TheGh0st

Getting worried here FSC. Please let us know you are OK.

OK this is going to sound truly NUTS but how about throwing a wake for your former self? You could go all out with photos, flowers, eulogies and all.

Wasa - Think it was me. I haven't tried it myself but a friend of mine that was banded 7 years ago helped do it to one of her other friends. She said that girl just sat on the floor and bawled when she saw how small she really was. I'm planning on having a Christmas Band party here in the Kansas City area and will be stockpiling the aluminum foil so anyone who wants to (ME) can also try it.

At my husband's company Christmas get together last year one of his co-workers asked my DH's permission to tell me how "fine" I was looking. It meant even more to me to think he felt he might need permission, like my DH could get jealous or something. Just wait until this year's Christmas get together after my PS next week!

Without knowing your starting weight/height its a bit hard to say. But 20 pounds by New Year should be a safe estimate (based on your 100 pound ticker) It could be more or depending on what restriction your band (without a fill gives) less.

Tami - Don't you dare let your doc talk to mine. I really need to get back to work after 2 weeks if at all possible (even if only part time) if I'm going to get the Credit Card debt this is creating paid off.

Love that image Wheets! (Remember the pics you posted of your knees? :pound:) I think I like yours better than the one I've been using for some of my non-banded friends too squimish to look at the live shots. BTW - Why is it the band docs seem to place most port scars right in the one patch of stretch free skin? Couldn't he have moved it a few inches lower so that it my PS could have placed my new belly button over it? TracyinKS - I know what you mean about the "dent" I've got it too. Almost wonder if it is from years of lifting my stomach there while in the john. Or more possibly from the tissue being disturbed during my C-Section 4 years ago. single line drawing.bmp

Thought I'd also post a follow up on my pre-surgery meeting with the doctor. First I met with the nurse who went over the pre & post operative instructions and answered as many questions of mine as she could. Then I met with the doc who went over a few more of my questions and confirmed we were on the same page as far as my expectations of the surgery. Some of the pre-op requests were to quit taking any Vitamin E or Omega 3 supplements and to only use Tylenol (not Advil) for any pain meds I might need pre-surgery. I was given prescriptions for Percocet (Pain), Keflex (antibiotic), & Phenergan (nasea) to fill now for use after the surgery. I am suppose to be at the hospital at 5:45am though the surgery won't be until around 8am. It is suppose to last approx. 4 hours and I should be sent home by 3-4pm. They also said they would not perform the surgery if I was congested or had a fever over 101 within a week of the surgery. (Please pray for me not to get sick now.) I did cave and ask how much weight he thought I would lose (after all the swelling subsides several months down the road) He thought it would be between 15-20 (20!) pounds!:biggrin1: I can't express how it would feel to lose that much. If I could skip from the 160's straight to the 140's? OMG! I'd be doing backflips stiches and all! The 20 pounds comes from around 10-15 pounds he thought would be cut away in skin and another 5-10 pounds in lipo to my upper abdomen, flanks, and a little in my inner thighs he promised he'd add on to the surgery. Can you believe he actually described me as fine boned? I've always thought of myself as being somewhat big boned. Maybe that's just the line I've always heard growing up. "Your not fat, you're just big-boned" I'd be glad to post a more complete synopsis of the pre and post printed instructions they gave me if anyone wants. This post was just getting too long.

Where - Overland Park Regional When - 10-9-07 Who - Dr Dillow with Monarch PS - claims he has done hundreds of TT's and many if not most have been on banded patients. He was the Doc my original band doc referred me to. How Much - 8.5K +or- a bit, But I'm putting it on a rewards credit card which will give me something back. Then transferring it to a new cards' introductory low rate and going to work my tail off to pay most if not all of it off before I have to roll it to another card when the rate runs out. I should also qualify for a refund on my taxes for all the medical expenses.

OK I finally CAVED and had an unfill. Used my upcoming PS next week as the excuse. It worked WONDERS!!!! I found out I had 12.2cc in my 10cc band (I'd never asked before-hadn't wanted to know). They took out 2.5 cc's, a little more than may have been necessary but was worried about the swelling from surgery making it tight again. It has been absolutely WONDERFULL!!! I've not had one case of heartburn, gerd or reflux since the unfill last week. Now as long as I don't gain any weight I'll be even happier.

Lisa - Welcome to the site. Glad you found us too and Happy Birthday, mine is today as well.

Karen - haven't heard from you. Hope everything went well. You have been in my prayers. Please update us as soon as you get a chance.

Mazie - No I don't mind you asking. Ofcourse that may have something to do with the fact I only got 3 hours sleep last night with a sick son and here I am up til past 1am waiting on laundry (and my nails to dry) before I can go to bed just to get up at 6am. Maybe after I've had a chance to get any good sleep (when that will be is anyones guess) I might feel more embarrassed. You know it wasn't until I started this thread that I'd even heard of a mons lift. If I were younger and single I might consider it. But wether it was my starting weight or not the nether regions aren't that bad for a married woman closer to 40. If I were to spend any extra money I think it would probably be on my inner thighs, they are HORRID. I feel I like the skin on my inner thighs droop so bad it almost looks like I need a mons lift. YUCK!

Lynsay - Just a quick shout out to you. I don't have any answer to your question as I am in the US but I had to say hi when I saw you were posting from Aberdeen. I graduated from the University of Aberdeen in 2002. I really miss being over there. In fact I was just viewing some webcams of Castlegate & Aberdeen Harbour this afternoon daydreaming about when I might be able to afford a visit.

Thanks Juli. I have one Spanx I plan on showing them tomorrow but I've also thought it might be good to have a second garment for washing. I also hadn't thought of the pain meds that would be a great idea.

The surgery is October 9th. One minute I'm wishing it were tomorrow and the next I panic that there isn't enough time to get the house/work ready for me to be out of commission while I recover. But hands down the "I wish it were tomorrow" voices are the loudest.:rose: I have a pre-op consultation with the surgeon tomorrow as well as an appointment with my Family Doctor to get her up to speed on what I'm doing. If anyone out there has any suggestions on what questions I should be asking the PS tomorrow I would appreciate the feedback. I'm notoriously bad about thinking of 101 questions after I've left and not a one while I'm there. These are ones I can think of so far: - How long are the drains/pain-pump left in - How long before I can walk for exercise (or other activities:eyebrows:) - How many pounds/inches can I hope for this to remove? I'm sure there are others I should be asking. :help:

I think you would be fine the first year out as it takes a while to get filled to a tighter restriction. The band might actually make it easier to last the 16 hours without eating/drinking. Though I would consider possibly getting an unfill during Ramadan for future years. Its not that banded people can't go 16 hours without getting dehydration it that we can't drink it fast enough in the remaining 8 hours to be ready for the next day's 16 hours fast. Especially when you add to it the fact that you aren't suppose to drink at the same time you eat when you are banded. (The hows/whys of drinking and eating are a whole different conversation). You probably could do it if you stayed awake the entire 8 hours each night eating a meal as soon as the sun went down waiting 1/2 hour then starting to drink until about an hour before dawn. Then eating one more meal before the sun came up. That would mean sleeping during the daytime. And though I am not Muslim, I would think that some of the reasons for the whole fasting of Ramadan is sacrifice and the continual reminder to pray and reflect on Allah everytime you have the urge to eat or drink throughout the day. If I were Muslim I would feel that sleeping though the days fast was somehow not right, maybe not a "cheat", but somehow not quite right. On the other hand flipping your days and nights to get your food and Water in during the nights is definitely a BIG sacrifice and every urge to just quit drinking and go to sleep thoughout the night could easily be your personal call to praise Allah. I hope my last comments have not offended, and apologize for any mistaken conclusions I may have made about Ramadan. It is easy for anyone to say they are Muslim, Christian, Jewish or Buddist, whereas it is not easy to faithfully walk the paths those seperate beliefs require. And I have nothing but the utmost respect for everyone with the conviction to steadfastly follow thier own faith.

Yes, if we included the whole world as an option I've always said I'd like to live about an hour's train ride outside of London. Hartley Wintney is a particularily nice little village full of antique shops, 2 pubs and a duck pond. Would make a great place to settle down. Nice quiet home with a good local and close access to the nightlife of the city without the noise or crime. Scotland was great as well but being nearer London and its airport would allow for easier access to the rest of Europe with roundtrips as low as $50 on Ryan Air or EasyJet. I miss the UK:drama:

"Trust Me" - I'm sure you're right. I'd still love to experience it once in my life, but no real interest in living it. "BTW" - PM me or drop in on the SMMC or my PS thread sometime. Though I'll warn you the PS thread has some graphic shots. I've missed the old... "Hoenators". :banplease:

NW MAMA - Glad to see you giving it another shot. We can always use more active members/posters. Ironically I think I would choose your state. I can relate to your comments as a part of me has always wanted to see just one snowfall like those you see on TV further North where they have to practically tunnell out of their houses. I grew up in Nebraska and live in the same Metro as Wheetsin now. Having 4 Distinct seasons is not as much as it is cracked up to be. Summers with weeks of 100+ weather then Winters with weeks of below Zero temps is NOT fun (OK that was Nebraska not here). I also spent 3 years in Scotland during University and from everything I here it has a climate somewhat similar to Washington State. A typical winter day still has highs in the 40's and a typical summer day tops out in the high 70's. I absolutely loved that it got just cold enough to know it was winter and just warm enough to know it was summer but without either one being too unbearable. I use to get a real laugh at the locals. When it actually hit 32 degrees everyone would run around saying it was freezing. This just after I left one of Nebraska's coldest winters with a couple days of windchills at 40 BELOW zero. Now that is FREEZING!

What a great NSV! Congratulations!

Yes FSC we are anxiously awaiting and update. Hope you are not suffering from a setback with the staff infection.

Rodeomom - I'm obviously not an expert and every person is different. But I might suggest you call around and see if there is a local PS that will give you a free consult. You could be pleasantly surprised at how close you are to your "goal". Personally I had reached a 6+ month plateau and was getting frustrated/depressed. At the same time thinking "What is wrong with you girl!?! You are a size 10!" Not that long ago I thought a size 10 was an ideal dream size and yet here I am complaining about it. I decided that having a consult with a PS might help give me the kick in the @$$ I needed by telling me a more realistic professional opinion on what my goal should be in order to have PS. To my surprise the two different PS consults I had both thought there was no reason to wait any longer. They thought based on my personal distribution of weight and frame, that I would have very good results now and that even if I were to lose another 20-25 pounds after surgery it wouldn't be enough for my skin wouldn't look "baggy" again.

Counseling?? But only as an absolute last resort for me at least. It has too many of its own issues with my dad being a psychiatrist.

:wow2: :wow2: WASA :bounce:Congratulatioins!!! I am so happy for you and can't wait to see how you look afterwards!:clap2: I think I'm actually more excited about my upcoming PS than I was about the Lapband. With the band I was all worried about whether it (or I) would work or if I'd just find new ways to gain weight. The PS is something different altogether. Now my worries are more around the recovery time and whether it will help me wrap my head around my progress of if l'll be just as messed up as I am now. OK OK for all those poised to post I said HELP not CURE my headcase. :madgrin: