Nanook

Beth, I'm glad you're not feeling attacked. I'm not sure what your weight situation is but prior to getting my surgery they put me through a ringer of tests and I found out a lot of issues I had no idea about before. Things like my thyroid was under active, I had sleep apnea, just things that also contribute to weight issues. I'm also on antidepressants and anxiety meds which also make it difficult to lose weight. So I found that with my personal situation if I had issues now losing weight with self control etc... the band really wasn't going to help me with that and I didn't find that out until after I was banded. A lot of people do really well with the band and it helps them with portion control etc... but my problem was with eating the junk food that went right through the band and I had no idea all that would! I was lucky enough to have insurance that covered most of my banding and unbanding but not everyone is in that same situation. I also was afraid to do something more drastic like RNY but in a way the band can be drastic too especially if you have complications or find it's just too difficult to live with. So it's up to you to weigh all the positives along with the negatives and I know it's not easy. The surgery is the easiest part in my opinion and the work before and after is the hardest. Good luck to you Nancy.:crying:

I think the difference between the two types of supporters is that no matter who is President we still support our country and our President. We don't refer to our President as "Mr" like a lot of people. Example many people have no problem referring to Clinton as President Clinton , which he should be referred to as but still will call our current President "Mr." Bush. That to me is not being respectful to our Country.

fab, as long as they told you that you can shower now you should be fine. I was always told to use dial antibiotic soap. I did not remove my steristrips and waited until they came off themselves or for my first appointment with the surgeon post-op. I had my band removed yesterday so basically am going through the same thing as you but am not allowed to shower until tomorrow. When I was banded I remember being nervous also and I just basically had the shower lightly go over my incisions until I got to the point where I wasn't sore enough and was brave enough to use the dial soap! Right now mine are very sore so I'll probably do the same thing, possibly just rub a bit of the soap on your hand and lightly go over them until you get to a point where you've healed more. But you should be fine, it's always scary the first time, good luck, Nancy:smile:

Beth, I don't want to come across as someone attacking you so sorry if it seemed that way. When you have issues with the band and have to have it removed it's not an easy thing. At this point mine was removed yesterday so I'm still going through the aftershocks which also include pain and frustration and some sadness although I'm glad it's out. I wish you well, not even sure if you are banded yet or if you're just starting to go through the stages of it but just be as informed as you can be and make sure it's what you really want to do. We're only given one body so we need to take care of it. Best regards and good luck Nancy.:crying:

I can't believe you can post that after reading what she just wrote. I know you want to be successful we all did in the beginning trust me! But it's better to be open to all the facts about banding than to have blinders on. Trust me these things can happen to all of us. Good luck to you Nancy.:smile:

Well people have ways of getting the attention of others by the way they post. I don't like to call someone out on being a troll because I myself was accused of being a troll at one time and it's just because I had problems being banded and the postings weren't always "happy band talk". I understand that it upsets people who want bands or just banded or happily banded but people need to get as much information as possible prior so they don't make the same mistakes that I made and others have made. It has been a successful procedure for many people but it is not for all people and people don't want to hear the negatives but knowledge is always a good thing. Sometimes it just gets a bit too emotional. Nancy:smile:

Wasa, You are sooooooooo right on and I wish I could write about the band as eloquently as you have! Take care Nancy. Thanks for the info, I don't want to revise, thought about it naturally. I don't think I would be happy with any WLS or have much faith in any WLS or myself under the influence of any WLS ever again. I'm happy you're finally happy with your choice though and I know people are excited about being banded or the honeymoon period with their bands, I was once excited too but maybe if I had read about the complications/issues I personally had I would not have made this choice and would be half my size by now after getting the RNY. I think the responsibility is with the surgeons to get all the info out to the patients and not rely on psych evals but since that isn't always happening I think we're doing a service here. Thanks again, Nancy.

No, right now the goal was getting the band out, lol. I'm not revising, I know this may seem very odd to most people here but I learned a lot about myself during this 13 month journey and I'm trying not to focus on "dieting" but just to be healthy. The band was not helping me in that department and so the removal was the best thing for "me". I actually put on weight in the beginning after my pre-op diet and have come down some now and just really want to get back to walking again and fitting into my pre-op (lap band) jeans although they are not styling anymore but you know what I mean. I was going to get the RNY like my daughter who is proud to have lost 120 lbs since April but I chickened out and got the lap band. But at this point I do not want to have that surgery or any other type of WLS after giving it much thought and discussion with my family and doctors. Thanks Nancy:smile:

Well just posting to say I had my band removed today laparoscopically. They basically are parallel incisions to the old ones, still five and I must say it went smoother than I even expected. Natch there's a bit of pain but not as bad as when they put it in, meaning the gas pains, port removal site seems to be the worse of them but still happy it was all outpatient and didn't have to spend the night in the hospital!!! Yippee skippee! Anywho I may tuck in every once if you don't mind. Funny thing was I had some apple juice in the day surgery room and on the ride home my stomach was making growling signs and I said to my husband "did you hear that? my stomach is back!" OK I guess you had to be there but it was funny at the time. Thanks for all the support I've gotten here, Nancy.

Wasa, Now that my band was removed today, a breeze until the pain pill wears off, I appreciate the grace you've given this topic and hope to be more graceful myself in the future, thanks Nancy:thumbup:

You're a smart chickiepickle!:tongue:

Well thank God, I'm no where near NYC! Anyway have to go to bed, having my band out tomorrow, was not as useful as I had hoped it would be a year ago take care and keep fighting the good fight, Nancy:thumbup:

gadgetlady, I know your pain I'm a New Yorker!

With every WLS there is a risk and that risk is very real and problems with the band are very real, mine is coming out tomorrow and I'm very happy to be free of it at last! Hope things go smoothly for you but there are plenty of places here where people have posted problems and have had them removed or revised or replaced. I unfortunately didn't come here until after I was banded.:tongue:

Don't forget to add Barbara Walters to your group of The View liberals! If we want to talk dumb it's Sherri, isn't she the one that thought the world could still be "flat". The only thing she agrees with Elizabeth on is religion because she is a devout Christian and that's it. Elizabeth barely gets a chance to get a word in edgewise and she's the most intelligent one on the panel I watch the beginning of the View just for the sh$#ts and giggles because they make such fools out of themselves every day especially Joy! Bye for now

But we can help by not worshiping thinness or youth. Going back to aging gracefully like our grandmothers did and didn't have to be thin once they hit menopause or get botox or plastic surgery or have larger breasts. I feel bad for the next generation. I know this topic is way too volatile for a WLS forum so I will leave before I start a war, lol! Anyone wonder how much yo yo dieting attributed to our weight gains and if we had only ate normally and not had to try every diet out there we may be much thinner and healthier than we are now and possibly WLS would never have entered into the picture? Doing my part tomorrow by removing the collar and leash and going back to being a normal human being who doesn't spend 100% of her time worrying about how she looks or how many points are in that and getting her life back!:tongue:

That's silly to think the people who are discriminated against and it's a "real" problem in our culture should be the ones to change!!! Some of the worse discriminators are current fat or previously fat people. Sizism is "real" discrimination and people should really think long and hard about this one. It affects all of us.:tongue:

Me thinks Sarah Palin did much better tonight than what was shown and edited on the Katie Couric interview. She does appear to me to have an almost Minnesotaesk accent though that I think people tend to think is more "cutesy" and maybe put off by it.

Being that I'm on the last legs of my lap band I have to say the lap band was not the right choice for me. I chose the wrong procedure unfortunately but choose not to revise to any other WLS and am having it removed tomorrow afternoon :tongue: Best of luck and health to the rest of you and I hope you don't have the same problems I have had, Nancy.:tongue:

If I switched parties right now my father would be proud, looking down from above but I don't think my "academiac" brothers would allow me at the Thanksgiving table this year, lol but thanks. I have no problem voting outside my party for the candidate I feel will do right by our country. Nanook:thumbup:

I hardly call Katie Couric one of the great news broadcasters for one thing and wouldn't base everything on that interview. We'll see who will be whining tonight after the debates and lets not forget it's who we elect as President of the United States that is the most important thing right now!:w00t:

OK, "America", I'm not whining and we'll just all wait and see tonight how things go even though one of the moderators is obviously pro-Obama and is making money now off her book deal.:w00t:

As a democrat it's frustrating to see how the media is portraying Palin. They're so obviously pro-Obama-Biden it almost makes me want to change my party! Is it possible that women and men have different styles of of interviewing and that Couric was pretty darn harsh from that perspective? It's obvious now that Palin was made out to be an "idiot" and a laughing stock by the media and is replayed multiple times a day on all the liberal news programs. Creative editing has a lot to do with it.:w00t:

You should be working for their campaign!

I haven't even seen Ann Coultre for a while where is she hiding?