, and I 'm sure there are many of us who don't have a hard time. We tend to hear more about problems... when everything goes well, we tend to not say anything.... The band has been my best friend for the last year and will be for the rest of my life! As with any friendship, I expect to have small issues with it from time to time.... but with hard work and dedication it will stay a good relationship! Good luck to all on their journey to a healthier, happier thinner you! Katja

Neal, You look great. I am so happy for you! I will get my tt in September and cannot wait! My hang has been a real bother for over twenty years! Thanks for putting the pics up. I know there is a bit of pain at first, but when I see how well you look, I know it will be well worth it! Katja :thumbup:

Hi! Yesterday I had an amazing NSV! For a"normal" person - not a big deal, but but many of us? You be the judge! After 20 years of not even thinking of trying, I actually got in and took my first bath! It was heavenly! I know, this is not a life altering experience... or is it? I think so! :biggrin2::biggrin2::biggrin2: Katja

Hi Josh! First CONGRATS on your lap band surgery. You will love having the band! Your concerns are typical for your stage of the process. First, the rapid weight loss is terrific. And yes, it's fast but great! You being a guy, 19 years old and on liquids are all contributing to your fast loss. As to being hungry, I'm afraid that happens to all of us. Your tummy is healing fast and the swelling is going down from the trauma of the surgery. The band has no fill in it yet, so that's why you're starving. Make sure you keep sipping your Water throughout the day... As for the burps, they are a bit worrisome at first. That they hurt? I never had that. You might want to call your doc and have him reassure you that it's ok. I get a bit of a gurgling noise now that I have really good restriction. Sometimes, I think we trade one noise for another just to keep this all interesting! LOL Make sure to check the forums, they contain a lot of information about the experiences of us all. There are no dumb questions. We all have been uncertain from time to time if things are going normal. I wish you lots of luck on your journey to a healthier you! Keep in touch and let me know how you are doing. Katja

Running is a wonderful way to build muscle, tone the body, build stamina and lose weight. Very true, but not a realistic 'exercise' for very overweight people. With a BMI of 35, I'm sure it was not that difficult to get back to it. I am happy for you that this works so well for you. For the rest of us, myself, and many others we would be happy if we could walk to the end of the driveway without huffing and puffing. That's how is was for me, just a few years ago with my BMI 54. Happily, I can say today, that I can ride my stationary bike 10 miles, 4-5 days a week. I no longer avoid the stairs, or try to get the closest parking spots anymore. With the band and lots of exercise, my BMI is now 38.7. I actually enjoy the exercise. And that is something I never thought I would say in my lifetime! Maybe I will be able to start running soon. That would be amazing! I can't remember the last time I really ran.... It's been 40+ years! My plans are to do a 5k walk next spring. Who knows, maybe I will be able to switch to the 1/2 marathon by that time and not finish last!

Jorge, I am so happy for you that you had the courage to call and get that fill appointment! BRAVO! You went through nothing strange, we all have been there. Now you have to make wise foods choices and you will lose weight very quickly. It will probably take a couple fills for you not to have a lot of hunger often. But that day will come! Don't get discouraged when the loss starts to slow down. That's the signal that you need another fill. If an appointment isn't scheduled already, be sure to make one asap. Ask your doc how often you can get new fills. You want to keep the steam going... Keep in touch. I will rejoice your every pound lost with you! Katja

Laurinda, My hubby was falling into that trap too. He's already overweight and surely doesn't need anymore! Good that you guys caught it early. Throwing away a little food won't send us to hades. Our parents had it rough and didn't waste even a mouthful ..... and look where it got us all! Katja

My road to becoming more active has been filled with many bumps. 2 years pre-band, I started walking. It was great, slowly built up stamina and speed. Then I got carried away, trying to do more, faster, etc. That was a big mistake. I was 306 pounds. What I did was too much for this body too soon. I wound up tearing my achilles tendon. OUCH! I could not walk for over a year without pain. While recovering from that, I walked much slower and easier whenever I could, but a few days later, big pain again. I wanted to lose this weight so bad that I didn't listen to my body and suffered needlessly. In that time I also got a piece of glass in my heel and to top it off, I dropped a huge flower pot on my foot and broke a toe! Talk about feeling like I was doomed to not losing the weight and getting healthier. But I managed to work off 30 pounds! Was it worth it? Fast forward a year later. Went and saw the surgeon. 5 days later got banded! Now this is awesome! After the 6 weeks of healing, I started riding a stationary bike at home. 5 minutes was all my butt could handle on that seat! But, this time much wiser and more patient (I don't know how), I kept getting on that bike 5 out of 7 days. 5 minutes only. After 2 weeks, I rode 10 minutes. Slowly my butt got tougher... Now 10 months of bike riding, I am up to 5x per week, doing 10 miles under 40 minutes and a resistance level of 6 out of 10! This is utterly amazing to me! My butt still complains, but not nearly as loud. LOL My son teases me that I am going to become a Jill-Jock. I think he may be right! If I miss more than 3 days in a row, I feel uneasy, and not from guilt. My body has come to expect the exercise. It needs it now! Believe me, this is one story I never, ever thought I would tell in my lifetime. All these years of being on the sidelines.... Next year, I will do a 5k walk. I don't want to be first across the finish line, but I am sure that I won't be the last one either! Good luck in your journey to becoming healthier! It does take work and a lot of sweat. But, oh is it worth it! Katja