MrsShannonDennis

Hey! Thanks for your comment on my picture. I was banded on Jue 09. I started at a size 22. I am not a 12. Yes I do use a trainer now for about 9 months. Im bottom heavy too. Im all hips and thighs and boy are they sticking around. I work out a ton. Twice a day and do boot camps, weight lifting, step, you name it. Looks like you are doing well. I would suggest doing more toning workouts to get your bottom half down. WOrks well!

350? Irani office told me 300$. They are going to try and see if my insurance will claim those even though they didnt cover the surgery. Its worth a try. How many fills before you reached your sweet spot?? Are you a cash patient??

I teach at Endeavour elem. in the Fruitvale district. Its behind the Rosedale Target. Glad to meet you and excited someone on here is close to home!!

Bella-

It takes time. I started 2 weeks post op. I was still uncomfortable with the idea of going to a gym so my best friend who trains and I worked out every day (m-f) at one of our houses. We switched it up between hip hpp abs and Tae-Bo DVDs. I liked working out at home cause I didnt get embarrased and I could go at my own pace. That was in June 09 and I think in Sept or Oct 09 I joined the gym. I started to just work out M-F with my friend who had LAP-BAND?? done too. We just went slow at doing cardio really. Then in NOV 09 we both decided to join a boot camp at our gym 2 days a week with a trainer. We had eachother so it made it easier. We did boot camp 2 days a week and the off days we just met up and did cardio. We always did an hour a day.

Then more recently like march maybe we started trying different classes at our gym to switch things up. We started doing weight lifting, step, and Zumba. We love it because every day is something different. We never get bored and we have fun! I look forward to going now cause I have her and we have made a whole little group of girlfriends there and we all support eachother.

I always suggest doing something fun. If working out isnt fun, you will not look forward to going. Join a gym if you havent already and look up what classes they have. Drag a friend with u. You need the support. U can push eachother to go. Switch things up and think about the end results not how much you hate going. Try finding a Zumba class. Its salsa/latin dance aerobics. You burn up to 900 cals in the hour. ITS SOOOO FUn! You just have to make it fun. WHatever it takes, thats the key. Then it will just become part of your daily routine. You dont question it anymore. Good luck! its hard but soooo rewarding!

Hey I do a ton of toning. I do a boot camp twice a week where we tone everything doing different weight exercises and whtever with my trainer. Then I do a weight lifting class two days a week where you are lifting weights to music for an hour on every part of your body. I LOVE THIS CLASS! Sounds like you do a lot of cardio which is great for initial weight loss but I got to the point where I needed to tighten up and tone so I do cardio every day but not as much as I used to. I try to now do high impact stuff. Im not usually too tight after I work out but my friend with LB gets really tight after we work out. I know its normal. Im super tight in the mornings. Weird this is Ive been sick on an off now for 2 weeks and have been SUPER tight the whole time. So strange

Krystle- SAME story with my ins. I have blue cross blue shield and it covered EVERYTHING usually, but ya not that. I took out a loan. It needed to be done. Good luck coming up with the money. Its worth being in debt over to gain so much of my life back!

Hey! Good luck at your consult! Best thing I have EVER done. I Didnt shop around too much for a surgeon. I know several people who had LB done and then have talked to random people and every single one had Irani or went through Bakersfield Medical Associates (his company). There are 3 surgeons there. I also knew I wanted to go through Mercy Southwest and so I went to their info meeting and they go through bakersfield medical associates. I was super impressed by them and fell in love with the bariatrics dept at Mercy SW.

Irani is one of the most experienced if not THEE MOST experienced in town. He has been doing LB since it first came out. I LOVE HIM and is PA Kristen is amazing too. I usually just go to her. Please use me as a resource. We can get together sometime and talk if you like. Im pretty much an expert by now. I do tons of research and Ive gone through a lot during this year with it. I would love to tell you all about it and answer questions that a doc might not be able to tell you!

I taught over at Columbia last year. 4th and 5th grade. Great School. I want to go back! Well I have my first fill on Aug 3rd. I am hungry all the time. They said I could come in anytime now and get my first one but I am going on vacation on friday and didnt want it to interfere, just in case. When was your surgery? How much have you lost? My friend had it done today with Hiak. Keep in touch!

Aw its actually a B...CSUB! Sorry!

HEY!! YEAH! I am a teacher at Discovery Elem. (fruitvale dist.). Tell me about your story.Whos your surgeon, what has your success been? I would love to know!! My good friend had LB done 4 weeks after me. We have been doing it all together. I would be lost without her

mterry-

It happens. Dont beat yourself up. Just remember, the band is just a tool. You must change your thought process about food. I had to WORK for EVERY pound lost. Its a 2nd job, but with an amazing payoff! Keep it up andknow that it didnt take overnight to get heavy and it wont take overnight to get thin Good luck!

Thanks guys!

Kimber- Is was not painful at all. The first week, my stomach muscles were super sore. I actually got tons of nausea and threw up a lot the first week, but thats not too common. I had no complications at all really. I do now have MASSIVE acid reflux, but I take Prevacid daily and it had fixed it, but if I miss a day, the heartburn is intense. I also was having some pain in my right lower abs where your gallbladder is. They tested everything and I'm fine. They think its just gas pains around the time of my period every month but those have stopped. GAS pains were and still are the only issue that was painful. I had them for the first 6 months bad on and off. Mainly in my shoulder. Now I get them bad if I use a straw or chew gum. Hope this helps!

No I still have about 30 lbs to go. I dont think Ill need anything done cause Im young and my skin had been tightening up well. My friends who is 47 who had it done, we work out together. She is getting her boobs and tummy tucked when she reaches her goal. I think the only think I am going to do is possibly my boobs, but get a flatter port cause my tummy is super small and it sticks out and hurts to lay on my belly. And one of my scars bubbles up so I want corrective surgery on that.