vonhelzing

i'm 4 years out and still miss my turkey sandwichs.

i've had several surgeries since hitting the green zone and have never had an unfil or any complications from not getting one done.

If those don't work, look for a gas relief called Phazime. It comes in a pink or purple box. The strips didn't work for me but the Phazime was wonderful. Worked in one dose.

i've also had "gallbladder attacks" years after it was removed.

i have blue cross and they paid for a breast lift but it had to include a reduction which was fine with me.

i'm almost 4 years out and i have a can of dr pepper every morning. they don't want you drinking the pop because it is empty calories.

i never tried to get insurance to pay for my TT but they are paying for a breast agmentation on july 3rd. can't wait.

the thing that hurt the most after my tt was the stomach muscles that were tightened. make sure you use a pillow to get up and keep on your compression garment. that really helps.

Good Luck!

tere1985, the video online is new. they were holding seminars back when i went in 08. Online would have been so much easier. they were awesome there though.

I didn't go through Mt Sinai but I did go to Day One Health which is also downtown. 900 N Michigan Av. Why are you going for eight weeks? Is it like a class? I went to one seminar and then made the appointment to meet the surgeon.

thanks. you'll get there, your so close. i know in my mind, there is a huge difference between 161 and 159

i waited a little over a year from my band date. i also lost most of my weight in the first year. my goal is 150 but the lowest i can get is 155. once i have my thigh lift, i will make it.

vickieolv-I was self pay but only saw the dr once for the consultation and then not again until surgery.

i'm with ya on the no will power. love me some choclate. my neighbor and i did start walking this week so hopefully i will keep at it. i'll bike more when the weather changes. Throwing out the popper is a big step. i'll take baby steps for now and only get it out during movie night.

i have the original lap band. I know what you mean it being a struggle. it's psychological for me because i want to eat more like a normal person so i eat the crap. it's so hard to get the protien in because you can't eat as much. i'm trying to get back in to the eating habits of when i first started. i told my DH to hide the popcorn maker. i eat like a bowl every night. good for you excersising. i hate it and don't do it. i do play softball in the summer but other that that i stay away. tried the treadmill but it is sooooo boring.

I never heard of the circum way so i gues mine was a straight tt. i was banded october of 08. i kept the weight off for a long time then last november and 1cc taken out because i started throwing up alot. well of course i gained back 20lbs. i've lost 5lbs with 2 small fills so i'm working on the other 15lbs. i think i have good restriction right now. i wouldn't go any tighter.

Oldie-glad to hear everything went so well. I didn't mention numbness because i didn't have any. sorry. luv-it will take a couple months to be able to really excersise after a tt. my lower belly was still numb after a year which the dr said was normal because of all the trauma the area and the tightening of the stomach muscles.

Don't worry, It should loosen back up.

mavis, I will email you.

i have flown many times after getting a fill. i've never been uncomfortable but i can't really eat either. i just sip my drink. the different elevations across the country do effect the band. being from the midwest, when i go to vegas i can't eat.

my arms were wrapped tight in guaze for the first 2 days until i went back to the dr. at this time she removed the gauze, cleaned me up and then the compression sleeves went on. the dr took out the stitches. i did not have any drains i used pillows under the arms just to make me more comfortable. i could pretty much do everything with my arms. don't lift anything heavy though because you wouldn't want to pop a stitch. i didn't use the compression sleeves for very long because they were really tight. they go all the way up to your arm pit then latch together across your back. i used ace bandages for a little while but even that didn't last long. i do fileing at work so i would say it took about 3-4 weeks to really feel comfortable raising my arms for any period of time. they just would get really tired. maybe the arms were so easy for me because the tummy was so ruff. now that was some pain. no proplem answering your questions. i love being able to help. it is scary not knowing what to expect.

i think i leaned forward with my arms out like frankenstein and he slipped the shirt over them then pulled it over my head. i wore his t shirts for a few days since he is larger than me. i don't think it took me very long to put my own shirts on though. The day of surgery maybe wear a button down of somekind that way you won't have to worry about lifting your arms really at all. you may also want to sleep in a chair for a few days just to keep your arms cusioned and elevated. i have a hard time sleeping like that when laying flat.

Congrats on your decision. I didn't get a quote on the thighs yet but when i mentioned the girls, she said around $6000. So it sounds like your getting a good price. I have to pay off the other surgeries before i do more. I hope your insurance kicks in. That would be a great help. Good luck.

I did have them both done at the same time. I think my husband stayed home a week only to help me get out of the chair. My husband is a firefighter so taking off a week for him is really only taking off two days. Otherwise i really didn't need anyone home. Once upright, and get over the initial pain in the tummy, you should be able to move around. My surgeon actually encourage me to get up every hour or so and walk. I'm not sure about needing to use your arms more. Maybe that's if your alone and need to push up out of a chair. Other than taking a while to do things over my head, my arms healed pretty quickly. It's funny how where you live dictates how much the surgery is. When i was getting quotes, the one from an affluent town wanted $16,000 for the same procedures. If you dicide to go with the surgery, definitely wear your compression garments. they are a pain to get on but boy do the make you feel better. For the TT, it was on for 6 weeks. The arms were like 3 weeks.