the best me

Prayers for your daughter, you, and your family. Feel the love, concern, and good wishes from your LBT family and keep us updated. (((hugs)))

Butting in?! Are you kidding? Come on over to NC, Mouse. It's fun here!!! Come see our other threads and jump on in! I know it's a long way for lunch with us, but you are still always welcome. Hubby's calling for help...gotta run but I'll reply later to you, sherry.

Welcome Joyce. Our numbers are similar. Not sure what it is that keeps folks above 175. Seems like getting below that is really tough for lots of folks. I'll be happy to get below 180, but, ya know, I was saying the exact same thing about 190 a few months ago so I'll hang on. sounds like it's time for you to get a fresh start. Eat up for a few days and cut the calorie intake big time for two weeks and see what happens. I'm talking 1200 calories or less, but not less than 1000 a day. Is that possible for you?

A flat pillow or folded flat sheet in a pillow case to lay over your tummy for the trip home. Makes the tummy more comfy...protects it. That was good advice I used and appreciated. Small bills for tipping. Leave your anxiety at home, that helps. Hand lotion and lip balm. Don't forget your toothbrush. Slip on shoes...no laces. Underpack...only the essentials. Once you get out of surgery, you need something to wear in the hospital and something to wear home. Don't lug a ton of luggage. Slippers for the hospital. I took my old ones and threw them in the trash as I left. No need to pack floor germs to bring home, right? I had new ones waiting at home. I wore comfy elastic waist soft very not tight pants and a big shirt for the plane trip home. And a comfy soft cotton bra/sports bra. Or a no-waist dress if that's comfy for you. If I think of more, I'll add. Happy surgery day!! congrats!

Hang in there DOC. You'll get back tenfold what you are investing now. And it's hard, and it's a pain in the butt some days, and it DOES change your relationship with food in so many ways you could never anticipate. This will be YOUR journey. And you can do it. (((hugs))) and have hope. Know that whatever this band journey road ahead turns out to be, you will handle it, because you must. Most days it's because your band tells you "you must" and it's a good thing.

Melissa, did you go to San Fran?

Yay Magic! The Christmas Miracle is working! Good for you. It makes me smile to see you so excited. You get a banana! :banana

Okay Sherry, you came to the right place. First, thank you for all you do to help your brave hubby as he protects our freedom here in the US. God Bless You!!!! Debby-do says your band is the VanGuard by Inamed. If this is the case, you are home free. No problem. But you do need to be certain about the brand and make of your band. Do you have any paperwork on it? Now, I was banded in MX and get my fills from Dr G in Winston Salem. He's great. He won't look at you funny. He'll want to talk to you and find out your story and what's going on. If he can help you, he will! And he likes cash pay folks so don't hesitate to call him. If you can get him to slow down long enough (he's very quick and busy!) he'll be great. Just make sure you have all the info when you call to schedule. Also, flouro fills are scheduled out of the hospital there and cash pay for flouro is pricey. His non-flouro office fills are $250, flouro fills are $350 (I think) plus the hospital charges another 2-300. Check with his office to find out for sure. Just be prepared if you really want flouro. If you don't have any symptoms of problems, you may can just get by with a plain ole fill. Do some research here! Now, not all of us are losing like banshees around here so don't be discouraged. Time to get back on the bandwagon and put that band to good use. You haven't lost your window of opportunity. You can back up and punt. You can start fresh, and you have found good support here on LBT. Where in NC are you? There are a group of us in Charlotte who get together monthly and you are welcome to join us for lunch. I haven't checked the rest of the NC forum yet so you may have found us. Anyhow, welcome to LBT. So good to have you!

Oh look at you all!!! Just beautiful! Be sure to get a pic each time you get together. How fun!!! thanks for sharing!

Christmas decortions are boxed and in the attic for next year...nice and neat. Bookshelves are moved to the entry and desk is in the LR now. DD's computer desk is set up in her room...moved from the attic. More to do, it never ends! The Bonus Room is cleaned up but not the way I had in mind. At least you don't step on stuff when you walk through. That place is horrid. Big job. Desk still isn't done. sigh. But I'm getting there! How are you all doing?

Okay, then, I forgot about the leftover Brunswick stew in the fridge. Hubby says it's "real" Brunswick stew. You see, he likes to shoot Tree Rats. Yep, it's made with squirrel meat. Yuck.

Ditto what Kim said. Happy Kuri patient here.

Last July, hubby took a week-long camping/fishing trip to the Outer Banks. He came home with some of his brother's stuff in the cooler and it's still in the back of the bottom shelf behind the egg carton. It's a jar of Penrose Hot Sausages, and a jar of Hot Pickled Okra. Ewww. I also counted 10 jars of various pickles on the shelf. Dill cubes, sweet relish, bread and butter slices, bread and butter sandwich slices, hamburger dills, baby dills, etc etc etc. Not sure what's up with the pickles.

I like plain ole Richard Simmons food Mover. You eat the food you normally eat (with better choices, of course) and close the windows as you do. It helps me do several things: get my dairy and fruits in every day, don't go over on the carbs, keep up with my Water, plan ahead. If I want a snack, I see what I have left for the day and it helps me choose better. Also, there are several cards for calorie counting...1000, 1200, 1400, 1600, 1800, and 2000 calorie cards. If you wanted to do high protien, just open and extra protien window and close a carb window or two...you get the pic. I'll admit, I do it every day for 4-5 days faithfully and then I have a broad idea of what to choose and I do better for weeks. I haven't moved a window in months and it's showing on a slow moving scale. For me, it's good direction, accountability, no menus and crazy food prep, low calorie, low fat, adjustable. Richard Simmons rocks! And you could probably get one used on e-bay for cheap cheap cheap.

Okay, I'm no longer hijacking the Food Journal thread...I promise! This is chat talk!!!!!! Someone slap me silly, please!!!!!!!! LOL

Both of mine had the lung congestion illness, whatever was/is going around. Rachel actually had her lungs X-rayed and was diagnosed with walking pneumonia. She responded to the antibiotics very quickly. she took Zithromax. So did Tyler. BUT! Rachel also took liquid prednisone and I think that's what did the trick. We got Tyler diagnosed early enough that he responded fine without the steroid, but it really helped break Rachel up. She's fine now, a month later, but since being back at school, the cough at bedtime has returned. Do you have a nebulizer machine for breathing albuterol? That's been helpful, too. Don't feel guilty taking your trip. She won't get any sicker just because you go. She'll be okay. Cute as she is, I know she's hard to leave behind when she doesn't feel her best. Make a pact with her for regular phone calls. She'll be okay. have fun in San Fran! It's okay to have a good time! Who's watching the kiddos while you are gone? That's a big factor in feeling better about leaving, right? You'll have such a nce time! don't miss this trip, Melissa!

Welcome to LBT! Lurkdom is no fun. Glad you came out to play!

Another thought...the band doesn't change the size of the upper stomach, it changes how fast the food flows through the banded part. Does that makes sense?

I recorded it and plan to watch it again. I am most like the heavy girl...Food=Love and hubby was cracking up laughing watching her family around the table. "That is YOUR family!" he said. I told him I am actually just like the woman who wouldn't eat because she feels unworthy, but exactly opposite. I eat when I feel bad about myself because I want to feel better, too. She feels better being punished, I feel better being fed. By the end of the program, though, I lost touch with her. She was much much more inhibited than I will ever be. Is that a good thing As for Starr, she had surgery, or she'd have denied it. And she needs to gain some of that weight back. She doesn't look happy anymore. :cry

My hubby's so skinny, when I weigh as much as him, I'll be at goal! Okay, so he's not THAT skinny, but I'd sure love to weigh less than his 165-170. Well done! That's a very cool victory.

So far I have made some progress on the desk. Also, tonight we hung the pics in the kid's rooms...still have more to hang...assembled DD's lamp, hung her canopy, figured out the Visa bill (uh-oh...I owe ), and the decorations are packed properly and waiting to go to the attic. Gotta get up there and clear some space. Tomorrow? Maybe!

Yes! Actually, I see what "good bandsters" are eating and it gives me ideas. Well, except Yodels, right?! LOL Now, writing down how I feel after I eat something would be super duper helpful for me. I can think of 4 times over the last 2 weeks I have eaten, and while I'm eating, I KNOW I'm stress-eating and I just don't care. So, am I creating the stress so I can eat? Or do I REALLY want to find another/different coping skill to replace stress-eating. AND sometimes it's not so much stress-eating, it's rebellion eating. Know what I mean? sigh. I gotta get unfrumped. I'm working on it. Promise!

The only ones I like are Balance Bars in Honey Yogurt Peanut. They are not as High Protien as the others but they are edible. So there ya go.

Welcome to LBT! Love your screen name. Very "snarley".

Dar, have you seen the Before/After picture thread? It's a Sticky (at the top of the list) in the General Discussion Forum. Go see! My son was 2 and still in the crib when I had my surgery and I needed help with him the first week. Too big to lift and too little not to have to! He'd be so much easier to handle now at almost 3 than back then. Amazing what a few months will do for a child. Anyhow, I can feel my port under my skin, it's round and smooth and hard. Pretty neat. Fills don't hurt. Maybe sore is a better word but it's not really even that. No biggie on fills. You can eat regular foods pretty soon. Once you get to full liquids, after a week or two (depending on your doc) it gets much much easier. I had a rough first two weeks and had a hard time getting my fluids in. I was super tight post-op. Most folks aren't so leave it to me to have trouble, right? It was awful at the time but now...I guess if I had to do it again I'd handle it better. Perspective is everything. No regrets. I love my band. Good luck! Welcome to LBT!