Alexandra

Not only would I do it again, I AM doing it again. Soon!!

This thread is being closed at the request of the thread-starter.

To be honest, I'm quite relieved about this though I understand your frustration. Betancourt has just risen a coupla notches in my estimation. Turns out they DO have some medical standards! Mya, believe us when we tell you this is a good thing. You have lots of options and weight-loss surgery is just not something you should be thinking about. Good luck with your future, whether it includes modeling or not!

Bubble, by "considering the source" I hope and assume you mean the publication Leatha quoted, the article by Hank Hanegraaf, not Leatha herself. Am I right? Once again, everyone, please let's keep the discussion about the ideas, not the people.

If your husband can't or won't cook (which of course he CAN), you might pre-cook a lot of meals and stick them in the freezer. But really, a few days out and you'll be good to go. The temptation aspect will be there, but if you're always going to be the cook you are going to have to deal with it sooner or later.

That is a really disturbing and acute observation. Mya, please take it to heart and THINK TWICE about this.

My guess is that most people are looking at 800 x 600, and in that view the screen is too narrow to accommodate the ads without scrolling.

The question refers to the program you use to navigate the Web. If you don't know, look at the menu bar. If there's a Help menu, click on that and you should see "About (Name of browser)" And then you'll know!

So I met with my marvelous doctor this morning, and he gave me a green light for having a new band installed. It's just a matter of scheduling and insurance now, and he is confident the latter won't be a problem. YAY!! He talked a bit about the newest sort of band, the AP band, which is going to be released to the public in June. It's an improvement on the VG band, being even larger and constructed in such a way that no rigid material comes in contact with the stomach. So that's what I'm going to have. Can't wait!! During this time of unbandedness I've been thinking about the various options, of course. My husband would prefer that I go it alone, because even though he completely sympathizes with my desire to not gain weight, he misses having me to cook for. :fish: But I've seen my old habits and desires come roaring back with a vengeance the last couple of weeks, and have no illusions about my being able to tame the demon even short-term without my silicone angel there to help. Sure, I wish that the last couple of years of behavioral therapy had worked to change everything about my relationship with food, but without the negative reinforcement I'm just nowhere. Even if it has to be removed again at some point in the future, I'll take that as it comes. It's given me a new lease on life. THIS time maybe I'll have a new perspective on learning how to change my behavior from the inside, but for the time being I'm just hugely relieved to know that a new band is in the works for me.

Wheetsin! You're baptized!! Feel any different? Me, I'm a heathen, through and through. Babies born to atheists have to go it alone.

You are too tight. Whatever's in your pouch when you lie down refluxes up and into your esophagus. You might be able to manage it by not taking in any food or liquid for several hours before lying down, but in my experience that's only a temporary fix. You really need to talk to your doctor about getting an unfill to loosen things up a little. Good luck!!

Oh, yes, it's a gift incalculable our parents give us when they give us the ability (and responsibility) of self-determination. Some would say they gave us enough rope to hang ourselves with, which is indeed another way of looking at it. You should have seen my (atheist) father's face when I told him I was majoring in Religious Studies, and six years later when I was marrying into an Irish Catholic family.

Tami, I went back to work on Monday after surgery on Wednesday. If I'd had to, I could have gone back even earlier. Have you ever had surgery before? Do you know how you react to anaesthesia? The muscular pain and soreness is very manageable; many people don't need anything more than Tylenol even as early as the next day. For me the big thing was dizziness related to the anaesthesia. I wouldn't have wanted to drive my long commute to work if I could avoid it. But the pain wasn't the problem at all.

I agree with those who say followup is KEY to success with the lapband. It may not be a big deal to have surgery three hours (or a plane ride) away, but if getting there on possibly short notice is not possible in the future then one crucial element of post-op life is missing. People without ready access to adjustments might be inclined to ask for tight fills and just "live with it," which is very likely a major risk factor for erosion. That's why we always say it's absolutely critical to find local follow-up care before deciding to have surgery at a distance. Is three hours too far? Only you can say; you know your lifestyle and obligations. But do bear in mind that trips to the doctor are a NECESSARY part of banded life, at least for the first couple of years.

I forgot to mention I'm also going to get a low-profile port. Just in case I lose more weight with the new band. :biggrin1:

Please refrain from personal comments, folks. Critique the ideas, not the people. Thanks, Sunta, I can really relate to your comment about being 7 and ticked when you heard that women can't do something. I remember being equally appalled as a kid as I learned about the life of our Orthodox Jewish friends who lived next door, and being so thankful that my parents weren't raising me in a world with artificial walls. I would look at that mother and wonder where herSELF went, and how could she be willing to live her life according to restrictive rules, etc., while her husband and sons could do (dress, act, say) whatever they wanted. My parents would assure me that it was her choice (which I never quite believed, somehow) and that those rules don't apply to me and wouldn't, ever. Thank you, Mom and Dad. :biggrin1:

I hear that clicking on Go Advanced makes it possible to edit. (I personally am not having any editing trouble, so this is rumor.) Give it a try and let us know what happens.

Hi Freebutterfly, I too think my band was very tight from the beginning, and it was just recently removed due to slippage after 3.75 years. While I'm very much enjoying being able to eat bulky foods again, I'm having a new one installed in the next few weeks because I know myself and don't think I'll be able to maintain my weight loss. There are new, larger bands available now that just weren't on the market four years ago. Have you looked in to them? Good luck with whatever the future holds for you!!

Mya, I'm really sorry to hear you've made this decision. But you obviously have the right to whatever action you choose. One thing: the "counselor" is no counselor at all. She is out to do only one thing, and that is get business for the medical practice. Please don't fool yourself into thinking that she has any personal concern for you. If there was anyone there giving actual medical advice of any value, you would not be their patient for banding. Period.

I just found out that the AP bands are going to be released for use in the U.S. in June 2007. Sometime around then I'm having a new band installed (my first one, the oldest, small kind slipped) and I'm thrilled I'm getting the state of the art!!

How weird! We're looking at the same page, and I see the old one. I saw that girl, though; who d'ya think that is?

I'm soooo confused! Now it looks to me like the OLD skin, but a few minutes ago I saw the new one. I suppose it will all come clear in time.

Phyllis, I wouldn't say you're in the "gaining stage" but rather you're in the "mind over matter" stage. There does come a point in the banded life where we find that the band alone isn't enough to motivate us to eat right. So that's the time to remember what it was that led you to banding in the first place. Why did you want to lose weight? How did you feel as the weight started to come off? Is candy worth the loss of those feelings? Believe me, you are NOT alone. I know exactly how you feel and I daresay most everyone else does, too. You can conquer this short-term battle with sugar. If you've never tried going cold turkey, give that a whirl. Sugar is addictive, and I know for me once I have that first taste in a day the rest of the day is a downward spiral. Try to avoid it if you can, and see where it takes you! In the meantime, know that your band is there and waiting for you to get your head back in the game. And we're here for you too!

Hey Mya, there's NOTHING about plastic surgery for someone of your size that says "failure." It's not weight that you need to deal with, it's just an unfortunate distribution of your tissues. Hell, it's people like you--perfect weight, lumps in the wrong places--for whom plastic surgery was invented. If you lose weight there is absolutely no guarantee that it will come off your thighs, as opposed to your breasts or muscles or ankles, say. And to see threads here about Betencourt, just scroll down to the bottom of this page. You'll see a couple, I think, under Similar Threads.

I can't run at all, never could, but on the bike or elliptical I can actually get somewhere. Walking is something I can do anywhere so when I'm at the gym I stick to the cool machines. Yesterday I did about 5 miles on the bike (20 minutes) and almost 3 miles on the elliptical (30 minutes). Whew! This is by no means daily, though; if I'm lucky it's 3 times a week.