giveyouthemoon

Here is one post on the subject...http://lapbandtalk.com/showthread.php?t=12506&highlight=naming+band

But yes, I've named my little band. Her name is Katrinka, but we call her Trink. Her name came from the image I got when Jack called his band a little silicon fist. That made me think of a little tiny petulant ballerina so I went with a Russian ballerina sounding name. Thus Katrinka was born.

The few people in my life that know I had surgery know her as Trink...and it's funny, they talk in Trink terms. Like the other day, my sis had a good meal and she and her hubby were saying "yuum, Trink would like this!"

My boyfriend is forever asking me "Is Trink happy? Is Trink feeling ok?" and we refer to certain foods that work well as Trink food or Trink friendly.

I figure if Trink is going to ride around in my body, we may as well be friends!

Vines.....you have done nothing but give beautiful advice and guidance to everyone here on this board, myself included. You give...and give...and give....maybe it's time for you to receive some of your own brand of love and support.

Vines....this lap band thing? It sucks. I mean really...it blows. Big time. And there is nothing more frightening that that feeling of "I. Give. Up." Been there myself. I'm fighting demons I never knew I had and some new ones have cropped up.

So girl...talk to me...what else is going on in your life? You are the most gall durned determined human I believe I've ever met. It's odd to hear this sound of resignation in your voice....

Are you tired? Stressed? Overworked? Need a vacation? Need a hug? Need a kick in the pants? I can provide some help on some of those.

What's else is going on in your life girl? Talk to us.

Know that you are loved and supported right here. We're your family. No not the crazy unhinged one that causes you more stress than good. Nope, we're the ones with hinges in place and worried look in our eyes wondering how we can help our sister stand up tall again.

Talk to us......

I didn't really associate the effects of that with the fact that I still feel like I have to eat as much as I can, even with the band. I guess I knew, but I didn't really want to put 2 and 2 together.

Hey Kristin! Glad you were able to take a look at the patterns. Those durn demons of the eating disorder sure will find a way.

Just a preview...the first thing my therapist did was to remind me that an ed is all about control. She asked "what feels out of control in your life" because my ed is always far, far worse when I have those ol' out of control feelings.

For me...this time....honestly things seem to be going pretty well in my life....and I'm so used to being crapped on....so things going well actually scares the sh*t out of me....so I'm working on this stuff.

It's a lifelong job to keep those ed demons at bay.

I'm here if you want to talk!

Oh I'm one of the a couple times a week PB'ers but I'm working REALLY hard to reverse this trend. I started with a goal of just one day without a PB and managed to make it to eight days. Today I blew it, PB'd on some salad. Sigh. Tomorrow my "just one day" begins again.

For me....eating too fast and eating the wrong stuff is key. I also PB when stressed from work or upset (had quite the episode when I got into a spat with my boyfriend over breakfast). Also, I'm VERY prone to PB when I have PMS and all the way through my period. So I have two weeks a month where I've been known to PB on a liquid! A liquid!!!!

Also...if I let myself get too hungry to where I'm *starving*..the combo of probably eating too fast AND my tummy feeling tight from being so hungry is a damn near lethal combination.

Can I just say I'm glad to see so many chimed in with the couple times a week? Sheesh, I thought I was the only one!!!!!

Ok...I'm super super in touch with what you are saying. I am a recovered bulimic but I have to admit I've recently been going through a similar thing. I eat too fast, too much, wrong food and of course I PB. I got to the point where I was doing this two and three times a day. I finally had to realize....it was the same old demons, they'd just found a different way.

Now...you don't mention if you have had an eating disorder in the past. If you haven't....then I suggest that you are just in rebellion mode. The ol' "I can eat it if I want to!!" mode and fighting your band. I understand this. We all go through it. If this is the case, well...you have to sit down with yourself and decide what this band means to you and rededicate yourself to your goals.

If you have had an eating disorder in the past....get thee to your therapist now. This is what I had to do. Got a mental adjustment and the rampant PB'ing stopped.

Good luck. You've gotta find a way to give your band a rest from all the vomiting. I started with a goal of going one whole day without doing that. I was lucky enough to string eight of those in a row. Today I blew it...but tomorrow starts "one day with no PB" again.

We're in this together.

Oh now that's funny!

My family will take the paper off of a straw before giving it to me to prevent me from "attacking them" I have even reloaded and reshot a few times. Pass the straws please~Mandy

Ok, now that is just funny. Oh the mental images I have!!!!!

LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL!!!!!!!!

Yeah, I had to do a LOT of between meal Snacks to make it through at first....then over time that issue just went away. Like I said, your body will adjust over time.

But in the meantime...YES, keep Snacks handy. I've found when I get overhungry that my band really gets finicky and I almost always PB cuz I'm eating too fast (since I'm starved). So then it's a bad deal....VERY hungry, can't eat cuz I PB'd, MORE hungry and now upset. Oy! Keep a snack! Don't get into that crazy loop!!!

I came down firmly on the side of the straw. It helped me to sip and not gulp my Protein Drinks after surgery. I guess "your milage may vary" applies here...so if you think a straw might be nice, give it a try!

I had that problem when first banded and eventually it went away. It was like I was full in the small stomach but the big stomach was VERY hungry. I think your body will adjust over time......

Loooooove Pike Place Market. Was just there in Feb. Good stuff to buy! They have a Mexican import store that I *cannot* pass by. They have oh so very much of my money!

Well...I've told me surgeon a couple things and he's said "that shouldn't be happening" and I just look at him like he's the most profound man in the world and move along. As long as I'm not in major pain or suffering...I figure that skinny MAN doesn't know what my fat female body is feeling.....

That and the big needle issue......

No. You're not mental. This is a WIDELY experienced phenomenon that hasn't been very clearly explained, but you are not alone. My personal theory is that gravity works throughout the day to redistribute the fluids in our body, so that tissues near the band might thin out even while our ankles swell. Though the effect may not be visible, it only takes a little change in Fluid levels (whether in the band itself or in the tissues surrounding it) to change our perceived restriction.

Just to add my .02.....this is EXACTLY what my surgeon said is the cause. So we have a dr confirming Alexandra's discription.

I'm a bit ashamed to admit that I PB more than I should. I've been REALLY fighting things lately. The old "I can eat anything I want" syndrome and not chewing enough. I'm my own worst enemy.

So yes....when I PB it normally takes multiple trips to get it all out. I have tried the ol' finger down the throat but to be honest....that doesn't seem to help....I can't explain why, but a full on induced vomit doesn't always dislodge the stuck thing. It's a different process than a PB.

I've found...and I probably shouldn't tell this...that drinking Water works better. It hurts like hell to add some Water on top of the stuck thing, but the water often helps get the stuck thing unstuck.

I HAAATE to PB...so you would think I would do it a lot less eh?

I'm still a work in progress. For today, my goal is go to a week with no PB and build from there...

*sigh*

Wow! I mean....WOW! That is really incredible. I'm also a chicken about PS but I can't get over the results you are already seeing!!!! In the first photos, your shoulders are kind of slumped but in the after photos you are holding your shoulders back! I love it!! Walk tall my friend!! You are beautiful!!!!!

You and Karen (if she has ever had to see Dr F instead of Dr C) are the only ones that are going to understand what I am saying here. It's WEIRD.

Yup, I've seen Dr Feng when Dr C wasn't in the office (they trade off months for being in the SJ office). Yeah, for a while I actually favored Dr. F because he seemed so much nicer....until he ripped into me one day....and that smiling ass chewing didn't sit too well with me.

Dr C just is surly from the get go....lol! So I see Dr C next week....gonna have to toughen up since my loss has slowed quite a bit lately.....

For the record, my surgeon is an Asian man who I am certain has NEVER weighed more than 150 pounds in his life.

Yup...and Dr C is tall and *skinny* too. Neither of them, from all outward appearances, have had weight issues.

For a while I thought that Dr C just didn't like fat people. I figured he was in it for the money....but one of the ladies at the LAPSF monthly support group meetings says she goes in every other week (she wants her value for the money she paid) and says that when Dr C gets surly with her, she asks him "why are you talking down to me?" or "why are you so upset?" and he will quit and she said then she actually gets some good support from him. Gonna have to remember that.....

I think you're doing great and want you to know that I'm really intimidated by our surgeon. I go to see him next week and have only lost 12 pounds since surgery. I'm sure he is going to be displeased with this. I'm hoping for my first fill.

Kelli

Ok Kelli...best to just brace yourself. The surgeons at LAPSF have a sickness....they want us to be anorexics. Just set your gut for the fact that he *will* have something to say....just smile at him condescendingly when he does....get your fill....then go home and comfort yourself!!!

I've often said in regards to my surgeon.....In real life...I'd NEVER let that man lay a hand on me...and yet somehow I let him cut me open. I try not to think about such things.

I have an appointment to see the evil Dr. on the 19th. Remind me about the advice I just gave you....prepare for him to be an assh*le and hope for the best......

You know what? I honestly think that this is a happy thing....the coincidences in the show you watched are too strong. I think your husband is sending you a little sign...just a "hello" I think.

Smile and know that your beautiful man did and does love you very much.

Now wipe those tears, beautiful! Now....about that trip to see your daughter! How fun! Let's focus on that, ok?

Well wouldja look at that? You are one pound less than my starting weight.

Yup, I had issues with pee leakage when I was so heavy. Not so much when I stood up, but when I coughed or sneezed or laughed hard. Yup, lots of little leaks. Nothing wrong with my "stuff" either, it's all how it's supposed to be. It was because I was carrying about 140 extra pounds.

I've lost 83 and yes, it's made a *significant* difference!!!

CNN is reporting that "Citizens for Health" wants it pulled. But they want a lot of other stuff pulled to.

Its not pulled yet.

Yes, that's what I'm seeing. A group wants the FDA to pull it but I doubt that will happen anytime soon.

Ok...honestly..splenda is "made from sugar" and they use, of all things, chlorine to split the sugar particles....not exactly good stuff....that being said, I'm standing by my little yellow packets!!!!

This is probably really appropo of nothing...but I've disclosed before that I was a raging bulimic for about 10 years.... In the heat of it there was a website that I used to frequent that was populated with anorexics and other eating disordered girls.

The anorexics *swear* by Metamucil for curbing hunger and helping them to feel full. Odd bit of endorsement I know.

But I guess that means it could work if taken in reasonable doses....I tried it a few times but it makes me poop so much it's hard to consider taking Metamucil very often......

I have lost 36 pounds in 6 months. That's 6 pounds a month. Not a rabbit, not a turtle. If I can keep up this pace I will be at my goal weight in 7 more months!!!

Ah yes...he IS a crackhead. That OTHER crackhead in the practice...Dr C also gave me a ration of sh*t for a 6 lb loss in a month. This was back in January when I had to get an unfill. He harassed me about the unfill AND he harassed me about not losing enough. I lost really fast right after being banded and after losing the first 70 lbs the loss slowed considerably. I still thought that 6 lbs in a month was great but Dr C thought it wasn't right.

And yeah...I had *quite* an altercation with their so called "nutritionist" over the 800 calories a day thing. They can BITE ME!!! I said to that tiny chick "don't you think it's a lot to expect a 300 pound woman to eat 800 calories?" And she just looked at me like *I* was the idiot......

My parents were married 46 years. Now, I can't say they always had the best marriage but they stuck it out together to the end. When my dad passed last year, my mom was devastated.

So after a memorial for my dad, I asked my mom how they had ended up together....they often seemed at cross agendas.

My mom's reply was something that sticks with me..."we just had so much in common. Our backgrounds were similar, our families were similar, we worked for the same company....he just always understood."

Don't know if that helps...but it's something I've spent a lot of brain cycles considering lately.......

My gut reaction here is if he'd said he's struggling in the relationship because he can't stand seeing you so unhappy all the time....that I can understand....but to say he is replused by your appearance is shallow as hell and heartwrenching to hear. How possibly can THAT help you to feel better when your support system isn't being supportive???

I have to tell you this.....getting banded is a tough road. And not having support as you go down this road worries me. He will also need to understand that for a while you can only drink liquids. And when you eat food you can't eat the things you did before and you have to go slow.

Is this guy going to stick by your side when you are crying your eyes out cuz your incisions ache and you are tired of liquids and just need to grieve the loss of food? Because that is real and that's going to happen. It's a rite of pasage we all go through.

I honestly and truly suggest that you seek the advice of a qualified counselor. Going into surgery with your head like this is going to be very tough. Don't try to get your husband to go with you...YOU GO seek therapy for yourself. It will help you find your internal core of strength. Then all decisions you make will be from strength and not from demoralization.

You deserve the best. You are wonderful and amazing and perfect just as you are RIGHT NOW. So find someone to work with your thoughts a little bit and you'll be able to see that too.

You have all the love and support you need here. Your LBT family is here.....

Okay look....step AWAY from the eggs! Whoa girl, those can be the hardest to swallow! What the heck sweetie!?!?! Gotta be nice to your band!!!

Looks like you are going to have to do what I do. Drink something WARM before even attempting that first bite. The warm helps slowly open you up.

Then....first bites....CHEW AND CHEW AND CHEW!!!

My wondeful boyfriend makes mooing noises at me....no, not in a bad way...he's reminding me to chew my cud....to chew into goo...to go SLOW. The first few bites are ALWAYS the hardest!!!

Gotta let that poor thing inside you rest. Quit pushing it! You know the rules!!

And yeah, I agree with the others...I think you have 2cc's in a 4cc band! So hell, that's a LOT more than I have! And I have troubles too!!!

Deep breaths. We'll get through it!!!