mb20mom

I was at one of my follow up visits yesterday (8 mos post op) and I asked about this very procedure. I was told they absolutely will recommend a panniculectomy procedure if it's been at least one year post op and the belly must hang at least 1/2 way past the pubic area. I'm excited to hear this, but nervous that it's not a very attractive end result, like a tummy tuck. Did you happen to see many "after" patients that had this done? I guess I shouldn't be picky, I would just be so glad to have it removed!

Congratulations on your success! You're way ahead of me since we had surgery at the same time. Great job losing 100lbs - whoooooo hoooooo!

I think it's normal also. I remember at this stage feeling like, now that I'm not really eating, what do I do with my time? It was an empty feeling of needing to replace the pleasure of food with something else, almost like a mourning period that I didn't expect. I guess being addicted to food took a lot more time than we thought, and now we don't know what to do with ourselves! It passes though, and pretty soon you'll find you don't even think about food anymore, and eating is just a means to rid hunger and give you energy...you're just fine, woman. P.S.....going to see Dr. Zane today for follow up!

I'm finally able to wear XL in tops and size 14 in pants! (previously 3x and size 22) I can't believe how much cuter the clothes are when you're not limited to the big girls section! For the first time, my criteria for deciding whether to buy something is not just that it fits, but that it's cute and looks good on me. I remember in the past when I'd be so thrilled just that it fit that it didn't matter if I liked it or not, I had to get it because that's all there was to choose from. I can finally be selective about clothes...gee what concept. So long, Lane Giant!! Nice knowing you....helloooooo Macy's!!:001_tt2:

Wow, there are a lot of Kaiser patients on this board who will be jealous to hear of your good luck! Usually it's at least a 6 month process. Maybe they aren't as backed up in Northern Cal as they are down here. Congratulations!

This has never happened to me! From what I hear from the "band revision-ers", they are happy after getting the sleeve that this doesn't happen anymore. If you over eat it can become a little uncomfortable, and it's possible to slime and bring it up, but not likely.

I use mine every day for mixing my protein shake. But if you already have an appliance that will mix for you, don't bother...except that it's easy to use, easy to clean, and is perfect for a single serving size. I also used it for chopping nuts and the kids use it for milkshakes and smoothies.

Yes, Debbie was my case manager. Remember, my Options classes were 24 weeks long, so I'm sure things have changed, but we had about 3 visits with a bariatric dr. there during those 6 mos. I don't even remember the name of mine, but he was very thin, tall, dark hair and soft spoken.(I remember I could barely hear what he was saying) Anyway just before the end of the classes was the appt. with the doctor where he said ok, you're ready to go forward after Options and he was ready to put my referral through to West La and that they were taking patients immediately with no wait, (but Harbor City had a 2 month wait). He said I didn't even need any pre-op tests. Well I wasn't prepared to hear that and thought I had another few weeks to make up my mind because at that point I was actually having second thoughts. We decided I would see him again in 2wks with my decision. When I went back I said ok I'm ready and Debbie put my referral through for West LA by mistake (I wanted Dr.Zane at Harbor City). West LA actually called me right away with a surgeon appt. but I had to start over with my referral to Harbor City! That was kind of a bummer, but I ended up seeing Dr. Zane about 2 months later and we scheduled the surgery. There were a few pre-op tests like EKG and blood work, but nothing much. I do remember that the girls that taught Options were a little out of touch with not only how the surgery was done, but they always told us everything would take longer than it really did. I remember the instructor, (Kristen, maybe) was a whole 130 lbs her whole life and seemed to have these stories of struggling with her weight which I could never understand. The nutritionist was a bit condescending to us, and not in the greatest shape, so I was not very impressed with Options at all. I learned more from this site honestly, but still glad they make you go through it, because you do come out more prepared than a lot of people who are self pay and jump right into surgery. Hope that helps. I know you're anxious to move forward, but use this time to really prepare yourself and get used to eating light. You'll get in faster than you think.

Ahh, sorry I can't make it! I work in Riverside and Rancho is just too far to go for a lunch hour. Let me know if you plan anything again, especially if it's on a weekend and I'll be there.

Oooh, bad time to try to quit smoking. I quit 2 years ago and NOT SMOKING was my main focus in life for a year, so I couldn't imagine dealing with anything else like surgery at the same time. Good luck to you! I hope you can find the strength to not smoke after surgery too, since it will help you heal better if you don't. I used Chantix, maybe you could have your doctor prescribe it?

Thin2be, are you attending Options at the VanBuren facility in Riverside? That's where I went. You could always just make an appt. with your assigned bariatric doctor there. He's the one who orders your labs and tells you the next step. You need him on your side to get the approval sent to the surgery center, so I say go right to the source. Those case managers are overwhelmed. Good luck! And don't worry, there's not much you can do to speed the process much. Just try to remember how lucky we are that Kaiser pays for this surgery, and the waiting is just the price we have to pay to get it.

Good to hear! And it's great that you posted that because it just reinforces to the newbies that it DOES get better. I think it's so important that everyone hears that message. It's amazing that so many of us felt the exact same way early out. You are going to be looking great in no time! I just got a call from Dr. Zane's office for a follow up appt. next month. I'm still so surprised at how organized they are with seeing so many patients...somehow I didn't expect to hear from them again with all that I've heard about the volume of cases they've had. I feel like bringing him a gift of appreciation for changing people's lives! This experience has been a dream come true for me. I still have a feeling of expecting the weight to come back but it never does. It's odd getting used to "normal". Keep us posted on your success! Congrats!

Poor thing. I remember feeling the same way...the "what have I done?" thing is just something natural that will go away. I remember pretending that it wasn't an optional surgery, it was medically necessary like getting your gall bladder out or something. But it won't be long before you're excited to get up in the morning so you can get on the scale! Just remember that it's not the end of the world, it's just portion control. Keep us posted and keep coming back for support. We're all here for each other.

I felt the exact same way since I was so successful at losing during the Options classes. And I feel this is exactly why Kaiser patients are so well prepared by the time they have surgery. It's so great that you're thinking long and hard about this and you have the opportunity to "weigh" (ha ha) all your "options" ha ha (I crack myself up). I can offer you this: with all my thorough thinking and even though I knew I was so sure about going through with it, the moment I woke up from surgery I said "why didn't someone talk me out of this?" (But I was just a miserable whiney surgery patient). But now? I love it. Every day I feel like I have a secret weapon that has finally broken the pattern. I finally feel normal and have such comfort knowing the weight is off for good. I have zero regrets. Zero. I can still eat whatever I want. I'm not deprived. Wish I had it done 10 years ago. Keep thinking and good luck on your decision!

Congratulations!! That is so exciting for you. I know what it's like to wait that long, and I bet you can't believe it's finally happening. I don't know how Dr. Zane can keep any of his patients straight when he sees so many. Good luck on your surgery!

Whoa! 200 people, really??? I guess I feel lucky that I got in when I did! That's crrrrrazy. Good luck on your surgery...you sound very excited!

Sorry to hear of your throat troubles. That's all you need when you have everything else going on to worry about...I remember Dr. Zane kept me longer too...until I could pee more (kind of obvious if you're not getting in enough fluid) ha ha. I'm sure it was good to get out of there and go home. I had a hard time too at first, and I can assure you it gets soooo much better before you know it. Just take in what you can and let everything heal. Keep us posted.

Yes the dense protein is the most filling for me also. I was amazed the other night at the movies at how much popcorn I could eat! That stuff must press down to nothing when it hits your stomach. But if it's chicken or steak, maybe 4 bites and I'm done. I can eat a whole yogurt pretty quickly, but still can't finish a Lean Cuisine. I can eat almost a whole slice of pizza (minus the back of the crust), 1/4 of a sub sandwich (with the bread crust peeled off) or 1 taco. Salad is easy to eat a lot of, and I can usually get in about 1/3 of a burger. Most importantly, food is not as important to me as it used to be. I remember before that upon waking up I would think about what there was to eat for breakfast, but now I wake up with thoughts of what the scale might say today. Food is just a formality to eliminate hunger, and it doesn't matter that much what the food is anymore, especially since it's only 4 bites anyway!

I think being in the public eye is a great opportunity to be an advocate for the VSG! I've never thought it to be something we should be ashamed of. On the contrary, people's reactions seem to be more of curiousity and acceptance that we are taking action in our lives and making a courageous decision to improve our health. I don't think you have to worry about documenting your journey and not losing weight...you WILL lose weight! Anyway, it seems that when celebrities lose a lot of weight now, everyone just assumes they had some sort of surgery even if they aren't public about it. It's so much more accepted now than it used to be. I say go for it and be proud of yourself that you're doing it and let the public see that you are positive about it.

Congratulations! That's good news for you!

Sounds like you've hit the "now what" stage. I've often pondered what it will feel like to be done with the weight loss and whether it will be depressing like a big let down. It's been so important to us for so long, and it's a goal we thought we'd never reach, and we forget that the people around us don't really care that much about our weight. And we must remember that people we meet now don't know we were ever fat. For so many years we told ourselves how much better life will be if we lose the weight. And now you've lost the weight, and maybe it's not the big hooplah we thought it would be...it's just life going forward as a normal person. No longer are we different, and there will be no parade for us. Hang in there and enjoy life in your new body! Try to remember all the things you thought you couldn't do when you were heavy and do them now. Go shopping and try on clothes you never thought you'd wear. I don't know, I'm not there yet, but I am trying to be prepared for when it hits me...hope you feel better. You sure look better! Remember that.