Hazelbunny

....

-Hazelbunny & Denise, Are you guys too filled to full?

!

I have very little fill in my band - I am going in for my second fill today and hopefully will get some restriction.

Ì was out of town this weekend with family (none of which knew I had the surgery). Cut to Breakfast when my dad made his traditional humongass pancakes. I took one overexuberant bite and within 30 seconds up it came - no drama at all. But I definitely left the rest of my pancake alone!!!

I have my second fill tomorrow at 11:15 - looking forward to it. My first fill was really tiny and if anything I felt more restriction before my fill.

When I had the barium xray before my surgery, it made me so full and nauseated, I couldn't eat or barely drink for 4 days! Easy way to start the liquid diet I guess. I know my Dr. does fills with fluoro, so am I going to have to drink that stuff again? Forget the iritaion of the fill, I'm worried about the barium! :fish:

Michelle

Banded April 19, 2007

I have had several upper GI with the small bowel follow through and I have to take Phenergan beforehand. I am a puker and the texture of that stuff makes me spray vomit like a garden hose.

I was really worried about my first fill but thankfully the barium is really thinned down and a VERY small amount (for me at least) so I didn't have a problem.

Good luck!

ok, Mormonism is a very family oriented, loving and peaceful religion. Most of the members live a higher standard that most people wouldn't have the willpower to follow.

This was from your first post on this thread - you don't see the condescension here? Most of the Mormons I know spout the same party line - maybe some people don't live the "higher standard" because they choose not to.

eh....I think religion is a personal thing. I am a Christian that used to be an atheist (and you know there is nothing worse than a convert). I don't feel the need to defend my faith and I am not asking you to defend yours - I am just trying to understand. There seems to be such an incongruity between the beliefs of Mormons and actions of Mormons. You believe everyone is equal yet the actions of the faith do not support that. You believe everyone is a sinner and needs to lean on God yet continually strive for perfection and castigate and excommunicate those unable to achieve it.

*walking away from keyboard* I don't really want to rant.

God is a man

It is interesting to me the differences of dogma between religions. I am Methodist (raised Catholic) and I don't think of God as a gender - God is just God.

I have several Mormon friends and I have always been impressed with how involved with their families the average Mormon is - what I find discouraging is the superiority inherent in the religion. That only those strong and disciplined enough can be true Mormons.

There seems to be a lot of reliance on self as opposed to reliance on God which seems counterintuitive to a Christian based faith.

. I call, they apologize, and send me a tin of 6 Cookies. Argh! I'm buying my clothes at the fat girls shop! How freaking insulting that you think 6 Cookies makes up for your incompetence!

This about made me pee my pants!!

LB Sucks! I can't wait until I am out of that store completely. They really F&^*&% you at the fat chick stores.

I always feel left out looking at coordinating eye stuff though. They have it for every color except grey eyes. Nobody ever has stuff for grey eyes! But theres more of us than there are people with green eyes... !

I have grey eyes also....they never have coordinating anything for us. Add to that the fact that I am makeup tarded and most of the time I just don't wear any.

When I do though - I love Lancome mascara. I also use a slanted brush and just use eyeshadow as eyeliner. I don't have steady hands and the eyeshadow looks smoky and is hard to screw up. With regular eyeliner I can never get anything even resembling a straight line.

Medge - keep your chin up - your fill will be here soon and then it will be so much easier.

OHJuli - I feel you - I was in a 32/34 in February and I bought a pair of size 24 shorts today at Ross!! Holy Crap!!

I love my Trek bike! I have the Navigator (or as I call it - the fatazz friendly bike) and it is so much fun to ride.

I could go back to biking 2 weeks after my surgery.

How has your cycle been since surgery?

OMG, mine is nuts. I typically have normal periods, not too heavy, doesn't last too long, every 4-5 weeks. I'm not so regular you can set a clock by me, but they are okay. I feel for my heavy-period having sisters out there.

Anyway fast forward to this weekend. This is the worst, heavyest period I can remember. And that's fine except I am an emotional wreck! I've gained back a few pounds. I eat well and I exercise like a gym rat. I know it will come off in a day. But it makes me sad. I'm hateful and weepy and so out of my normal range I can't stand my own self. I'd eat some junk if it would help, but I know it will only compound the emotions....

Holy cow! I hope this balances out soon. I'm shutting my office door and keeping out for the day. They'll thank me later.

I have never researched the science behind this but apparently fat cells hold estrogen and losing weight can affect your cycle and mood.

Makes sense - I had the worst period ever this month and I was psycho for three days before.

I didn't agree with our Government's (and it was our government not just our President's decision) to invade Iraq. I felt it would end up being a quagmire similar to Vietnam.

That being said I am a Christian conservative who supports Bush and even agree's with O'reilly most of the time. It disturbs me sometimes that I am often treated as if I am addle brained because of my Republican views and Christian faith - I guess the idea being that if I were intelligent or informed enough then I would obviously not believe what I do. Who is intolerant again? - it seems to fall on both sides of the aisle. I don't think Christians and Republicans have the stranglehold on judgmental dogmaticism.

I want people to vote, to be politically active and informed - I do not expect everyone to agree with me nor do I question their intelligence if they don't.

Everyone keeps talking about nutritionist meetings, psych tests, etc. I only had to do two things...Stress test and EKG (which I had done last month anyway because I was having chest ache (not pain) (which turned out to be nothing) and blood work (which I had done last month during my regular 3-4 month checkup at the doctor).

I just had blood work - a complete metabolic panel, liver panel, and an upper GI.

Each person's tests are different. I was a self - pay - the surgery was excluded on my husbands insurance through his company.

This page was so great to find, I have been feeling a lil down since iv had the lap band done because i feel like iv got so much weight to loose. I was banded on the 19/04/2007. My starting weight was 162.2 kilograms sorry dont know what that is in pounds my BMI was about 54 or 56 something like that i cant exactly remember. Im now down to 149 Kilograms and I know I have a long long way to go, it is nice to know i am not alone though...

Sometimes it is hard to commiserate with people who only have 65 pounds to lose. It is nice to have our own area to share concerns unique to us.

I am not a rah-rah cheerleader type but I am so excited for all of us. I wish I had gotten the band years ago. For the first time in five YEARS my BMI is below 50!!

I have my appointment with my surgeon on July 2. I weight 354# I would like to know what factors give our weight, lead you to choose lap band over RNY or DS? Thank you. Joteddi

I chose lapband because despite my weight I was in excellent health. I knew that eventually my weight would cause health problems but they hadn't yet. To me the RNY is a drastic surgery to get weight off FAST so that health issues can be resolved quickly - diabetes, high blood pressure, etc. I didn't need something that drastic.

That being said - I think it is a personal choice. Obviously I am a fan of the lap-band - it is what I chose. But I know several people who have had wonderful success with RNY. I think it comes down to what you and your doctor feel is preferable.

Did you experience nausea post-surgery? I read somewhere here that someone said something about the "anethesia being used in Texas" causing that or something. Did you ask Spivak's office for phenergan before surgery?

I get very nauseous with any kind of anesthetic - I don't know that ours is any different in Texas. I got a shot of zofran after my surgery and it fixed me right up.

WOW - that is alot of tests. I just had to have a metabolic panel, a complete liver panel, and an upper GI.

I had a sleep study within the past six months so I didn't have to have another one.

I started getting sick on Wednesday and stupidly thought - oh it is just allergies. Cut to today when I called my doc in a panic because I couldn't breathe (I am an asthmatic). My pulse ox was 85 pre-breathing treatment.

I am now on mucho medication - breathing treatments, steroids, antibiotics.

On the plus side I have lost 6 more pounds.

So a woman should have complete control of her reproductive decisions as long as her "choice" isn't to have more kids than you deem appropriate? An incongruity exists there.

I have three children - I would love to have more. I also plan on adoption and my husband and I are currently going through the foster care process. I love children, I love being a mom and I certainly don't feel the need to apologize for it.

I don't think every woman needs to fulfill some biological imperative to reproduce - if you have the maternal instincts of a shark then leave the childbearing to women like me. Presumably you don't want your choice to remain childless to be criticized - neither do I want my choice to have children to be under the microscope.

Hi everyone!

My name is Debra and I will be banded this Friday (April 27, 2007) by Dr. Spivak in Houston. I am 5'7", 400# with a BMI = 60. I have been overweight all my life. At 48 years old my health went to hell this year. I have high bp, bad knees, have had stress fractures in both feet, have one functional kidney and retain Fluid which causes me to have breathing problems. My bp is under control and my other issues should improve with weightloss. The kidney thing is another issue, but a proper diet will keep it healthy. I'm excited about this new journey in my life and am looking forward to making new friends. Your super-sized banster thread is a great inspiration...

I was banded last month by Spivak - I love him! I also have only one kidney (birth defect).

I love this thread too - it is a great place to talk about things that people who have to lose 60 lbs. may have never had to deal with.

Good luck on Friday!

hi

thanks for the post/info on the papaya enzymes

when i first found this website..i went out and bought anything anyone recommended. when i got the papaya enzymes in the mail...i was like.."what is this for?"

i just had trouble drinking and Protein Shake and took 3 of them..and voila...i'm fine....

have a good day everyone

I didn't realize that is what they were for. I have had one before - my mom is constantly shoving different Vitamin "therapies" at me. They taste pretty good too.

I am feeling so out of control. I had my first fill a week ago and I am doing worse now than before I had the fill. I have OK restriction and the band is working, but I am making horrible food choices. What is wrong with me!?!? I was following all the rules before, Protein first, then fruits and vegetables, etc. The past couple days I've thrown those rules out the window. My period is due in a couple days and I am not the PMSing type of woman...never have been! Or maybe I am and always used food to soothe and comfort me. I have eaten chocolate, cheetos, doritoes! Thank GOD my band IS there because I could only eat a little! I am very irritable! I've been snapping at eveybody and that is just not me! :think

End of Vent

Thanks for listening!

I don't know about you but I am mourning food. I used food as an anesthetic against strong emotions and now that ability to "drug" myself is gone.

It is a grieving process I think. As far as the PMS - I was never aware of what or how much I ate before and I did notice a difference post-band with PMS-cravings. I think just because I was paying more attention to what I was eating.

You inspire me. What a great testament to what can be accomplished.

I never had any kind of barium swallow until my first fill. I was also self pay and that does make a difference with fills.

Insurance companies have gotten very squirrelly about fills lately. They pay for the surgery and then try to get out of paying for fills.

HELP!!!!!!! I know I need a brain adjustment. 5 1/2 weeks out, 25 # gone but at a stand still, scheduled for a fill on Friday. I put on my old clothes at home and think I'm looking good. Yesterday I went to a store with my daughter so she could get some shirts. While waiting for her I looked in the mirror to see how good I looked and all I saw was that fat woman. How do you get rid of the fat woman? I know I'm a long ways away from where I need to go , but I've come a long way in 5 weeks but I must change my mental image.I know all about positive self talk but if you say it but don't believe it what good is it. I'm glad this thread is here so I can spill my feelings to others who would understand. Thin or average size friends just don't know what I'm talking about.

Every time you look in the mirror find something you do like about yourself and concentrate on that. For example - obviously at my weight I have a very fatass so instead of looking at my ass and getting depressed I concentrate on my ankles. I have fantastic thin ankles, delicate hands with long fingers, and beautiful lips and eyes.

So when I leave the mirror instead of feeling bad about myself I walk away feeling good and uplifted. *disclaimer* it does take practice to focus on the positive things about yourself.

Why do we need to keep switching threads every month? I think it would be kind of nice a year from now to be able to read completely through our experiences and see how far we have come without having to travel through twelve different threads.

Navigating a 27 page thread really isn't any different than going through a 200 page thread - you are still hitting last page.