ginny two

Awesome!:wink:

Thanks everybody for all the kudos and support. I need to be more careful to log things into my journal so that I'm aware of what is really happening! I really admire those of you that are exercising the way you are! I'm going to join you. I swear I am. One day at a time. This is one of the hardest things for me to do. So, you all inspire me!:thumbup:

Thanks for asking, you made me feel so good. :sneaky: It went GREAT. (I love my doctor and his mini-me nurse.) It was so easy. He numbed me up a little bit, had me do a crunch or two, (I just kept looking at the ceiling) and after about 30 seconds it was over. I didn't even feel it. I told him that he should make it harder on people, cause it felt like he didn't even do anything. Did he do anything??? (JK) I feel so lame. I thought I had a 4cc band, because it says that on the lapband card they gave me (in very small print). I also thought that he had told me the band would be empty when he put it in. Well, I have a 10cc band and there were 3cc's in there at the time of surgery. He added 1.5 today, so I have a total of 4.5cc's. That makes me feel a lot better. I feel like I'll get to restriction faster now. Plus, I got a lot of praise from Mini-me and my nutritionist over the weight that I lost over the past month. It's "only" nine pounds, but to them it's wonderful. I want it to be fifteen or twenty, of course! I guess I need to remember to be realistic. Rats! Reality bites! BTW, Mini-me's name is Kelley and she is awesome. She is my real doctor, because she is the one that gives me all my info, answers my questions, and really takes care of me. She's actually the co-doctor, if you ask me. Nurses rock!

Thank you for your inspirational post. My journey has just begun and it's great to hear from people that have had such success. It's also very good for me to hear that the lapband is not magic. I get my first fill today and I will be thinking of your positive attitude. For everyone that posted before me, thanks for the positive example that you have all set!

I have my first fill tomorrow. Finally. I've been so emotional the past three days. I don't know if it's PMS, wedding jitters, or maybe I'm nervous about my fill. Could be all three I suppose. Meanwhile, I must stay away from sharp objects when I am with other people.

Ummmmm, DUH! I didn't mean throwing up. I meant washing the food through my pouch. Sometimes I'll brush my teeth,too, if it's convenient.

I know what you mean about being really thirsty. Especially after I've finished my meal, I crave a nice, big, cold, drink. This may sound weird, but it actually helps me a lot. I get some cold, fresh, water and rinse my mouth out over and over in the bathroom sink. It refreshes me and makes me feel better! Not quite as good as drinking it down in the old days, but better than throwing up.

I get upset if people don't notice. I haven't really lost that much, but I feel like I look so different already. My ex-husband called the other day and asked, "Is this Skinny Ginny of the recently acquired lapband?" I replied, "The one and only!" I know that he was trying to take a dig at me, but I thought you could be called worse things by your ex-husband. I think he's just threatened that I might lose the weight that he always wished I would lose when we were together. I would be more embarrassed if I didn't tell people and then they found out, than if I just tell them straight out. I also think that maybe it might help them somehow. I know that my daughter's gym teacher had WLS and I talked to him about it. He encouraged me to do it, to not be scared. It helped me a lot. I know there are also the "she took the easy way out" people out there. Screw them, though. I don't care what they think. When I was 17 I lost a lot of weight and was about 5 pounds away from my goal. I went to visit my grandparents that summer. My grandfather took my hands and held them up while he looked me up and down. He praised me to high heaven for having lost "so much weight". Then he said something that I've never been able to get out of my head. (Maybe I should be telling a therapist instead of you guys.) He said, "You almost look normal". That's what I've always hated. Being viewed as abnormal. Then again, my grandfather used to yell at the T.V. a lot and he sent all my inheritance to Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker.

Wow. You're 25 years old with three children? It sounds to me like you are probably a pretty strong person! I chose the lapband for the same reasons that you listed, as far as being reversible, etc. It sounds like your doctor has some good reasons for you to take this step. I can tell you what I did to decide. I went to the lapband seminar, then I signed up with the program at the hospital I chose. I had to do six months of a supervised diet for insurance company purposes. In the meantime, I read a lot of threads on this board. I read other materials about people's experiences with being banded. I thought long and hard about whether I felt that I could really commit to the lifestyle. In fact, I took an extra six months to decide. It was a year from the time that I went to the seminar and got banded. I tried really hard to lose weight on my own and couldn't do it. I thought about all the weight loss failures of my past. I think you've made a good start by asking people on this board if they would recommend it. If you haven't already, go ahead and delve into other threads to see how people are doing. Check out the success stories and the complication stories. I'm like bearbandit. I want to see my daughter grow up. I don't want to be in a wheelchair, either, which is where I was headed. BTW, my fiance and daughter joke that they are losing weight on my "diet". We don't go out to eat so much and I'm buying and cooking much healthier foods. I don't want my daughter to suffer the pain that I have. She is 12 and was depressed about having to wear plus sized clothes and having a belly. Now she's starting to slim down and feel pretty good physically and mentally. Sorry for the long post. Take care, let us know what you decide. :thumbs_up:

I didn't realize that she has dissed WLS. (Because I don't pay any attention to her anymore.) What has she said?? I used to dis it, too, BTW. *Dodging tomatoes.* :bolt:I was ignorant of the facts and threatened by people that were brave enough to take this step. Anyway, what did Oprah say about it?

Thank you. You are so sweet. :thumbup:

It was viral, huh? Lovely. I'm going to the doctor tomorrow, but I guess if it's viral they won't be able to help me. I got up at 6 a.m. in this nasty weather to take the trash to the curb. I have to wheel it up a hill to get there. Wow. I am feeling SO sorry for my self today! LOL! P.S. You have one heck of a commute. :thumbup:

I totally relate. After I had my surgery, I was SO scared to take my meds. My nurse kept reassuring me it would be okay. I said, "How can it be okay when I'm supposed to have nothing but liquids for two weeks? Some of these are big pills!" She insisted it would be okay. And it was. I would say, please, please, please, don't stop taking your medicine! Depending on what kind it is, it could be very dangerous to your health. I would suggest taking it a while after you've eaten (if allowed). Try to relax and just take one at a time. I've heard people say they space their medications out. (I don't know if you have more than one pill to take.) I have to believe it's okay. I made a HUGE stink out of this topic (with my doctor) before I got my band. I take a lot of medications and cannot go without them. I wouldn't have gotten the band if it was going to be a problem. The doctor and two pharmacists insisted it would be alright. So you can see that I understand what it's like to be concerned about it and I'm in your corner. Take it easy, it's going to be okay. Let us know how it goes.

Thanks! I'm going to hop into bed in about half an hour. My fiance is dropping my daughter off at her Grandma's house and he's picking up some protein drinks for me. Then it's gonna be ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!!!!!

Thanks, Elyse!

Gentylwind, What's his name? I'm on the first flight out of here! (Just kidding.) I left it up to my doctor to decide whether I should come in today (seeing as I'm very sick). Of course, he said no. I have to wait til next Wednesday for my fill. It's just as well. I think the 40 minute drive down to the hospital would wipe me out. I believe they say that we should only expect to lose 1-2 pounds a week, right? I know I'd like to lose at the bypass rate, but that's not what I signed up for. I ate too much over the holidays, since I have no restriction. (4cc band with no saline.) But, I've still been going down the scale. It had stalled for a little. Now things are moving along better. I have hardly exercised at all, so I can't really complain. I don't belong to a gym (no $ right now) and it's pretty darn cold outside for walking. I'm in awe of those of you that talk about working out. Once I'm back on my feet, I can at least dance for my workout, right??? I'm getting married in four and a half months, so you would think I would be really motivated to do all I can to lose some weight. I think I'm back to suffering from last supper syndrome. Waiting for my fill. Now that it's another week out, I don't want to wait for better progress. WHAT an idiot I can be. Thanks for listening to me play "True Confessions". I needed to hear me say it out loud.

I was supposed to get my first fill today, but I have the flu. They rescheduled it for next Wednesday. :thumbup:

I'm supposed to have my first fill tomorrow, but I'm sick as a dog today. :wub: I can barely talk. I'll wait until the morning to see how I feel, before I consider cancelling. Part of me just wants to go ahead and get it done. I'm pretty sure that I'll have to wait until next Wednesday if I don't do it tomorrow. I feel like I've already waited forever. This is so frustrating.

Awwwww, that is so sweet of you! Thanks so much! :tongue2:

Speaking of off topic, how do you guys like my Sailor Moon doll? I love to play with dollmakers, so you may see a lot of them come and go. My daughter laughed her arse off when she saw this one. (It's supposed to be me.) "That doesn't look like you at all!" Brat. Total brat. The point is that this is how I look on the inside. This is how I feel. One day, if I work my band, my outsides will match my insides. I suppose that a lot of you feel the same way. :wink_smile: BTW, the kid is not a total brat. When I came home from surgery, she asked me if they found twinkling stars, rainbows and unicorns in there. That was the most wonderful compliment that anyone has ever given me.:thumbup:

I can feel my port and I've heard a LOT of people talk about it, so I wouldn't be worried. That's kind of cool that you can feel your band. I call my surgeon's office when I have questions come up. They are being paid A LOT of money to take care of me. I've always read that patients that are very proactive and ask a lot of questions, sometimes even challenge a doctor, are the ones with the highest recovery rates amongst people that have cancer or other serious diseases. I think the more information and help that we ask (demand) of our doctors, the more likely our success. I'm not shy. I'm not obnoxious about it, but I don't hesitate to call with questions. This is a life or death situation when you think about it. Obesity is a life threatening condition! Sorry, totally off topic and onto my soapbox. I think I'm the one that needed to hear all that. :wink_smile: I'm gonna go have a cookie now. (Just kidding!)

Have you been banded yet? I was so addicted to Diet Coke it was ridiculous. (Just like a lot of people on this thread.) I thought there was no way I could give it up. BUT, being motivated to have my band work was enough to have me leave it behind. I don't really miss it, either. I'm shocked at how easy it is to live without it. Drinking carbonated beverages can expand the pouch created by the band and ruin it's effectiveness. It also can cause the band to slip. (Everyone, please correct me if I'm wrong on these facts.) Besides for that, I hear it hurts like heck to drink them once you are banded!

They told me to always sip liquids, but didn't explain why. I just assumed it was because there wasn't much room. I didn't think about what the repercussions would be. Yikes. It's funny that gulping down massive amounts of water was one of the things that I knew I would miss the most about my pre-band life. I feel like doing it now, just from talking about it. LOL! Thanks for the heads up.

Thanks for your input and advice, Debbie and Heather. It gives me hope to hear that Heather lost her taste for potatoes, rice and sweets. I hope that happens to me. :confused:

I need to check in with you guys every day. I've been slacking off on the message board over the holidays and I can feel the difference in my attitude. I called my doctor the other day and told them I'm pretty hungry, could we please move up my fill appointment. They changed it from the 14th to the 7th. YAY! It still irritates me that I've had to wait so long. I guess my doc has his reasons. I think he is very conservative and strict. Darn it. The 7th will be almost six weeks out from surgery exactly. I wonder if that's what is recommended for the "centers of excellence". Oh well. I'm looking forward to moving on to the next phase of my journey. This is awesome that we are all starting off the new year together. We are molding into our new selves, our new eating habits, exercise habits and attitudes. Best of all, this will result in our bodies molding into wonderful, healthy, sexy, bodies. No more stares from strangers, huffing and puffing after one flight of stairs, shopping at the big girl (or boy) stores, dreading summer and the beach, hanging over chairs or being pinched by theater seats, etc. Should we make a list? What are you looking forward to? One of my biggies is being able to scooch out of a row in the theater to get past people and not having my huge a** sticking into their faces. The other one is not having to see the look of dread on people's faces when they see me walking towards their seat on the subway. WOOHOO!!!:Yawn: