icestorm12132008

my Md said anything bigger then and M&M could cause problems I do ok with things like the round advil, and regular metformin 500 tabs. Larger pills like mulit vit i have to get chewable or else they get stuck same for a fish oil tablet it won't go down at all. if in doubt tell your prescribing MD of your band and if they can't get it for you to be liquid suspened or a crushable tablet don't take it and ask for an alternative. larger pills as you get more fluid in will get stuck for some and stuck on pills i gather is not fun.

as a former CNA I can tell you from having lap band surgery and knowing the physical demands of patient care (weather you are a RN or CNA). If you have to do any lifting in your job I'd give yourself more then a week to be back to work. Sitting for any length of time is bothersome , standing sucks till about two weeks out you are tired. Also this surgery hurts more then other surgeries. Ask if you can take more then a week off I highly advize it. --icestorm

Have you lost "alot" of weight right away?(say like fifty pounds or so? or a good percentage of the total weight you want to loose?). Sometimes if this happens the body slows itself down to give the skin a chance to catch up. Platus are common and if you keep on eating right and working out on a regular baisis your body will snap out of it and you will start loosing at a good clip again.

So i take it some of his insicurites are comming out as you thin down? is he maybe insecure about something within himself(is he a bit heavier then when you two where younger?). Maybe you should ask him what is truly eating at him and tell him that you won't get mad or upset but you just want to know what is bothering him and causing him to try to sabotage your efforts.

congrats on the weight loss pre- surgery good job. I think it depends on what your BMI is before surgery and your overall weight loss attempt profile/history. If you have lost weight before only to regain plus more then the lapband is deffinately something you should consider. I think what your surgon is shocked at is such a high rate of loss, but again it depends on how much you have to loose. Do you have over 100 pounds to go? I'd still do your band surgery because the body looses in spourts sometimes and you can rest at a plateu for weeks before anymore weight is lost.

you should do some light to start weight training along with your cardio. Muscle weighs more then fat, but it also helps to burn fat. Lean strong muscles will help with your balance and overall health, and you will not look hidious trust me. Wommen biologically will not "bulk up" like a guy would cuz we are not hormonally designed to bulk up. some weight training is good for you as it will help to "Fill out" any sagging skin to a degree. lift weights it's good for you. dumbells at walmart are not that expesnive and if you go on to amazon.com and look for some of the older FIRM workout dvd/s tapes (orig on vhs). they are a great mix of cardio and weights and the system reallly does work.

my doctor said to use a food scale for the protein and a measuring cup set for the rest

Hi Lauracat: it's Corey it is amazing how sometimes we can get sooo caught up with the number on the scale. I've gained 7 pounds. It does not matter that I got my cycle this week and I know that most of this is water weight. I don't like the number I see on the scale either. I know that most of it will go away after my cycle resolves and some of it is cuz I've been unable to work out. I vow not to step on the scale till i've been working out for a week, easier said then done. In other news Shawn finished the tunic he started to make me a month ago. he had to take it in in several places. This weight loss journey can be amazing and so frustrating at times. Keep up the good work laura you are doing great. Oh I have another apointment in walpole on friday august 24th @11am would you like to meet at the coffe shop after my apointment if your schedule allows? ---corey

Laura Mom's can be sooo cruel! "...so how long you going to stick with it..." and durring a time of greiving and reflection ouch. My mom called me today wanting to know if I'd gained back alot fo weight since I can't work out. And I told her no not really i've maintained. She then went on to say taht the weight loss won't stay forever and that I'll gain it back eventually. I told her nope ma I won't gain this back unless something huge happens like they deflate my band cuz I get pregnant, but even then I don't think I'd put back over 100 pounds. Why is it that our mom's can be so awful and cruel to their daugthers when it comes to their weight? I don't get it. they yell at us because we are obesse, then when we do something that will definately treat the obesity they flake out cuz we might get "healthy and thin" for a change. Keep your head up Lauracat we will get there. ---icestorm

Hi Lauracat: Icestorm12132008 here. You have some good goals. I think setting goals is important in peddling you on your journey of weight loss. having supportive people around you to help you achieve your goals is also very important and I think it is critical to your sucess (or anyone who is undertaking weight loss). I've got ten days left of "rest" and i'm glad to see the "light at the end of the tunel. Can't wait to start back up with some pilaties and treadmill work. Do you find that going to WW is helping you? I know that a month or more between visits to the surgon can be a long time and can sometimes stall the motivation. It must be great to see under 200 on the scale you have hit "wonderland" that is amazing. I'm hoping that once I'm cleared to resume exercise I can bust thru this plateu i've been in all summer. Maybe loose ten pounds by my birthday would put me down into the 238 lb range. I'm thinking of concentrating on my abs and shoulders so i can fit better into all those lovely tops . Keep up the good work Lauracat you are doing and looking great.

I would hope that once an insurance company approves you for surgery they ca not back out of payment. To do so would be fraudulent and denying you a covered benifit. You could sue them if they fail to pay your claim.

has your MD looked at your insulin level, and other hormonal panels, you must be so frustrated. I'd talk with your surgon and if they are no help i'd talk with your primary care. Some disorders like thyroid disease can stay hidden for a while before diagnosis. Also have they tested you for PCOS? as that can wreck havock on your efforts to shed the weight even with the insertion of a lap band. Hope you get some answers. --icestorm12132008

Alot of wommen respond really well to the low carb diet. And it actually fits in with how we are supose to eat around our plate as lap band patients. meat, veggie then some carbs if there is room. I found out about this diet after i was diagnosed with PCOS and meet with the author in her office at the fertility clinic i was going to at the time. The PCOS DIET BOOK by Hillary Wright is Low Carb and outlines a senseable approach for eating low carb. You can also check out the PCOS DIET WORKBOOK by Angella Grassi. Basically eatting small amounts of carbs in forms of say 1/3 cup of mashed potato with dinner is not going to kill you or say a 1/2 cup worth of fruit as long as you balance it out with some protien to help the body balance the suggar rush into the blood stream. Hope this helps. icestorm12132008

i would go to your MD or see if u can find a new MD as long as they can get acess your records. You could be to tight and the band could be causing you trouble. You should be able to eat with the band just smaller amounts.

If you have LUPUS you NEVER SHOULD HAVE GOTTEN A BAND. LUPUS is a contra indication to banding because the band will agrivate your lupus and fibromyalgia and make your lupus worse. YOu should have your band removed. Your body is seeing the band as a forgien entity and is causing great inflamation within your allready burdened immune system. Shame on the MD who banded you knowing full well you have lupus.

lassie: I love your picture I too have a white westie. I have not tired salads yet but I can eat various raw veggies like: zuchini, carrots, and raw fruits like apples. I too miss salad but i'm affraid of getting stuck.

you should not use MR eraser on your skin. ever esp. over your incisions. That skin is still really new it will eventually come off, if it bothers you I'd ask your surgon what they use to remove it. it does eventually wash off with soap and Water. I use to work in a surgical unit as a teen it usually took 3 good sponge baths for the makring lines to fully disapear. and we did not harshly scrub wounds we barely touched them. Just leave your wounds be and heal up. --icestorm12132008

Angie: So glad to hear you got thin enough to be granted treatment for ivf. I hope your therapy went well and you got your bfp. I to right now am to heavy for IVF, I've lost fifty pounds so far just eighty more to go. it's a long road but I know i'll get tehre. Would your fertility doctor allow you to causally walk thru your neiborhood durring the wating phase to help move your lymph Fluid around so you can reduce some of the Water retention from the tratment cycle? also where the injections if you used them difficult to give? I have pcos and i got banded six months ago. I hope to loose enough to where my pcos is not as much of a problem and so i can be at a normal bi so we can start ivf. Looks like we will be self pay for ivf and limmited due to one cycle only. best wishes --icestorm.

try to keep hydrated and get in 8 8oz. glasses of water a day. do some sort of cardio like walking sometimes helps. But for alot of folks constipation is common because we are not eating "alot" and many things that use to make us go, are now off the list. Did you try prune juice , or molases with milk? My doctor says we can take metimucil but i've not tried it yet. Many take mirliax but it takes 3 to 4 days to "kick in" . Of course if it gets really bad i supose you could if your condtion permits do a fleets enema. This is just another icky side effect of WLS surgery. --ice storm

I just want to reach out and give you a huge hug, pcos sucks. So my idea that something basic like IUI would work just got shot down yesterday by my regular obgyn, he said considering the PCOS that IVF(the big expensive fertility treatment) is our only option. he advised me to keep taking the metformin and to continue with loosing wit the band and that the surgery is really one of the best things to treat the obesity related issues with the pcos. Have you talked to a reproductive endocrinologist? or just a regular obgyn? I guess obgyn only can diagnose and teat so much and if it's anything dealing with our hormonal/endocrine systems they have to refer to an reproductive endocrinologist for proper diagnosis and treatment. Having the lap band done has been the only way i've lost so much weight without starving myselrf. I would talk with your insurance company and see what they require to cover surgery, then find a surgon who takes your coverage and meet with them to discuss if surgery is the right option for you. I remember at 270 pounds I was on the "edge" and i very quickly slid into over thee hundred pounds. Also you said your tummy is bloated considering the pcos I'd ask to see if you can get an ultrasound for fibroids they can cause tummy bloat almost like you are pregnant if they get large enough. they can also change the chemistry of the womb itself causing you to not get your period they way you should. They can also cause frequency in urination, a heavy feeling in the pelvis different then menstral cramps and they can make intercouse painful. When you do get your period they can cause labor like cramping that can travel around the pelvis up the back and down to the knee. I hope you don't have fibroids cuz they are a bear to deal with and can make pregnancy that more complex if you do have them. The good news is they can remove them if caught soon enough via d&c without to much dammage to the uterine wall.

Unfortunately sagging skin just seems to go hand in hand for some who have lost a lot of weight. Some say not to loose it to fast and to stay hydrated and to lotion up after every shower helps. I think it is all genetics if you have saggy skin before and if it's elastin fibers are worn there i sno avoiding it.

Are your friends maybe thinking that you don't want to go out because they are unaware of what you can and can't do with the lapband? Go out with your friends and have a good time but be mindful of what you can and can't eat/drink with the band. Nothing is toping you from having a Water with lemmon, or a tea and socializing with your friends at the bar/dance club whatever. Talk with your friends about it maybe that will help.-icestorm12132008

I can totally sense your frusstration, I've been where you are right now. Today I saw my regular obgyn who i'd not seen in almost two years and told him about my diagnosis of pcos and my decision to have a lap band placed. He had thought I'd had pcos all along but could not diagnnose it because he is just a regular obgyn. I hd to see an infertility specialist and ahve other labs/scans done. He said that the best treatment for the PCOS is lap band surgery if the weight will not come down with medication, diet change and exercise. He also said that for our speciffic case that IVF is our only recourse if we want children. that was very hard to hear but in my gutt I know that might be the only solution. I also have a history of fibroids in the uterus, and it appears tha they are back for another visit. Sometimes fibroids and pcos go hand in hand. Have you mentioned any oddites with your cycles, and any pain with intimicy to your doctor or a frequency in going to the bathroom but not having alot of urine come out? these are all S&S of fibroids. They can do ultra sound to scan the womb for the non cancerous tumors and they can re move them via d^C. They however for some(lucky me) reoccour . Hope you find what works best for you.--icestorm

LauraCat: I totally get where u are comming from, I have a sometimes(mostly) toxic relationshiph my mom and other female relitives when it comes to the weight issues. I think alot of it is jelously and the fear that if we take care of ourselves then we won't be the fatest females in the family. Cuz lets face it when a morbidly obesse person stands next to someone who is overeight, or even average, that person looks normal compared to the obesse person. By the obesse person taking control and having WLTS they are saying to that person I won't be the largest person in the room anymore I might actually look better then you, so you better look out. And also wommen can be nasty to oneanother especially when it comes to weight and our looks. Laura cat I'm so proud of you for choosing surgery this was not an easy decision. There will be peaks and valleys with this plan of weightloss. I've been banded since this past december and it has been six months of pretty steady weight loss but there have been months also where the weight has stalled out or barely moved. This month the weight barely moved, but atleast I did not gain. --icestorm12132008

I'm not going to lie the emotional connection to food is a real thing. But what about the empotional connection to our bodies, and trying to honnor our lap band and what we are trying to do for ourselves? Try to examine what is leading you to eat (fight with someone, joy?, anger? bordom?" . Ask yourself are you truly hungery? have something to drink and wait an hour durring that hour do something else, chores, read, activity. Then if hunger is still there have something healthy. Look at your body and note the changes(outlines of bones, firmer tummy and shrinking butt). This is a journey and we can't mis use our tool. hang in there .