Janiece

@Dylan - I am totally misty-eyed right now. I hope having a built-in band buddy makes this journey a bit easier for both of you!

Mine came in the mail yesterday! I'm excited b/c I really need something to help motivate me to lose my last 30 lbs! Here's my link if you want to be friends: http://www.fitbit.com/user/22KV5S

OMG, your arms look great! Thanks for sharing your pics with us. It gave me the kick I needed to start looking into surgeons near me. Please keep us posted on the healing with pics! Thanks! J

I've been trying to take salads for lunch lately. I prefer the darker salads like romaine heart mixes. I find that it usually starts to get slimy or turn brown after a few days. I keep it in the bag and put that bag in an airtight container, but it doesn't seem to be helping. Any ideas from anyone on how to keep salad fresh longer? Thanks! Janiece

I'm a DDD, so there's no option for me to go braless lol. I usually wear underwire, but I did switch to a soft bra for the first week because the underwire rubbed on one of my incisions.

I've lost 100lbs and gone from a 44DDD to a 36DDD...I don't think mine are going anywhere either! Janiece

I have big girls too, and I've occasionally had a problem. I haven't had an intense pain like you described, but it sometimes makes it difficult to breathe for a few minutes. Certain types of underwires cause the weight of my boobs push the bottom of the bra so it rests on something...not sure what...but it's uncomfortable. Usually, I just tighten the straps so the girls are jacked up a little bit, or try to situp straighter. Good luck! J

There's no caffiene: http://www.kraftbrands.com/mio/pages/faq.html Does MiO contain caffeine? No. MiO is a completely caffeine-free product. And that goes for our Tea varieties as well.

I saw a commerical for this a few weeks ago and picked it up while waiting in line at Walgreens. I used to be hardcore into crystal light, but it started to get too sweet for me. I usually put one of the Water bottle packets in my huge 32oz water bottle to help dilute it. I've been a slacker with getting in my water lately, but this Mio stuff is great! I've been drinking water like crazy! So far, I've only had the sweet tea flavor, but I love it! And I love that it's liquid so there's no clumpy powder and you can add as little or as much as you want! So for anyone struggling to get in all their water, try this! I hope to pickup some other flavors to try out soon. J

I think my Dr said to wait 2 weeks, but I agree with Jacqui: if your incisions are healed, you're probably fine. Public pools generally skeeve me out, so I would probably put some of those waterproof bandaids over the incisions just to be on the safe side! I was also told not to do any gym/aerobic activity for 2 weeks after surgery. Make sure you take it easy! Five days after surgery I wasn't in the mood for doing anything other than sleeping, drinking and peeing! J

Quick weightloss in the beginning is normal. Just make sure you go to your post-op appointments. They'll let you know if something doesn't seem right. PS: Cherish these days! In a few months you'll be as grumpy as the rest of us! j/k. Congrats on the 22lbs. J

I'm not yelling at you, but it's really important that you follow your Dr's advice, especially while your body is healing from surgery. I know it sucks, but it's better to obey and be miserable for 6 weeks than to have to go back into surgery for a revision, hernia repair or who knows what else. I would call your Dr and see if you can go in to have him check our your stitches. I can only imagine how hard it will be over the next few weeks while you're trying to recover while being a single mom, but your kids will thank you when you're alive and healthy enough to help them with their kids!!! I hope everythings okay. Go get back in bed, prop your feet up, and watch some soaps! J

@jellybelly - no I haven't told most of my coworkers. I'm in software development, so I work with mostly under-socialized men (lol) so I don't think they'd really care, nor would they be particularly sympathic. A few of them know, but we don't really talk about it. I'm usually fine eating out with them, but it never fails-- they always want to go to a Mongolian BBQ buffet a few days after I get a fill! @Sistersue - Thanks! Spanx are too expensive for me since I have to keep going down in sizes. I've been using the Flexees camis from JCPenney (b/c they're always on sale -- buy 1 get 1 50% off) and whatever the Walmart brand of control cami is. @niterum - Thanks! Well, I'm sure the breast cancer had an impact on your weightloss, but 63lbs is still awesome! I see you live in VA too. It's been hella hot here this summer and yes, I either wear long pants or a kimono dress I found at Target a few months ago. I REALLY need to go shopping. My boyfriend of 5 years is the same way. I love him for it, but I'm standing in front of the mirror jiggling my arms and he's like "no really! you're exaggerating. It's not that bad!" whatever...I have old lady arms... thank you all!

I did all my pre-work with one Dr, then switched to a different one to actually get the surgery. I'm sure as long as you get copies of all your paperwork from the previous Dr, you won't have a problem. From reading the forums, it seems that Drs only have a problem accepting patients who got banded in another country. As for cost, you might need to check with your insurance. Also, I paid a fee for the surgery that included free fills and office visits for the first year. I'm not sure if you were charged for something like that, but that won't transfer to a new Doc. Just a few things to consider. I hope you can find a better Doc! J