canadagirl33

Good Morning everyone, I just recievec an email from Doreen and she will not be continuing the Lions Gate meeting. Unfortunately this looks like the end of the North Vancouver group. I have not cancelled the use of the room at Lions Gate yet so if any of you would like to take over and organize a meeting, please let me know and I will make contact with them to let them know that we will continue to use the room. Hopefully any of you that need support will be able to find some close and carry on with your journies. Keep in touch, I enjoyed meeting all of you and sharing. All the best, Patricia

I had my TT over a year ago. My PS asked me to have a defill because she was concerned about being able to take meds. I was on antibiotics for 7 days after surgery as well as pain meds for the first few days. Before the surgery I knew that I could have issues with taking pills and felt it was safer to just get the defill and not worry about it. I got a refill 9 days post-op and never had any issues with any of my pills My PS also had my take arnica....she had a 'kit' of pills. I took 2 the day before surgery, and 2 more for 3 days post-op. It helps with swelling. Good luck

Hi Everyone I hope this finds you all doing well with your bands and living life to the fullest. Some of you may 'know' me or remember me as I organized the North Vancouver bandster meetings at Lion's Gate Hospital for the last 5 years. I will no longer be doing these meetings but have told Doreen (Doddie) that she is welcome to take over and use the room for meetings if she chooses. I'm sure she will post soon to let everyone know if there will be a meeting this month or not. I have always enjoyed seeing you all and meeting some phenomenal bandsters but at this time I can not commit to the long drive every month for a meeting that has slowly been getting smaller and smaller. Don't get me wrong, I loved being there even if there were only 3 of us chatting. If the meetings continue, either at Lion's Gate or another venue, hopefully I can arrange myself so that I can pop in now and then to catch up with you all. Again, thank you for the support and taking the time to attend meetings, I enjoyed then more than you know. Keep supporting each other and helping each other as much as you can !!! Feel free to drop me a note to let me know how you're doing, I'll look forward to hearing about your amazing journies. All the best, Patricia

H everyone I'm soooo sorry that I didn't make it to the meeting last night. I had every intention of being there, left home and got as far as Squamish and my car started acting funny. I whipped into my sister's place and had her hubby have a look and he thought it was probably the carb of fuel pump/filter.....and he didn't think I should take the chance of heading to Van and breaking down. So I turned around and headed back up the highway and home. I made it without any issues but I am getting the car into the shop tomorow to have it looked at 'cause it's still acting up. I wanted to see you all!!!! I look forward to getting together for a chat all month.....~sigh~. It sounds like a few of you were there, I'm glad to hear that and that you all had a good chat and could help each other out. P~

Hi Everyone Bumping this topic up to the top because this week is our monthly meeting in North Vancouver. Everyone is welcome to attend whether you have a band or are just beginning to look into it. Talking to those of us already banded can be a great source of info. Our meetings are informal and generally a lot of fun. We will meet at Lion's Gate hospital on Wednesday evening, any time after 6.30, conference room C. If anyone has questions or needs more info please email me at canadagirl33@hotmail.com Patricia

I had a tummy tuck 5 months ago and had my band completely de-filled at the request of my PS. She had done surgery on bandsters before and she had 3 main concerns for a de-fill... 1~ The possibility of nausea following surgery. 2~ The need to take numerous pills post-op. I was on pain meds and a full week of antibiotics after my TT. I was tight enough pre-op that I had problems swollowing pills...I'm not sure I could have taken my meds without issues if I hadn't had a de-fill. 3~ There is certainly a chance that you will lose some weight after surgery but my PS also feels that we need to eat very healthfully after surgery so that we heal properly and quickly. Lots of fruits and veggies as well as good solid protein for a few weeks post-op is ideal for optimal healing. You should certainly talk to both your band Dr as well as your chosen plastic surgeon to see how they feel about all of these issues. I would much rather be de-filled before and have no issues than be vomiting or getting stuck after my tummy tuck...that would ~NOT~ have been very pleasant.

Good luck today Cindy....I will be thinking of you and sending positive, healing vibes your way. Let us know when you're home and how you're managing:smile2: You are both right...maybe it is time to make a change. I will contact Lion's gate and see what days the conference room is available. If I hear back in time I will let those of you at the meeting know what they say. As an alternative, we could meet someplace else....possibly a restaraunt or something. Start talking about it and let me know what you all prefer. I have to work at 5.30am on Friday mornings so Thursday doesn't work for me, but that said, if it is the preferred day for everyone else I will still organize it but probably not attend regularly. Anyhow....how about you all posting here, which day of the week and time of day works best and we'll go from there. Hope to see some of you Wednesday !!! Patricia

Hi Everyone :laugh: Sorry I hadn't read any of these posts in weeks, mey computer has been in the shop...gotta love viruses !!!:thumbup: Anyhow.... As always our monthly meeting is this week, Wednesday, Nov. 17th at Lion's Gate Hospital. I will definitely be there this month as I am planning to spend the night in Vancouver and shop, shop, shop!!! Shauna...I did not recieve a mail from you (Doddie missed the 'l' in my address:wink2:) so I have sent you a quick private message in hopes that you get the meeting info and can join us. Pre-bandsters can take away a lot of info regarding everyday life with the band...it can be helpful. mamaj....How did your consult at NWWLS go? I was banded by then as well....tomorrow is my 4 year bandiversary !!! They were amazing to me, I loved all the staff and they were very helpful. I'm looking forward to hearing how things go for you and if you have a surgery date yet. Hope to see everyone at the meeting on Wednesday !!! Patricia

The original posts and prices are 4 years old in this thread. Things like price have definitely changed since then, that may be the difference you're seeing.

I lost just over 100lbs. I don't especially like the wording of your question. "Need" can be interpreted in a lot of ways. Some people lose massive amounts of weight and quite happily live with the excess skin, and then there are others who have tummy tucks after delivering a baby because they can't live with the little 'pooch' they end up with. Whether you will 'need' a tummy tuck will depend on what you can live with after your weight loss. Personally, after my weight loss I decided that I wanted a tumy tuck. Even tho I didn't 'need' it, I wanted it. I took a second job, saved for 3 years (while living quite comfortably with a hanging tummy) and had a tummy tuck done 4 months ago. I'm quite pleased with the results, certainly feel more comfortable naked, however in my clothes ~very~ rew people have commented that I look any different. Your original post states that you don't want to "lose all the weight only to find out that i need PS because I look heinous." How about losing the weight to become healthier and happier? Then you can start to worry about if you need to fix any thing....

I had a full TT with muscle work done 4 months ago and I was actually quite surprised at how little pain was involved. I never actually had what I would call 'pain'. Yes, there were certainly a few days where I was in discomfort and it was a little tough to move around too much. My back was sore from hunching over, but it was definitely tolerable. My PS told me to stay on schedule with pain meds, especially for the first 3 or 4 day and I did, which I think probably helped a lot. Like you, I had to wait until my drains came out before I could have ashower....so I waited until day 16. In the meantime I used a box of baby wipes/ wet cloth thingies....they worked well. And by day 4 I laid towels on the bed and got my hobby to set up a small table with a big pan of hot soapy water and had a sponge bath. Even that made me feel (and smell) so much better. As I felt better the sponge bath became a daily thing. Good luck to you and keep us posted on how you feel !!!

Alright....Time to get the Vancouver Bandsters back in line !!! :smile2: I have to apologize for not being around much but life has just been crazy for me lately. No excuse I know, but now is the time to start putting myself first again and get back in line... I want to tell you all about our upcoming meeting, and I know I'm really early, don't worry, I'll post again closer to the time but I want you all to know about it early so that you can make plans to attend. I think that it's going to be a great meeting !!! We will be having a guest speaker attending. I know some of you have heard about Chef Dave Fouts and he will be at our meeting !!! He is a well known bariatric chef and will be ther to talk to us about eating properly after WLS and how to make healthier choices ect. I think it's going to be great !!! There is a cost for admission.....however I think you can all handle it. Bring a can/box/bag of food for the food bank and you're in !!! :tt2: I think it will be well worth your time to attend. Hope to see you all there and I will be sending out my reminder email the start of next week so none of you forget !!! Be safe and healthy, Patricia