Alexandra

You can "subscribe" to specific threads or set your options to subscribe you automatically. Then you can have LBT send you e-mails as those threads are updated. I've never done it, but others swear by it. Thanks for the kind words, and I hope you come more often!

Thanks, Faith. I am a known commodity, to some. Others who are newer only see what's on paper. But what's on paper is 15 years of doing THE EXACT JOB they now need filling! What I think is going on is a fear that they might be accused later of not having turned every stone, examined every possibility, before making a hiring decision. (Although that's what they did last year, and see how well THAT turned out!) Board-run organizations move very slowly and are slaves to committee-think. Also, I'm sure there is a school of thought that different, new, novel is by definition better than old, reliable, rerun me. But this organization is not about fast-moving change; it's about delivering membership value and reliable services. Sheesh!! That's what I told myself when I went through this wringer last summer. I searched and searched for another position, had an interview, didn't get that job either, and had resigned myself to working where I am for the next umpty-ump years. I will survive if that happens again, but whatever the universe has in store for me had better be pretty danged special!!

Hi Lisa, Yes, I'm sorry to say that I have gained weight, and at quite a rapid clip, too. I'm up about 30 lbs. It's killing me.

Hi peeps, I'm not crazy, but I am going to be (re)banded in August. I find myself mired in last-meal syndrome, and I have just under four weeks to go! My doctor doesn't have a pre-op diet, so I'm totally on my own and just desperately trying to not gain weight. I'm really miserable, constantly making deals with myself about not eating this so I can have that, and so on and so on. I know four weeks is not a long time, but if I am not really careful I could gain a LOT of weight. AARGH!!!

Trends, shmends. The only thing that makes a "trend" is media attention. I am sure there are no more December/May marriages than there ever were.

Hey, Pam, congratulations! And you are so right about people appealing even if they think there's no hope. There is nothing to lose and even if one person loses, the next one might win because of the fight. I was the first person to get Aetna to pay, so I know exactly how you feel. You go, girl!! :high5:

I married one, too (though he was non-custodial). Any single parent that has things under control is a miracle worker, not someone to avoid!!

The next time you see your doctor, ask him what he was talking about. Tell him your family seemed to have gotten some worrisome ideas from some things he said, and you want to get the straight story from him directly. Was he talking about you specifically due to some health condition? Or was he just giving them his standard postop follow-the-rules-or-else scare speech? It sounds extremely odd to me, so you should give your doctor the benefit of the doubt and ask him firsthand what he said and what he meant. Then make a judgment.

I'll bite. If there are more interracial marriages happening, it's a natural result of greater social integration and changing mindsets. Do I think there's a trend in the direction you imply? No. Do I think interracial marriage is "wonderful"? Sure, in the same way that any other happy marriage is wonderful.

Kitkat, none of us can predict whether you will have a slip due to your pushing the envelope like this. All I can say is that doctors give us postop eating regimens FOR A REASON. The stomach needs time to heal, and eating solid food makes it work and move around. If you are not completely healed then eating solid food is not recommended. Why take a chance? Follow your doctor's instructions to the letter and you'll be giving yourself the best chance for long-term success.

Benefiber makes a protein supplement. I think it's called BeneProtein?

:whoo: I'M APPROVED FOR RE-BANDING!!! :whoo: My cell phone rang while I was on line at a department store...buying pants in a larger size! So not only was it the best phone call I've had in a loooong time, but the timing couldn't have been better. I saved another $50 by putting the pants back! August 13 can't come soon enough for me. I am one happy camper!! :cheer2::Banane42::confused::woot:

Assuming you're looking only for August 07 bandsters, I'm Alexandra, scheduled for re-banding on 8/13/07.

I was horrible about remembering too, until I finally realized I had to take them AT WORK. The bottle of Vitamins is sitting on my desk (I am taking a regular Multivitamin now) and this means I will take it at least five days out of seven. My routine at home is so unpredictable I was never taking my vitamins! You can take chewables any time you want. It's just personal as to whether you feel you need them vs. regular pills.

OK, it's done. I'll move the sticky thread in there and leave it up to the guys to start new threads. Have fun!

OK, where should it go? And what should it be called?

This has been suggested before, and the sense among the moderators was that we didn't want to start creating support forums for all the various different groups that might spring up. Men, women, high-BMI, low-BMI, etc., would just splinter the main support area into special-interest groups. (Monthly support groups make sense, because people in those sections really do have everything in common, and what interests them ONLY interests them.) The question becomes where do the special interests stop? Band-specific breakdowns seem logical, like Life at Goal, but drawing lines along gender or age or race or whatever seems like a step too far. The topic is open for discussion, of course, but that was the mods' thinking the last time this came up.

Congratulations! Believe me when I tell you I know EXACTLY how you feel. Isn't it the greatest relief?!? This waiting period is worse than the first time. I'm trying my damnedest not to gain weight but it's sooooo hard. Fingers crossed for you that they can mvoe your date up and we can BOTH be back in bandland before the end of the summer!!

Abdominal surgery of any kind calls for being careful about lifting for at least a few weeks afterward. You don't have to worry about lifting a newborn, though, past the first couple of days. As with anything, the general rule is if it hurts, DON'T DO IT. If you're careful and take things slowly, you'll be fine.

I had been taking Prevacid for weeks before my band was removed. I stopped the day of surgery and haven't had any heartburn or reflux since.

Gina, from time to time the manufacturers of bands have released newer models with more sizes and different features. The doctor makes the decision at the time of surgery as to which is right for the patient. When I was first banded in 2003 there was only one size/type available. Now there are several different sizes and types, and the new AP band is just another model which was released for general use last month. It will be an upgrade for me because it's mich bigger than the band I had, and I hope will be less likely to cause problems down the road.

When I last spoke to the doctor it was a definite go for the AP band. I'm sure we'll speak again before my surgery date, and I'm assuming there's no reason I won't be getting an AP. I'm walking around smiling all the time! What a great feeling to know that I'm going to have my silicone buddy back with me in my fight against food. August 13 can't come soon enough!!

Denise, you're having reflux and it's a sign that your band is too tight or that your esophageal sphincter is relaxing and allowing material to back up into your throat while you're lying down. TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR. This could lead to complications such as aspiration pneumonia or esophageal lesions. Please don't let it go on for long. People talk about raising the head of your bed to let gravity help, but in my experience the only thing that allowed me to sleep when things were bad was to sleep in a reclining chair. Not fun.

Absolutely call a doctor! Those symptoms are nothing to ignore. Call your primary doctor though; there is no reason to think it's related to your band and most likely isn't. Take care and let us know how you're doing!

For maybe two weeks after band removal I still felt some residual effects, but not really "restriction." But that faded quickly and I was back to 100% normal (PREband normal) in short order. I think it just has something to do with our own internal healing processes, and will differ for everyone.