karenlynn79

Thanks everyone! I am soo excited! More so than nervous (today at least).

Barb I am not having a thigh lift, just lipo. There is a small chance that I might have excess thigh skin I HOPE not so much. Only one surgeon out of 3 said I might have some floppy skin, so fingers crossed! I will check in when I can afterwards..

I took some before pics today. Someday I might post them here if I am brave enough!

Hi all,

This Friday is my next (and last) plastic surgery: tummy tuck and inner thigh/knee lipo. I am 15 days out from my breast lift and aug. I got the stitches out on them today and I feel better. I am pretty happy so far but it takes months (they say 6 months) before you know what they'll look like. So now I am on to the tummy/thighs. I am pretty nervous about this one. I was WAYYY more swollen and uncomfy on the breasts than I thought, but not pain really. I have 2 weeks of help with my kiddos and movies and books. The hardest part is not being able to be active! It's awful. I am not a sitting-around kind of person. I also really wanted to get a fill before my TT because I am afraid I'll sit around bored and eat (as I did the first week after my breast stuff). But alas they won't let me just in case I tighten. I will be sure to let you all know how I am this weekend. I am having this round of work done locally in Stockton CA by a very highly recommended surgeon.

Karen

Hey,

I have been using mederma since surgery and honestly I cannot tell much difference. The tube says to use it 3-4 times a day and I honestly don't use it that much, usually just in the morning and at night, but I havent seen that much difference. Ive been doing this since I healed up after surgery. its been about 2 months.

just wondering if anyone else had any luck with this product?

Is that for scars? The only scar cream that plastic surgeons recommend is the kind with silicone. I bought a lot of it, it's called Kelo-Cote. It's expensive. I have been using a little bit on an OLD leg scar and I can tell a little bit of difference (and I don't use it daily as I should). Or they have silicone sheets. I have that too but I am waiting til I have my tummy tuck and everything closes up before I try that....

Yeah Quennee why not lipo again?? I am having my tummy tuck and thigh lipo in 2 weeks!!! I am expecting the thigh lipo to be bad.....

So - I "was" one of those people who hardly ever got sick - maybe once every two or three years and just a little cold (with exception of flu twice in my life). Since being banded in Dec though....I just started my THIRD cold, plus I have had an ear infection and (warning TMI) TWO yeast infections (which I have never had even one before). WHAT THE HELL.

I said to my husband last night - hm, do I want to be fat and never sick or skinny and have colds all the time....grrrrrr

what could I be lacking?? Im taking a multivitamin and vitamin C and calcium. Can I go to the doctor and ask her to test me to see if Im deficiant in something or do they do that?

Its starting to get on my nerves and Im tired of making my husband and kids sick.

PLUS - I have to get this figured out or their is no way I can get plastic surgery in May (maybe) if I cant fight off infection.

Yes have a full blood panel done, maybe you are low in something. It could just be the season too. Or your body is reacting to the weight loss? Don't know. I had my blood/urine checked before I went to Cosmed and I was relieved to see everything was good. Maybe do it now so that if something is amiss you can handle it now?

so - I have a consult set for april 13th...YIPPIE!

so nervous!

Good luck!!! Dr Q is really great.

I posted this in another area but I've moved it up here hoping to find out if this ever happens to anyone else. I had my third fill a couple days ago. I went from 2.4 to 3 cc in one shot and I might need an unfill now. I have this habbit of waking up a few times in the middle of the night because I am parched (and always have to pee) and when I went to sip water at 3am this morning, it hurt like hell. Water getting stuck????

I could feel it sitting there, like a clogged drain. I couldn't go back to sleep because it was so uncomfortable. I finally went back to sleep from 5-7am and now I'm drinking hot coffee which seems to be going down but that water incident has me worried. I hope this will pass. My fill was less than 48 hours ago....hopefully it is just swelling. What a wild ride this is!

Sabrina:)

Hey Sabrina,

This has happened to me. I was too tight (did not loosen up) and I could get water stuck with too big a gulp. But when I had a good fill, if it was middle of the night and I took more than a tiny sip, it could hurt too. You could either be too tight or maybe taking too big of sips in the night. Also if you lay down right after drinking/eating it can get stuck easier in my experience. I would take it easy on foods today and then start out real slow. Also in the night just make it a habit to take super tiny sips....Hope you feel better soon!!

I THINK that when you chew more, you send signals to your brain that you are eating. So I am thinking that if you just eat easy foods, your brain doesn't think you chewed as much and doesn't signal you that you're full?? Kind of guessing here....

OK so give us the details...do you have to go back, how many times? What size did you go from and to? Under or over the muscle? Did you get cut under or around the nipple? Do you have drains? How much? Does that include any follow up?

I would love to have that done. Do tell, Do tell....

I am doing pretty good. I am way more swollen and tight than I thought I would be! It's not really pain, but it's just discomfort. I think I did use my arms too much the first 2 days. Today I get to take a shower and then I really am going to chill out! I haven't been doing much, but I have been up and around maybe too much.

Anyway, I do not have to go back. BUT when I was there they kept saying "at your next appointment". Supposedly Joyce was supposed to tell me it IS best to come back down (which I would have if I'd known). My regular doc here has agreed to remove the stitches after 2 weeks so I don't have to spend a fortune on a plane ticket now. I was a little miffed that I wasn't told that.

Dr Q does almost always go under the muscle. I got silicone under, smooth round. I am pretty sure I'll end up with full C's which is what I want. I had a full lift too, so I have an "anchor" incision which is the big one, around nipple, down and then under the breast at the crease. No way to avoid that with a full lift. No I don't have drains. Not sure if they care about price "posting" but I paid 4300$ total. I assume that does include aftercare if needed. Dr Q is great, he called us like 5 times the first 2 days to make sure I was ok.

Now for the snag I did have - When I made the arrangements with Joyce in early Feb I clearly asked what were my choices to get home - when could I fly or drive home. I told her I lived in NorCal about 7 hours froms TJ. Anyway she said that I COULD get a ride home that day of surgery or fly home 3 days later. I chose to have my hubby pick me up and take my home that day. As I was talking to Dr Q AFTER surgery that day I said something about driving home 7 hours. He was upset. He said that that pretty much should not happen. Long story short, Joyce literally lied and told Dr Q that she "tried to convince me" that it wasn't ok to drive home! I think she ended up getting in trouble for oking that and tried to cover her ass. I haven't talked to Dr Q today yet but I am very irrirated by that. If it wasn't ok I wouldn't have done it!!! I think Quennee said something like Joyce is too busy to keep everything straight and I would agree with that. But overall I was happy there, as long as you are super clear and keep staying on top of them, I would recommend going there.

When the tape comes off next week I hope I'll get a better idea of how they'll look!

Karen

Hi all,

My surgery went great. I took a cab from Lucerna to Cosmed (even though it's close!) and it was smooth sailing afterwards. The OCC picked me up and the border was pretty long but not terrible. Then a 7 hour drive home with my husband, which was not too bad either. I was hurting a tiny bit more than I expected but I think I just needed a Vicodin! Can't quite tell how they look til I can take off the gauze stuff but from what I can see they look just like the pic I showed Dr Q. So now the hard part for me: not doing anything at all for a week! I almost did the dishes this morning out of habit... I am not good at relaxing!

Karen

Hi all,

I am having my breast lift with aug today at Cosmed! I am at the Lucerna as we speak. Last night was crazy trying to get here. First my flight was super delayed, so I hopped on another one thinking that the OCC driver wouldn't know my flight was late. After waiting a while with no driver, I panicked and got a hotel near the SD aiport. I have no cell phone so I was so scared! But Francisco did find me there around 1:30a.m. and brought me to the Lucerna. So... I am off! I live in CA so my hubby is picking me up to drive me home this afternoon. I will let you know how it goes!!

Karen

Dana, while I am glad you found a protein powder that you like (I like that one too), are you not eating solids in the day? Are you sure you are not too tight? I know you said you lost a couple lbs on liquids, but really our bands are designed to eat solids. With that said, I personally eat a liquid breakfast (juice and 1 cup of FF milk) because I work out right after waking and I can't workout right after food. But for the rest of the day, snacks and my meals, I eat solids only. I was like you at one point, relying on mostly liquids and I really didn't lose much. But once I started forcing myself to take the time to eat, protein first etc... just like they tell you, I was much more satisfied and lost (and am losing again) steadily. Also 4 protein shakes a day seems like so much to me. Aren't those like 220 calories each? That really will add up for you, calorie-wise. You might be better off trying to eat small meals as we are meant to.... Just adding my thoughts here. I am worried that you are too tight! It's just not worth it....

Karen

Hey Misty, Congrats!! You look so great! Are you having your lift/aug at Cosmed? I am doing the same thing this Monday, and I am starting to get nervous though I am excited too.....

Good luck! You have really done well for yourself and you should be so proud!

Karen

Wow Amanda great job! Keep it up!!

This isn’t going to be very popular, but be careful with these. At this time there aren’t too many regulations or laws that surround this type of business. There are a vast array of snake oil products and borderline soft drugs being peddled in the name of weight loss. I’m totally into cleansing with natural products – I look for natural ways that are gentle on the body.

You just have to be so careful, many of the fat burners are just pharmaceutically manufactured caffeine in high doses, mixed with other odd herbs which most likely do nothing and could damage your health in the long run by putting a strain on not only your heart but also your Endocrine and Central Nervous Systems.

Here are some of the problems that taking fat burners can cause:

• Central Nervous System Burnout

• Exhaustion

• Mental Fatigue

• Aggressiveness and Mood swings

• Hamper body’s ability to recover from everyday stress

• And even Psychological problems

At the end of the day, the only way to lose the weight is with diet and exercise. I got my band so I could have a tool that would aid me in my diet, I threw in the exercise – in my younger days I experimented with many different weight loss fads, thankfully I’m done with that and I don’t have any long term health issues. Try and use your band, you know how it is, its only until much later that they come out with studies how this has hurt people and then law suits start, but the truth is its not worth your health – we all know how difficult that is to get back once we screw up our bodies.

I do green tea; drink the natural tea that is not mixed up with a bunch of junk and its good for you. (And it’s cheap)

It will:

• Raise Metabolism

• Be a Potent Anti-Oxidant

• Anti-Estrogenic

• Help Burn Fat

• Relax the Mind and Body

My goal is to try and not pollute my foods with a bunch of things that could be potentially harmful.

In my opinion, I paid thousands for this band so I would not jeopardize my health any longer and focus on nutrition and long term healthy living. You will do what you want to do to help you succeed; I just needed to throw another voice out there – sometimes I worry about you all! And you'll lose the weight whether or not you take a fat burner, it may be slower but you'll be healthier in the long run. (And I know I don't know the ingrediants list of many you're taking, so if you're into something natural, and working with a health provider to support, good for you)!

All my best and remember, this is just my opinion. (And I'm not a health professional, but I'm in this business and work for some of them and this is a discussion right now).

Lisa

I completely agree with you Lisa. I know a lot of you are doing this and I didn't say anything before because I don't like to upset people! But honestly I was surprised by it. I have been eating so healthy, organic, vegetarian and I have never felt better. My goal is to put very little into my body that might be harmful. Including stuff like the so-called fat burners and things. I also just want you guys to be careful. I just feel that for me it's not worth risking a potential side effect or even long-term damange by something that is not regulated at all. So please be careful with your health!

Karen

Karen,

You are a lifesaver!!! I feel so much better hearing your story. I did want to ask you though...you said you got unfilled all the way at 2 months pregnant...After the unfill were you able to eat normally like you did before the band...or did you still have minor restriction? I appreciate your advice so much...helps me get over my slightly negative attitude and think more positively.

Yes I was able to eat like before. But I did feel like I had a little bit of restriction, I didn't eat quite as much as I thought I would at once, or I would be full longer than I thought I would, so that was good!

Have fun and good luck!

Karen

Hey Jessica,

I had my daughter (1 year ago almost) after my band. After being banded I decided to try to get pregnant, it didn't happen, gave up, then tried again about 9 months after banding and got pregnant immediately. I had a medium fill at the time and my doc wanted me to gain the regular 30 pounds, even though I weighed 215 when I got pregnant. So I got a complete unfill I think around 2.5 months preg. I was glad I did, because as she grew I did get a little tighter. I never had any issues whatsoever though, with eating or PBing or anything. And I did gain like 33 lbs I think. So when I had her I was at 248. And yes I am at 158 now and super close to goal!

I personally wanted to have 1 last baby before I lost all my weight. I was afraid that if I got to goal, then got pregnant and went crazy with food, I wouldn't get re-filled afterwards and return to my old habits. At times I felt mad that I basically started over. But, I did get a super sweet girl out of it! And it's been less than a year and I feel so great. Try not to view it as starting over. It's just a bump in the weight loss road. I have heard that someone's doctor told her to only gain like 5 or 10lbs during pregnancy, but that seems kind of nuts to me. Babies plus placenta and extra blood weight that much at least. So just realize that you HAVE to gain, for the baby. I seriously had fun eating. It sounds crazy but I knew 100% that after she was born I was DONE being huge. So I ate all the stuff I wanted and said goodbye to my old fave chinese food. And then 4 weeks after I had her I got a fill and then really went for it.

I know that lots of women have had babies with the band. I had fairly bad morning sickness and puked a lot, no band issues. Had a cesarean and lots of ultrasounds, no band issues. So don't worry! Just make sure your OBGYN knows what the band is. And take care of yourself!!

Karen

Feel free to ask me any other questions!

What type of exercises have help you boost the motabolism? I have been stuck at 248.5 since my 1st fill 2/7/09

Hey Bellgirl,

My routine is this:

I have been doing 2 types of exercises daily. I choose from: 20 min (6 miles) on the stationary bike; 20 min or 25 min (1.5-2 miles) on the treadmill, I vary running fast with walking fast, incline etc. Or I might do my 25 minute Step video and then a 20 min Pilates routine I have on DVD. I have all this stuff at home so it's easy for me to do. I keep my calories around 1200-1300 (back when I had major restriction it was closer to 1000 with less exercise).

Just make sure you are getting enough protein, water and fiber! Those have always been the things I have made sure to do. Like around 50-60 g protein, fiber I think maybe around 30g and then I drink SO much water I pee all day! Hang in there. Change up what you are doing a few days a week. I use Ispoure Alpine Punch protein powder, 3/4 of a scoop with water in the afternoon for about 15g of protein. Otherwise I don't get enough and I like the flavor. I have also been eating a lot of organic stuff, fresh veggies and fruits and whole grains.

Good luck! You may need a fill too if you've only had one.

Karen

Christy,

I have had both happen, being extra tight and then the next month being able to eat everything. It really just depends, it changes, you just never know what will happen with it during your period.........

Thanks everyone. I have been SOO happy today and have been trying so damn hard! It's nice when it finally pays off, even a little....

After months of nothing I have finally broken my plauteau. I added in more cardio and have just received a BodyBugg. I have actually been pretending this past week that I had it on to motivate me! Anyway I am 3 weeks away from new boobs and 6 weeks away from a tummy tuck and some lipo and I am SOO happy. I don't have great restriction now but I am determined to learn how to have just a little restriction and not go crazy. For those of you struggling, I have been there many times. With hard work and working with the band, you will succeed!!

Karen

Me today- 158

Me in June, not sure maybe around 189 ish

Highest weight not pregnant, 235

I am trying to stay positive and I know that this is not going to happen overnight. We are suppose to loose 2 lbs a week on average. Well I am not and I think I am doing everything I am suppose to do but I am not loosing. I use to look at some of these post before being banded and think, they are not doing what they are suppose to do or they would be loosing the weight, well I am soooo sorry for EVER thinking that way. I have worked my but off for the last three weeks, walking, cardo, weights, abs, something if not all EVERYDAY!. I have watched EVERYTHING that goes into my mouth. I do not eat fried or bread foods, NO bread, NO pasta, HONESTLY NO "NO NO" FOODS. I weighed this morning and I am STILL at the same weight I was three weeks ago. I am drinking my 60 grams of protein, drinking my water (which is so hard for me to do) and I am eating my 1200 calories a day. Last week I had to add protein snacks in between meals to get my calories in. I do have a high and low carlorie day during each week. SOMEONE please tell me what I am doing wrong.

Carrie

Hey Carrie, sounds like you hit a plauteau. Totally normal. I literally today for the first time since BEFORE Christmas am finally down a couple pounds. Your body will always hit a plateau and it stinks. I would suggest upping your exercise or changing your physical routine, add in more weights or something. That seemed to help me. What about fiber? I get a lot of fiber, that makes a difference too. Hang in there, eventually you will get back to losing. And also, I believe they say that a 1-3 lb per week weight loss is "normal".

Karen

Hey Cindy,

This is totally normal. You have not stretched your pouch. Over the past 2.5 years I have had this happen many many times, I have overeaten like you can't believe one night, then to have regular good restriction again the next day, etc... and I have never stretched or damaged my pouch. This is just one of those things with the band, once in a while that happens. And I know what you mean about it being nice! I wouldn't worry about it. Just don't count on it being loose again, you'll set yourself up to try to eat more and then bam! you are stuck or something.........

Karen

Yes Barb you are right in getting an unfill. I was too tight for a month and yes I lost weight the first week and then nothing. Also had no energy. I am surprised they gave you that much of a fill actually. I guess every fill person is different. Good luck, hope you feel better today!

Karen

I would do it over again no hesitation. It's been 2.5 years for me, long journey, baby, and now since having Evee 11 months ago 88 lbs down. I have been too tight, too loose, mad and angry at the band, but I LOVE it. I would NEVER EVER been able to get this far without it, and I know for my whole life I will have this tool to keep me where I want to be............