vinesqueen

Yes, yes, yes!

Well, my big big DH ordered a custome set of motorcycle chaps... and we are going to San Fransisco in January, I suppose I could almost convince him to wear them buttless. You know, we could stroll the Castro District... You know, I almost posted something that was TMI, and something that only 3 guys on this board could relate to... So I'll just stop But there is a very stong likely hood that we will not do this. But we could.... but we won't.

Babs, this is a GREAT NSV! Can I tag along too?

okay, a friend thinks he's figured out why I don't lose weight. I sit under flourencent lights all day... it must be photosynthesis. I'm eating all the time, light!

I've been seeing lots of folks lately talking about "the great deal" they are getting on their surgery. The talk of, oh my surgeon only charges $X amount, which is cheaper than doctor Y charges. I don't know why, but this really started to bother me this afternoon. What with all the talk of problems that have suddenly hit our community, with slips and leaks and the E-word, I would think that we would search out the very most qualified, the very best surgeon and aftercare facility that we can possibly find. I know that I'm so very lucky to have wonderful insurance. I knwo this and I am increadibly thankful for it. I know that when I was looking for a new sofa I looked for the best one that fit my budget. When I bought my saturn, I bought it used and got a great deal on it. It's 12 years old and I still get 35 mpg with it. But getting a band isn't like buying a sofa or a car. It is my body and my life. I don't want the cheapest surgeon cutting on me. I don't want the best price available, with frequent flyer miles and a free toaster. I want the most qualified laproscopic surgical team I can find. I want the best aftercare facilities that I can find. What is at stake? My health, and possibly my very life. Are you willing to take a cut rate price?

cherry nyquil does it for me!

You might want to search this topic, since it is quite a popular theme for discussion. I don't care that there is more maintence with the band. I'm perfectly fine with that. I'm aware of the risks of the band, and I'm fine with those too. I'm not fine with the malabsortion, or the "re-plumming." I know that many people are perfectly happy with their choice for a different WLS, that many people are wildly successful with their other WLS. I just feel that the other techniques are too drastic for me personally. I had the band so I wouldn't die. I didn't want to choose a solution that seemed worse than the problem. If I lost my band, I wouldn't have a differnt WLS. my two cents your milage may vary.

Oh great, I spend all that time and you remove your post! (brrraaaak, bauk bauk No seriosly, it is a touchy thing, love and sex and fat. PM me any time.

Hey Big Paul! I just wanted to let you know that many of your experiences paralell my life, since my husband too was 600 pounds. For almost 2 years my husband slept on the sofa, sitting up, since he had terrible sleep apnea. Well, hell, he would start to suffocate when he would just lie down. We too just became roommates. And I hated it. I didn't want a roommate, I wanted a husband. As he got bigger the further he pushed me away, the further he withdrew. I seriouly almost divorced him because of his weight, and the fact that he was no longer my husband. I don't know if you pulled away, I have to imagine that on some levels you did. I know that lots of fat people use their bulk as a way to distance themselves from everyone else, to insulate ourselves. It very may well be that be that your wife feels that you've pulled away. I don't know how long you were that big, but it seriouly takes a toll on a relationship in ways that are not obvious. It may be that she pulled away herself to try to shield herself from her paiin over your weight. I became terrribly depressed over my husband's weight. The problem is that I was stuck greiving for his death, and the subborn goat wouldn't die. It was not a concious think on my part, but I knew he was dieing from his weight. And I was stuck and couldn't move past it, until he did something about it. I was humiliated to be in public with the man I loved, which didn't help matters any either. Well, what he did was to get the band and drop almost 200 pounds in less than 2 years. What he also did was to woo me all over. It is not easy to go from being roommates to being lovers again. I'm not talking physical lovers, but emotionally lovers. I think that once the emotional connection re-connects it is easier for the physical to reconnect. feel free to PM me any time!

Okay, okay, it doesnt' have to be Barbies, I just like buying them because I had so much fun playing with them when I was a child, and I've been a feminist since I was 5-years-old! You are right, I won, so drinks are on you! Woot! Table dances anyone?

welcome to the banded gentry Tigger!

snow blows like madness the cold stings against my skin winter wonder land Ice, sleet, blowing snow pocatello winters make me long for home

Yikes! Oh my gawd! You must let us know how this progresses (up to a point... )

Donali, honey, no worries. No Worries at all. It occured to me that perhaps her current surgeon just isn't comfortable operating on someone as big as she is. I *know* how big she is, and I've never met her. I know many of her struggles, having lived with my DH who was 600 pounds when he was banded. Because she is Super Super Obese, she has extra physiolgical issues that need to be delt with. I know that there are many surgeons out there who wouldn't touch her at the range she is in, and probaly rightfully so because of their skill level and experience with folks her size. It could very well be that they want her to lose so much weight because that will increase her survival chances. Tonya, I'd like it if you could contact my surgeons because they have experience with people beyond simple Morbidly Obese. I worry about you.

That is what I was told by our surgeons, the weight we first lose will come right off our livers, not our hips or anywhere else. Especially with a rapid loss technique, it comes right off the liver. I can't say about the 10% body fat loss, I think my DH only had to lose something like that, but he was a super high risk patient, as are many of us. They wanted me to lose something similar, I think maybe only 10 but it might have been 20 pounds, I don't remember how much they wanted me to lose. But I didn't lose the pounds as requested, I gained 10 instead. All my surgeon did was pat my hand, say that's okay, we'll get you fixed right up, and to not worry about it. I really do not believe this request by my surgens' office is a power play. And in their case, it is a request, not a demand. As far as I know, they haven't turned anyone down because they couldn't lose the weight preband. And my clinic has done over 1,000 bands, and they proctor, so I believe that they know what they are doing. I have heard that some surgeons use this as a power and control thing, but my experience has not been that.

heh heh heh heh heh In Seattle we don't generally get a lot of cold and snow, maybe a couple of inches a year. Every 7 or 10 years or so we get a heavy snowfall. But even with a couple of inches the news cracks me up.. The TV news people well be all "STORMWATCH <insert year here>" dun dun dun! I was almost run over Wednesday by some idiot who was speeding and not mindful that the roads were covered in snow and ice. If there had been cars parked on the curbs he would have taken them out because he went through the intersection SIDEWAYES.

Oh man, I'm so very sorry to hear about this Fats. I can only imagine how you must feel. To go so very far only to have to snached away. I wish you the greatest success in all your endevors!

First things first, I haven't excersized the last couple of days and man do I miss it! It is just too dang cold to go for walkies right now, I think our high temp yesterday was close to 15 degrees, and right now we've warmed up to a balmy 5 degrees. Cold like this is really harsh on my lungs! I've started my finals already, and this is a crazy time for me! Tonight we have our big class dance thing, so we are going to warm up for about an hour before we dance, Yikes! The next question is blended or on the rocks? I used to only do blended, but I discovered that blended shuts down my band really fast. And, Cointro or sweet & sour mix? I'm going to hazzard and say Cointro, because I think you're a top shelf kinda gal... (I perfer Greygoose and Bellvidere myself Bonus points for anyone who knows what those are ) Okay, Kare, if you please, just use my winnings to buy Barbie Dolls for toys for tots. I know that KB toys generally has great deals on Barbies this time of year. This is what I was going to use the mulah on anyway, but if you just take care of it at your end, that will save time Yay! YAY! NEW SHIRTS! YAY!

Man, if I could manage to gain 26 pounds of lean mean muscle... You just rock, and now you are closer to being rock hard! (or at least as much as we wimmin folk do)

Hey Velvet, the purpose of losing the weight is so that you have extra room inside for your surgeons to work. Mainly they want to shrink your liver down so there is less dagner to it. I don't know anything about the surgeon that you have choosen to work with in OR, but my surgeon also banded my husband when he weighed 600 pounds. If you want to talk to someone in that office, the information is in my signature. It isn't a test to see if you can lose weight. It's a personal safety thing for you. I'm sure that you can do it, I know it seems daunting, really I understand. A few weeks on the Optifast or what ever liquid diet will really go a long way to help. YOU ARE NOT ALONE in this. We are here to offer support along the way. No, it isn't easy or even fair, but if things were fair, we wouldn't be in this place in the first part. Like Capt'n Jack says, Strength and Courage!

right now it is -7 degrees. Lastnight I didn't walk to my bellydance class, as usual, since ti was about 12 degrees and the cold seered my lungs like fire. I had to pry open my car door because it had frozen shut. Okay, I have been living in my long silk underwear. I wash my hair when there is plenty of time to dry it (I have curly hair and don't use a blowdryer on it.) and the key to staying warm is to layer. But at least you don't have to worry about crossing parking lots that are coved in 3 inches of ice. I have to go find a scarf

Oh Karen! you poor thing! Man, I hate first dates! Good thing I've got a steady beau now (sure, I married him, makes him all the more steady!) And yeah, the next time won't be a first date, so you can relax. Just make sure the next one is something like bowling or other activity. At least you didn't barf on yourself or at the table!

Teressa, I think it was the Turkey! Makes me PB every time. Oh Karen! Baby! Yeah, I expect you don't get a second if you barf on your date

Hey Butch! very interesting and I hadn't thought of it this way, not really. For my DH, yes, definataly yes, but he reached 600 pounds. But not for me. I guess part of the reason I never thought of it this was is that most of my weight has been because of medications, steroids through out my entire life. I am wonderful at maintaining a certian weight, but once I get put on steroids, BAM! I gain more weight. It isn't a matter of putting the fork down and backing away from the table for me. I'll have to think about this some more. Thanks for the thoughts.

I gained weight too, about 10 pounds too. I was on steroids for asthma. 10 pounds in 10 days has to have a large Water componnent. My DH gained more than 100 pounds our first year of marrage and didn't gain that fast.