Telecia

Thing is alot places *Try* to have public transportation but they don't really succede. The city I live in is a great example. (5th largest city in my state) We do have a city bus system. And hey the city even made the extra expense of having Electric busses. (At least the old ones were dunno about the newer ones) And by TRY I mean if you work 8-5 or 9-5 typical daytime *Office* hours. And don't mind that the busses run on the hour and you might have to get to work 45-60 minutes early or late then hey you can actually use the bus sytem. 50 cents a ride 20$ for a month long unlimited use pass. You mostly see senior citizens and teens using the busses. Our city is having a major job problem right now. the 20+ car manufacturing factorys have closed or left in the last 5 years and jobs are scarce. 90% of the jobs in the city now are retail or service oriented and these are not 9-5 jobs. Bus system stops running at 6pm(weekends 9pm). Starts at 7am. So anyone with 3-11 or nighttime shifts are out of luck. Bus isn't an option for me either as I can't do the first step up into it. Neither can most of my family members as they are mostly older or overweight. There are also only a handfull of bustop shelters/benches etc. noone builds them anymore and the city don't want to maintain them. Buisnesses don't put out benches etc anymore either cause of vandals(Sp?) Who wants to wait 45-60 min before the next bus comes along in the rain/sun without a place to sit? A cab. LOL OMG I will NEVER take a cab again If I can avoid it. Car in the shop it cost me and my BF 15$ one way to go to walmart which is only a couple miles away. This was before the gas prices increase it's probably 25$ now. And the driver terrified me! Way over speed limits and weaving in and out like a madman. We called my SIL for a ride home. My son now lives in Chicago and I feel for him. He recently started a spectacular job making 14.50$ a hour for a large firm doing their computer repair/support/maintence for them. Downside. As the firm is NOT in the city proper he has 2 an 1/2 hour commute to work each morning. And due to the bussing/subway scheduals he is either 1 hour early for work or 10 minutes late. He doesn't mind the long commute since he has a internet capable cellphone to stay *Occupied* with. And his company allows him the 10 minutes late option without docking/reprimand. But still.. 2 and 1/2 hours to make a 15 minute drive. His ride home is only an hour. Most companys aren't that forgiving. His complaints are its cutting into sleeping/free time. He is saving for a car now though. I am a firm believer that one of the reasons we are having such weight problems in the US is the convience of cars. Not that theres anything wrong with it. But its damaging our environment, turning us into lazy people. An insured the car makers will forever have high demand.

I think most of the time its because people think they need to totally *trust* their surgeon/doc/hospital etc. I'm not saying that you shouldn't but honestly so many people refuse to take on the responsiblity of anything these days when they really should. They EXPECT the doctor/surgeon/nurse etc. to give them ALL the information that they need when that is honestly impossible. Since people can't read minds. They can give you enough paperwork/phamplets/information to deforest the amazon but if your of the mindset that the doctor will *Tell* you everything you need to know. It won't do you much good. Another is the doctor did cover it but used different terms, didn't put enough emphasis on something. Or they just didn't hear/comprehend it. So therefore don't remember. Or just plain old forgot. Or its the case of *magic pill* they are so desperate to be thin that they have a mindset that its going to work like magic. And the things they do won't matter much because the *magic* will do it for them. Personally I look at it this way. I have the internet. In this day and age when it only takes a few moments of my time to put something into google and search for info. Why not use it to its fullest advantage? People are quick to search for online for hobbies, chat rooms, games and so many other things. But they can't or won't take the time to look up a possible life altering medical procedure?? While I personally can't imagine NOT doing research on something this important. I know there are tons of people who don't even think to bother till after they realize they don't know the answer or have a problem with something. Also I think theres sometimes a mindset that if they know about the possiblities of complications that maybe *it won't happen to me* kind of thing. And I expect even after being a visitor to this board for months now once I get my band I will probably still have to ask questions that I didn't think of beforehand despite my research. It is hard to see many of the same old posts that sound like they didn't listen to the doctor or research. I guess for me its doubly hard from the frustration I have at the moment just getting the band in the first place. lol

Now that you mention it yes it is a curiousity especially as that is the commercial that started me looking into the band. lol.

Well I did find a couple of naturopathic doctors in driving distance. Gonna call and see how much its gonna cost cause I know my insurance wont cover them. Super Supplements? nope closest thing we have here in the local GNC and one other privately owned health food store. And I cant do GNC Cause its in the mall and I can't walk it =/ So Mostly we get our vitamins/suppliments at walgreens where my BF works. So at least we get a bit of a discount on them.

In the colder months of the year I have my purse I can carry it all in but now that its warmer I tend to use my fanny pack more often then a purse. Which is why I am suddenly finding that the small case my meter has is terribly unsufficent. I can always leave the stuff in the van I guess or just start carrying a larger bag I guess. lol My BF recently started with a pen type but he is having the same problem. I think he should carry it with him to work but he says no to that. He hasn't got to the point he can give himself his own shots yet even. He is terribly fearfull of needles.

Ok I know this isnt related to the band in any way but it is related to diabetes. I am curious to know what everyone does about storing their meter/insulin/needles etc. When I got my last meter I was thrilled at how small and compact it and its case is but now I regret it! By the time I add in the control solution bottle, my log book, a few extra lancets and a few of the alchol pad packages the darn thing wont zip!! and of course its way to small to keep a pen too. LOL. Am now looking for a seperate pouch for carrying around my insulin & needles. (pen type would cause me to have to inject twice compared to the needle/vial method) Or just going to like walmart and buying a larger makeup type pouch to put the whole mess in. trouble with that is it would all be a jumbled mess in that kind of pouch..

What about doing more things on the weekends that don't focus on food so much? I know I used to plan the more decadent meals for days when the BF is off work. Cause I hate how he never reaheats anything and I take the time to make something *special* I want him to enjoy it, not cold. lol. I have totally refocused my cooking habits on eating healther for my family, for me so when I get the band the changes aren't so suddenly drastic, and my BF recently got diagnosed with diabetes so he needs to adjust his diet and the kids well, they are just having to learn to not eat less of nonnutritional carbs. Today don't count since I gotta reformat my computer. But anymore when hes off we are trying to do more things to get out of the house. Cant wait for the pool to open as I plan on being there as much as I can so does my son. We got my son a telescope for christmas that we are gonna start taking out to a friends house in the evenings where theres not as much light pollution. Picknic in the park with way healthier foods. Since I make/pack it I get to decide what we eat. And how much to take. lol The city parks here have free summer concerts 2 nights a week we plan on going out to also. The bands aren't the greatest. local tallent but getting out and about and away from fast food/resturants is nice.

Hehe I have to admit its been years since I shopped at lane bryant but used to their normal pants were more like capris for me. Which I stoped wearing due to swelling in my lower legs.

Well right now myself I take a a daily essential formula multi Vitamin each day that has Calcium and Iron and 15mg of zinc, and a Calcium magnezium & zinc tablet. Along with all my perscription meds. Plus when on my monelty I take an extra Iron which helps with cramping and lowering the blood flow. My BF bought a diabetes vitamin kit from nature made that has luiten and cromium and Vitamin C and 3-4 other things in it. Suposed to help with diabetes, but on another mailing list I belong to it has been stated that diabetics dont really need these just to have their Vitamin D monitored. His doc said feel free to take the supliments if he felt he needed to but thats not much of an answer to me. lol We both are having nerve issues with our feet. he tends to lose sleep when they are acting up and mine have at times even made walking diffucult because they get almost numb. How would one find a naturopathic doctor? its not something to look up in the yellow pages lol I just tried.

As much as I hate Endoscopy's I would say that a one year check just to be sure would be a good thing. It would give me even more confidence that the doctor was trying to see to my overall health and safety. And trust me I HATE endoscopy's. Badly with a passion. LOL

I can't speak from experience yet but having been on this board for over 6 months now And reading posts daily... Yes these are things that CAN HAPPEN. But allot of them can also easily be avoided too. And should be things you discuss with your doctor. lots of pain for hours- Can happen when getting stuck but there ARE a couple things you can do IF this happens, pineapple juice or papya enzyme tablets can help dissolve foods. others say warm vinegar or have other remedies. Of course making sure you've well chewed food, small bites and wait a substantial period in between bites can reduce this greatly. not being able to swallow saliva- Can happen if your fill is to tight or you have swelling. Allot of doctors make you drink during or after your fill before you leave the office to make sure you can swallow. If this is something your doctor doesn't do ASK him/her about it. You can do this yourself even if the doctor refuses to by carrying a bottle of Water around. no position being comfortable- I would think this only lasts till you've healed well. Most people say their port doesn't cause any long term discomfort once healed. And they rarely notice it being there. food getting stuck - even when you think you're chewing a lot-Again this can be most likely be avoided. Its not actually uncommon to have people here say they have NEVER been stuck. Others have. It is important to take your time small bites, chew well and give yourself enough time in between bites so if you do get stuck you don't add more on top of it. a bad band fill experience-Something you need to talk over with your doctor or whoever will be doing your fills, find out NOW!! how they handle fills possibly ask to see it being done if you can get someone to agree to it. Ask if they numb you beforehand or do fluro when filling. getting bad reflux- Again usually caused by being overfilled. Can be avoided or treated easily if it does happen to you. lots of gas all the time-Well it depends on the type of gas? burping or intestinal? Burping allot can possibly be your eating to fast, swallowing air, using straws allot etc.. You might have to change how you eat. Intestinal gases is most likely caused by diet more so then related to the band. And easily handled with gasx or other gas type products if its really that bothersome. Or figure out what foods is causing it and avoid them. One thing you got to remember is as with any kind of support board your going to have people mostly posting about the problems with things. Asking advice etc on a problem. its not that people don't post about the good things its just people don't tend to bring attention to stuff when its going well. Only when its going badly or troublesome. Sounds like the person you are hearing this from isn't following band rules very well and not keeping in close touch with their doctor about their issues. Because most doctors will get your right back in to un fill you a bit pretty quickly if your having problems or at least recommend you going to the ER if you can't get into them soon. Best advice I can think of it ASK your doctor about all these things AND MORE!! That's one of the things they are there for. YOU PAY them for this. So never be afraid to ask. And read these boards I mean really read go back a few months and see just how people have handled their problems and how many haven't have allot of problems. Defiantly read the fills board and complications board. And Life after meeting goals section. You will learn ALOT :wink_smile: Congrats on your decision to get the band and I hope it all goes well for you.!! :tt2:

hehe went I left my ex husband in 200 I found I totally changed my groceryshopping/eating habits. Cause he was a meat/potatoes/bread kind of person and had fits if I made anything healthy. Didn't like things like fish, seafood, chicken, rice or veggies. So once I left him now I RARELY buy beef at all. I use ground turkey for things that I used to use beef for in the past, we now eat waaaaaay more variety of dishes from other cultures like mexican, thai or asian foods. And more fresh foods if and when we go out places we try to encourage the kids to try more variety of foods then they had access to before. And come to find out they ADORE seafood and fresh fruit. And SUSHI lol. Which they said yuck to in the past till they actually tried it. Pretty much weaned them off the sugary Breakfast cereals and such too. Next on the list is getting my daughter to stop eating rameen 3 times a day.

one thing I have noticed is no 2 doctors say the same thing about caffiene. Some are dead against it, others say its ok in moderation and still others say its just fine. My cardioligist says to avoid it cause it is a stimulant and raises your heartbeats and causes Water retention. But my PCP says just don't over do it. Other sources say it retards weight loss so who knows exactly. I doubt seriously if it can cause a band to erode. As the band is OUTSIDE your stomach and no food actually comes in contact with the band at all. I would think your more at risk from the carbonation in soda then the caffiene. But I agree you should clarify this more with your doctor.

Peter I am so very sorry to hear of your loss, but like eveyone esle to thank you for thinking about others and finding the strength to let us know, as I know it must be very hard right now for you. We sometimes tend to forget that ANY surgery can be dangerous but since it is somewhat rare for these things to happen we tend to forget they can.

Just dont forget that it may take several fills before anyone may start having restriction!! And that that the first few months is more for healing then weight loss. Sounds like he is doing pretty typically. Best thing you can do is help him stay focused on eating healther and eating for his healing as his doc perscribed. And not worry to much about quantity right now.

Glad to hear your recovering so well!!

I can speak about other contries but where I live in the USA this is a crock of bull. I know many people who would LOVE to use public transportation but the brutal fact of the matter is MOST of the US is unfriendly to public transportation. The only part of this I can believe is the fact that higher weight loads MAY cause more fuel to be burned. Unless you live in a major metropolitan city public transportation is a JOKE. Cabs are even more costly then owning your own car its like 13$ for a trip halfway across town now one way. And the drivers are scary. The Bus system STOPS at 6pm every evening. And has lousy coverage. And a hour between pickups. And several people can't do the huge first step to get on the bus in the first place. No shelters or benches at 90% of the bustops. Heck busstops arent even clearly marked!! Walking or bikes are NOT an option. Since only in the OLD residental areas of town and downtown are there sidewalks, and pedistrain stop lights. I live in a HUGE apartment complex and my BF could walk to work, its that close but he can't because the road is narrow & has NO SHOULDER & NO SIDEWALK. Cars already swerve around to much due to pot holes that winter caused. It's just to dangerous. I had to forbid my kids to walk anywhere outside the complex cause it is simply to dangerous for them to walk/bike and go out the main road is even worse. Everywhere is strip malls. No side walks and it's a major 4 lane highway that runs through town. Any residental areas built in the last 10 years are just as bad No sidewalks, No busstops etc. Sure Decreased car use would reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Of course it would but our country has been built on the convience of car ownership. Not on use of public transportation. Yep its convient to place the blame on the overweight people and not the society problems that helps them get this way. I wish I had saved the link (was on CNN)but there was an article I read recently talking about how the cost of food prices are rising and its got more to do with the demand of fuel alternatives and failing crops due to weather changes then people eating more. More and more farmers are starting to produce their crops for the newer BIO-Fuels rage. And producing less for food consumption. Which just adds to the higher fuel costs for transporting things. The constant pushing of unhealthy foods at us by comercials, product placements (Candy at the checkouts etc.) Convience of take out/resturants and our harried lifestyles that make home cooking inconvient/time consuiming, tand he fact that alot of people have been forced by food costs already to make meals stretch farther with things like Pasta, rice etc. is h aving a detrimental affect on us. But you don't see people in the news placing the blame on these things. They wanna point fingers but they don't know what to point them at so they pick the most convient thing that will get a reaction.

Yep I have known that I had bed cholesterol levels since I was 16 and NOT overwieght (and very active). I was a foster kid durring my teens and at 16 our foster program (private program) Put ALL girls on the pill at 16 if they could. So I found out that my cholesterol was high. So from then on I have been conciously avoiding fatty foods. And It has been FRUSTRATING to say the least because everytime I would go to the dr and they would check cholesterol levels getting scolded when I was already eliminating fatty foods from my diet and it didn't help. So for 20+ years I have had dr's scolding me for something I can't control. It is rather nice now to have one who realizes its heriditary and does't chew out me out every visit. But for other things she sucks so I still have to find a new PCP lol.

I Haven't gotten my band yet and i'm the same I cannot see it saving money in the long run cause I have 2 kids and my BF that still eat. One of the reasons I have a weight problem is that alot of the white carb foods, Pasta, rice, white bread etc. is way cheaper then the more healthy options. I am finding that since adjusting the whole familys diet to healthier options (Still a long way to go though) is costing MORE =/. I think that along with the acess to fast foods in this country has allot to do with why so many people are having weight problems anymore. Its costs less to stretch meals more with things like rice or pasta then to add more fresh vegtables or whole grains.

Theres also a produt called *Magic shave* It's marketed mostly for black males with sensitive skin but I have found it was superb to any other hair removers out there. And does't burn my skin like the others do. I'm kind of lucky in my facial hair is all blonde even though my head has gone to more of a dirty blonde over the years but even with the hair being so light colored it still can be extreemly noticable. And annoying!!

Tamihott, I actually didn't have a hard time adjusting to my CPAP, It took maybe a week, at first I did remove it when I slept but most come with alarms that will tell you your mask is off. The amazing difference I felt waking up rested was enough to make me compliant fast. lol. My best suggestion to anyone starting is don't let your DME just give you whatever mask they feel like. Make sure they give you several to try. With mine I have to go into their local office to try em on. It is WORTH it. And LAY DOWN to try them on. Your face changes from sitting to laying and a mask may fit when sitting up and NOT fit when laying down. When you find one that feels best try it for a week, If you have problems with it there are loads of suggestions on cpaptalk to help you with things like mask leaks etc.. It may take trying several masks till you get one right for you. BE INSISTENT if your DME tries to tell you otherwise. Or tries to have you make due with one that is not right for you. And communicate what problems you are having. My DME always tries pushing Respironics masks for some reason, they don't even have any other brands out in their fitting room. But After explaining my problems to the woman who was fitting me with a new mask she left and came back with another company's and it was soooo much nicer!! This one put NO Pressure at all on the bridge of my nose. As for getting used to the CPAP it's self. Be patient. One thing that helped my brother & Sister in law get used to their machines easier was wearing it while being awake watching tv or something. Getting used to it. A couple hours a day can really help you to be able to wear it while sleeping. And have your doctor write you a perscription for a HEATED HUMIDIFIER, have him/her be exact cause many DME's will try to say your insurance wont pay for a heated. Call your insurance yourself and find out. Most times this isn't true. And if you had issues with the dryness during the sleep test you will for sure have major issues at home.

One of the things that always gets me was finding clothes that were actually long enough. There seems to be a thought in the fashion industry that all fat people are 5'2 or under and that just isnt the case. Being 5'9 and supersized finding clothes is just darn hard. And when I can find them either are way to short in the legs or look like someone raided a factory full of rejected 70's couch fabrics!! I'm the type I like solid colors mostly. I don't care for most prints in fabrics. Ocasionaly I find one that I like but for the most part NO. I don't do pokadots, paiselys, flowers, stripes or plaids. Give me tye dye or something in bright colors without looking like something grandma would wear. Gimme soft silky fabrics that flow and don't feel like plastic. And don't cost a fortune. And that I can wash and dry at home. Thank heavens for the internet as you can find more and more makers of clothing that can actually fit the plus sizes and up but the fashion industry still has a looooooooooooooooooooong way to go.

If you have the reader and softwear you can do some self diagnoses and adapting yourself but that shouldnt be a substitute for treatment with your sleep doc. I suggest calling them to find out why there was no follow up and go from there. If they don't seem to think a followup is needed then by all means find another doc. Cause it can take time to get your machinery set up to best suit you and even after that as you lose or gain weight your pressures will change! So keeping in touch with your sleep doc can be important.

Well its no more or less private then any other place online really. And as long as you don't post identifying information it shouldn't be an issue. Now while I don't mind having a photo or two online, if you not comfortable with that then don't :thumbup:

Nope your not alone. Although I can say I don't have the same views on those with only 75 lbs or so to lose. I wish I had considered WLS when I only had 75 to lose though. But after seeing what some family members went through. I was stubborn and said I would NEVER do any kind of surgery just to lose weight. And I kept thinking that till about a year ago. I was able to get off 250 lbs (down to 400lbs) and keep that off for 4 years but then started creeping up again. Now I realize how nieve I was to say never. Now after finding out insurance will cover me if I can get my PCP to agree (which she wont) So I'm now seeking a new PCP. And with my insurance it takes 2 months to switch doctors :thumbup: Before they will start covering it. Put a screeching halt on getting the band for the moment. But I am fighting it :thumbup: Being supersized has its own problems above and beyond just being overweight. And honestly I hate to see anyone else head towards that. Not if it can be prevented. And while yes I get a bit jealous wishing I only had 75 lbs to lose, I realize that I was the one who let it get so out of control and they are just trying to keep from getting there in the first place.