kareyquilts

Just sent a prayer and a hug your way. God bless.

Cori: I still wear mascara. My lashes are light and besides, I'm emotionally attached to mascara! You only don't have to wear mascara at night when you apply the Revitalash! I really am pleased with the length and thickness of my lashes!

You will be in prayer tomorrow! Your going to be smokin'!

Dr. Schulman: Speaking of goal weight, I have been trying to lose the last 20 pounds for many many months now. It seems that my body likes me at my current weight (5'6'- 155 lbs.). I have a Tannika scale which is suppose to measure body fat and according to that scale, I am still 38% fat! Do you know how accurate these types of measurements are? I believe that I do have more weight to lose. I am excersicing 6 days a week, aerobics and then pilates or strength training. I am keeping my calories at about 1200/day, which I record faithfully. I'm not asking for diet advise, but I'm wondering how to know when you can't loose anymore? I just loose and gain the same 2-3 pounds. I am schedule for a thigh and butt lift, arms and revision of my tummy tuck in October and really want to loose as much as I can before, since I am not anxious to go through any more surgery after that. My ps says he will probably remove another 7 pounds. I just know that doesn't necessarily equate to that much lost weight for me. With my first round of surgery, the ps removed 4.5 pounds from the tummy and 3 pounds of fat from lipo. When it was all said and done, I probably only lost 3 pounds. I want to be the best that I can, but it seems like I'm swimming upstream. Any ideas?

Wishing you the best. Glad you are getting a few more opinions. I don't think most doctors are in it only for your money. And even if there were, it wouldn't pay to have unhappy patients. Good practices are built on reputation and word of mouth. I think there are many approaches to ps. I had some docs that wanted me to do lipo first and others that prefer to do it at the same time. Part of it could be where they trained, how much CE they do and yes, experience with bariatric patients. I am having more ps surgery in October and my doc is fixing one of my breasts (that he did) that is a little lower than the other at no charge. He is also revising my TT, with a vertical incision because I have lost more weight and have more loose skin. I was like you and had some upper stomach fat as well. I was and am happy with my first TT, and wasn't anixious for the additional scar, but I'll look much better in clothes. I am paying for the revision of my TT, because it's not the doc's fault. Also, having a thigh and butt lift and arms done. I hope you can resolve this and get the results that you want.

Not sure when this was posted, it would be nice if a start date was on the thread. I would love to send you something. Let me know if there is still time.

McGreen: I'm going to have more ps in October, too. We can commiserate together!

OKay, I have a tip for all you gals that want longer eyelashes. I bought this product at my plastic surgeon's office and it really works. It's called "Revitalash." It was designed by a doctor's whose wife lost all her eyelashes during chemotherapy. You just put it on like eyeline, except on the top lashes, before you go to bed. I started noticing a difference in about weeks. For the first time in my life, I don't have twigs, my lashes are getting thicker and are definetly longer (people comment on them). Revitalash is expensive ($150), but I think the tuble will last for a long time. It just amazing to me, that there are products for this kind of thing!

Thanks Becky, maybe I won't feel too bad, if my doc doesn't listen to my begging! Just won't be completely done without those suckers pulled up, but I may just have to live with it, cause I don't think I'm going under the knife again anytime soon!

Frangi: Sorry for the delay. Thanks for the tip on the sale at Stein Mart, I think it's time for me to do some shopping. Take care. Wishing you the best.

Becky: Since I am having lipo of the thighs and a thigh lift with my butt lift, I'm wondering about that pain you mentioned. The ps is probably not going to do the inside thigh (time factors), though I'm going to make one more plea for him to. I remember you saying how painful the inside thigh was, especially to go to the bathroom. Was the outside and back thigh just as painful. Can you feel the worry in my writing? LOL! Did you doc put long stitches in horizontally on the outside of your thigh? My doc said he is going to, that it's a French technique and takes all the stress on the stitches in the back. Just wondering if that will make a difference. I'm feeling less nauseated today. Maybe it will just go away.

Thanks for the support and letting me share this thread! I really do need the support. Great ideas. I like the written communication idea too! Yesterday, I went and picked up my disc for my cat scan and the radiologist's report. Who do I end up riding in the elevator with? The other doctor that assisted in my surgery. He started out the conversation with, "I just looked at your cat scan with Dr. Richard's yesterday." How are you feeling? We had a 15 minute conversation. He was nice. Said mine was a difficult case and that the surgery had been very hard. I have a lot of scar tissue and adhesions. He said it's not the same to put a new band in someone who has already had a band. He said that he and Dr. Richards want me to do a barium series to see how the band is sitting in 3-D, because the cat scan makes it look flat and they aren't use to seeing the band that way. He wants to be there when they do the upper GI so that he can see it in real time. I'm scheduled for next Wednesday at 8 AM with Dr. Cottam. He told me that it might be time to take my band out, if they can't see any reason for the nausea. Also said that he thinks my band might have slipped again. My DH is livid about that, because he said that if it slipped it slipped in surgery and was never right, since I haven't done anything to make it slip. I really appreciated the kindness of this doc and I really like him, but I'm not going down without a fight. I don't want to lose my band! I've paid a lot of money for it, experienced a lot of pain and I know that the statistics for me gaining weight back are not good. I tried to call my internist and discuss options, because he really looks out for me, but he is in Europe for the next 2 weeks (very inconsiderate of him, don't you think?! LOL). If my band has slipped, I'm not sure that consulting with another band doc will do any good. I don't know that I would be a canidate for a bypass or the sleeve at this point. I know I shouldn't worry about it until I get more information, but it's hard not too. If it wasn't for the nausea, I would just let the non functioning band sit in there. Oh well, time will tell! Frangi: Good luck with your trip, I hope it all goes smoothly and no flights are cancelled, etc. My thoughts and prayers will be with you next Tuesday! Can't wait to see your results!

BBK: I hope they caught your slip in time. I know you want to keep your band. I was talking to my band doc today and he said, it might be time to take mine out, if the nausea doesn't get better. Going to do the barium thing on me on Wednesday. I guess you never know what life is going to throw at us! Rest and try not to worry! Sending you hugs, too!

I have a feeling that they pulled her band down and caused it to slip when they replaced the port. I think that this what happened to me and why I had to have my band replaced. I had my port changed to a lower profile one after a TT. I know how badly she is feeling and my heart goes out to her! BBK you are in my prayers today!

Okay, I need you gals opinions. My lapband doc called with my CAT scan results yesterday and I'm really more confused than ever. She said that I had fluid collected in my pelvis, but that was probably alright? Really? No explanation why. (I have a huge swollen lymph gland in my groin). After all they did perforate my stomach in the surgery. Then she said that my band was sitting in an awkard position and that we should take out some of the fill. Really? I don't have a fill! It's a new band! She said, well I thought we already put 2 cc. in it. No, nothing yet. (Plus she told me the first fill would 3.5 cc, it's a large APL band because my stomach was so swollen when they did the surgery). Then she said, well your band will probably be alright. That was it! I told her that I'm still nauseated and she said that I should get another barium series (which I will have to pay out of pocket for). I said that my food is not getting stuck, I don't feel any restriction. She said if I'm still nauseated next week, we should get the test anyway. Okay, I'm not feeling very confident about my doc or my band. I told her that I was going to come and get a copy of my scan on a disc and she said fine and then she said, oh, it's at the hospital, come tomorrow. I think that I should have some one else look at my scan, but not sure who. My internist would be glad to read the report, etc., but he doesn't know that much about bands. How can I find out if my band placement is messed up? I'm getting very frustrated here. Tired of feeling like crap, plus I'm scheduled for ps in two months. I've got to feel better. Sorry for monopolizing the thread. What do you think I should do?

Well, my doctor called about my CAT scan today. She said that I had fluid collected in my pelvis (but that it shouldn't make me nauseated, but no explanation why it would be there). She said that my band was sitting in an awkward position and that she thought they should take some of the fill out. I said that's interesting, since I don't have any fill in! She said really and checked the record like I wouldn't know! Then she said, well my band should be okay. Okay! I'm not breaming over with confidence in her right now! I'm still nauseated and I'm not sure that my band is really okay. I told her I was going to come and get a copy of my CAT scan on disc, then she said, don't come today, it's at the hospital, but that I could come get it tommorrow. I think I will burn a copy for my internist and get a copy of the radiologist report. Not sure how to proceed. Any suggestions? I'm just wondering how to get an unfill, when I don't have one in and how to change the position of my NEW band? Maybe my nausea is totally unrelated to the band, like an inner ear problem, just really frustrated!

Fluffy Cat: Well, I still need to lose about 15 pounds, but I just carry my fat in my thighs. Not sure how much they'll get, but my doc likes to do it with a lift because it helps loosen the skin and he can contour it better. Also have some fat pockets on the inside of my knees, that are going to go!

Thanks for the support. My family wasn't excited about my WLS or first round of PS either. Hopefully, I'll look so great that they'll understand why I was willing to go through it again!

It is a lot of surgery, but I figure that pain is pain, so I'll just be a little more miserable, than it will be over. I may start a new thread, not sure that I want to put butt pictures up, though. We'll see maybe I can take some that are tasteful, so to speak. Still have 2 months to think about it!

Yup, I had lipo. According to my doc, they took out 3 pounds of fat with the lipo. I have to say that lipo hurts. I even had some damage to a nerve in my hip from the lipo. It is feeling better now, but I couldn't cross my legs for a while. So, why have more lipo? It does amazing things for your body contours. I'm a sucker for punishment. It's free weight loss, etc. LOL!

Cori- I talk to my ortho's PA extensively about what I wanted to do. He said as long as there werent' a lot of scabs I should be okay. I didn't really get scabs from my last round of ps, so I think I'll be okay. I had a good discussion with my plastic surgeon abuot my knee surgery and he said to heal for a month before the knee surgery (I wanted to have it after 3 weeks). I think I'll be good to go. Probably not 100 percent, but enough. Becky: I think your right about the family. They do love me, but none of them has ever been overweight, much less exerpeinced what I have. I can't believe how excited I feel about it all. My husband just shakes his head and looks sad. He's my pal and I don't want him to feel bad. I'm just going to have to share my excitement, worries, etc. with all of you and let him think on it.

Well this sight has been interesting. I'm going to check out the Makemeheal link. Thanks. It does take a while for lipo to give you the final result, so hang in there!

Still nauseated and waiting to hear the results of my Cat scan. I'm thinking that the mono vision that I've been trying is making me sick (1 contact for reading and nothing for distance). My eye doc says that she doesn't think it's the contact because my worse time for nausea is in the middle of the night and the morning, before I'm really using my sights. Not sure, but if everything checks out okay, I'm going to take out the contact (I already took it out for 3 days and it didn't seem to work). Anyway, I saw my plastic surgeon today and I am scheduled for surgery on Oct.16th and then knee surgery on Nov. 12th! After my doc showed me what he can do for me, I'm really excited about it. I've lost weight since my TT and have more loose skin on the upper ab, so he is going to do an anchor incision to get rid of all the loose skin. Wish I didn't have to have another scar, but I guess it doesn't matter when I'll have one that goes around 350 degrees. He is also going to do my arms, thighs and a butt lift. It's going to be a lot of surgery, he said about 6 hours, but it shouldn't be as painful as the last one. Sense there won't be any muscle repair. Anyway, I've got to get over this nausea, so I can get on with things!

Nina & all: Went to see the ps today and I have a surgery date. October 16th (provided I get over this nausea). I'm not having a LBL. I don't know what the correct term is, but it includes the butt lift and thigh lift. Also, because I've lost more weight they are going to revise my TT and do an anchor incision to tighten everything up. Also getting alot of lipo. Also getting an arm lift! Whew, that's alot of surgery! I can't believe that my weight journey is almost complete. Now, if I can just get my family to support me and not keep telling me that I don't need anymore surgery. I think they really just don't want me to put myself in harms way again, but I wish they would be more positive. Do you think I should start a new thread?

Okay, I went to see my ps today and I have a date for my surgery! Whoa! October 16th! I'm going to have a lot more work done than I previously thought. I have lost more weight since my TT, so I have a lot of loose skin on my upper abdomen. Dr. Saltz wants to do an anchor incision and revise my lower one to get everything tight. Also, going to do my arms. Also, going to do my thighs and a butt lift and lots of lipo. He said it would take about 6 hours. I'm actually excited about all this. He is going to do the same thing that Frangi's doc is doing with the butt lift, he will add my own back fat to my bottom to round it out. (Sounds reall appetizing, doesn't it). My journey is almost finished. This is exciting stuff. I couldn't talk him into the horizontial thigh lift in front like Becky had. He said it would be too much. But I'll be so close to being the best that I can be! Four weeks after all this surgery, I'll get my knee done and then rehab for the entire body! I'm glad that Frangi is doing this soon.