lellow

Ro I've been glued to the TV too - the footage has been heartbreaking. I have been in tears too many times to count over the last few days. Bug hugs mate - I totally get wanting to camp in front of the TV with chocolate.

I found that most of the people who were banded at the same time I was generally had their first fill after 4 weeks.

I've had 5 fills and not one problem ever. Each time, I barely felt it, each time it was over before I even realised it was being done. Also the pain of a teeny tiny needle is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING compared to the pain you went through to actually have this surgery. And the band only works (99% of the time) with fills that will get you to the point of restriction. The fills are the easiest part of the whole thing!

My family Dr suggested it 6 months prior to when I decided to do it. It was actually my younger brother, who's been diagnosed with diabetes, finding out that his wife was pregnant, and knowing he's concerned that because of his illness, he will not see the child into adulthood, that made me eventually decide to bite the bullet and do it.

Juli, I keep swinging between the two!! Lol! Today I'm excited. Probably because I developed a lovely red raw rash under my stomache folds and am hating this overhang at the moment. My DH is taking some time off to make sure that my baby doesn't jump on me too much once I'm out of hospital, but my Dr reckons that because my insurance is 100% covering my hospital costs, it might be worth me staying a full week in hospital recovering, and I'm tending to agree. I've also warned the husband that I won't be able to drive, shop, do the laundry, cook or anything else for about 4 weeks, and he promises me he's prepared for it (I hope so!!) I am worried about the pain though. My Dr assures me that he'll make sure I'm as comfortable as I can be, to the best of his ability, but still. :thumbdown: I was also wondering about the other stuff, like should I get a granny nightie? A recliner? What will I need? What will I wish I got? You know, all the usual questions! We should compare notes!!

Juli, my thread is here: Lellow and the Torso Lift. I'm having it done here in Perth, Western Australia, by the cosmetic and reconstructive surgeon my bariatric surgeon recommended. :thumbdown: I'll be keeping tabs on you as well - it sounds like our surgery is very similar!

This month marks my 6 month bandiversary, so would like to Celebrate by sharing some progress pics! I am having a body lift in 2 months, to take care of the fair amount of excess skin around my hips, waist and back left over from my weight loss and previous pregnancies. I hope that on my one-year bandiversary, I'll be able to post pics of me most of the way healed from the plastic surgery. :thumbup: Before pics: 3 weeks pre-op Today: 55lbs lost, 5.3lbs to the goal set by my Dr.

Congratulations Juli! I am having a body lift with a vertical incison and a mons lift too. I was tossing up about getting a thigh lift as well, but my PS wants to see how much of my thighs the body lift reduces first. My surgery is on the 2nd of April, so I'll be right there along-side you!

was also thinking this morning about how I only eat about 1 and 1/2 cups of food these days - and that, plus exercise, has helped me lose 55lbs so far. And yet there is NO WAY I could have lived my whole life trying to eat less than 2 cups of food a day without the band, so, no, 'eating a little less, dangit' wouldn't have worked for me. I needed to eat a lot less - so little in fact that my husband frequently notes that my 3yo eats much more than me. Why is it that I should expected to do that on my own? It would be just as difficult for someone like me to eat so little without the band as it would be for someone who is 200lbs + overweight. So to me, if the only way you'll get to a healthy weight range is to eat less than 2 cups of food a day, hell, you're a great candidate for the band, no matter what you weigh.

jimmielou, I do have significant amounts of excess skin, not just from weight loss but also from having 4 big babies. I would have had this amount of excess skin even if I'd lost weight slowly, my reconstructive surgeon has assured me. I'm having a torso lift in less than 2 months.

Very true, Jacqui.

Private health insurancers in Australia will pay for banders with a BMI of 35 and up with no co-morbidities, and BMI 30 and up with co-morbidities, pretty much as long as the bariatric surgeon is willing to do the surgery, really. I believe they are of the view that it's best to band a patient with a history of not being able to lose weight rather than wait for them to gain to a point where their health is seriously compromised. To the insurers here, it's better to pay for the band than to pay out for obesity-related health issues long term. The band has an excellent success rate, and I'm sure they long ago realised their initial investment was saving them heaps in the long run. So in that respect, insurance here is different from the US. It's not uncommon to see people with BMIs of just over 30 having the band here in Australia. I saw a girl at my Dr's clinic yesterday, who looked in her early teens, who told me she'd lost 7kgs (about 15lbs) since surgery. She looked like her BMI couldn't have been much more than 30 when she started. She then told me she'd been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, and is already off her meds because her levels are completely normal now. The band did for her what medication couldn't - it put her diabetes into remission. At a BMI of 37 pre-surgery (with only about 60lbs to lose) I was told constantly that I didn't look like I needed WLS. But I'd been this heavy for the last 20 years and had tried EVERYTHING to lose weight. Nothing worked and every year I put on more weight. This surgery has done what nothing else has managed to do - which is help me lose weight and keep it off. Why should I have been denied the help I needed simply because I have less to lose than others?

Looks like so far, everyone's had a good week! Liquidbluegal, so glad you got your fill and you're back on track! I got a small fill yesterday (0.25cc) because my Dr decided, from what I was saying, that I needed a small adjustment to ensure I'm well restricted. He also congratulated me on getting to goal (even though I'm still 5 pounds off from it!).

Yep, I tell people all the time that my love affair with food is soooo over. There are fewer and fewer things everyday that I actually really like eating anymore. And even when I crave something, when I actually eat it, it doesn't taste as good as I remember. Like pizza. After craving it for weeks, I had a piece today and couldn't figure out what was so great about it. And I felt awful after.

My surgeon will lapband anyone with a BMI over 30. My BMI was 37+ at it's highest, and 35 at surgery, and gastric banding, combined with exercise, has been sucessful for me. Though before surgery, I of course was looking at all the people for whom it hadn't been successful (or all the stories about how lower BMI patients took forever to lose) and I was sure I was going to be one of them too. None of those fears have been realised. I am 6 months post op and am close to goal (which my Dr set at 70kgs).

It was only 6 months ago I was posting exactly the same thing! Shaggs, you're going to be so happy with this surgery, mate! Good luck to everyone who's just been banded!

Hi all, Last week: 73.5kgs (161.7lbs) This week: 72.8kgs (160.2lbs) Loss of 0.7kgs (1.5lbs) I am going to see my Dr today, but am still not sure if I will ask for a fill. I'm only 2.8kgs from goal now, with plastic surgery expected to take 4-5kgs of skin off (taking me lower than the goal weight my Dr set). I've actually reduced my exercise routine from 4 times a week to 3 times a week to try to stabilise in weight, so am not sure a fill is what I need right now. Either way, will speak to my Dr and see what he says. Hope everyone had a good week!

My PS said he would reposition my port during surgery, so even after all torso lifting, I would wake up with my port still 3 inches under my right rib. He has a lot of experience with bariatric patients, so it was completely matter of fact for him. :biggrin:

No one can force you into surgery. Your dr can recommend it, just as my Dr did, but in the end, the only person who makes that choice is you. Also when I first came on this site, I found that the majority of people were incredibly happy with their band. If you're saying that you're finding that the people you're talking to are not recommending the band, I can't help feeling like you're looking for the negative in it, which tells me you really aren't ready for it. Me? I love my band. I am 6 months post op and almost at goal. What's not to love?

Good luck today hun with your unfill. I'm still seeing my Dr today but am still unsure if I'll be getting more fill.

ktork, you are amazing! 70lbs and a 5k run! Woooooot!

and btw, you'll be able to sleep on your stomache again in a few weeks. I'm a stomache sleeper too and now sleep on my tummy with no problems. And walking is great exercise. Losing 31lbs is an amazing feat so soon post op, so you're doing really well!

It really depends on how he views food. To me, the lapband did what I needed it to do, which is to satisfy me sooner. So I don't NEED to eat a huge plate of food to be satisfied now. I did find the idea depressing too initially, but 6 months out, my love affair with food no longer exists. I eat to survive now. I eat only when I'm hungry. And when I go to restaurants, I'm NOT the one scoffing my food down like there's no tomorrow anymore, I eat less than anyone else there, and actually feel more 'normal' for behaving like that. I still enjoy food, but it no longer rules my life. So if he's not prepared to give up his bond with food, then yes he's got to think about whether the surgery is for him. Because it's only one part of the bigger picture. To me, it was completely and totally worth it.

you shouldn't be that uncomfortable, so I agree that if it's affecting you that much, you should perhaps see your Dr to see if you can resolve it. BTW I'm back to being loose. My fill is tomorrow and I think I may have a small one after all.

I bought a spin bike and have ridden it pretty religiously at least 3 times a week since I've been banded. I exercise once my kids are in bed.