leatha_g

How old is your baby? Do you have family members close by who can help out? There have been numerous folks with young children to be banded. They just had to sit down and allow the youngster to crawl up in their lap instead of lifting right away. The time passes quickly, but I can understand if the baby is very dependant on you and you have no resources. On the other hand, the quicker you begin losing weight and becoming more healthy, the more help you are able to be to everyone, baby included. Not to mention the longer you get to live and see them and their families grow. Tough and very personal choice. I wish you peace with your decision.

We all do and have, Jack. I think that was my last thought before they put me out for surgery and probably one of my first when I woke up. 'Why can't I just do this myself?" Truth is, our bodies chemically want us to be fat. Something has gone haywire in our chemical makeup and yes, we could white-knuckle it for awhile, but you let your guard down and it comes right back. Do you know many (if any) people who have ever lost over 100lbs and kept it off for good? I don't. It's not entirely impossible, but it's pretty close. We are not failures because we've had to resort to weight loss surgery. We are winners because we have come to a place where we can admit that we haven't the power to kill this beast and we're smart enough to seek out the tools that will help in that battle. I think that is far better than wallowing in self-pity but adding pound after pound year after year for the rest of our lives (what little there would be). That's my take on it anyway.....

Moi??

Dr. Lopez Corvala is probably 'nuff said.....

Sounds to me like this would definitely be one for the doctor. We could speculate, but seriously, no one will know until you have an upper GI to check your band placement and see about your fill. It may be that the 40lbs gone has been enough to just loosen the band and you just need a fill. I'll cross my fingers for you!

I wouldn't say that qualified her as a 'good' person. lol.

We were discussing bras.. and sizes.. lol..

You could always reply. yes, i'm fat, but i get to lose weight. ugly is forever.

From what I gather. This post was deleted from ObesityHelp.com. Censorship at it's finest.. lol.

I felt mine and it sometimes became sore during the first year. More recently, I am not aware of it. It has now moved somewhere away from where my jeans waistband fits THANK GOODNESS!! Mine has gotten much more comfortable and less noticeable to me as time goes on.

Yup. 3 weeks is pretty soon to be trying anything more than mushies according to the majority of docs who have been placing bands awhile. Pain upon breathing, burping etc, could very well still be the diaphragm. It is stretched during surgery and takes awhile to heal. Be kind to yourself and your band. Better to go slow than to speed things up and regret it later. You'll be fine!

LOL too funny. You might be right. I don't go near the bus at all costs. lol

I'm currently using Body Tech Whey Protein.

lol, yea, exactly, that's why she missed the balloon.i'll never forget my mama having to comfort me because my little heart was broken. i've been crying at movies ever since.

We did. Thank you Michelle.. garsh ya'll. Thank you all for such kind words. Isn't it funny how we can never see ourselves as others sometimes see us. Funny, though, after this weekend of sharing and listening, something has been affirmed in my soul that I am, in fact, a good and worthy person. I can be kind and compassionate and all the things I really want to be as a person. It is good to sometimes have that affirmed by other people. Thank you. I love you all too!

Actually, they were brand new. lol.

Well, welcome Linda! Michelle is a doll, is she not!! We love her alot here. Sounds like you've been through the wringer, so to speak, surgery wise, but you'll fit right in here. Determination seems to go hand in hand with weight loss surgery and those who seek it. There is definitely plenty of that here. We're glad to have you! Please feel free to search the forums for lots and lots of great bandster experience, strength and hope! Again, congrats on a succesfful surgery and good luck with your subesequent journey!

you have a workout room?? lol, i wanna come to your house! be careful with the psyche thing. lol, i've seen some folks turned away from the surgery. just be honest. i wound up actually just educating the guy on the lapband surgery and why i felt it was the most safe surgery and how i felt it was something i could actually do. he was very interested to hear of it and learn about it so he could recommend it to others. we had a great visit. some go into MMPI tests that last hours and IQ testing etc. That's overkill, I think. I was very lucky to be able to locate my own person and just have a brief visit with him - no testing, etc. just him evaluating whether he felt was capable of making this sort of life changing decision and live with it once it was done. good luck!

Yes, and as you go along, you'll find that this is not the ONLY place. In fact, most decent information about actually LIVING with a band comes from experience and commiseration. There seems to be many aspects of day to day banded life that docs are sometimes oblivious to. They read books and read studies, but to live with the band on a daily basis is not an exact science. Each case is very individual, but there are many things that simply have to be lived with. IE, menstrual/hormonal restriction, morning restriction, fills delayed reaction, fills intermittent changes - from morning to night, from day to day, stress related restriction, altitude changing restriction. I think our bodies are just very individual and what causes my esophagus to thicken up for a day may not be something any doctor can put his finger on or predict with any certainty. Maybe we didn't get enough Water in one day, so our band is less restricted? Who knows? Either way, these scenarios are actually rather common if you read very many personal accounts. The band has been known to be called 'the fickle bitch' more than once. lol. I got my last fill last Tuesday and it seems with each passing day I can definitely tell that this fill is going to be a good one. I'm so happy to report that as I have 43 or so more lbs I'd like to lose and at the rate of 3 bites of chicken breast and sweet potatoe (small small bites), that is most certainly bound to happen. Come ON 170's!!!!

thank you for sharing, Greg. (LOL) by the way, I have cried EVERY single time I've watched The Wizard of Oz too and I remember vividly 1964 the very first time I ever saw it. I cried my little heart out. I was only 4 then, but I'll never forget that balloon going up and leaving that poor girl behind. Geez, it brings tears to my eyes now. lol. Call me a sap...

Wha..?!! Hahaha... :speechles

whine, whine, whine.... paula doesn't whine.. lmao..

Maybe it was the ever mysterious Marie?? Hmm....

Well, for starters, it's high carb, high calorie, non-weight loss friendly food, but mostly because with the band you have a very small opening (stoma) which foods like bread, rice and pasta seem to swell and get stuck in. Any type of flour based products which have gluten, have the tendency to revert back to dough. These can be very painful in such a small opening when trying to swallow them. That being said, some people report that they have no problems with these things and continue to eat them. With the band, a person doesn't really have to 'diet', but one does definitely have to do their part in choosing high quality foods in order not to waste what little space they do have in their very small pouches. One bite of bread can end in a stomach wrenching regurgitation and cause the much needed protein and veggies to be missed entirely.

Rest well, Ryan. Take care my brother of the band.