Hey there everyone!

I am new to this group and am trying to find some support in life, let alone in lapband! I have been banded for 3+ years and have lost a total of 125 lbs. I do belong to another support forum as well, but I am finding that they are not as friendly as I would like. I am at the point in my weight loss that I am considering plastic surgery and am deeply investigating that possibility. I am hoping that I have found somewhere to come for friendship, for comfort and for answers. Well some easy answers anyways. Hi everyone and I hope to talk to you all soon.

Tracey

Hi Tracy, welcome to LBT! Congratulations on youre great weight loss!!

How are you doing with the band, 3 years out? Do you have any reflux or esophageal problems? Great to have more long-termers here!!

:welcome: :welcome: :welcome:

Hi Tracy! Welcome to LBT. I haven't been banded yet, but soon. I have found the people and support on this site to be the best. Congratulations on your weight loss.:wow2:

Hi there Alexandra;

Yeah I am doing well with the band. I have a 10cc Swedish Band and am usually carrying about a 4cc fill or there abouts anyways. I have no reflux or esophogeal problems, although I didn't have any to begin with. I was banded in Toronto Ontario and at the time there were less than 1000 of us in circulation. I was the first in that clinic to have this 10cc Swedish Band put in. I have tonnes of information and alot of insight if you will to living long term being banded. There are its ups and downs for sure, as I am sure many of you know. For example as the weight goes down the port gets closer to the surface.....an issue for me at the moment. Relocation however will happen when I have my abdominoplasty. Thanks for putting a post in and I hope to get to know you.

Tracey

Thanks Lindsay.....how do I do the ticker thing?

Hi Trace!

Love to hear about folks with the band for more than 2 yrs. I also love to hear about successful loss of 125 pounds... That's about how much more I have to lose.

:]

Glad to have another voice of experience.

Oh - and you can do a ticker at www.tickerfactory.com

Welcome!

Hi Tracey, welcome to lapband talk forum. You will find some great folks here. I have been banded 9 months and I'm down around 45 lbs. Its been slow for me to say the least but at least I haven't gained! Keep up the great work.

hi, I introduced myself on another thread. I am considering being banded. My husband and my mom both died from cancer - both had ports in their chest for a catheter for chemo - so I guess one of the things I'm most concerned about is having a port installed permanently. Neither one of them had any problems, except one time my husband's slipped and he had to have a procedure to yank it back in place - but they're not actually anchored to something like this port is, it seems.

but I am really curious to hear all about your life long term with the lap-band. I am 48 and a widowed mom to a five year old so I need to make all decisions like this with alot of thought. On one hand I worry about recuperating and taking care of my daughter, the long term affects and risks, on the other hand, I need to lose weight so that I am healthy in all other ways for the long term and I do want some energy to keep up with her!

So I'd love to hear all your experiences. You look great in your photo. My shrink tells me I'd certainly need plastic surgery if I lost the 100+ pounds I need to lose - so I am sort of curious to hear about your thoughts on that as well.

congrats!

Hi Chinamom;

Well I am exactly sure where to start. I am going to ask you some questions that I asked myself when I was making my decision. Are you happy with yourself? With where you are in your personal life and with your health? Would losing the weight that you have to lose improve these things, would it improve your daughters live with a slimmer more active Mom? Will you live longer and watch her graduate from college, get married, have babies? Are any of these things a question for you?

When I was banded I was cleaning for an elderly gentleman one day a week. I never missed a beat. I went right back to it the same week. Its a small surgery really in the grand scheme of things. Taking care of your daughter would be a snap with a little help from friends and a stern chin-up!

This banding was one of the best and worst things that I have ever done for myself. I yes, have lost 125 lbs and am happy with it. But there have been a literal tonne of things that have happened along the way. All of which I may add have made me a stronger much more wellrounded person. I know that I can conquer anything and nothing is really that bad.

I would love to give you every bit of knowledge and first hand experience that you would like to know....just ask the ????... Good Luck.

POPT (Power of Positive Thought)

Tracey

Hi Tracew and welcome to LBT! Congratulations on your terrific weight loss! That is wonderful! You look great in the picture. I just wanted to say hi and welcome you to the forum. Gigi

:clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :clap2:

Hi, Glad to here about you losing weight. I just join last week everyone seems to be so nice, and you get alot of good answers here. Not like when you ask the doctor and you leave the office and you steal don't have a answer. HI

Julie

Hey - good questions, and the answers are quite obvious.

A co-worker of mine, her father is a very respected oncology surgeon and actually did my melanoma surgery and one of my husband's little surgeries. I was talking to her about it - she said her dad was talking about it the other day, said good things about it, and said there was one really good surgeon in town doing it, one bad one. so I just called his office and talked to his secretary, she put me on hold, got the good name from him, and came back to the phone with it. so I'm going to call now and set up a consult. I want to do it in the middle of the summer while my daughter is out of school - I'm thinking maybe she can stay at least overnight with my brother and his family who live an hour or so away - she LOVES her Uncle Joe and her older cousins - and that is one place she could go and not miss me so much.

so off I go - after I go to the office birthday party which is starting in a couple of minutes LOL!!! :decision:

Wow Tracey, you look great! I am scheduled in April and I can only hope to look that good in 2 years. I have about 100lbs to lose. I am new to this site and I really find it comforting and insightful.

but I am really curious to hear all about your life long term with the lap-band. I am 48 and a widowed mom to a five year old so I need to make all decisions like this with alot of thought. On one hand I worry about recuperating and taking care of my daughter, the long term affects and risks, on the other hand, I need to lose weight so that I am healthy in all other ways for the long term and I do want some energy to keep up with her!

So I'd love to hear all your experiences. You look great in your photo. My shrink tells me I'd certainly need plastic surgery if I lost the 100+ pounds I need to lose - so I am sort of curious to hear about your thoughts on that as well.

hi ChinaMom

i sent you a PM as well but thought i'd respond here as well. my DD was reason #2 i did this surgery (myself being #1).

i am sooooo glad that i did this surgery, it has literally changed my life. i am WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY more active and i actually skipped while holding my daughter last night ... we both had an absolute blast.

plastic surgery may be needed but that also depends on exercise and your age.

Tracew,

you have done a fabulous job!!!! congrats.