gowalking

congrats and welcome to the beginning of a healthier life. as far as spending the night....do it. you don't get any sleep whether in the hospital or home but at least in the hospital, the staff is keeping an eye on you and providing you with the pain meds you need. I stayed overnight and felt much more at ease than if I had gone home.

yes ma'am, I had synvisc shots. no good. I had steroid shots...only helped for a few days. I tore the miniscus in both knees, had arthroscopic surgery on both knees....the right knee is shot. I just got back from the pool. It's the only place I can exercise. I know that replacement is likely the outcome...I was just hoping to be in less pain as the weight came off. Again...I have a ways to go so maybe as more weight comes off, it will get better. thanks for letting me know your history. makes me feel not so alone.

Oh, I'm so glad I read this MsMaui. I have severe arthritis in my right knee...no cartilage left, basically bone on bone and at this point, my hip and leg are affected as well. The muscles are very weak and I'm in pain all the time. I need to lose a total of 117 lbs and I'm making progress...49 lbs. down so far. I was hoping at this point to have less pain and be able to walk more without the cane, but so far, that's not happening. I do have more stamina but that's more about the weight loss rather than walking easier. I see you have lost 90 lbs. so I am hoping I just have to lose more weight before seing some improvement. I'd give anything to just be off that damn cane....

Georgia, sweetheart....have him use condoms. You don't know about his health status, and the last thing you want is to get pregnant without his buy-in. I'm 54 and have been through these things with my own children who are now grown and married. Some years ago, my son was in a casual relationship with a young woman who was never going to be his wife, but when she became pregnant, this was suddenly a real possibility. There was no baby, and I'll not comment on that decision as it was hers to make, but if she had kept the child, it would likely have been a disaster for everyone. I thought I had made it clear to my children to be responsible about birth control but it wasn't until this scare that my son understood the impact this could have had on his life. If this young man you are seeing is the one you expect will be your partner in life, then that is wonderful and children will come when the time is right. Good luck to you my dear and know that the folks on this forum are here to support you and help you on your journey.

I noticed that alot of folks who post say they are scared of being hungry. I understand that fear because when I am hungry, I make poor food choices. So....last night I wound up in an Italian restaurant, which is a challenging place to be as I am a carb addict. I'll happily forego chocolate for a bowl of spaghetti. Anyway...we sat down, it was a little late and I was hungry...and the lasagna was calling my name. But...and here's a big but...I'm doing so well at this point...49 lbs. down since the beginning of the year, that I didn't want to sabotage myself. I ordered the salmon with the house salad and mashed potatoes. I ate about 1/3 of the salad, half of the 6 oz portion of salmon, and no more than 1/4 cup of the mashed potatoes. By the time I was done with the salad, the hunger was already fading, and then there was no problem with the food choice I had made. I am so proud of myself when I avoid temptation and so happy when the band does it's work and it helps me to feel satisfied fairly quickly. At that point, I can deal with my trigger foods and stay in control. Oh, and by the way, we shared the tiramisu and the two spoonfuls I had were delish. Again, two spoonfuls, not a whole serving or even half. Then the best part...I decided this morning to go through more of my clothes to get rid of the stuff that is too big and I found that I was swimming in a size 24 Dana Buchman black slacks while almost fitting into a size 18 pair. It was just a tad tight in the waist. Five more pounds, and I'll be wearing them. So happy with the results so far and glad I made this decision to be banded.

thanks for the support. it means a great deal to me.

used to live in Old Bridge. moved to Manhattan in 2005...but still work in North Edison (MetroPark).

find another doctor. you must have a supportive heathcare partner, not someone who makes you uncomfortable or feeling like a failure. so many of us on this forum worry about failure, you don't need the doctor accusing you of that. don't forget, he works for you...he gets paid from your insurance carrier. if you weren't happy with anyone else who provides a service to you, you would get rid of them, right? same thing for this guy..

I'm on a cane too Missy....very bad arthritis in my right knee. Still having lots of pain but am hoping to feel better when I lose more weight. I'm inspired by you...thanks. Oh...and those pictures don't even look like the same person. Congrats to you.

I wouldn't give a rat's ass about wasting anything. Firstly it's no one's business what you eat or don't eat. Are they paying for it? If not, ignore the comments. Boy...that gets my blood boiling.... Here you are trying to eat healthy and others are bullying you into doing something you know is not good for you. Try to watch how a thin person eats. They leave over lots of food...or they don't eat certain things at all. If you want to have one spoonful of soup and three pieces of lettuce, just do it and don't worry about what other people say.

So sorry dylanmiles. I know how you feel...I live not too far from the World Trade Center and it was a terrible day for all NYers and for my family, an especially scary morning as my sister works a block from the Trade Center and we weren't sure of her safety for a while. She was fine thank goodness but she lost many friends and colleagues... I know it sounds silly, but stop watching TV. Go out and do something, anything, other than watching the news. That's what we did the day after and it did help to get away from it for a little while.

No fills yet either. Banded 1/14 and down 45 1/2 lbs.

Sounds like everyone is doing well and no complications thank goodness. I was banded on January 14th and am down 45 1/2 lbs. No fills yet....doing fine without them so far. Next appt. is May 17th and I'll see how I'm doing then. By the way....I'm going shoe shopping on Saturday...most of my flats and other slip on shoes have gotten too loose. I knew I'd have to get new clothes but didn't expect I'd need shoes as well....LOL!

Hi balbuquerque: I've been banded since January 14th and I've not had any fills yet. I find that I am satisfied on around 1,000 calories a day. I've lost 45 1/2 lbs in total which includes 17 prior to surgery. My dr. says if I'm not looking to eat between meals, and I can stay within the allotted number of calories than there's no reason to get a fill at this time. It sounds like you do not need a fill just yet but you and your dr. can discuss it and decide what is best for you.

Wendy's right. Those frozen meals...even the 'diet' ones are often very high in sodium.

yeah...it's different as your job is all about flying...not someone who flies 'recreationally'. Again.. you should speak with your surgeon....don't figure it out on your own..they are there to advise and give direction.

Congrats Angelface and welcome to this site. I've been banded since January 14th and the folks on this forum have been a great source of info and inspiration. Don't worry about being nervous...it's perfectly normal.

I'm not a flight attendant but I did ask my surgeon before my vacation if there were any specific instructions to follow when flying and she had a printout all ready with what to do. Basically, no eating in the air...no eating a couple of hours prior to the flight, and no eating for an hour after landing. I followed those rules and had no issues while in the air. You should check with your doctor if he or she has any rules for flying.

Ask your doctor about Welbutrin. I smoked for more than 30 years and really enjoyed smoking. Thought I'd never be able to stop. The Welbutrin stopped my physical cravings and I was able to quit. Never thought it was possible but I did it. I also gained 60 lbs which is why I had to come to the decision that being banded was the right thing for me to do. The good news is that I haven't smoked in nearly 7 years and three months post-banded, I'm down 45 lbs. Good luck to you on all fronts. I know you will be successful stopping smoking and losing weight.

After reading her story, how can society not consider food an addiction? All you have to do is substitute drugs or alcohol for her issues with eating and you have an addict same as an alcoholic or drug addict.

I hear ya Kai! Eating out is a big part of my social life and this worried me so much...would I find myself not being able to eat out and socialize as I had been. Well...I found the same as you....make a smart meal choice, pay attention to the amount you eat, and just enjoy the evening. I've been banded three months now and have been out to eat with folks who know about the surgery, and those who don't. I've realized that no one is paying attention to what I'm eating and between talking and other stuff, I can take those small bites, and do my chewing and waiting between forkfuls and no one notices. This has been a huge relief for me....being able to keep this part of my life and not having to give it up. BTW, I'm down nearly 45 lbs. so just know that you can incorporate eating out into your new life as long as you think ahead a little bit. Oh...and I try to stay away from certain restaurants that have very high sodium meals. To my horror, I saw that crab legs at Red Lobster is amazingly high in sodium. Who would have thunk it? Good luck to you and enjoy the journey.

Pretty outfit on a pretty lady. Congrats!

Could have been any number of reasons, water weight, a bit of a plateau, metabolism change.... just be happy for such a nice loss and keep on keeping on. As far as needing or not needing a fill...it's still about whether or not you are satisfied on the amount of food you are supposed to eat. If you are, no fill needed...if not, then you should have a fill. I'm surprised the doctor said you did not need a fill based on your weight loss. It's not about weight loss, it's about satiety.

I also crushed my pills right after surgery but am now taking them whole. I'm about three months post-op and have not needed any fills yet so that is the likely reason why I don't have to cut or crush my pills at the moment. The nurse at the surgeon's office said I'd be OK as long as the pill is no bigger than an M&M. If/when I start to get fills, I'm sure I'll have to go back to cutting or crushing my meds again. .

I went to my PCP today for a checkup and she took me off one of my blood pressure meds. Have been on two meds for the longest time, and at a higher dose as well. Now down to 20 mgs. lisinopril only. Hoping to be off all meds at some point.