AnotherMe

Hello all! well I survived! All in all it was a pleasant experience, and the nurses were extremely nice. I arrived approx 6:10 am, pre-op was a breeze, spoke with Dr and Anesthesiologist. At approx 8:45 they put some anesthia in my IV and I was out right away, don't even have memory of being wheeled into OR. Next thing I knew I was in recovery! In quite a bit of pain, but they asked if I was OK - I said not really and they gave me some pain med thru IV. I did the breathing exercices 8 times, then the nurse helped me get dressed and I was off to the bathroom. No problem there! Yea! From there I was off to do the barium swallow and everthing went fine.. have a nice pic of it going thru. Then I went to step down and had to sip a full 16.9oz bottle of Ozarka Water before I could go home.... that was a bit of a surprise; I didn't expect to be able to drink that much Fluid right after. I felt so groggy and tired. My Mom arrived just before I finished all of the water and got the discharge instructions, it was cool & raining when we left. Little bumpy ride home -pillow helped tremendiously! Stopped to drop off Rx and then it was off to rest at my parents house, take some liquid tylenol and chewable gas-x. All the IV fluids are making me go to the bathroom every 45 minutes or so!! On a realllly positive note, when they weighed me this morning I was 234.0 !!! At my last appt in May I was 246.5 I'm still at my parents, my son and I will leave soon so I can get him ready for school tomorrow.. I was really trying for surgery on a Thursday or Friday but could not work out the schedule. I hope I have enough enery to help him get up tomorrow. thanks to everyone for the support!

Hi ladies!!! Welcome to LBT Donna, I went to my first seminar in March. I took my Mom with me to another one in May and finally made the decision to go ahead! I'm having surgery tomorrow morning - just 10 hours to go!!! I'm paying for it by myself (weight loss surgery is excluded on my health ins policy).... so, it took me a while to make the decision. Tracy, when you want to start a "thread" - click on the appropriate forum and directly below "user cp" is a icon that says "new thread" I know you will learn a lot if you keep reading and asking questions. There are so many wonderful people here who will offer their support. All the best,

thank you friends, for the suggestions! Heather, I'm divorced with an special needs 8 yr old... unfortunately, all of the house work is mine. I have been thinking about hiring a housekeeping service for quite a while now -- even if it's just once a month. I'm seriously considering it, but I'm a cheapskate at heart! Nana, great idea about the slip on shoes! keep 'em coming,

Hi! I'm having band surgery tomorrow also! I'm another fortunate one, I have minor issues related to my obesity (joint pain, lower back pain, reflux) and am chosing to take control now while I'm still relatively healthy. I also have flat feet, and my tendons become very painful if I walk to much. I usually have to take an anti-inflamatory pill, but I know this won't be possible after being banded. So, I have hope that losing some weight will reduce some of the strain. I'm not too worried about the anesthia, I do plan to ask several questions though. Just to satisfy the voices in my head! All the best,

Girl! I thought you said you were going to take a nap?! You must be addicted to LBT like me! Thanks for the recipe! As soon as I get to solids I will try for sure (might even attempt a small sample during mushie stage if I blend after cooking) keep 'em coming!

Hi from Houston! Eileen, I love this idea ... it's nice to "chat" and since we're in different time zones we would probably have difficulty getting in the online chat at the same time. My condolences on your BIL. I'm glad he's finally at peace. Cindy, I wished I lived closer to you.. It's been quite a while since I've taken the time, I need a friend to scrapbook with. I did get some good advice once... start working on the most recent events so they're fresh in your memory and work backwards. It's great you got to go on such a fun vacation with your parents last Christmas. I'm sure DD will remember that trip for a long time. Renebean, when is your jury duty? I have to tell you I went on a Monday recently (worst day to go since they have to process all of the criminals that were arrested over the weekend).. was #9 in a voir dire panel of 65.... GUESS WHAT? - I got selected!! Murder case!! Lasted almost 2 weeks! Whew! I'm glad my employer compensates for jury service. The prosecution and the defense attorney will each get an hour or so to talk about the process, then they started asking general questions to the whole group and if someone raised their hand or shook their head they would ask more in depth questions to that person. Then each sides gets to strike 10 people and the 1st thirteen (think 12 angry men & 1 alternate) who did not get stricken (sp?) are the jury. I was involved in a car accident on 11/3/04 and this Tuesday 10/12 I have to appear as a witness in a case the state brought against the man who caused the accident. I'm not sure why, maybe a civil case? The lettr said only to bring any documents or pictures I have relating to the accident. Should be interesting. Today and yesterday I've been consumed with LBT... my surgery is tomorrow morning so I'm just reading up and getting excited! Hope you all have a great week!

1. What is your name? Karla 2. What color shirt are you wearing? gray 3. What are you listening to right now? son's NickToons tv in background 4. What was the last thing you ate? slice of american cheese 5. Do you wish on stars? not in a long time 6. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? aqua 7. How is the weather right now? sunny/unusually cool 8. Last person you spoke to on the phone? Mom 9. Favorite Sport? Baseball, GO ASTROS!! 10. Favorite drink? diet dr pepper (not after band surgery tomorrow though!) 11. hair color? Brown 12. Eye color? Hazel 13. Siblings? 1 brother, 1 stepsister 14. Favorite month? March 15. Favorite food? Cajun 16. What was the last movie you saw? Incredibles 17. Favorite day of the year! New Years Day Jan 1st 18. What do you do to vent anger? slam doors 19. What was your favorite toy as a child? lite brite 20. Summer or winter? winter 21. Hugs or Kisses? Hugs 22. Favorite ice cream flavor? chocolate 23. Restaurants or home cooking? Mom's home cooking! 24. Will everyone care enough to respond? I sure hope so, this is fun! 25. When was the last time you cried? when my friends at work forgot my birthday 26. What is under your bed? 2 underbed storage boxes with my selection of shoes 27. How long have you been a member of Lapband Talk? 7 months 28. What did you do last night? read posts on LBT 'til 3am!!!! 29. What are you afraid of? random acts of violence 30. Favorite car? I'd love to have a roomy van. Right now it's by paid for Chevy Malibu 31. Favorite flower? Tulip 32. How many keys on your ring? 1 33. How long have you been at your current job? 7 years 34. Favorite day of the week? Saturday 35. What did you do on your birthday? stayed at home with son 36. How many states have you lived in? 3 37.How many cities/towns have you lived in? 5 38. What is your favorite form of exercise? walking 39.Your favorite store for bargains? Foley's 40. Wasn't this fun? Yes!!!!!!

Glad to hear you made it there and back without too much trouble! I wish you continued success on your recovery

Hello! I'm familiar with the temptation you feel towards your scale. You set goals for yourself and want to check to see if what you're doing is working. Try to put it in a closet or another room for the rest of the week. Take it out on Mondays only! That way you don't see it everytime you walk by and aren't tempted to get on it. I put mine in the garage a while back and eventually got rid of it, was too depressing. just a thought,

Now you've got the idea!! Keep your spirits up, all the stress that worrying brings is not worth it. One small lapse does not mean you are doomed forever. The first 10 lbs is now gone! Congratulations, you've officially kicked it into gear! Keep smiling,

Hi Jodie, I'm sorry you are going through such a difficult time. I'm by no means an expert, but just wanted to offer a little support and remind you to chew, chew, chew. Where are you staying now? Are you back in your home town? Sounds like you're at the right restriction level, but with the short supply of food you aren't able to get any band-friendly food to eat. After a fill, you typically would go back on a diet similar to what you did post-op. Are there any instant mashed potatoes, oatmeal, etc that you can get a hold of? I work for a company that manufactures and distributes hospital lab supplies, and we've had a heck of a time getting shipments out to the affected hospitals so they are able to re-open. Let us know what area you're in (zip code) and I'll be glad to send you a care package as soon as I can. you can PM me if you want, not sure of the logistics but I would try my best. My thoughts and prayers are with you.

Welcome Therese, it's nice to meet you. There are several members here who are in Australia, I'm sure they'll come around to welcome you soon. You've done a great job losing 50 kgs in 9 months!! Well done! You have every right to be pleased with yourself, it's an awesome accomplishment. Sounds like you enjoyed the conference, and I know you will enjoy the members here at LBT Any question you have, put it out there and you'll get very honest opinions. It's great to have such a good support team. All the best,

16's? Wow! That's awesome I'm such a cheap skate, I usually shop at Foley's when they're having a big clearance sale! I did buy some capri pants and shirts at Lane Bryant earlier this year. I like the capris but, even though the tshirts have some stretch material, they DO shrink. And, I had to take one back because the thread started coming out after the 1st wash! I exchanged it and now after several washes the new one is doing the same thing! It's definitely not right for them to have such a difference in the sizes. Does make you think a bit that they're trying to protect their customer base? That's why I don't like trying on clothes. I love going shopping and getting a bargain, but put me in a dressing room and I get depressed. I'm most impressed that you have a husband who goes shopping with you!! How cool is that? Must be true love!

Hi Pat! I'm a bit behind on reading the posts in the Lounge... But I wanted to let you know I think it's great you are finding fun and fellowship with other ladies! Have you been to a few luncheons by now? When my mom joined the Red Hat Society early this year I decided to read a book that was written by the lady who founded the organization. It was a pretty enjoyable book and so neat to see that women everywhere are empowered to join together and have fun! Hope you have lots of good times with new friends,

Hi Dena! How have the last couple of weeks of recovery been? Has the liquid stage been "bearable"? Were you able to get rid of the gas pains? My surgery is rapidly approaching, on Monday morning! Sending you a PM, let me know how you're doing. take care,

Ramona, sorry I didn't find your thread until now.. Congratulations on getting banded and having everything worked out with your financing. How are you feeling? Did the trip go pretty well? Do you have any regrets? All the best,

Yea! No respiratory failure! VERY important NSV! My favorite was 9/27 Had to get that in before your fill?! I've actually been thinking about you quite a bit lately! I read the slow loser thread and applaud your tenacity (sp?), dedication, enthusiasm. You make me smile with your humor, I think we are alike in many ways. I wish you MUCH continued success My surgery is Monday morning - Would you mind if I ask your advice on how you got started on your list? Did you journal daily, weekly? Is there anything you would do now that you didn't do when you started recording your stats? Thanks for being in my test study!! Keep smiling.

Hi Wendy, I don't have much advice -- on Monday I will have my band surgery/hernia repair. I hope you feel better soon, make sure you take the meds so you can get some rest and let your body recover. I would definitely call Monday morning to ask the office about the 0 calories!! You need calories for energy, sodium, potassium, etc on a daily basis. Will they let you have low sodium V8 juice, Boost drinks? I know it hurts to watch your family eat their meals, can you take a short walk while they are eating? Take a bottle of Water with you and walk down the road/street/around the block for 15 minutes if you can. Feel better soon, YOU CAN DO THIS All the best,

I don't know much of anything about suing for malpractice. I never went to law school, although I was recently on the jury of a murder trial -- so I have plenty of opinion on our justice system here. Don't know the rules in your country. I'd love to come for a visit though! My only opinion (supportative statement if you want to call it that)... is do what YOU feel is right. Don't let the people who are telling you to do this make up your mind for you. I hope you heal very quickly. Have you asked the band dr how soon he/she feels you may be able to recover and when they would consider doing your band surgery? You've posted 228 times in less than 3 months, give everyone a chance to work their way to your thread. All the best,

Dj, don't feel too bad about that. At least it was Protein, and those wings don't have that much meat! I'm sure they are fried with sauce on top.. but probably not with any type of batter? How long have you had your band? Are you on liquids or mushies? I say as long as it doesn't hurt you shouldn't worry about it. You DESERVE your band, please don't feel defeated. Restriction will come in time, don't be too hard on yourself. All the best,

glitterqueen, great thread... it's makes you stop and analyze. I don't remember feeling any different during elementary school.. I've looked back at the school pictures and I looked pretty cute (normal)! Of course, most of that time I was active in tap/ballet/jazz. I have to say I've had problems with my weight since middle school (12/13 yrs old). I was no longer in dance, but I still remember being very active. My parents had a "rule" that before we could leave the dinner table we would have to ask to "be excused" - and couldn't leave the table unless they were satisfied we sufficiently cleaned our plates... I'm not blaming them (LOVE them to death!), just something I remember. During high school I was overweight, my mom was a dietician and she tried many times to help me battle the bulge! But, she's a GREAT cook.. we're originally from Louisiana where rice is a staple of the every day diet and with au jus gravy on top it rules!!! She suffered from mental depression for many of those years and it was such an unsettling time, as a kid it was very tough and at the time my weight was not too much of a concern to me. During my early 20's I went up steadily. When I got married at 25 I weighed 190, without much effort I got down to 170 ('course I was very busy working a full time job, going to college for EMT training, and volunteering with our county 911 service on my days off). Then I got pregnant! I think I was 205 when my son was born in April 1997. I never got all of the pregnancy weight off, and a year and a half later I started a new job that involves sitting all day at the computer. I did get rid of approx 200 lbs when I divorced in May of 2000!! In the form of my ex-husband that's another story! So, since being in my current job I have put on another 45-50 lbs and feel miserable. My metabolism is sooo slow, I get extremely busy at work that I usually skip lunch and never feel it. When I get home is when I have the problem.. eating too late/snacking too much. As long as I'm active it keeps my mind off of food. Like right now, I've been reading posts and for an hour or so and haven't snacked one bit. I've been doing low carb to get ready for my surgery in a couple of days. Sorry I digressed so much... back to your original question! I think your great self-esteem and all the wonderful things you accomplished got you into a comfortable zone? where you get so busy and live your life, before you realize it those 5 lbs/yr have added up to what you see today? Please don't take offense, it's just a guess. As for me, I've had extremely low self esteem as far back as I can remember. And, in my opinion I have always been heavy and the struggle is extremely difficult. So, I now choose to take control and as of next week I'll be well on my way. thanks for listening,

Wow! Absolutely stunning wild life photos John! They look good enough to be on the cover of a magazine or in a calendar. Are you a professional photographer? If not, you could probably do very well in that area!$!$ Your weight loss is incredible! Great job! I think you're right about maintaining at 200lbs. You are looking very slim! Measure those biceps, triceps, deltoids and everything else before you start shaping.... you've proven you can succeed and I bet the results will be stunning. All the best,

I forgot to mention, Jessiebear started a thread a while back: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/showthread.php?t=9931 that lists step by step instructions on how to make a ticker & copy and paste it into your profile in User CP (computer profile) good luck!

Rose, how are you doing now? Are you still concerned that you were not able to get a fill this week? Included in Dr Spivak's post op instructions I got a page that was titled "5 types of adjustments". Even though I'm not banded yet (surgery in 2 days - Monday morning 10/10), the information it provides has helped me wrap my brain around all that I have learned. I'm self pay and since the 1st year of adjustments are included in the fee, I naturally assumed I would get approx 2 fills during that time. But, it absolutely makes sense that I should look at it as Jack states... his Dr crieteria is: "1) loosing weight; 2) how hungry?" 'Course, as I said, I'm not banded yet so I don't mean to "spout" knowledge... just a suggestion and a bit of information that I found helpful. All the best,

I'm bumping this as it's GREAT information. I read it on another thread that was an eye-opener and the support and information given there has truly been remarkable. I'm having surgery Monday morning and would like to ask, is this the regimen that most bandsters try to adhere to? Do you try to eat your biggest meal at for lunch? Makes complete sense, I'm just wondering if a lot of you have seen success with this method. I'm aware of the Protein first, veggies second, and carbs last. I'm very interested in your thoughts and ideas. thanks,