Mississippi Gurl

Hi Dr. Schulman, I have a question about my boobs. I had breast augmentation in 2003. I have only been over weight for about 5 years. At the time of my augmentation I was pretty slim and since that time I have gained about 60 lbs. I am getting lap band in two weeks. I am currently a 42 DD and I hope to go back to a 36 C. My question is this, since I have already had an augmentation, will my boobs just reduce in size with my weight loss or will they become saggy as well.

Also, as I have gained all this weight and my boobs have gotten bigger, it turns out that one boob is bigger than the other one. While hospitalized for pneumonia a few months ago, I had an MRI and noticed that the implant of the larger boob is much lower in my chest than the smaller one. Would this have anything to do with the size difference and will I have to have this fixed for them to be the same size in the end???

Thanks for your advice!!

I'm getting banded in a couple weeks and I too am afraid of failure. Personally, I have only struggled with my weight for the last 7 years and I'm so worried that I won't be able to get back to my "old" self again.. Also I'm worried about not being able to drink while eating.. I'm one of those that drinks alot when they eat, and I'm really concerned that is going to be a problem for me.

And probably the biggest fear is that I am a social eater, meaning I eat out alot with friends and family and I worry about how I am going to be able to continue my social habits without all the eating!! On top of that, only my husband and my mom know about my surgery, so it's going to be hard to explain my new eating (or not eating) habits to everyone...

Hi Mississippi Guy! I live in North MS and I just wanted to let you know my story.. After several months of research, I am being banded by Dr. Ortiz on January 29th. I am self pay so I did a lot of soul searching and praying before I came to this decision. Just so you know, I talked to EVERY doctor's office in our area including Oxford and Memphis and as you mentioned their self pay prices were upwards of twice what I will pay at Dr. Ortiz's clinic.

Now like RestlessMonkey said there were concerns with having the surgery so far from home. Obviously the two biggest were aftercare and fills. It took me forever to find someone in this area to do fills for patients banded in Mexico. Honestly, the doctor's office in Oxford was so rude to me when I suggested that I might have the surgery in Mexico, that I decided right then and there that I would NOT have surgery in Oxford even if I could afford it!!! In my opinion, their attitude it just one more thing that is wrong with the healthcare system in the US.

Anyway, I digress!! Since I haven't been banded yet, I can't speak for Dr. Ortiz's clinic, but I feel like I have made the right choice for ME and I am beyond excited to be banded. If you want to email me, I will be glad to give you the name and number of whom I will be receiving my fills and aftercare through and some more info that you might find interesting. Best of luck to you and your wife!!

OK, I recently (finally) joined a gym. I have been going for about a month and I am 4 months post op now. I go 3 nights a week. I start out 10 minutes of walking on the treadmill and another 10 on the exercising bike. Then I do 3 sets of 10 working on my inner, outter thighs, 3 sets of ten with my leg crunches, 3 sets of ten on my calfs, and 3 sets of 5 on my arms. I think I pretty much have it all covered except for one part. I need to start working with my belly. The gym I go to only has one piece of equipment to work on for the belly and you have to lay down (almost upside down). To me, (someone that still has a big belly) its very intemadating. My question is, does anyone out there have any tips they can send my way on how to do these crunches (whether in a gym or at home) without hurting myself? If so, can you please send them my way?

Congrats slimville on all your hard work!! I'm not a fitness expert by any means, but here are my suggestions for some not so painful crunches. The first one is to get you an exercise ball and lay across it with your feet up against the wall for balance and stability. Place your hands behind your head and slowly raise yourself slightly using your abs (like a traditional crunch). I find that using the ball with this type of crunch really takes alot of the pain out of a traditional crunch you do on the floor.

The second crunch I like is to lay on your back and have someone stand at your head with their feet on each side of your head. Reach behind your head and grab their ankles for support. Raise your legs as far as you can. I try and do at least 10 reps bringing my legs straight up and then 10 reps to each side. This one really helps keep you from using your neck muscles instead of your ab muscles. Also, on the second one you might want to put a rolled up towel underneath the small of your back.

I hope I've described them well enough for you to understand what I'm talking about. Also a great place for you to get some more ideas is from any fitness magazine. Even though they have skinny beautiful women demonstrating each exercise, they still have alot of moves in the mag that us "fluffy" gals can do also!! Good Luck!!v:thumbup:

January 29th!!! I'm so ready!!!!!!!

I'm too excited for my date on January 29th. I really haven't been thinking about it too much but since I have found this site I am getting nervous. But I guess it will be ok. Jusat have to eat a lot lighter and keep away from my favorite which is sandwiches....

Hey Lana!! Congrats on your date January 29th - ME TOO!! Are you getting banded in Mexico with Dr. Oritz by any chance?? If so we will get to meet that day!! Also my last name is Whitehead too!! :thumbup: Go Whitehead Girls Go!! :biggrin:

be very careful giving out that information! You could be putting that nurse's license at risk if she's not covered. Just make sure it's ok with her before posting something like that. State Board of Nursing can be very strict when it comes to practicing outside scope.

Of course I made sure it was okay with Margaret before I gave her name and number out... She does the fills under the care of a doctor and she is certified to do the fills..

Once again, I encourage everyone to do their own homework and research. Give her a call if you are looking for someone to do your fills. She will answer all of your questions and you can decide for yourself.. Good luck!!

Being from Australia, I have an opinion about why the band works so well here - and that's all it is, an opinion.

I think its the diet. The emphasis is on a normal diet here, not Protein first. Protein first has several disadvantages to my way of thinking. Firstly, we dont all get 80 to 100 grams of protein a day and we're not all losing our hair and failing to lose weight and ending up all fat no muscle, so that debunks that theory completely.

Secondly, I dont believe protein DOES fill the stomach like the doctors say it does. I have had this discussion on Australian boards and there's general consensus that its the fibrous foods that fill the band and make you very satisfied - fruit, vegetables and grain foods (not WHITE carbs mind you). Eat a meal of mainly protein and you ingest a LOT more calories than a meal spaced out with plenty of salad and some bread!). Also it will be a much higher fat meal.

Now mind you, I am not saying that the old traditional food pyramid is the way to go. I think reducing carbs from a ridiculously carb overload diet is a sensible thing for weight loss and I agree our bodies need protein. But cutting out carbs and fruit and veg to the extent that many Americans do is also detrimental - you only need read the What Did You Eat today threads to realise that people are woefully falling short of healthy levels of fresh food, and living on protein foods.

To keep your calories low enough to be happy with 800 to 1000 calories of mainly protein foods a day (something no Australian doctor would recommend) you need a TIGHT band. Which in turn often leads to ingestion of slider foods not the healthy foods it was intended to encourage. And of course it leads to far more problems with the band.

In addition, Australians in general simply do not eat the amount of processed foods that Americans do. Protein shakes and bars are not food, they are processed, full of artificial sweetener and more designed to supplement athletes trying to build muscle, not the average person trying to lose weight. I cant for the life of me understand why you would have surgery to improve your health and then live on stuff like that.

And of course, like a previous poster mentioned, eating normally like that (well its normal to Australians) blows that whole diet mentality away. I dont know ANYONE here who thinks so much about what they eat, weighs, counts and measures it like Americans do. It really is just eat normally but less and to my mind, that works. Our surgeons dont give us rules and regulations, and we dont fear going back for fills and having to present food diaries or report that we've eaten bread once or any of that.

That's why the band is the gold standard WLS here. When you approach it from that perspective, its actually a very easy, non problematic surgery to live with, of COURSE people have problems here too, I met a lady the other day who's had since her surgery a flipped port, an infection at the port, port replacement of course, and no fill for 12 weeks while all that is worked out, and I know people who've slipped etc.

The PRIME reason for the success with the band here though is our medical system. Medical care is much more easily accessed, unless you live in a very isolated place, the idea of having to fly in for your fills is patently ridiculous here, as is leaving the country for surgery. You drive a few suburbs to your surgeon, that's all. Most people pay a once off fee of a few thousand prior to surgery and all their aftercare is bulk billed so no out of pocket expenses for your fills etc. Putting off a fill or an unfill because its going to cost several hundred dollars just doesnt really happen here.

I dont think the follow up with the band is disadvantage, I think its one of the keys to why it works well! Interestingly they're doing more sleeves in Perth now, for the simple reason that Western Australia is much more rural, and people are coming from isolated areas for WLS and the sleeve doesnt have the follow ups.

Now, those are all just opinions. I'm not stating them as fact. That's how I've worked my band, and its been hugely successful for me and that's the only authority I feel I have to say what I just did. I'm not suggesting I'm 100% right or that everyone should do it my way, and I'm not wanting to start a fight about it as everyone defends their high protein diet so vehemently. Those are the culture differences beween the US and Australia and how I interpret them, that's all.

Hi Jachut! I couldn't agree with you more!! While I know how important protein is, I don't necessarily want to get all of mine from a processed drink. I also think that a well balanced diet is the key to weight loss and maintaining that loss long term.

I am curious as to what you eat on a daily basis and what you ate during the first few weeks after your surgery?? I would really appreciate if you would share with all of us what your eating habits are so that we could get a different prospective on someone elses "diet".. Thanks!!

Hey all Mississippi folks!

Did any of ya'll get snow this week. I sure would have liked to but we were too far north for it this time. Maybe later!!

None in my neck of the woods either!! :confused_smile: Still hoping for a white Christmas though!! :thumbup:

hi all

i just saw that there's a chat room on here. we should set aside maybe a 2 hour window once a week where we get together and chat. of course you dont have to chat that whole 2 hours (who has the time). We could just jump in the room to talk live, share ideas, answer questions, vent etc. let me know what you all think.

welcome to the new hotties:-)

Sounds great - I'm in!!! Let me know when and I'll be there!!

BTW, can anyone tell me how to jazz up my profile??

Hi Everyone. This is my first time to post - I've been lurking for a couple of months - but hesitated to jump in until I knew that this was going to happen. I got my approval this week and my surgery date is set for Tuesday, January 6th! Like many, I'm so excited and a bit anxious, too. But, I've never been as heavy as I am now and I know that if I don't do something about it - a permanent solution - I'm headed for a lot of health problems.

I've read so much, both on the official Lap Band web site, my doctor's website and now all of the forums on lap band talk. So, technically, I feel I know what is about to happen and am confident that I am prepared, but emotionally I don't know. But, be that as it may, I am ready to take this leap because nothing else has worked in keeping the weight off permanently.

I'm looking forward to coming here for support! :tt1:

HI wtbgone!! You sound just like me!! I read everything on these forums for a couple months before I joined in.. I too feel like I am physically prepared, but I am worried about the emotional side of it, but I felt like I had no other choice to keep the weight off permanantly!! :thumbup:

I'm getting banded January 29th and I can't wait!! Good luck to you and keep us posted on your progress!!:tongue2:

Hi all, had my pre-op visit w/my surgeon today. I was told that I would get my date today, but the surgical scheduler was not there today,and that I will get my date wednesday of next wk. for Jan. 09. I am hoping for the 7th, or the 14th. I jsut want to start this process early. I forgot to ask about the pre-op diet, but I planned on doing one for 2wks prior to my surgery date regardless of what the req. are. I enjoy my Protein shakes now, and hopefully it will be the same afterwards. I have already made my menus up for the first 8 wks. So I am ready. I have thought alot about my "last meal", and decided to taste alittle of everything I will change from a regular user of to a once a month partaker of. I realized yesterday that when I eat chocolate, after about 30min. my stomach didn't feel so good. I haven't eaten chocolate alot lately because I have been trying to keep to a more healthy lifestyle. I don't think I will be missing it as much as I thought. Well, I will post when I get my date on wed.

Congrats on doing all the planning!! I envy people you like you!! How did you plan your menu 8 weeks in advance?? Where did you get ideas for the menu and would you mind sharing some of the menu with us?? I think I would be so much more productive with my pre and post op diets if I planned them in advance!!

Congratulations!!! I love to hear these stories!! I'm getting banded in January. Is that 19lbs strictly what you have lost since surgery or does that include the weight you lost in pre-op?? I really love reading everyone's story..

Keep up the good work!!

There is no doubt that getting banded in Mexico is the only option for me. Since I first posted this thread, I have found someone within easy driving distance for me to do my fills and she only charges $100!! She was banded in Mexico five years ago and had the same trouble as me, so she became certified to do fills and now does them only for patients banded in Mexico.

As far as the price goes, even if I had of had to pay upwards of $500 for fills and have to take off of work and lost wages and so on, I still could not have afforded the surgery in the US because I couldn't pay the $16,000 up front that it cost to have lap band surgery in my area.

Everyone has to weigh their own options, and I am truly excited that I made this decision!! I am counting down the days!!

Thanks for the advice. I should have told you in my original post that I have a hard time with chewable Vitamins. For some reason anything chewable (vitamins, tums, etc.) activates my gag reflex really bad. I think it has to do with the texture.. I know that sounds crazy, but that's the way I've been as long as I can remember?? I found a liquid Vitamin mixture at GNC do you think that would be sufficient. Also what about liquid or shot form of B12? ?

As far as my hair falling out, I know two people who both have been banded and their hair became really thin and brittle and they lost alot of it in the intial months after the surgery. Both of their docs said that it could be attributed to Vitamin deficiencies. I've also read about the same thing happening to other members in these forums. I'm just trying to make sure that I do whatever I can to prevent that from happening!! I think Biotin is the vitamin to take to prevent that?? Any recommendations??

Hey Smajors, her name is Margaret and her number is 662-346-3307. She is sooooo nice and she really eased alot of my fears about this surgery.. Give her a call and let me know how it turns out. Good Luck!!

I finally found a nurse today less than an hour from me!! She was banded in Mexico 5 years ago and couldn't find anyone around here to do her fills either. She contacted her surgeon in Mexico and she went back to him and he trained her how to do fills!! She says she has patients coming from all over the US and she only charges $100!! I am so thrilled!! If anyone else wants her name, just let me know.

I am getting banded at the end of January and I'm worried about Vitamin deficiency after surgery. Do you have a recommendation for a liquid vitamin that I can take?? I'm really worried about maintaining my energy level for work and I'm also really worried about my hair falling out.. Any suggestions and advice is greatly appreciated!! Thanks!!

I've been on this website for almost a week now and it seems that all the MS folks must have fell of the face of the earth?? :eek: I hope you are all doing well with your weight loss.. I am getting banded by Dr. Ortiz in Mex at the end of January.. I am so excited!!! I would love to have some more MS folks to share my experiences with and vice versa!!

AMEN!! I could not agree with you more!!! I live in MS and my surgery is scheduled for Jan 29th in Mexico and I have called everywhere!! Every doc's office I talk to gives me this attitude and tells me what a mistake I am making by having my surgery in Mexico. I even had one doc's office tell me today that they wouldn't touch "Mexican Patients" (her words) because they didn't know what type of bands they had and that alot of the bands were missing parts??!! By this time, I was livid and basically let her have it!!

Who do they think they are anyway?? We are only people who are trying to get our lives back the only affordable way we know how?? Do they not think that we would have surgery in the US if it was financially feasible?? AAAARRRRGGGHHH!!

Sorry for venting... But I am so frustrated!! Good luck to you.. If you find a doc in TN please let me know... I will drive to TN...

Hey WannaB!! I just saw your thread and wanted to say hello!! I'm actually in Tish county (MS). Hopefully I am having surgery in Mexico at end of January. My only drawback at this point is I can't find a fill doctor close to home that will take patients banded in Mexico. I'm self pay so I can't afford surgery in the US.

Anyway, good luck to you and all the Shoals bandits.. I will keep up with you guys!!

Hi everyone!! I am hoping to get my surgery scheduled for January 29 with Dr. Ortiz. My only hold back at this point is finding a doc near me to do the fills.. I live in North MS and I might as well be in a foreign country, because I cannot find a doc within driving distance that takes patients banded in Mexico?? Is anyone else scheduled for Dr. Ortiz on that day??

Good luck to you all!!!

Thanks to all of you for your advice.. I was really beginning to wonder if I wasn't all alone in this journey!! Pertaining to Dr. Ortiz's office, I did contact them for a possible list of doctors in my area and Carolyn gave me a number for one doctor in Memphis and he is not taking new patients.

The closest doc I have found is 4 hours away and his fills are $300 for patients banded in Mexico. However, I can fly back to Mexico for $350 so I might just end up doing that??

I have really tried to do my homework concerning this surgery and honestly sometimes I felt like I might as well be living in a foreign country because I can't find any resources located near me!!

I live in North Mississippi and I am contemplating having Lap Band surgery in Mexico with Dr. Ortiz. My problem at this point is I can't find a local physician to do my fills, and I don't feel comfortable going through with the surgery without finding a local doctor to do my fills first. I have called every physician in North MS and they all refuse to take patients banded in Mexico. Some of them even went as far as to tell me what a mistake I was making for choosing to have my surgery in Mexico!! Of course, I explained that I am self pay and I simply cannot afford to have surgery in the US or naturally I would have chosen a surgeon in the US.

Anyway, can someone please give me some info on doctors in North Mississippi or the Memphis or Nashville TN area. I have posted on the Mississippi Local Support forum and did not get any replies. Help!!! Thanks!!

Hi everyone! I am from North MS and I am having lap band surgery in Mexico at the end of January. I was wondering if one of you would please give me the name of the nurse in Tupelo who does the fills for out of country patients. I am really worried about not being able to get fills close to home. I called Dr. Byars office this morning and she told me that he did not to fills for out of country patients?? Thanks for your help..