HollywoodPearl19

Its very simple, my doctor feels for my port (which takes him about 8 sec to find) he then takes a small needle and numbs the area ( on a scale from 1-10 the pain from that is a 2, just a slight pinch) he then decides how much saline to fill into the syringe and feels again for my port and places the needle inside (30 sec) it takes about 5-10 sec for him to put all the saline in, and its completely painless, you cant feel it going in, it may be a little uncomfortable when he pokes around inside of you for the port, but it wont be painful. afterwards theyll have you sit up and drink a cup of Water to see how well it goes down and theyll determine if they need to remove any solution..., then you get to go home and of course this is all assuming that your first fill wont be under a fluro.

I started out alone, and lost the first 50/60 alone just by walking on the treadmill and eating right.I started working out with my trainer after sort of hitting a plateau and have since lost 40 ish more pounds since July, and my body has changed dramatically.I literally feel that my body has been remolded, my arms were beginning to be flabby, no more.I was sure I'd need a Tummy Tuck after losing all this weight, and now Im pretty sure I won't.she guides me, teaches me and holds me accountable for my weight. I know that I love having my trainer && even though it costs an arm and a leg for me to meet with her 3x a week, I love it'

About 90 pounds down && I still don't ENJOY it.I enjoy the results, and the atmosphere, but I still don't like the actual action.it has become a natural part of my life now, sort of like my food choices now.I eat healthy and workout because of the benefits they give to my body, but don't necessarily enjoy them! Tips to get more into working out 1) good music playlist, fill your iPod with tons of upbeat songs you love 2) find a gym buddy 3) switch up your routine so that you don't get bored.ie try zumba, pilates, Water fitness etc. 4) get a trainer.if you can afford it, a trainer is a great investment.they can motivate you, yeah you && help you to be accountable. Good luck!

I started walking the night after surgery lol and continued only cardio for about 3mos, then I started doing arms/legs/back/chest.I didnt start doing stomach exercises until 6mos just bc I was being a total worry bug and was afraid I'd flip my port ;-/ you can def.start with weights earlier though I'm sure.looking back I'm not really sure why I waited 3mos to start.

I love straws and have since day one preferred to have them.Truthfully I'm less likely to gulp with a straw.

Unrepairable*

exercise will help with loose skin , but I can only speak for the younger crowd.I was banded at 18, 8 months ago and I'm about 80 pounds down, at first I could see the skin starting to hang at around 40 pounds down, I got a trainer who I work out with 3days a week and I do cardio ALL the other days.Strength training works wonders, my arms were starting to get flabby, but no more.I'm sure my age has ALOT to do with it, just how you see many older mothers who have children and are left with unrepaorable stretch marks and loose skin, but many young mothers who bounce RIGHT back.TIME is on our side girls, why not take advantage?

Honestly, if you decide to go natural it will be even harder to keep/get your hair straight after the gym.Forget 30 min, I'm talking 2hrs!! If you want to do the big chop and rock your hair short and in it's natural state (unstraightened) then youll have no problem && it will def.make your life easier.I've been natural for a little over 2 years, and I work out about 6days week, 3 of those days I go 2x a day and after each workout I'm drenched, I found the easiest thing for me are sew ins, they're easy versatile && you can sweat like a hog then go home and co wash your hair without a problem, plus it also protects your hair..even braids would help if you're interested in those...

My doctor also says 6 days of liquids! Ugh I think its a little much and sometimes I start mushies on day 3! Going for a fill on Monday && I'm just going to try and keep thinking that liquids=weightloss lol

OK I am about 7 months out and 70 pounds down, I have been pretty happy with my weightloss, of course I wouldve loved to have lost more... anywho, Im def. not the perfect bandster, but I try to follow the rules, one rule that I have never followed was the "no drinking while eating". frankly, i thought it was stupid and couldnt imagine eating food without drinking. Im one of those people who sip after every bite so I didnt even want to try and stop. Oddly enough I never realized why this rule was set in place, so i did my research a little over a month ago. When you drink while eating the liquids push the foods through the band and you upper pouch, making it harder for the band to do it's job and allowing you to eat more food. While researching I found an article (ill try to find for you) that said one of the main reasons Lap Band patients are unable to use to tool in its entirety is bc of drinking while eating. I decided to try and stop and Lord have mercy I feel like slapping myself! I get full so quick now and although its a little weird not drinking, Im getting used to it. Ive dropped a whopping EIGHT pounds in one week since I started doing this. im truly amazed and I feel that If i wouldve done this sooner Id already have lost 100 pounds. The thing is, the band will still help you if you drink with your meals, you will still get fuller quicker than you did preband, but I personally can say it has made the world of a difference for me! Ive only had two small fills so far and I go in for another next week, but atleast just try not the no drinking rule. I learned a tip from someone on here to fix a glass of ice when Im eating and allow myself to drink whatever has melted throughout my meal, which isnt alot but it helps to trick my mind lol

Also--I went back to work 2days after surgery, and rarely had to use my pain meds.Mind you I worked at a clothing store in the mall so no hard labor, but I was def.okay to go back.My doctor says our age helps w/our speedy recovery

I'm 20 and had my band put in only 7months ago, it has already been the best decision I have ever made.I was very nervous as well, but the surgery is a breeze and you're only a little sore afterwards, I've heard many times that the LB surgery pain is far worse than many other surgeries such as the gallbladder removal. I'm a full-time college student and I'm very active at university and within my sorority, I still go out, party, go to dinners everything.you learn to live with your band, it's an amazing tool and you couldn't pay me to take it out.Prepare for your big day, it will be the first day of your new life!good luck

Congratulations! best decision you will ever make!

Me too momo! Well actually now officially 17pounds away I'm sooo excited! Let's goooooooo!!!!!!!!

Oh and I went back to work two days later but at the time I worked at a clothing store in the mall sooo no hard labor.

I arrived at the hospital at 7am, had surgery at 11am , went home around 4pm, after surgery all I had to do was eat a Popsicle, do another swallow test, use the bathroom and then I could go home

I was banded 11 days before my 20th birthday on December 10,2010. Down fourty pounds!

In my opinion, the videos you can find online or on ON demand cannot compare with taking a real zumba class. I attend one at my local golds gym, I know that many YMCAs also offer a zumba class. Its an hour straight of fun, cardio.At my gym they turn the lighrs out, and turn on the disco lights which gives it a club like atmosphere. Doing the eliptical or treadmill for an hour doesnt compare to the Zumba.I am much more exhausted after zumba than any other traditional cardio experience. Im guessing its because you are most def. using every single muscle, and going in multiple directions and speeds. Plus being in a room with 50 other women, great music and a great instructor makes the workout more enjoyable. Try it once and youll def. come back. I try to do it atleast twice a week in addition to my workouts. I started the last week of January and its helped me drop an additional 25 pounds since..;]

Hey yall! Im Holly. I am writing this post because I can remeber being pre-band, looking for a post like this and couldnt find one anywhere. So i thought id make one for all you pre-bandsters(; It may be a little long, but I hope you get something out of it!

I decided that I wanted to have lap band surgery January 1st, 2010. I had done an extensive amount of research, online and finally decided that lap band was the best decision for me.

I immediatley made an appointment for a consultation with Dr.Paul Macik in Atlanta, Ga. I chose Dr. Macik because of the amazing reviews I read, his credentials, success ratesand his ability to perform the sinlge incision procedure.

While waiting for my consult date to arrive, I began doing research on insurance approval. I decided to call my insurance to see if they would cover the cost of surgery, I spoke with a male rep who quickly told me 'NO" that my insurance plan wouldnt cover the surgery. I was heartbroken and immediatley began researching surgery loans. A few days after the first call , something told me to try calling again, so I did. This time I had a female rep who was very patient and kind, she answered each of my questions and looked into my plan to find that I did qualify(; I think one of the mainr easons why she was so patient is because she had bypass herself and felt my pain!

Consultation date 1/1710: Somewhat simple. I met with the Dr. for about all of 10 minutes, he told me Lap Band would be perfect for me, I asked a few questions about surgery, preop, etc , he answered them all and I was on my way(;

I met with his wonderful office manager, Tiffany who gave me my preop packet and checklist, which had to be completed before they would try for insurance approval.

;=]]]

AND HERES WHERE THE BREAK COMES..I am busy college student, involved in many different activites, organizations on campus and I also have a part time job so It took me roughly 5 months to start my preop checklist. I encourage you to make your appts ahead of time for preop stuff because sometimes there can be up to a month of wait time for them.

I will sum up each of the appointments.

Nutrition: I had an amazing nutritionist, Megan Moyer, in ATL, I only met with her once for 30 min, but learned so much from her. She asked about my eating habits, my excercise habits, my relationship with food and she gave me multiple tips(; She wrote a letter for my insurance company saying she believed I would benefit and I was on my way

Psychological: Dr.Stephen Walfish, very nice, an honest man, he did not run around the bush, he gives it to you straight, but in a very kind way lol. I spent roughly 45 min taking a VERY long multiple choice test which asks you questions such as "Have you ever contemplated suicide? Are you typically happy? Do you have anger issues? Have you been abused? Do you have bouts of deppression" After taking the test, I went into his office and spoke with him for about 45 min. He went over the test answers, graded it, and then asked me questions about why i wanted surgery, what did I expect from surgery, what are my plans after surgery. he also asked things about sex and how I thought myh boyfriend would react to increased male attention..I thought he was great and after our last 45 min session he also wrote a letter to my insurance company.

Upper GI: I had the test done at Emory Jonhs Creek Hospital in Atlanta. If I remember correctly, you arent allowed to eat prior to the procedure. They take you back, you have to strip down to nothing and put a hospital gown, they take you into the xray room and give you a nice big cup of barium. They instruct you to sip the mixture and then they take pics of it as it goes down. They also have you lie on the xray table and flip from side to side as they take pictures. And before you know it-->its over! PLEASE drink lots of Water after this test, because the chalky mixture can harden in your tummy and cause sever Constipation if you dont drink alot of water.

PCP referral: I used my OBGYN. This was the easiest of my preapproval test because relaly no test was neeeded, I tols my doctor that I wanted to have surgery and why, I found out that she too had the lap band procedure (; Something that I did to make it easier for her was to type up a list prior to my appt, the list included.

My name, my dr.s name, my heightm weight birthdate, my medical history (sicknesses, previous physicians and their addresses and phone numbers), family medical history, my weight history :including weight loss attempts, diets attempted, gym memberships(dates joined), and weight lost with all attempts.I also included reasons why the surgery would help me .

Turns out all she had to do was take the note Id composed for her, write a small note on the bottom and sign it!

By this time, It was near the end of October when all those test were completed, I had all the results faxed to my surgeons office and I paid a $250.00 fee to my surgeon to cover them submitting packet for approval, the fee also covered an appeal (if they didnt approve me initially).

So then I wait, and wait, and wait and after only FOUR days--> I was approved(;

I had surgery 12/10/2010 and can honestly say it was the best decision Ive ever made(;

I was banded six days ago and had the same issue. I found that having a family member or my boyfriend help me up for the first 3 days helped alot. I also found that standind still for a minute after getting up, helped to lessen the pain instead of jumping right into motion.I still have been using alot of pillows in the bed. It does get easier though, it doesnt hurt me near as much to get up and down now.But i just wish I could feel my port. Im eager to know where it is!

Hello!Iwas also banded recently, 12/10/10 and im having pain on my left side as well.I dont know if its safe to call it a pain or just a very irritating, sore spot. It is very unconfortable when i lay on that side, or when turning, stretching, etc. I also went back to work really quick, 3 days after surgery. Ive been doing alot of research and have found multiple posts from people having similar issues, but attributing these issues to their PORT area. I cannot feel my port so Im unsure if that is what is causing my pain.So maybe it is your port, do you know where yours is located. They say that the port area can be the most unconfortable and take the longest to heal. I know this probably didnt help you, but wanted you to know that youre not alone.

I was banded 12/9 and was fine for a few days afterward. Now, I'm having pain in my left side. Its only when I get move around or inhale sharply. Could it be gas? I took some GasX strips, but that doesnt seem to help. I went back to work yesterday, maybe I rushed it? I'm getting worried.

Hey y'all! my name is Holly, and my surgery is also this Friday! its at 1030am in Atlanta, Ga by Dr.Macik! SO very excited but nervous as well, itll be my first time being put to sleep, EVER so that scares me most! zpearle you will be fine, ChefGabbie is right, many surgeons only require a two week no carb diet like mine, with only liquids the day prior. Ive even heard of some banders preop diet consisting of ONLY 2 days of liquid prior to surgery. I pray that we all three have amazingly succesful surgeries.Lets all stay in touch after surgery to keep up with each other's progress, complications, etc!

ONE MORE DAY LADIES------->;=]

December 10th for me;=] waahoooo~!